Stray Momma kitty and kittens under my deck...

[loustiner]

Good afternoon!  I need some advice here...

About 2 months ago, we found a stray that was VERY thin and looked like it had the start of mange.  We made the decision to put a bit of food out for her on our front porch.  She was fairly scared of us for the first couple of days but quickly began to trust us and as a matter of fact, has become even more friendly than our indoor cats.  I immediately started the process of finding her a home (we have four cats, one 60 lb. dog and two kids...and NO room).

Anyway, we put a call into our local humane society (they take animals by appointment and are No Kill) along with local cat rescues.  We have either received no response or "we're full" responses.  We quickly realized that she looked to be pregnant and chose to continue to feed her, in hopes we would hear from somebody that could help. 

As of the night before last, she had her kitten(s) under our deck.  We heard it/them mewing yesterday and this morning.  It's supposed to be mid-90's all week and I'm really concerned for the well-being of momma cat and her babies.  We're strongly considering pulling up a board or two and getting them out and placing them in our bathroom...to sort of "foster" until a shelter has space for them.

My question is, would it be best to bring momma cat in first, or get the babies first?

I appreciate any advice that is given...

Thank you!

 

[mrblanche]

Mama and the kittens shouldn't be separated for more than an hour or two, at most.  But you'd be best off to get her first; if you take the kittens and then can't catch her, the kittens will be in serious trouble pretty quickly.
 

 

[feralvr]

AWWW bless you for helping this momma cat. She is definitely not a feral cat as she warmed up to you quickly. Since she already trusts you, then I would see about getting her inside first. Absolutely, get the little family inside. :nod: If you are having trouble getting her near you as she was before, then you could take the little kittens inside first. Make sure you get ALL the kittens. Mom cat might move them if she feels there is a threat. You would have to do this quickly and get the kittens all at the same time. I am not sure how easy it will be for you to get the mom cat first as she might not want to leave her kittens for attention from you. :dk: Ideally, though, getting her inside first would be best. But either way, I would get them all inside. It is wonderful that you are willing to help the little family.

 

[loustiner]

Thank you for your advice!

We called for her and she came out for some attention.  I grabbed her and put in her in a box to take her in.  She was a bit freaked out but I just immediately closed her in our bathroom.  We then proceeded to pull up one of the boards on the deck (lucky for us, it really needed replaced anyway!

).  There were four tiny but seemingly healthy little kittens.  We made sure to handle them only with a towel, as to not get too much of our smell on them.  Once we went into the bathroom to put the box down, Momma cat started getting a bit frantic.  But the second she heard them mewing, she happily jumped in and purred away.  She still wanted us to pet her, which we did for a moment, but then left her to her motherly duties!

I've checked on her a couple of times and she just continues to have the "happy cat" face on!  Plus, she even ate all of her food (she hasn't really eaten much, since the kittens were under the deck and the food was on top)

Again, I appreciate your help!!!

 

[clynn11]

Yay!!! What a great update that you have momma and babies. Wonderful of you to care for them!!!

 

[mrblanche]

Handling them is no problem.  In fact, you should handle them on a daily basis; that is how they get socialized to people.  Mom won't abandon them; smell is not her only cue on them.
 

 

[feralvr]

FANTASTIC news!!! AW good job :bigthumb: Thank you for saving them, this little family. Momma cat sounds like a love too. I hope she can find a good home and you can get some assistance from the shelter. Your doing a wonderful thing for them. Handle the kittens daily! Momma won't mind. She is a sweetheart.

 

[ndpups]

I have a similar situation, but the momma is a cat that will not come to humans at all.

She got into my back yard, and my dog  at the time - last year, she's been rehomed now, much as I hated to, she jumped the fence and ran to a busy street all the time, PLUS attacked rabbits, cats, or anything else that got into the fenced yard.- attacked her, shaking her, before.  I guess she gets warmth/coolness from my basement window wells, because I often see her there, just not inside the fence any more.  And two of them are under a huge awning in front, so she can stay dry too.

Anyway, I just discovered her and her 3 kittens, who are about 5 or 6 weeks old. living under my front stoop the other day.  It has to be so cold there, and we've had deep snow, extreme cold and other hazards recently, so I'm betting she had more kittens and lost some.

I've been feeding all of them, but have no hope of catching them.  I really like the little orange one, who is completelu unaware of everything.  Momma and the two gray tabbies (like her, only she has white too) are super skittish, but the little orange one doesn't seem to pay attention.

How can I catch her/them?  It is so cold, I'd like to keep them in the garage until I can place the two tabby kittens.  I'll get her spayed and turn her loose again, and I'd like to keep the orange one for myself.

Momma has good reason to be skittish, I understand that.  I don't want to call the Humane Soc. for traps because they are so overly controlling, and I'd like to keep the orange one as an outside cat who sometimes comes in too.   I know they won't go for that.

Oh, and my inside dogs bark like crazy when they are out front in view too.

 

[ritz]

First thank you for caring.

Could you explain more about not wanting to get traps from the Humane Society?  Cause that's what I would advise--trap the cats and get they spayed/neutered so at least you won't be seeing more cats in the summer. 

You could also call around local rescue groups and see if you can borrow a trap.  Of course you can buy traps online or at your local HomeDepot; they cost around $60.  Used traps are fine as long as they work!

Meanwhile, keep on feeding the cats at the same time every day; it will make trapping them easier in the long run.  Weather permitting, try to sit quietly near/far from them when they are eating so they get use to your presence--especially the orange one that you want to keep for yourself.  (Genetically speaking, most orange cats are male.)

Oh, and you might want to start your own thread to get more replies, ideas.