I Have A Feral Kitty Issue.

[edteach]

So I live at the end of a sub road. I have noticed lately that there are 4 small kittens can not be much older than 6 or 7 weeks maybe 8. They are running in the road and sitting there at night. I have tried to stop the car and approach them but they run away. Always to the same home. They follow the mother cat to the same porch. I stopped by and talked with the 81 yo lady who owns the home and she said they were not her cats and she wants them removed. I am not sure if I am taking on more than I can chew. A perfect solution is I can tame the kittens and place them in a shelter. Trap the mothers and have them fixed. Its a bit over whelming. I no more than put out the trap and caught this orange tabby. When I pick him or her up he tries to get away but does not bite or claw or hiss. So that is good. I put him in a cage with litter and food and water. Not sure how to proceed. Any help appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello!
Bless your heart for stepping up for these kitties!

Do you have any organizations in your area who aren't full with cats that could help you? If you type the words; cat rescue in YourCity YourState into your search engine you should get a number of results that you can then contact and hopefully be able to proceed with being able to find shelters for them.

There is also Nextdoor . com which is a relatively safe neighborhood website specific to your area. There may be someone such as a local TrapNeuterRelease organization who may be able to help or give guidance.

In addition, there are these two organizations mentioned by @tarasgirl06 which have information beyond vet bills;

There are a lot of links in the animal advocacy media to help with vet bills, and there is also veterinary medical insurance. One great database is www.bestfriends.org/resources. Another is www.alleycat.org, the database of Alley Cat Allies, THE national and increasingly international source for all things "cat". You can also search these topics with your search engine. You'll find a lot of links.

 

[Jcatbird]

Awwww! Probably a him since orange tabby cats are usually male but I just caught one that looks a lot like that one that is a female. Bravo! I’m not sure what you would like to do since you mentioned taming some. The kittens are usually easily tamed although some are more frightened.
The first thing that I do is to take them for a vet check. I have other kitties so I isolate the new kitties in a bathroom until they are checked out and once checked, I return them to the bathroom for socializing/taming. Do you desire to tame this one? Many here will be happy to guide you through all this. I can understand it seems a bit overwhelming in the beginning. It is work but the rewards of saving these kitties are huge. You save lives, stop suffering, stop possible abuse and inhumane interactions and stop the unending cycle of breeding of kitties that will have to struggle for every day of life. I do rescues myself and it can be work but I wouldn’t change a moment of it.
If you let us know whether you want to tame this kitty, we can guide you.
If you want others to take the kitty then the groups provided by Furballsmom are great contacts. Just update us with what you would like to do next or what information you need.
Thank you so much for caring about these kitties! Poor little kittens! Spay/ Neutering is very important.

 

[edteach]

Well I put in dry cat food and he did not eat it, but I put in a bit of tuna and he ate it up. So I would assume he is eating solid food.

 

[Furballsmom]

This might have info for you;

How Old Do Kittens Have To Be To Leave Their Mother?

 

[Jcatbird]

Eating solid food is encouraging. A good kitten food would be great. Wet food will help keep him hydrated. Try to watch to see if he drinks any water and make sure he doesn’t get cold. Really pretty baby!

 

[Jcatbird]

Watch his potty production too.

 

[edteach]

I have been working with the one cat I caught and he is already laying on my lap and purring. Eating solid food and using litter box. The issue is I was told by the shelter they would take them but its a waiting list. I did not know there was a wait. I can not take on another cat. I already am going to pay out of pocket to have the mother fixed. I have called several shelters and they are all full.

 

[Jcatbird]

Kittens usually go quicker. You could try out of area shelters and google rescue groups in your area. Best friends.org or Alley Cat Allies might be able to help and sometimes local humane societies will provide discount Spay/neuter and immunizations. The National Spay Alliance May help too. You can even try rescues in nearby cities or states. Just make sure they are no kill shelters.
Great going with the little tabby! That was quick progress!

 

[edteach]

Man I am supprised, this little guy want form not trying to run away this AM to now he will not leave me alone. He is licking me and cleaning himself and purring and all over me. So glad he is getting used to humans so fast.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

Man I am supprised, this little guy want form not trying to run away this AM to now he will not leave me alone. He is licking me and cleaning himself and purring and all over me. So glad he is getting used to humans so fast.

In my experience rescuing kittens, they are always the easier to tame/quickest to accept their new environment. They kinda just take things as it comes at them day by day.

It also helps when they are only a few weeks old.

 

[Jcatbird]

Kitties are always full of surprises. It makes a difference that the kitty feels safe with you. A bond is forming.

 

[edteach]

I’ve caught another one. This one scrached the heck out of me and kept biting me. I had on leather gloves but he is a wild one. Any advice how to calm him down?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Let me see if I can find someone who's been through some similar situations for you...

 

[catsknowme]

Congratulations on catching that kitty!! In his kitty mind, he was literally fighting for his life so convincing him that you are not going to eat him is key. Also, he needs to establish a base camp from which to establish territory. I would enclose him in a small space and eliminate hiding areas. For base camp, I would provide a box or opened carrier for him to use as a cave (think saber-tooth tiger suddenly placed in a new area) from which to begin studying the sights, sounds, scents and routines of the household. I would offer food and while it is there, sit nearby and read or play online games, etc. - just be there without any forceful interaction but also be the source of food. For a start, Jcatbird , @surya, Norachan , @Kflowers, @di and bob , @les26, @shadowsrescue, @supermax1943 may have suggestions.

 

[tabbytom]

This one scrached the heck out of me and kept biting me. I had on leather gloves but he is a wild one. Any advice how to calm him down?

Only thing to do to calm him down is to spend lots of time with him is feeding him and playing with him using a cat wand.

He has to gain trust in you and if he has a permanent place near you, you can try leaving a clean old garment with your scents on it and leave it where he sleeps.

Sit near him and engage him from a low angle and it's not necessary that you have to pet him every time. Just make your presence feels safe to him and keep doing the slow eye blinks with him. Slow blink and look down and away and this shows your submission to him. After several tries, blink and see if he blinks back and if he does, you have won his trust.

Feel free to ask questions and many who has experience with this will be able to help and please do keep us updated and if you can, post photos of this kitty for us to see.

 

[edteach]

I have been in contact with a foster care place. The person there said they would give me food, a cage and pay for spay or neuter when old enough, but now after I have caught a second cat they are saying I need to keep them in the house. I really can not do that. All I have is the garage. I hope she is not getting me into a situation.

 

[Furballsmom]

hang in there!!

 

[walli]

The garage is fine as long as it's not too hot

 

[Norachan]

Good work edteach !

The garage is fine as long as it's not too hot. Do you have a crate you can keep the kittens in? If you have one kitten halfway tamed already the other one will soon warm up to you when they see their brother is comfortable with you.

With young kittens if you hold them on their back and gently pet their face and neck they will relax. Older cats don't like being held belly up, but younger ones calm down if you do this.

So you have a trap? If the older lady doesn't mind you could trap the mother cat and the remaining kittens near her house. Start feeding the cat and kittens in a spot where you can set up the trap and then trap them when you're ready.

A few videos for you to watch.