Just found Mom and 3 kittens today...help

[pkenny]

Last night while pulling into my car port, I saw a kitten scurry away from the car and into the back yard. This morning I have 3 kittens sitting just outside my shed in the backyard. I recognize Mom, she wanders the neighborhood, but having never owned or cared for a cat, I assumed she belonged to someone. Having read through this forum I now understand she is Feral.
The 3 kittens look to be about 6 weeks old? They are pretty active and look to be maybe 1lb a piece.
I tried to slowly approach them but they dove under the shed, into old woodchuck holes.
I really would like to get these cats in a safer environment, we have coyotes that wander through and fox and I'm concerned. Also, saw Mom today and she looks bigger then normal, can cats have litters that fast!?

So what do I do? How do I capture the cats, and if I can't, what do I feed them so they at least have a chance to survive. Can I eventually get them to trust me? It is also well below freezing here every night.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[dicknleah]

I would suggest a live trap to get the kittens. They should be young enough to domesticate but I'm no ferel expert other than saving a 4 week old from certain death.

 

[noni]

How wonderful for you to want to help!

Here's how I'd handle the issue...

I'd put out a high quality cat food (dry) and some water. Get them used to seeing you as the feeder/provider. This may not happen quickly with Mom, but it might happen quickly with the babies. I'd put the food somewhere you can see it from a bit of a distance, so you can be seen feeding/watering, and also so that you can be present when they eat. It will facilitate them connecting you with good stuff...

I would block off the boltholes you describe, but I'd also provide them something they can hide in which you can access, as well. An old carton on it's side, with the top cut off, with straw on the bottom, or something like that. It will give them some shelter from the cold, but it will also allow you to be able to see them/access them.

And I would try to trap the kits, because they are still of an age where socializing them would be fairly easy. However, I've no experience in trapping the babies, so I'm no help there. There will be posts from people who know more shortly, so take their advice.

As for Mama cat being trapped, it might not be as hard as you think. Read through the forums a bit and see if you can't get some ideas. And yes, she can get preggers that fast again.

Thank you for wanting to take care of this feline family. I appreciate it, and I know they will, too.

Best-
Michele

 

[hissy]

I'd trap mom right away, she is more than likely with kittens right now. Leaving her out there, puts her in danger, and keeps the procreating machine going.

Once you trap her, getting her kittens will be easier if you leave mom in a carrier to call to her babies, they will come around her and go into the traps to eat- there are kitten traps you can borrow as well as adult traps.

This statistic was just sent to be by a well known source of mine:

Thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a serious litter problem across the country. Unaltered cats and dogs produce thousands of unwanted or unexpected litters. Did you know that one unaltered pair of cats and their offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in just seven years? Thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s counting only two litters a year—a female cat can actually have three litters annually—with only 2.8 kittens surviving in each litter. Add two years and you can have a staggering 11 million kittens.

 

[catsknowme]

Do you have anyone helping you out yet? You could visit www.alleycat.org and check out resources. They offer great advice and links to feral cat rescue groups in your area. Hopefully, there is a group near enough to you to offer you lots of support.

Originally Posted by pkenny

Last night while pulling into my car port, I saw a kitten scurry away from the car and into the back yard. This morning I have 3 kittens sitting just outside my shed in the backyard. I recognize Mom, she wanders the neighborhood, but having never owned or cared for a cat, I assumed she belonged to someone. Having read through this forum I now understand she is Feral.
The 3 kittens look to be about 6 weeks old? They are pretty active and look to be maybe 1lb a piece.
I tried to slowly approach them but they dove under the shed, into old woodchuck holes.
I really would like to get these cats in a safer environment, we have coyotes that wander through and fox and I'm concerned. Also, saw Mom today and she looks bigger then normal, can cats have litters that fast!?

So what do I do? How do I capture the cats, and if I can't, what do I feed them so they at least have a chance to survive. Can I eventually get them to trust me? It is also well below freezing here every night.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[kittylover4ever]

Pkenny, you have had some great advice here. I wish you tons of luck catching the kitties....keep us posted on how it's going!