I have found some feral kittens.....

[sarah5]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I noticed a litter of feral kittens at the end of my next door neighbours garden, there appears to be 3 or 4 of them, teeny tiny little poppets.

Their mum is a local known feral born to another local feral who was born to.... a local man's female who couldn't be bothered to neuter her (despite my constant moaning at him to do so!). So I guess I use the word 'feral' quite loosely..

The mummy cat (who must only be about 6-7 months herself..) often comes to my house (my 3 male - neutered I hasten to add - cats adore her, probably due to her scent!!) although she is very frightened of us, she is bold and will wonder around the house. She does not appear to be looking after her kittens although if she is local perhaps she is going back and forth to them? (I don't know anything about kittens...)

Anyway my question is, should I try and catch these kittens and take them in or let nature take it's course and allow them to roam free? My feeling is that if I can somehow catch them then I can get them properly neutered at the correct time and stop all these feral kittens being born... or find decent homes where I know they'll be properly looked after and neutered?

[Moli]

Please try to catch them, otherwise they will turn feral and breed themselves, with you they have a chance of a normal life....

[dandysmom]

Yes, catch them if you can; being treated, socialized and neutered later you can break the chain and ensure a happier life for those wee ones! Raising kittens can be a big job, but think of the fun watching them grow!

[Velvet.Tears]

Definately catch them. I found it hard looking after a litter of 6 kittens but I enjoyed it (wouldn't do it again) but it was really lovely watching them grow and making them extremely friendly. When my kittens were viewed even the RSPCA said that they had never seen a litter of kittens so friendly. I handled mine every day. A few pointers.
Touch there paws, ears, mouth daily this helps that when they are older they will allow to have teeth checked claws clipped and ears checked without problems.

[sarah5]

Hmmm my thoughts exactly, stop the chain... I've been searching high and low today but mum must have taken them off somewhere new. They won't be far as mum has been visiting me daily for at least a year.

I think they are only a few weeks old, is it really right to take them so young, I thought they shouldn't be taken away from mum until at about 3 months old?

[babycakes]

Definately catch them. I found it hard looking after a litter of 6 kittens but I enjoyed it (wouldn't do it again) but it was really lovely watching them grow and making them extremely friendly. When my kittens were viewed even the RSPCA said that they had never seen a litter of kittens so friendly. I handled mine every day. A few pointers.
Touch there paws, ears, mouth daily this helps that when they are older they will allow to have teeth checked claws clipped and ears checked without problems.
I love that what a clever but simple thing to do.

Definetly catch them, they can still be weaned without their Mum. Lots of kittens are. Speak to your vet, ours gave us some kitten formula to give them and showed us how to make them wee etc. Was a fantastic thing to be part of

[sarah5]

I will keep looking for them, thanks all.... they were 'living' behind next door's shed in an extremely awkward place but they haven't been there since yesterday morning so think they have moved on. I will keep looking as I can't get them out of my head, poor wee things.
Thanks again

[Velvet.Tears]

I hope u find them. Anything could happen to them out there.

[angieh]

Good luck - I do hope you find them.

[Velvet]

If mum vists you daily, she may stay if she sees you have her kittens. Its a pity you couldnt get hold of her to get her spayed when she is finished rearing her babies

[calismum]

maybe try following Mum from a distance just to get an idea of general directon. Good luck

[sarah5]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I haven't seen mum or babies since my first post :( I will continue searching x

[dandysmom]

I sometimes think they have ESP ... she suspected what you were up to!

[sarah5]

I think you are right! She came in yesterday, she is such a little minx, she just wanders in brazenly, rolls around all over the catnip toys and looks adorable but will not allow me near enough to even stroke or touch her. She comes and goes but I have not seen her little ones. I fear she may have deserted them somewhere.... I have been on a number of walk arounds looking under all the shrubs and bushes but not seen the little poppets.... will keep looking!

[FarplaceRescue]

Feral kittens over the age of about 12 weeks old are very difficult to tame. Even if you can’t catch the mother, you should try to get the kittens as young as possible. They can learn to lap from about 4 weeks old if necessary.
See if your local vet, Cats protection, or rescue centre can lend you a feral cat trap for the mother. If you can get mother and kittens together, you can keep them together in a dog crate or similar, until they are 6-8 weeks old. Then separate them from mum – perhaps into another dog crate, where they can still see each other. Handle the kittens a lot every day. Just feed mum and provide a litter tray – don’t try to touch her. Spay mum as soon as her milk has dried up. Ask the vet to “ear-tip” the mother so that other rescue organisations will know she has been spayed.
We ask our vet to check the cats teeth and ears at the time of spaying, as there will be no chance of doing this at a future time.
When she is recovered from her spaying, release her back where she came from, if it is safe to do so.
Keep handling the kittens daily. Worm them, de-flea them, and get them vaccinated ready for rehoming as pets.