Please Help!

[Koukla07]

I have a feral cat that I have been caring for with her two babies (grown) and she recently just had 5 kittens about 2 months old. I have a covered house and bed for them and was waiting until after breast feeding to take in the momma to get fixed and cleaned up. Due to the fires here in Southern CA, there is wildlife around. This morning when I woke up and went to go feed them, the momma was around but I saw two of her kittens dead on my lawn, one without a head. The saddest thing. The Momma however didn't know and we buried them before the momma could see and walking around the yard I am seeing blood trials and spots everywhere. My heart is broken. After the momma ate, she has sbeen crying out to her kittens to feed and her kittens and I am torn on what to do. I have called the Humane Society and Best Friends and no help at all. I am scared to leave her outside, but I cannot bring her in because I have another cat and I set up an appointment with the vet to get her cleaned up so that maybe I can bring her in, but don't know if I should leave her outside in case (prayers) the 3 other kittens show up. Please help!

 

[kittychick]

I honestly don't know what to advise you to do ---- I'm sure others may have more experience in what to do in a case like this, so I almost hate to even advise anything. You're so wonderful to have helped her and the babies as much as you have. I definitely wanted to at least offer my sympathy in what a horrible, emotional thing for all of you (human and kitties alike) to go through - - I just can't imagine. I can't believe the horror of what you had to go through in finding that baby, and now worrying about the mom and the other babies. I'm just so sorry. I've been reading about how displaced wildlife is in your area because of the fires - and how even food sources are screwed up for wildlife, driving them into more neighborhoods, etc.

My only suggestion would be (and again - others may have more experience and be able to offer more so I defer to them if someone answers with more experience in that arena) - since the kittens are 8 weeks old, they're of an age when they could basically be weaned anyway (it's a little early and obviously not ideal, but kittens usually are weaned by their mama around 8-10 weeks old - - - we've fostered many who were orphaned right around 8 weeks and they were able to survive without mama). Whenever we've had to take babies in from moms to socialize as soon as they were able to be weaned (since ferals socialize so much more easily when they're babies) - - the mothers do cry and search for them - - I know the sound and it is absolutely heart breaking. The good news is that she most likely will stop crying, looking and grieving in a few days. Have you seen any of the other 3 babies? Or did they most likely not survive either? I'm guessing you've looked around for any surviving babies. I guess what I'd do is look for them today/this evening - and watch where mama is looking. She may sense where any surviving ones are. Is the mama touchable at all? Or will she need to be live trapped to get her inside? Since you were planning on bringing her (and the babies perhaps?) in anyway (was the hope that you could socialize her and keep her?) If so, I'd probably speed the process up and bring her in now - - keeping her in a bathroom or an extra bedroom to keep her away from your kitty until you can get her somewhere to be checked out. I would leave some water and kitten food outside just in case. The other option I'd think would be to leave her outside for just another day or two to see if any of the kittens do come back. If so - then I'd get them ALL inside, isolating them from your inside baby until you can get them to the vet. If no kittens show up at all - I'd move forward the time line for getting her inside.

I don't know if that helps at all - -- -those are the only ways I'd know to proceed. Whatever you do - and whatever happens - - - know that you made her life - and therefor the lives of her babies while they were on this earth - -- much safer and more comfortable. It sounds as though she and her babies never felt hunger or thirst - or went a day without feeling loved by you. Please take some comfort in that. And hopefully you'll be able to at least help the mamma survive - and perhaps even give her a forever home inside with you!

I'm thinking of you - please keep us all posted.

 

[Koukla07]

Thank you for your kind words. We buried the two before she saw them and I cleaned up the blood so that she didn't see it. She is very friendly and trusted me enough to have her babies in my yard in the corner. They were warming up to me and made my yard their home. I spoke to the Human Society and Best Friends - with no help and they were rude! She keeps going to the area where the kittens usually are and calling for them. Her other 2 babies (grown not kittens) are also meowing for them and walking along the yard to find them and sniffing where I found the kitties that passed.
With Gods grace I pray the others are safe. I will keep you updated.

 

[Kieka]

If you can bring everyone inside until the fires end that would be safest. A lot of wildlife are being chased out of the hills and their homes by the fires. You are likely to have a lot more wildlife visiting your yard and looking for food (which would include the cats).

I am sorry for your experience with the rescue and shelter but right now they are all being flooded with rescues and evacuees all the way out to the Inland Empire. If you were to try again in a few weeks you might have a very different experience.

 

[maureen brad]

Yes if you can bring them in until th efires are over that would be great. I can only imagine how bad the air quality is. I live in N. CA and we are getting all the smoke from those fires, it burns the throat. Hope everything works out. Thank you for trying to care for all the cats.

 

[kittychick]

Awww -- - - it's so amazing to me how everyone in a cat "family" knows when someone's missing....and grieves along together. We had one of our feral colony of 5 die this spring - - and all of the other 4 (all related to each other - - but all were adults) looked for her and definitely knew something was wrong.

I do agree with Kieka -- I'm sorry for your rotten experiences on the phone with Best Friends and your local humane society. As someone who's worked for a humane society - I know that disasters make the phones ring off the hook, and shelters are usually already stretched paper-thin. I had a wonderful experience with a call to another national organization - - Alley Cat Allies. Interestingly enough - it was a similar issue to yours. A feral mama gave birth under our neighbor's deck, and we had to bring them inside to socialize earlier than we'd hoped as a neighbor was poisoning all the "damn outside cats" -- - the mama ("Maddie") howled and cried and looked for 48 hours. It was SO awful that, although it took some time to trap the kittens, we almost put them back. It was so heart-breaking to hear her! But a very kind woman listened to my story as I sobbed my way through it, and helped talk me down, explaining that the grieving will stop shortly, and saving the kittens was the best thing to do in the long term. But for those 2 days - - we almost couldn't take it! Now all 3 kittens have wonderful, loving homes, and the mama was TNR'd and released in our neighborhood, where she's taken care of very well by another "feral lover." So I know a little of how you feel - - - I definitely feel for you. And I know hearing someone else had a good experience with a phone call to a place doesn't really help you - - but you might try calling them too. And PLEASE use this forum - - it's a wonderful place to ask for help and beg for a shoulder and an ear to listen - - - we're all here for you and for the furry ones.

Since you're in a warm area and don't really have winter to worry about - if you can't bring any inside (I hope you can - - we can help you with how to do that on this forum) - - -could you even kind of "round up" mama and the two older ones and put them into a garage or shed even? If you do have a garage, you could crack the door about 6 -8 inches - - - almost all predators would have a VERY tough time getting in, but mama (and others) could come and go as they need to - - - to continue to look for her babies, and she could even hear them if one cries. Just a thought.

Again - keep us posted. We're all thinking about you!