KIttens Under my decking!

BlackCat2008

You sound tobe doing a great job, are you anywere near Baltinglass ? I can lend you a trap to catch mammy. I don't know Kildare to well but I could arrange something to get it to you.

Sage'sMama

Moonbaby wrote: »

Mother cats won't be put off by you handling the kittens.
It is wild birds your thinking of.

You are a star for looking after the kittens they are adorable! I hope you manage to catch the last one!

goodlad

Ah i got the last one a good few weeks back, my mate is looking after that kitten now, she is completely the runt of the litter! hehe!

I think she is easily half the size of the 2 kittens i have now, kinda funny when he brings her over to play with my 2 and ya can really see how small she is.

@ Blackat, thats a great offer for the trap.

Just looking at Google maps and it says im only 25 mins from Baltinglass if i head down the M9 then onto the R747. Never been down that way but im sure the trusty satnav would get me there, hehe!

The Sweeper

goodlad, first as a cat-owner I say thank you for all you've done so far for your cat and kittens.

Next step, some advice.

One un-neutered female cat can be responsible for almost half a million other cats - through her own litters, their descendents and so on - in just seven years.

You need to catch the mom and have her neutered - if you can't afford it, phone until you find a no-kill shelter who will take her in and neuter her. Same goes for the kittens - every one of them needs to be de-sexed.

It's vital that you stop these cats from breeding - and not just for the sake of the underside of your own deck.

You're a kind person to have offered them the kindness you have to date - it would be equally great if you could extend that to catkind by doing what's best by the cats and kittens themselves.

goodlad

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

goodlad, first as a cat-owner I say thank you for all you've done so far for your cat and kittens.

Next step, some advice.

One un-neutered female cat can be responsible for almost half a million other cats - through her own litters, their descendents and so on - in just seven years.

You need to catch the mom and have her neutered - if you can't afford it, phone until you find a no-kill shelter who will take her in and neuter her. Same goes for the kittens - every one of them needs to be de-sexed.

It's vital that you stop these cats from breeding - and not just for the sake of the underside of your own deck.



You're a kind person to have offered them the kindness you have to date - it would be equally great if you could extend that to catkind by doing what's best by the cats and kittens themselves.

Well my kittens will be neutered as soon as the vet calls, i think its 5 or 6 months old, cant quite remember. They got boosters and cat flu injections n everything already.

Well hopefully i will sort out getting a loan of the trap from blackcat and will have the mother cat neutered.
I cant really afford it but i guess i can cut back on some drinking for the month so i can afford to get the mother neutered. Its worth more to me sorting her out than getting drunk for 1 night, hehe!

All i can say is god help the poor vet if they try get a hold of the mother cat. As friendly as she is to me, when anyone else walks near her she runs a mile, so i can see the vet getting clawed like mental! :eek:
I just hope the vet doesn't refuse to go near her if she does get frantic and attacks.

The Sweeper

No, you'll probably find she may calm right down at the vets - terror of a new place makes aggressive cats very biddable.

Be careful of the 5-6 months thing - a female cat can have her first litter as young as four months if she's healthy and well-fed. Plus she'll go into season every 2-3 weeks after her first season - seriously, cats breed like rabbits! If you can afford it, see if the vet will do it sooner, or if a local no-kill rescue will take them on. Otherwise, keep them inside-only so they can't be mated by local un-neutered tom cats, or you'll have another possibly-four-kittens on your hands, all needing homes and de-sexing...

Alun

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Be careful of the 5-6 months thing - a female cat can have her first litter as young as four months if she's healthy and well-fed. Plus she'll go into season every 2-3 weeks after her first season - seriously, cats breed like rabbits! If you can afford it, see if the vet will do it sooner, or if a local no-kill rescue will take them on. Otherwise, keep them inside-only so they can't be mated by local un-neutered tom cats, or you'll have another possibly-four-kittens on your hands, all needing homes and de-sexing...

Agree 100% with this. If they're roughly 6 weeks old now, then waiting until they're 6 months will bring you into early spring when the tomcats start to go on the prowl again after their 'winter break'. I can speak from experience with our two who started showing signs of getting horny at only 4 months, and trying to keep them in against their will when they're like that can be a real problem .. they can sneak between your feet and through the most minuscule gap in a barely open door before you've even blinked :pac:

Alun

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

No, you'll probably find she may calm right down at the vets - terror of a new place makes aggressive cats very biddable.

It can vary .. sometimes it's the ones that are real scaredy cats at home that can go all passive when at the vets, but the ones that are all soppy and gentle that turn into rabid, scratching monsters when the vet tries to stick that needle into them. I have the scars to prove it

goodlad

Well i dont let my 2 kittens out of the house at all.
They have hopped out the back a few times over my foot when im coming in but i grabbed them pretty fast and brought them back in.

They seem happy in the house all the time anyways, always playful and have seemingly endless energy reserves! lol

I just double checked with my Vet and they will be neutered at 4 -5 months old.There about 3 months old now (i think).

I will sort the mother out as soon as i get the trap.

The Sweeper

Excellent - well done and good luck. If everyone took as much care of their own cat as you are taking of animals that were lucky enough to end up on your doorstep, the sad problem of the domestic cat wouldn't be as bad as it is.

dirtycode

Poor little things! Kittens break my heart.