Momma Cat Bringing Kittens Bones To Eat.

[Vince Lopez]

I woke up a week ago to find 5 cute as heck kittens (about one month old I am guessing) in my backyard. It is a gated and secure area so they are safe and I leave the mother, possibly feral, alone to hunt and raise the kittens. This brings up a few questions-
1. I noticed the mother brings the kittens bones, possibly chicken. There are quite a few lying around. Should I take these away? And is there a food a should replace them with?
2. Should I clean the area where the kittens are, or might this disturbance scare the mother away permanently?
3. What should I do with the kittens in the future as I cannot keep them? I do not want to upset the mother by taking them away from her.
Any info will be appreciated.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you show us some photos?

Do you feed mom and kittens at all? If not, they could really use the help. They need unlimited access to dry food, and a few meals of wet food a day. Where would mom be getting chicken bones?

Does mom let you approach her at all? Is she friendly at all?

The main thing to do is to get the cats spayed and neutered, and the kittens into homes. A home for mom would be great, too.

 

[orange&white]

I would offer the mom a little KMR every day and some wet kitten food to keep up her strength. If she is finding a steady supply of bones somewhere, there probably isn't any point in removing them. She's probably gnawing any meat off them and leaving bones? Eating cooked bones can be dangerous...so offering her some nutritious food might keep her from dragging bones from somewhere else. Do you live close to a fried chicken place or something? ....trying to figure out where she's getting them.

 

[Vince Lopez]

I have been giving mom dry kibble. I own a cat (spayed) and this stray mom cat has picked our place to nab my cat's food. I am okay with that, so I have been giving mom cat dry kibble, but I cannot give the kittens the dry kibble, correct or am I wrong? Should I be putting out wet store bought cat food for the one month old kittens? Is there any people food I can give the kittens?

Mom goes out foraging and brings back the bones. Should I take them away?
Mom will not let me get close to her, she is pretty wild. Catching her would be impossible, but of course I do want to have her spayed.

My biggest concern for the future is where to give the kittens (so that they are not euthanized), and at what age so as not to upset or traumatize the momma. Thank you for the help btw!

 

[Vince Lopez]

orange -
I am guessing she is getting the bones from alleys and dumpsters. She is a stray and pretty wild. I once saw her WALK through traffic as cars stopped for her. She picked my place because of access to my cat's kibble, and its safety. I see the kittens have gone under the house (raised wood floor), so I took off the under floor access screen as I think a few were trapped and crying.

 

[orange&white]

The kittens probably won't start eating food until they're around 5 weeks. Mom cat could use the extra energy that's in kitten food and KMR for extra calcium since she is nursing. The kittens will need wet food here shortly.

You could put out bits of unseasoned cooked meat for them. That isn't nutritionally complete, but momma is scavenging anyway. Extra meat protein wouldn't hurt.

You'll probably want to trap the kittens around 8 weeks for socialization and then adoption. Is there a no-kill shelter you can consult with? It's super busy this time of year, but they may be able to line up a foster home or plan on having room to take the kittens. Also, plan on trapping momma cat to have her spayed if there is a city or county TNR program.

 

[Sarthur2]

I would clean up the bones. They are not safe and can possibly bring vermin into your yard.

Go ahead and buy a big bag of kitten chow. Start putting that out daily. Get a case of wet food, as this is what the kittens and mom need. Put out wet food 2-3 times a day. (Fancy Feast classic pates are good. Meat is the first ingredient.)

Try to socialize with the kittens so they do not turn feral. They can be separated from mom at 8 weeks.

Lining up a no-kill shelter in advance for the kittens is the way to go. Mom will need to be trapped with a humane trap that you can rent from a shelter.

Thank you for caring for them!

 

[Rachel Warner]

If you can't keep her you can call a cat rescue they will get mama and babies.... Still in fenced in area big birds can eat them .. But yes at 4 wks old there not quite ready for hard food if you can soak there food to soften it that's best.. And not even adult cats should eat bones.

 

[StefanZ]

Raw bones are usually ok, if they hadnt dried out too much. after all, mice and birds do contain lotsa of raw bones, no? Still, if the kittens hasnt eaten them, you can clean them away. Esp if you continue to give them healthy food.
Its good your garden is clean, tidy and proper as long possible.

You must work on socializing the kittens, if you want to adopt them out - or give them to a non kill shelter for adoption. Socialized kittens are usually easy to find homes for. While unsocialized kittens are often just pts immediately after admission to a shelter.

Your alternative if you cant socialize them yourself, is to catch them relatively soon, at 5-6 weeks, and either find people whom are ready to adopt them, doing some socializing, OR find a non kill shelter, whom has fostering homes lined up. At this age 4-6 weeks, they are pretty easy to socialize, and they dont longer need to nurse from momma.
They are much more difficult to socialize after 8 weeks...

This is one of the few exception of they otherwise holy rule of thumb: keeping them with momma to at least 8 weeks, but preferably longer, even 12 weeks.
The other exception is sheer dire necessity with orphans and such.

Momma you must of course catch, probably with a human trap of the Havahart type (there are also other brands), and yes, it would be nice to spay her. Its the greatest gift you can give her. If its not possible to foster her, she may be returned back, á la TNR. She will manage, she is used to such a life.

 

[Vince Lopez]

Thank you everyone, your advice is extremely helpful & appreciated. I will be buying some soft food today and taking away the bones & clean up their area. I will also attempt to pet them as to socialize them and get them used to being handled by humans while also contacting local no kill shelters. I will also be posting pics of the little guys if you all would like to see them.

 

[talkingpeanut]

We love photos!

Let us know how it goes with the socializing. If they don't warm to you, they may need to leave mom earlier than 8 weeks so they can be socialized properly.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, we would love to see photos!

 

[orange&white]

Photos! We. Want. Photos.

I was a little worried that if you cleaned up all the bones, she might move the kittens somewhere else, but others are right about keeping the area clean.