Just checking in on the newly captured darling family! We do have a kitten care forum if you need any advice or have any questions on raising these babies. Hope all is well! :cross: 
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Semi-Feral Mother and Newborn Kittens
- Thread starter silvertortie
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Thanks everyone!
Mama and kittens are doing fabulous! I think all but one or two have their eyes completely open! They're getting better at cruisin' around.. can't wait until they get to the playful stage! I've been taking pics so I'll get some posted soon. One of the lighter colored, bigger ones is pretty fluffy! I bet she (I'm pretty sure) will be a medium coat?
I've been leaving the crate door wide open for mama while I hang out in the barn house with her for a few hours a day. She finally ventured out today
She was calm and relaxed.. just sniffing around everywhere, and ran straight back to her crate when her babies started crying for some food.
As for plans for these guys, all will be spayed and neutered, of course
We may let mama go back down at my neighbor's once she weans her babies and recovers from getting spayed. She is coming along great and is quite friendly, but I'm sure she'll always want to be an outdoor cat. Although I would worry about something happening to her, as all outdoor cats have the risk of... I dunno, what's your guys' input on her?
As for babies, we will find them all great, forever homes! As long as it takes.. and by word of mouth, not craigslist or anything like that. I've learned never to take a stranger's word
Never know where they might end up!
Depending on how my cat behaves with the kittens once they're much older, we may want to keep a male for ourselves
She seems to only tolerate males. It'll be risky though, with the un-cat friendly dogs just on the other side of a fence. The barn house is about 12 by 24 feet.. too small to confine a cat to? With lots of daily attention and playing with of course... Maybe keeping two would solve some problems
What do you guys think?
Mama and kittens are doing fabulous! I think all but one or two have their eyes completely open! They're getting better at cruisin' around.. can't wait until they get to the playful stage! I've been taking pics so I'll get some posted soon. One of the lighter colored, bigger ones is pretty fluffy! I bet she (I'm pretty sure) will be a medium coat?
I've been leaving the crate door wide open for mama while I hang out in the barn house with her for a few hours a day. She finally ventured out today
As for plans for these guys, all will be spayed and neutered, of course
As for babies, we will find them all great, forever homes! As long as it takes.. and by word of mouth, not craigslist or anything like that. I've learned never to take a stranger's word
Depending on how my cat behaves with the kittens once they're much older, we may want to keep a male for ourselves
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Finding homes can be hard, especially good homes that have been screened and visited. But, they are out there. You just need to be thorough.As for plans for these guys, all will be spayed and neutered, of courseWe may let mama go back down at my neighbor's once she weans her babies and recovers from getting spayed. She is coming along great and is quite friendly, but I'm sure she'll always want to be an outdoor cat. Although I would worry about something happening to her, as all outdoor cats have the risk of... I dunno, what's your guys' input on her?
As for babies, we will find them all great, forever homes! As long as it takes.. and by word of mouth, not craigslist or anything like that. I've learned never to take a stranger's wordNever know where they might end up!
Depending on how my cat behaves with the kittens once they're much older, we may want to keep a male for ourselvesShe seems to only tolerate males. It'll be risky though, with the un-cat friendly dogs just on the other side of a fence. The barn house is about 12 by 24 feet.. too small to confine a cat to? With lots of daily attention and playing with of course... Maybe keeping two would solve some problemsWhat do you guys think?
As for the keeping possibly 2 kittens... I ended up keeping one from the last momma and litter I helped ( I bottlefed him half the time, he was the runt) and I grew too attached to let him go!! It is very easy to grow attached for sure!!! Then, his sister came back to me because her family got pregnant and decided cats were not safe for a baby... Myths and lies... But now I couldn't let her go, either. So I understand completely!!
Can you not keep them indoors? That is the safest place for them. Your other cat, if introduced properly, especially to kittens, would not find them as threatening and would at least tolerate them. We can help you with that if you find that to be an acceptable option.
I currently live with 4 cats. I found that with kittens, it was easier to have 2 kittens together because they play with each other and tend to not try and bother with the "old guys". So, if you decide to keep one, I think it would be easier on all concerned if you kept two. Would it be possible to have them indoors? And having 3 is not a big deal - my "normal" number is 5, but I lost my boy and since my girls (and I) are seniors, have decided that when I add any new inside cats, they will also be seniors. Hope that makes sense.
Hello, Just my 2 cents...we have been TNR cats for the last 5 years and the best trap for us has been a drop trap, we can trap a cat in less than 5 Min's in a drop trap, the trap you have pictured could be modified to a drop trap. You tube has videos on drop traps. Like I mentioned before this is just my opinion, I would be extremely careful in using kittens as bait, once a cat is trap they freak out for a couple Min's trying to find a way out of the trap thrashing in the trap, this could hurt the babies if not extremely careful. I believe the best solution would be to put the kittens in a carrier and then put them in the trap for protection and when picking up these kittens use gloves so no scent is left which could cause mommy to reject her litter. If you have an extra room you could bring them all in and let the mommy continue to take care of her litter, and then you would be able to start handling the kittens early on and once weaned mommy can be fixed and so can the kittens...KUDOS'S TO YOU for helping them any way you can to stop the cycle. Thy are lucky to have you....Much luck sent your way...Annette
It looks like my post is a little late, sorry about that...
WONDERFUL news on the kittens!!!! Sounds like they are doing great! I honestly do think that momma cat could be an indoor only kitty. Personally, I would try to find her a home IF at all possible. She is so pretty, so sweet and would have a much safer life living indoors. She would adjust to that I am sure. I also think is would be great to keep 2 kittens for yourself . I think keeping them in the barn house is perfectly fine, especially if they have each other to play with and cuddle together. You could do a lot with that size space 12 by 24 :nod: A couple of kitty trees, lots of shelving for them to climb on, scratching posts, toys, cubbies... etc. The list goes on to be able to make that space so much fun for them!!!! Can't wait to see more picture soon ix: - Thread Starter Thread Starter
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I'm hoping to keep two males.. and I now think we have 4 males and only 1 female! The fluffy kittens with a little bit of orange on one of her ears and face is the only girl I think!
If I keep them, I'll do everything possible to keep them strictly indoors.. Once they get a taste of the outdoors, there's no stopping them here! We rescued two kittens a long while ago and kept them in the barn house. Once they were older, we decided to let them play outside a bit under supervision.. well after that it was nearly impossible to keep them inside and they eventually both disappeared
It was so heartbreaking.. and I worry about their fates.. although they were good hunters and outdoor savvy, I'm not sure that they're both still alive..
I'm definitely not going to let that happen to these guys!
That's what I've learned in past experiences! If you just adopt one, you always end up going back for a second as a playmate! If I keep them I really do want them always indoors!
No problem! If she was a truly very feral cat I'm sure the kittens could have been hurt!
The thing with mama is, she's already getting more adventurous by the day.. and because she knows that there's more to her world than the indoors, I'm sure she'll do everything to get outside once her kittens are weaned.. my neighbor's house where she lived is pretty safe for the most parts.. not for little kittens, but for experienced cats like mama, I think she should do well. There's tons of places to hide and get away from danger. Of course, anything could happen and death is always a big risk for outdoor kitties. I would love to keep her myself, but I just don't think she would be happy and I would feel guilty having her "locked up"... I dunno.. I'm really torn with her. I just feel that spaying her and letting her continue her good life outdoors seems like the nicest thing for her. If she gets killed, I would be heart broken, but knowing that she was where she wanted to be and doing what she loves (hunting, running around and roaming his big property) .....this must sound ridiculous, but it's just what I'm feeling right now. Nothing is set in stone with her yet! She has adjusted very quickly considering her past.. maybe I could find someone who's looking for a cat and not a kitten? Or maybe someone to take mama and a baby? If I keep her as an indoor cat, I don't think my set up would be best for her. It would be nice to give her a big house to live in.WONDERFUL news on the kittens!!!! Sounds like they are doing great! I honestly do think that momma cat could be an indoor only kitty. Personally, I would try to find her a home IF at all possible. She is so pretty, so sweet and would have a much safer life living indoors. She would adjust to that I am sure. I also think is would be great to keep 2 kittens for yourself. I think keeping them in the barn house is perfectly fine, especially if they have each other to play with and cuddle together. You could do a lot with that size space 12 by 24A couple of kitty trees, lots of shelving for them to climb on, scratching posts, toys, cubbies... etc. The list goes on to be able to make that space so much fun for them!!!! Can't wait to see more picture soon
For the kittens, I would really love to keep two and keep them in the barn house! I had the same ideas as you, to just give them cat trees, perches, lots of toys, etc.
Everyone has their eyes open as of this morning! The fluffy little girl took her time, and one of her eyes still needs to open just a little more
little girl
I think this little fella is the cutest right now.. but doesn't like being held!
little girl again
this little guy is spoken for.. though not 100% sure if they're taking him
the little one looking around is my current favorite.. he is just SO sweet and inquisitive
again, little girl. You can kinda see the orange on her cheeks and ear
little runt!
and my favorite!
I guess I am lucky. My 2 from the last litter I helped are afraid of the outdoors. This is a very good thing, I think. There are so, so many dangers out there!!! Morgan La Fay didn't used to be until she accidently got out once. She was outside for about 24hours before I found her... Boy was she grateful and dirty!!! Now, she stays away completely from the open door!! So try to keep them indoors. It is for their own safety and happiness. Contrary to belief, cats do not need to go outside to be happy. An indoor cat has a much happier and fulfilled life... Look at the Persian... My two Persians...
Their (King Arthur and Morgan La Fays) momma is an indoor cat now, too. True she was before she got pregnant (she was owned by a BYB of Maine Coons) but she had been outside for almost a month when I rescued her. She would get wistful looking outside at first but now you couldn't get her to trade the indoor life for outside again. So it is possible.
They look great!!! Mom looks so relaxed, calm and HAPPY!!! Good job!! She will be grateful to you for the rest of her life! Usually if someone speaks up for one way early, they do want them... So hopefully one down and three more to go (including mom in that)!!!!
Their (King Arthur and Morgan La Fays) momma is an indoor cat now, too. True she was before she got pregnant (she was owned by a BYB of Maine Coons) but she had been outside for almost a month when I rescued her. She would get wistful looking outside at first but now you couldn't get her to trade the indoor life for outside again. So it is possible.
They look great!!! Mom looks so relaxed, calm and HAPPY!!! Good job!! She will be grateful to you for the rest of her life! Usually if someone speaks up for one way early, they do want them... So hopefully one down and three more to go (including mom in that)!!!!
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They are absolutely precious! I love the little girl. 
