found a stray cat and 4 kittens...

encore1

so, found what "seems" to be a strayed cat and 4 gorgeous kittens! I literally live in the middle of nowhere and not sure what to do...

The mother is very friendly, comes up to me all the time, purrs, rubs up against me (now, knowing cats, its quite possible that this is because i've been feeding her!!!) - and the kittens (5-6 weeks old) will come to me (albeit reluctantly) when their mammy is around.

I wish i could take them, but i can't take all 5 of them in (and i have a cat of my own, so theres definitely NO way i could have SIX cats!!) There isn't a shelter anywhere near me but there's a pet adoption day once a week that i could bring them to, so should I try to catch them all (mammy included) and bring them to that? Or catch the kittens and bring them to a shelter (when they're a bit older obviously)? or should i just butt-out altogether?!

I've had cats all my life but always had males so have never had to separate a mammy and her babbies...any thoughts would be of great help, thanks!

Whispered

OP where are you located? There might be a rescue, or someone connected with one who would be willing to help you trap them. Kittens are not very hard to rehome at all I've found, but at least if you had the help of a rescue you'd know homes had been checked etc. It might also help with vaccination costs and the neutering of the mother.

Good on you for wanting to help!

encore1

I'm in kerry, nearest town would be Killarney. I just found a shelter online, so have emailed them, hopefully they'll get back to me soon!

Catching the kittens definitely won't be a problem...! As long as mammy is around, they come out to me!

planetX

My experience right now is that kittens are impossible to home. OP, a month ago I took in a stray mother cat with 6 week old kittens. Kept them in a bedroom, sure I'd be able to rehome them - all beautiful ginger cats. Now in situation where my own cats are ill with catflu, haven't been able to home any kittens, and has come to the desperate stage where I have to release the mother again as she is savaging my own cats. It's really depressing, disheartening, and I'll never ever do it again.:( I didn't think I'd have any problem homing little ginger kittens:mad:

Ailishcrehan

If you leave her be, she will stick around and correct me if I am wrong, you won't be able to not leave food out for her as clearly, you have compassion. If you leave her be, you will have 5 cats on your door demanding food, and in no time at all, you'll have more litters arriving looking for food. It is not impossible to rehome kittens, it is hard, but it just takes time. Most rescue groups are full at the moment though, kitten season has hit very hard this year. If you want to send me a message, I'll put an appeal on my FB page - have a good few contacts and might be able to spread the word a bit further afield for you. (or look up Last Hope Charity on FB)

catzwizkas

How old are the kittens. I am close to you and may be able to help

catzwizkas

I am just thinking that if she is that tame she may have been dumped with her kittens so she wont be very equipped to handle the wild. If she was wild all you'd need to do is have her spayed and then release her again and she'd have a fair chance of survival (of course rehoming would be better but its not always an option). If she's domestic she needs help. If she is wild and the kittens are still young there is a small window of opportunity to get to them when they're eating solids but havent become fully feral. This increases the chances of them being successfully rehomed. I am happy to help but if not please try and get the whole family to the nearest vet.

encore1

i'd say the kittens are about 6 weeks old. i don't think she was dumped with them, i think either shes just a friendly wild cat who happened to have a litter or else she was dumped and then had them. but i have a feeling shes been around for a while as she seems quite comfortable in the area.
i was down with them a while a go and was thinking i might try and find homes for the kittens and then keep the mother and get her spayed - but that all depends on my cat - he's a tad temperamental and jealous....lol

but any help would be great...

mymo

If the kittens eyes are blue they are 6 weeks or less, after 6 weeks they start to change colour.
Now would be the best time to catch them, do you have a spare room you could separate them from your cat? Get a worm dose and flea treatment and their first vacc, and work on taming them.
Put up notices in vets and pet shops etc, and the rehoming thread here.
As for keeping the mother, I think its a matter of time, my poor scaredy cat was 7 when his brother died, we went on to get a dog, another cat and another dog in less than a year. The new cat was the one that he took longest to get used to, but it did work, 10 months on I found them curled up together in my bed, now they are very friendly with each other. There was a lot of running away and spitting and swiping at each other, but its fine now.
The original cat is now quite outgoing and seems to have had a personality change.

catzwizkas

I am so glad you;re going to give the mom a chance. She'd be the hardest to find a home for and it sounds like you've already bonded.

Well lets start the kitten homing process. How old do you think they are, what colours are the kittens, when do you think they'll be ready. Depending on details my hub and I might take one or two.

Perhaps you can ask whoever takes a kitten to give a donation towards spaying mom.

My cat wont allow any new older cats (and as he has been my constant companion for 13 years there is no decision needed from me. He will always win) but he's fine with introducing kittens between 6 and 8 weeks of age.

Generally you shouldnt allow kittens to leave their mom before 8 weeks unless they are going to very experienced cat owners who can offer a quiet environment (e.g. no small children without supervision). The condition of the kittens is also very important and they should be kept away from other cats until the vet has given them a once over in case they have any infectious conditions. Yikes. Sound like a "Know it all". Sorry. Wasnt my intention.

I am so sorry another poster had a problem homing kittens. I was trying to find a kitten for a friend a few weeks back and there was nothing going. I believe Petmania have an adoption day - that might be worth a try. I defy someone to see a kitten and walk away!!

patwicklow

my cat has had a few litters of kittens i have always found homes for them putting an ad on gumtree.ie take some good photos ect shes just had 5 kittens 3 days ago so in 7 weeks il run an ad and will have no trouble finding new owners.

mymo

Patwicklow, please think about getting your cat spayed.
She had five kittens this time, at 6 months those kittens can get pregnant or father kittens, in 1 year the could of had 2 litters a piece.
5 kittens=If each litter has 5 kittens=25, times 2 litters is 50 kittens, and thats only this litter in 1 year. Then if each of those has 2 litters in the first year? You're into hundreds.
How many litters has your cat had.
The math is scary, the shelters are over run at the moment with dogs and cats, because people think its easy to find homes for kittens and puppies, and people take them without thinking about the future, and they end up dumped in pounds or shelters or worse.

encore1

thanks for all the help...however, i've hit a stumbling block now in the fact that the longer i leave the kittens, the wilder they seem to be becoming and it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to get my hands on them! One in particular is extremely nervous when i'm around, the others aren't as bad but definitely wary - even when the mother is around! They grow so quickly! Last week i think they were too small to realise i may be a threat...

I reckon they're at least 6 weeks old, probably 7. Their eyes have changed colour and they're becoming very playful and I haven't seen them suckling since last week.

Onto their descriptions - well, 1 is very light ginger and white, 1 is white with some tortoise shell markings and 2 are tortoise shell - one a total fluff ball, definitely the best looking of them all... and the mother is a tiny, skinny little thing, tortoise shell too.

I think i'll try and catch them all today and bring them in to get them used to people but i'm wondering now if the mother is actually wild, how will she handle being locked in a room inside a strange house with 4 kittens screaming the place down??

Another option for me i think, is to get her spayed and keep her in until shes better and then if she doesn't like being inside, i can let her back out but continue to feed her etc outside. Obviously, i just want to do the least stressful thing for all involved (me included, lol!).

If i manage to get them, i'll post some pics up later on!

catzwizkas

I think you have to move quickly and try and rehome the two that are the most approachable so that Mom has less to worry about, then bring her in + the remaining two then have her spayed. The more handling of the kittens the more you are increasing their chances of being domesticated and homed. Sadly it does take time and patience. I have sent you my phone number and I will be in the Killarney Muckross area this afternoon and can call out if you need help. We may be able to take one or two of them immediately depending on how it goes and we have a good record of domesticating feral kittens if we can get to them in time. Good luck

encore1

managed to get 3, the fourth one was having none of it, wouldnt come anywhere near me!!! so i left the mother there and will go back later and give it another go....

mymo

That's great, hope you catch the mother, if the kittens are that age, she'll be in season again soon (if not already).
Its a good idea that if you get her spayed and doesn't adjust to indoors, you can let her out again. Have to say though once they are spayed and hormones settle, they become much tamer and friendlier. (and like their comfort more)
Best of luck.

patwicklow

mymo wrote: »

Patwicklow, please think about getting your cat spayed.
She had five kittens this time, at 6 months those kittens can get pregnant or father kittens, in 1 year the could of had 2 litters a piece.
5 kittens=If each litter has 5 kittens=25, times 2 litters is 50 kittens, and thats only this litter in 1 year. Then if each of those has 2 litters in the first year? You're into hundreds.
How many litters has your cat had.
The math is scary, the shelters are over run at the moment with dogs and cats, because people think its easy to find homes for kittens and puppies, and people take them without thinking about the future, and they end up dumped in pounds or shelters or worse.

Yes putting it that way i guess your right i never really tought of it that way well this her 3rd litter and going to be last so when is the best time now to get her spade? will i wait till her kittens are gone before i go to the vets?

mymo

Best time is when kittens are about 8 weeks, you should be looking at rehoming then anyway (8 to 12 weeks is best time, the longer with family the better), once they're weaned she'll come into season again, so either keep her indoors until you get her done, or get her into vets quick.
Ring the vet and book and date for spay, keep her in the day before as you have to fast them from the night before. My vet does spay/neuter ops in mornings so cats and dogs can go home in evening, some do them during the day or evening and keep overnight.
She'll need to be kept in until at least stitches are out, and kept from jumping around too much for first week.