Catching ferals

angelfire9

My sister noticed three tiny skinny kittens in her garden on Thursday last
We fed them and mammy cats turned up on Sunday
My sister is NOT a cat person she wants to stop me feeding them in the hopes that they will move on somewhere else for food
I am a cat person and want to get these kitties trapped and handed over to a rescue
Any suggestions?

Nody

Contact your local rescue(s)?

angelfire9

I have done none of them have space
they will need to be fostered pending adoption
I can foster/socialise them I just need to catch them first

toadfly

Even if your local rescue doesn't have space they may be able to lend you a trap if you wanted to get mammy cat neutered

angelfire9

Yes, getting mammy won't be a problem I think she was probably a pet that was dumped she can be caught handy enough, but do I catch her and take her away or do I wait til I can catch all four?
My local rescue has told me the kittens are too small for the traps

Nody

I've had success catching kittens with adult traps; only have try to watch it a bit to make sure they trigger as they should.

boomerang

You can use a regular cat trap for the kittens. Instead of relying on their stepping on the plate in the trap to trigger the door shut, you can prop open the door of the trap with a coke bottle of water attached to a long piece of string. When the kitten(s) are in the trap, you just pull the string hard, coke bottle gets yanked clear of the door, and the door closes.

Dave_Power

I wouldnt get the adult female spayed yet. the best thing you can do is feed the kittens and cat. they will need plenty handling toget used to humans. the younger the better. then when they are about 10 weeks and weaned off mammy you could find homes for them. lots of human contact
the poster above me has a very good idea regarding trapping them

SillyMangoX

Dave_Power wrote: »

I wouldnt get the adult female spayed yet.

This is the only bit I wouldn't agree with, she could even be pregnant again right now so I would be looking into getting her done ASAP. But you should be trying to socialize the kittens as much as you can!

Dave_Power

It depends on how old the kittens are. are they weaned off the mammy yet? What
I'm saying is dont spay her if shes still nursing very young kittens
wait till they are about 8 weeks.

anniehoo

Dave_Power wrote: »

It depends on how old the kittens are. are they weaned off the mammy yet? What
I'm saying is dont spay her if shes still nursing very young kittens
wait till they are about 8 weeks.

A female cat who's given birth shouldn't be spayed (neutered) for at least 4 weeks after giving birth ideally but can come into heat within that time.Catch 22. There is an increased risk of haemhorrage as blood vessels are enlarged, leading to complications.

Ideally OP, if the kittens are bright,alert, active and not too shy, build an element of trust this week with all of them.Wherever the kittens are the mother wont be too far behind.A cat trap is your best bet (every cat shelter has them).

If these kittens are less than 4 weeks old, they are not "human shy" yet so catch the mother first off as they will be fine without her as long as you can subsitute their nutritonal requirements. It's a small window whereby you need to go by this (edited to gms):

• Less than a week- Eyes shut, ears flat to head, skin looks pinkish. Part of umbilical chord may still be attached. Weight < 4oz (~110gms)
  
• 1 week to 10 days- Eyes beginning to open, ears still flat. A kitten this age is smaller than your hand. 4 to 6oz weight.(110-160gms)
• 2 weeks- Eyes open bright blue color, kittens will crawl a bit on their bellies, and basically just sleep and nurse. No teeth yet. 6 (160gms) to 8oz. weight (227gms).
• 3 weeks- Eyes are fully open, ears are erect, teeth are becoming visible, may just be begining to come through the gums Kittens this age are just starting to walk and will be very wobbly. 8 to 12 oz weight (227-340gms).
  
• 4-5 weeks- Kittens have begun to pounce and leap. Kittens this age will begin to eat regular cat food, and will begin to use a litter tray. They are still quite small at this age. they will weigh anywhere from 1/2 lb to 1 lb (227gm-450gm)
  
• 6-7 weeks- Kittens are quite active and weigh about 1 pound (450gm) to 1 and a 1/2 pounds (680gm). Their eye color, changes from blue to its permanent colour. May still be friendly and approach people and are really playful.
  
• 8 weeks +- Kittens this age weigh approximately 1 and 1/2 pounds (680gm) to 2 pounds (~900gm). You need to get them before this stage ideally.
  

angelfire9

Difficult to socialise them in a garden I don't have full time access to, the plan is to catch them and get them o my house for that purpose
I reckon they are 8-10 weeks it's hard to tell they are so skinny
Will keep ye posted thanks for the advice so far I've never trapped feral cats before so any practical advice most welcome
Am getting a cat trap tomorrow I've never used one before could be interesting :P

boomerang

PM me your email address and I will send you our factsheet of trapping tips.

angelfire9

Here we are.. Still skittish but getting better

Mammy in the middle

Dave_Power

wow they are alot older than 8 weeks. you may have a job in trying to tame them.

ferretone

Wow! They are lovely. On the skinny side alright, but they look pretty healthy for all that, and I would say they are 12 weeks at least. And mama is just beautiful

Best of luck, will be keeping finger crossed you have them inside very soon. Looks like you are making great progress already, well done

ferretone

Dave_Power wrote: »

wow they are alot older than 8 weeks. you may have a job in trying to tame them.

A job alright, but if she can get them inside it can surely be done with patience. I know many a cuddly ex-feral that was tamed much later than that. Sure one sleeps on top of me most nights who wasn't touched til around a year old

angelfire9

If I can catch them i can tame them
Bit of a cat whisperer me

All joking aside, they wouldn't be the first ferals I've tamed, the most recent of whom is sleeping beside me on the armchair
Just need to catch them soon!
They have put on a lot of weight in a week all bar the one kitten on the left have a good coat
Need to get mammy neutered ASAP though

ferretone

angelfire9 wrote: »

They have put on a lot of weight in a week all bar the one kitten on the left have a good coat

As I said, they do look healthy, they are a credit to you in that regard

angelfire9 wrote: »

Need to get mammy neutered ASAP though

I agree with this, but still would say to take things as gently as you need. Do you have trap? If so, great, you can move along. If not, I would be trying to get hold of one, while still continuing what you are doing, without rushing it.

You should be able to get a vet to do a late spay, so long as you can get her in over the next 2-3 weeks. I'd be in no doubt that she is preggers again by this stage tho, so make sure whichever vet you are planning to use does know it's going to be a late spay in any case.

Using a trap would be ideal, but in case you can't get hold of one, I wouldn't risk jeopardising your great work by trying to rush things too much. And all the best of luck again.

Dave_Power

If the female is feral and doesnt belong to you. you could ring up an animal rescue. and they'll do it all for you. ( i think)
theres a couple of rescue centres in clare

angelfire9

Trap going into the garden tomorrow

Not going to set it until Sunday (if you know what I mean)

I HOPE to get the three of them plus mammy back to my own house Sunday evening and mammy to the vet Monday morning
Will continue to socialise them and get whatever vaccines they need and worming and deflea-ing to get them as healthy and happy as possible for rehoming via local rescue
I'd love to keep the black one he has 4 little white paws and a white vest but my own cats in residence to say nothing of my husband might object to that plan

angelfire9

To clarify I have already been talking to a local rescue, they are supplying the trap I'm just fostering for them til they have space at the rescue or forever homes found for them
If I'm honest ill probably foster them til new homes are found

ferretone

Great to hear. Hope it all goes according to plan. Not gonna comment whether your plan or that of your hubby and residents :rolleyes:

Dave_Power

ah i see. your pretty much sorted.
i took in 2 kittens when they were 6 weeks old both had very bad cat flu. their eyes were closed from the flu.
i brought them to a rescue who brought them to the vets and the vets said he'd put them to sleep.
so in the end i saved them and nurtured them back to full health. at the moment one is sleeping on my foot and the other is chewing my shoe lace.
good luck with your kittens. its a rewarding thing to save their lives. when we die and reincarnate they will be the boss of us and then you'll get your rewards

anniehoo

Dave_Power wrote: »

its a rewarding thing to save their lives. when we die and reincarnate they will be the boss of us and then you'll get your rewards

You said it

*fingers and paws crossed*

angelfire9

Well guys things did not go to plan
Sunday came and no sign of mammy
Waited til today haven't seen her in three days
Tried the trap caught two out of the three and the smallest one got away
I'm gutted I keep replaying it in my head trying to figure what I could have doe better
The two I caught went from almost tame to wild and furious when caught
They have been taken by the a local rescue
I'm gutted

What are the chances of mammy and missing kitty ever turning up near my sisters house again?
Slim chance methinks
I could cry

snoman

angelfire9 wrote: »

Well guys things did not go to plan
Sunday came and no sign of mammy
Waited til today haven't seen her in three days
Tried the trap caught two out of the three and the smallest one got away
I'm gutted I keep replaying it in my head trying to figure what I could have doe better
The two I caught went from almost tame to wild and furious when caught
They have been taken by the a local rescue
I'm gutted

What are the chances of mammy and missing kitty ever turning up near my sisters house again?
Slim chance methinks
I could cry

All you could do was try. And you have saved two of the kittens. That's two that have now got a great chance of a long, happy life. At least the kitten's still with it's mum. And doing something is better than doing nothing.

Dave_Power

if they are hungry they will come back, kittens or cats will nearly always panic and go a bit nuts if they are trapped in those traps. it doesnt matter if they are feral or tame. from my experience they will urinate and be in a huge state of panic from been trapped.
give them a few minutes to calm down

angelfire9

No sign all evening I hope mammy and kitty are ok I'm worried sick

angelfire9

Ok update
The rescue rang me, kitties were being bullied and scared to come out of their cage (siblings sticking together like glue)
I'd rang looking for a progress report and the girl rang me back
I was heartbroken
So I took them home
Have them in the kitchen have banished my own two from kitchen area though there was a lot of sniffing and curiosity when they smelt the cage
The kittens are huddled together in the darkest corner
They are eating (when I'm not around)
They have used the litter tray I got them but there is no way they will even look at me
Any suggestions? I've dealt with ferals on a one to one basis before and I know it will take time but if anyone has any ideas feel free to post

On a side note, the sibling has turned up again at my sisters I will try and trap her and bring her to mine to see if that helps

Poor little kitties

Nody

Start playing with them to get them out of the corner (da bird or similar toy that keeps you away from them) and be careful that they don't remain semi feral by sticking together (we had to break up a trio earlier because any time a human approached them they would all go into a hissing ball of fur).