To move or not to move stray kitten!

[lizita]

Hi,

I care for a number of homeless cats in three different locations in my neighborhood. Some are tame some are not. One place that I feed at is about a block from my house around the corner. There are five cats that eat there regularly. Among those is a mom cat and her five months old kitten. Until a month ago the kitten was as good as feral but he has turned out to be one of those rare ones that can be socialized at an older age and he's now doing quite okay with me. I can even pick him up and hold him now.
Anyway, last weekend the mom cat, Sheba, came walking past my house, saw me and came running into my yard. She's been staying here since, only leaving for a few hours during the day. The rest of the time she spend in the bed I have set up for her.
I'm glad that she's here where I can keep her reasonably warm and well fed. I'm hoping to find her something better but for now this is okay. I'm a bit worried about her kitten though, out there by himself. I would like to bring him here too so that he can stay on the porch with his mom but I do have a few reservations.
My fear is that he will get scared of all the new things here and take off, not being able to find his way back to his area where he's spent his whole life. If he doesn't want to be here and want to go back where he was that's okay but I'm afraid that he wouldn't get there. It's only a short distance from where I live but I'm fearing that he would get disoriented.

What do you guys think? Would he most likely find his way back to his home turf if he took off from here? I don't want to lose him. I really want to get some input from other people before I go ahead and bring him here. He has a pretty good chance at getting adopted since he's young so if I risk losing him by bringing him here I'd rather leave him where he's at so that I can find him when I find a home for him.
So should I bring him here to his mom or leave him where he is?

Thanks for the help.

 

[jack31]

Are they spayed and neutered?

If they are not neither will probably stay very long. The kitten is going to be looking for mates constantly and the momma is going to be pestered by other toms.

I would not try and move the kitten. I would however get them spayed and neutered. And if the kitten is that friendly perhaps try and adopt him out.

Leslie

 

[StefanZ]

I agree on that spay and neuter. It is a high priority for most successfull rescuers. But perhaps you are already into this TNR-working??


I think it should go ok to move in this young cat. A pure indoor cat could be bevildered if moved. But he isnt no pure indoor cat, although he did lived his whole short live at the same place.
If the worst happens, he should be able to return on his own. It IS near, and he isnt no small kitten. That is what I think.

Besides, YOU are his friendly human and his food giver. This place smells very much of YOU.
So, make sure there is food awaiting when he arrives, and also, say, some sweety t-shirt of yours, which you dont need any more... Or even, your current used t-shirt, hang them out before you clean them.

Nay, what makes me wondering. Is why the mom left. Was she chased away by the others?? So all is well as now.
Or was it some sort of separation from her almost grown kitten? Most mothers chase away her almost grown up kitten if that is their will. But she is perhaps docile, and instead went away herself...

IF it was part of a separation, bringing in the kitten isnt necessary positive for them both...

Although, I think you could try, as long as you are prepared one of them will leave and go back.


Tx a lot for helping these, and all the others cats.

Good luck with them and good luck to yourself too

!

 

[lizita]

Thanks for the replies. I work as a caretaker with a local TNR organization and most of "my" strays are fixed and the others will be as soon as possible. The mom cat is fixed but the kitten is on a waiting list. There are so many strays around here so it takes a while to get an appointment. I hope to get it soon though.

I hope it would go well to reunite mom and kitten here. Although she's been leaving their little "home area" to run around the last few weeks she has been coming back regularly and they seem to get along fine, even eating out of the same bowl at the same time. It's possible that she's not going to want to share the porch with him and will send him packing but as long has he'll just go back "home" it's worth a shot. I will be sure to take your advice on how to get him to stay. I figure the lure of unlimited access to food and the occassional canned food will make him want to stick around. Hopefully I will find a foster home for him soon and the problems with outside life will be gone forever. He's a great little guy and as soon as he's neutered he will make a great pet for someone.

Thanks again for your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[lizita]

Here is a little update on the mom and kitten:

Mom and son were reunited a little over a week ago but not quite how I originally planned it. We've been pretty lucky with the weather this fall but the last couple of weeks it's gotten pretty cold. It just hurts my heart leaving the cats out there and since these two are so friendly and therefore adoptable I decided to take them both in as fosters.
I took mom in first and then baby came along. It was clear that they recognized each other but it was certainly no storybook reunion. The kitten, Little Gray, seemed interested in mom but mom just hissed at him. They are both in the same room and seem to accept each other but mom is not interested in any interaction. She's much more interested in hanging out with humans and getting petted

.

Little Gray has done exceptionally well settling in inside. He's about 5-6 months old and has been outside his whole life. He was born in a bush where he spent his first 2-3 months without any contact with humans. I started feeding him and his mom when he was about 2 months old and at first he wouldn't come out of the bush to eat until I was a good distance away. After a while he started to come out when I was there and eventually he came close enough that I could touch him. It took some time but in the past month he's become completely socialized, acting and reacting like any other cat. He was actually very easily socialized. Very easy. It's rare that a kitten in his siuation tames fully so easily. In my opinion he's quite exceptional and he's really reinforced that belief since he's come inside and settled in like he's been inside his whole life. He's found his little cat bed and figured out how to use the litter box in no time. He's doing really well and is a joy to have around. I'm so glad that he's not out there, freezing underneath some old shed.

 

[luv2laugh]

Just wanted to say, this is wonderful!!

 

[StefanZ]

Originally Posted by Lizita

He was actually very easily socialized. Very easy. It's rare that a kitten in his siuation tames fully so easily. In my opinion he's quite exceptional and he's really reinforced that belief since he's come inside and settled in like he's been inside his whole life.

Yes, it was quick for an outside born kitten, born by a homeless mother.

I guess the mother isnt no real feral, as she, a grown up cat, did warmed up so quickly to you. My guess she is an ex home cat. (And now she is again a home cat.

)
So the mother not overcautious towards you did surely helped some.

Another factor is cats are individuals. This can be seen in such circumstances as here. One semiferal sibling comes forward, comes in and becomes homecat in almost no time (I had occasionally read witness talking about literally minutes). While their siblings dont want to come in and share the fate of all the others homeless....

Tx for sharing with us this nice happening!

This is teaching us again every successfull TNR group must have preparadness for doing at least some fostering and adopting out.

There are always the apparent astray home cats who can be adopted out.
And also like here, someone of the ferale/semiferale cats MAY turn out to be rather easyly socializeable and fostered.