Kittens in garden

jonnny68

In my ma's garden she discovered that there is a cat who has had a few kittens and is currently lying beneath bushes at the bottom of the garden,anytime i go down the cat snarls probably thinking im trying to take her kittens,im wondering what to do though i don't know if this is true but if i was to call the RSPCA do they charge you or would they even come out, im afraid though they wont survive,any assistance appreciated.

MaryK666

Johnny68, please do not call the ISPCA if you can possibly help it as they don't have the best track record in dealing in stray/feral cats and kittens and the poor animals are often pts if trapped.
Do you know if the cat might belong to a neighbour and has just wandered off to have the kittens, as cats often do? If so, maybe they can come and collect it.

Unfortunately, it's that time of year and there are a huge number of unwanted kittend in gardens all around Ireland. You could always make a bed for them in a shed and put down some food, but not everyone is prepared to go to those lengths.

If you want the cat and kittens removed, please pm me and let me know where you live. I have a lot of friends who work for animal rescue charities who may be able to help you out. They'd have to come out and humanely trap the mother and then collect the kittens but they'd all be reunited and looked after properly.

Hopefully they'll belong to someone who's happy to take them back but I'd hate to think of them being out there, cold, hungry and scared.

jonnny68

Thanks for your response, the cat and kittens have been there 2 weeks i think it is a stray cat, i don't mind them being there but i don't really want to start feeding them my ma already has a dog who is harmless initially the dog wouldn't stop barking and sniffing around but he seems to be fine now.

I'll see how it goes for another week and then maybe ill come back to you.

jonnny68

There are more kittens than i thought the mother has gone away probably hunting for food i counted 5 kittens tiny little things, i left out a bowl of milk and some meat hope the cat manages to get it with this damn rain i cant keep going out to the garden.

Justask

Your best off leaving water, dairy milk is not good for cats or kittens

MaryK666

jonnny68 wrote: »

There are more kittens than i thought the mother has gone away probably hunting for food i counted 5 kittens tiny little things, i left out a bowl of milk and some meat hope the cat manages to get it with this damn rain i cant keep going out to the garden.

Fair play to you for trying to look after them. if there are 5 still alive, she's a lucky cat as a lot of feral kittens don't make it, especially in weather like this.

As Justask says, you're better off leaving water out for her. Most cats are lactose intolerant and milk will just upset her digestive system and make her too ill to hunt for food.
She'll probably eat any kind of food you leave out as she'll need a lot of energy to feed 5 kittens.

It's awful weather for the poor little things to be hiding under bushes but you're better off not to touch them at all. If the mother smells your scent off them, she may well just abandon them or even move them somewhere far less safe. Is there any way you could leave out a box or something that she could use for shelter. Even a cardboard box covered with a plastic bag would be better for them than lying on the cold ground in the rain. She may chose not to use it but at least it'd be there - just in case. If you do - don't put it too close to the kittens but close enough that she can see it and ideally, hidden further down in the bushes.

Please let us know how you're all getting on and hopefully, everything will work out well.