Question about trapping Momma Cat & Babies

[Crackerboo]

Hi folks,

I'm going to attempt to TNR a female cat who has kittens that are probably 3-4 months old, and I intend to catch the kittens too, and take them to our local rescue. If the rescue will take the mom too, great, but I wonder if she'll be too feral. Anyway, there are four kittens, and they are all coming (both independently, and with Ma Kitty) to an automatic feeder at various times during the day and night. The cats spend at least some of their time beneath our deck.

My concern is if I can't trap them all together (which I don't think is possible), is there a sequence in which I should trap this cat family? for example, should I make sure I trap the Momma Cat last? If I start taking the kittens one at a time, will Momma abandon the kittens that aren't apprehended in the first trapping attempt?

I could have gotten Momma and one baby yesterday, but was afraid I'd lose the other three babies. Then I could have gotten just the one baby, but worried I wouldn't get any more babies or the mother cat.

Any insight? This is my first time doing this. I really just want to take care of the kittens (via a rescue) and get Momma fixed so she doesn't keep having more litters.

Currently it seems as though both Momma Cat and Kittens are all fairly comfortable in our backyard, and on our deck; often viewed playing in the backyard or sunning themselves on the deck or grass. However, they are all still very skittish when they see either myself or my wife, and run if we attempt to open the back door to try to interact with them.

Thanks so much!

 

[cats&plants]

If you can get the kittens first, put them in a crate next to the trap (I am assuming you're using a cat trap?) If you put the crate at the end of the trap, she'll hear her babies and *should* walk in. Cover the crate and the end of the trap with a blanket or towel so it looks to mama that it's a tunnel. Smelly food like sardines or tuna at the end of the trap works wonders as well.

Kittenlady.org has lots of tips for catching feral moms and kittens too.

Good luck!

 

[fionasmom]

That is true, if you can get the kittens and contain them, which at 4 months might be a little difficult, you may be able to get the mother.

Three summers ago we had a kitten apocalypse here and I set out 2 (minimum) Havahart traps where they ate. Shockingly, the fact that one was trapped did not seem to deter the others. I should qualify that I was home at this time watching the traps, so if one cat entered a trap I ran out and grabbed it and went to the vet with that particular cat. No one stayed in a trap for very long and that might have made the others who might not have seen the trap activate unaware of what was going on.

My general experience has been that if a cat sees another one in a trap they avoid the area with the exception of kittens who may not be trap savvy yet. I have also had two kittens or a mom and kitten run into a trap at the same time.

Sometimes disguising the trap can help; this may depend on your property, placement of bushes, etc. Some feral cat groups put covers or artificial foliage around a trap. Bait can make a difference. If you don't have luck, try anything that would appeal to a cat like canned tuna, mackerel, or KFC. It will not be their diet in the future so is fine on one occasion.

Are you feeding the family? The kittens are eating some type of cat food? Rescue will allow you to bring in any and all cats you trap at any time? Just checking as some shelters and rescues here have schedules.

 

[Crackerboo]

Thanks Cats&Plants and Fionasmom; I'm actually using a trap of my own devising which would allow me to trap mom and five kitties at the same time if they're all at the feeder. I have seen all five of them at the feeder at once, but usually at least two kittens are playing on the deck while the others are eating. And I would only be trapping them while we're home; in fact, my trap requires a person to trigger it. So once the trap is sprung, my plan is to move the kitties immediately to an unused bedroom in my house.

So should I go for the momma cat if I have the opportunity, like I did last night, with a reasonable expectation that the kittens will continue to come to the feeder and subsequently be trapped themselves? Fionasmom, your comments makes me think that perhaps we CAN trap the momma cat before all the kittens are trapped. And yes, I've been feeding these cats all year, and momma and other strays since last year sometime.

Thanks so much!

 

[fionasmom]

You are very resourceful; if and when you get a chance, please post a pic of your trap. Are they friendly enough to transfer from the trap or is the trap a singly component in itself. I only ask because with conventional drop traps, with which I am a huge mess, the cat has to be transferred into a carrier usually by using a "door" which is on the side and which attaches to the carrier by bungee cords or the like.

My guess is that the kittens will continue to come to the feeder because my personal experience with kittens has been that they don't quite figure it out. Not saying that you might not have a wary bunch though who might shy away initially. They will probably come back though once they realize that there is no food elsewhere.

 

[Crackerboo]

Thanks Fionasmom, your comment gives me more confidence/hope that we'll be able to save all the kittens. This is a picture of my trap, next to my auto-feeder. My plan, when I have a cat and/or kitten in the trap, is to wheel it into the house, then releasing them into an unused bedroom.

My thought is we may have to separate the mother cat and the kittens when I have them in the house. I'm afraid that if the mother and kittens are together, we won't be able to socialize the kittens or the mother because the mother cat will be too amped up. She seems VERY skittish, and I suspect the kittens will feed off that energy. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[fionasmom]

Really interesting! I have no visual/spatial skills at all and it would have taken me forever to come up with something like that. Can anyone dart out of the lid before you right the can?

Separating them is probably a good idea if possible. Watch out for a reaction from any or all of the cats and protect yourself. If it does not happen, you can still try to domesticate them if they are with the mom unless she is very upset by it. I have had extremely feral mother cats who allowed me to handle the babies at about this age. Please keep us posted as to how this works.

 

[Crackerboo]

I don't think any of the cats will be able to get out of the trap before we get to it; the lid is a bit weighty and I would be surprised if one of the kittens can push his/her way out. Maybe momma could, but I hope we can prevent her if she tries. Once we spring the trap, we'll be out there in just a few seconds.

I definitely plan on wearing protective clothing when coming into contact with the cats. We'll try to socialize the cats as a group to start, with separating the mother from the kittens as a back-up plan.

If we're successful, I definitely post updates/pictures. The 4 kittens are gorgeous. One is a mini version of daddy, another neighborhood stray that is black with a white spot on his chest. Then there is a black and white tuxedo, a gray and white tuxedo which I didn't know was a thing, and maybe the most striking tortoise shell (I think it's called) that I've ever seen before. He's mostly really dark with one white "eyebrow".

Hopefully we get to see all these cats up close soon.

 

[fionasmom]

Pictures would be great! I agree with you that kittens won't be able to push the lip up and might not even be clear in their little minds about what actually happened. The mother cat might though, so be ready to spring into action! Your plan of using a trash receptacle for cats who are going to be brought into the house is a really good one and I bet you will be successful. Funny how one kitten always looks just like the dad, often a female kitten at that.

 

[di and bob]

Realize that mama will probably totally freak out in a room. she may literally climb the walls. Make sure you have plenty of places for them to hide if you release them in that large of an area. I really think you may do better with a large dog kennel.

 

[Crackerboo]

Hi Di and Bob, Last night I was actually thinking about those same difficulties you mentioned regarding releasing momma in a big bedroom, so we're re-thinking that. We'll see if we can come up with a plan to get momma into an appropriately sized dog kennel, like you suggested. Thanks so much.

 

[CatladyJan]

I had the same dilemma last year only 3 kittens. I set out four traps and one night I think I caught 2 and the next night got momma, but the 3rd kitten took me several more visits. I played meowing sounds on my phone and I know she was getting hungry and finally went in. Sometimes it doesn't work as we plan.

Good luck to you