Not sure what to do

[rrhhinnoo]

I have a young stray cat that hangs around my house a lot. She had babies about 3-4 weeks ago and brought them to my door and left them yesterday. We took them in, bathed & fed them and put them in our cat room for the night. Now the mom is back today and has been crying all day like she wants them back. I showed her them and she ran 20 feet and started meowing at them like she wanted them to follow. Judging by their eyes, fur and breathing she’s not doing a great job.
I’ve found homes for all of them already if I were to keep them but I feel bad for the mom and wasn’t sure if it’s the right thing to do.

 

[fionasmom]

Welcome to TCS! I am going to refer this to some of the staff members who have expertise in handling questions of kitten care. The kittens are eating, it seems, and are in fair condition thanks to your intervention. How bad is their fur and breathing? And you are really proactive to have found homes for them. Speaking as someone who has dealt with ferals often, I am concerned that if you let the mom have them back, especially if you intended to let them out, that you will need to trap and locate them and undo what you have done so far. They have only been with you for one day as I am reading this and could resume their lives as ferals. It seems that the mom wants to reclaim them although from your description she is a young mom who has not done a great job with them, which can happen. Did you intend to try to bring her into the room where you have them? That would probably require trapping and then would leave you with a feral who is entirely unsocialized in your house unless you intended to try to socialize her. I would recommend that you get her fixed. There may be services around your area where ferals are fixed for a nominal cost and then if you wanted to maintain her as an outdoor cat there would at least not be more kittens. You might see her as adoptable or workable though and that is also a possibility.

I have often taken in 4 week old kittens who were able to eat soft food and did fine. In one case I bottle fed, supplement ally, a sick one who also did fine. Do you think that these kittens have upper respiratory infections or anything that should be seen by a vet?

Sarthur2 StefanZ Advice for OP about kitten health at this point and going to new homes?

 

[Sarthur2]

I would try to trap the mom if at all possible and put her in a room with the kittens. The mom will need spaying eventually or she will continue to have litter after litter. Kittens ideally should stay with mom for a few more weeks if possible, but not outside. Perhaps you can lure mom with food. She sounds like she needs feeding regardless, and the poor thing has probably been doing the best she can.

If you can’t get mom, do not put the kittens outside. It sounds like they may have upper respiratory infections (URIs) and need antibiotics, as well as eye infections that may require Terramycin. Please get them to a vet for checkups and meds.

Do the kittens have baby teeth? Are they eating soft wet food yet? Do pick up s can of powdered kitten formula to syringe or let them lap if able. The nutrients will help!

Here is a helpful weaning video:


Keep us posted and we’d love pictures.

PS: It’s not uncommon for a cat to bring you her kittens at this age. She wants your help feeding them and her instinct is to trust you, which is a good sign! Hoping she will let you bring her in too!

R rrhhinnoo

 

[rrhhinnoo]

she is comfortable with me and allowed me to bring her into the room with them but she wanted out the entire time and paid no attention to them. I’m familiar with how to care for kittens and have a handful of strays who bring us their babies. My concern is that this mom seems to desperately want them back when none of the others ever do. So do I force this mom to stay in the room with them or do we continue taking care of them on our own?

 

[rrhhinnoo]

They can and will eat wet food I found out today. Up until that point we fed them powdered formula.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

If you showed them to her does that mean she will follow you to them? If you can get her inside with the kittens the rest will be much easier

 

[Sylvia Jones]

Sorry must have posted at the same time

 

[Sylvia Jones]

She probably doesn’t know what’s going on I would put her some food and a dish of kmr and a litter box If you already have a soft warm place for the kittens hopefully she will crawl in there with them May take some help from you talking softly and keeping her calm I’m sure others with lots more experience will post some detailed instructions Mom needs nutrition and spayed so she can have a much better life and end the cycle of having kittens You are awesome for helping them

 

[FeebysOwner]

I agree with S Sylvia Jones - as far as: let her be in the room, give her and the kittens food/etc. and leave the alone for a while. These kittens no longer smell like her, so she is super confused. But, It is highly possible that she will take to them if you give her some space. Watching over her right away is just making her freak out. If she lays on a blanket or towel that you leave in the room, then later take that item and place it under the kittens, so that they will pick up some of her smell. Just give her some time, since the kittens can eat on their own, it isn't going to hurt anything to let her investigate a bit on her own.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, close her in the room with her babies. It’s best for mom and babies and she won’t run off and get pregnant again. Once she realizes that nothing bad is going to happen, and that there is food, she should calm down over time. I imagine her babies will still nurse some too. Let mom cry at the door. She’ll get over it. If she does not calm down this week, go ahead and get her spayed.

 

[fionasmom]

I agree with everything that has just been posted. Keep her in the room with the kittens, let her reacclimate herself to their smell, and give her some time alone with them. She will probably protest, but it will pass once she realizes that she is safe and nourished.

 

[StefanZ]

I have a young stray cat that hangs around my house a lot. She had babies about 3-4 weeks ago and brought them to my door and left them yesterday. We took them in, bathed & fed them and put them in our cat room for the night. Now the mom is back today and has been crying all day like she wants them back. I showed her them and she ran 20 feet and started meowing at them like she wanted them to follow. Judging by their eyes, fur and breathing she’s not doing a great job.
I’ve found homes for all of them already if I were to keep them but I feel bad for the mom and wasn’t sure if it’s the right thing to do.

My advice is you go forward and adopt them out; as you DO have adoption homes / foster homes already lined up.
This way you are sure they are quaranteed a future.

If you leave them back to momma, they will have all the risks of homeless, semiferale cats. And with a so so momma as their teacher and protector at that...

3-4 weeks is a little early, but its as it is. If the adopters understands its essentially as taking care of an orphan, its fine. Also, tip them about our site, to look up old treads, and articles, and being able to ask questions....

Also, if they are undernourished, they may easily be somewhat older, perhaps even 6 weeks... Cat mommas typically try to lead their kittens to their food source (ie the friendly humans helping her) at 5-6 weeks, seldom earlier.

 

[StefanZ]

Ps. And its of course much easier to foster them NOW, than if you take them in from a semiferale momma at perhaps 10 weeks...
NOW they are essentially alike any small kittens. Later on, after the Window of easy fostering is closed, it will be more difficult.

 

[StefanZ]

Ps. I see you are alternatively able to have the momma with them inside. It sounds as a good idea! Its often easier to take care of a shy, semiferale momma with her kittens, than take her herself.
As soon she realizes you arent no threat nor hostile, and her babies are OK, she will cooperate.

Its not sure you will be able to foster her into a home girl, but you should be able to foster them.

What to do with momma, adopt her too, or just do a TNR and let her back out, you may decide later on.

Im sure the adoption homes are willing to wait to the 10-12 weeks time, so they will be co-fostered by momma and siblings.