# Stray mom cat and kittens!



## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 15, 2012)

I befriended a couple of stray cats this summer.  One tom cat and a little female.  A few weeks ago I was able to pick the female up and I discovered that she was nursing kittens.  Just tonight I found the kittens!  And are they ever adorable! They are under a van on my property.  I believe she moved them there because it is a friendly atmosphere and I always put food out for them.

I brought the big old tom cat into the house tonight.  Just picked him up and stuffed him into a kennel and brought him in.  He has  his own room until I can get him to the vet Monday for feline leukemia test.  And he has an appointment on Tuesday at the SPCA to get neutered.  He is no longer a stray cat. : )  And I think he knows it, he's all curled up snoozing away in his room.

I will rescue the female and kittens, too, if I can figure out how.  The kittens won't come to me they run away, even thought their mom lets me pick her up and pet her.  I figure if I spend some time out there, the kittens will eventually warm up to me.  We have a big storm coming tomorrow, wind and rain, so I'll have to put that off for couple of days.

Any suggestions? The mom I could just pick up and carry into the house.  But how do I get the kittens?


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## Big Black Dog (Sep 15, 2012)

If you put a can of tuna into a live animal trap, you can catch the kittens one by one until you have them all caught.  My wife has about 9 outdoors (barn cats) and this is how she catches the kittens that tend to be wild.  We have all of the cats spayed or neutered except for one female we can't catch.  Low and behold, a stray male cat came calling earlier in the year and as a result we have some kittens running around outside that we need to catch.  I am not especially a cat person but my wife enjoys her yard cats and she keeps them well fed and cared for.  BTW, please don't tell my wife if there is a yellow cat in the liter.  She loves yellow cats and is looking for one.


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## strollingbones (Sep 15, 2012)

the kittens should follow the mom ....just keep feeding them..give them a shelter from the upcoming storm...they are lucky they found you


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## strollingbones (Sep 15, 2012)

early evening is the best time to trap them


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## bigrebnc1775 (Sep 15, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> I befriended a couple of stray cats this summer.  One tom cat and a little female.  A few weeks ago I was able to pick the female up and I discovered that she was nursing kittens.  Just tonight I found the kittens!  And are they ever adorable! They are under a van on my property.  I believe she moved them there because it is a friendly atmosphere and I always put food out for them.
> 
> I brought the big old tom cat into the house tonight.  Just picked him up and stuffed him into a kennel and brought him in.  He has  his own room until I can get him to the vet Monday for feline leukemia test.  And he has an appointment on Tuesday at the SPCA to get neutered.  He is no longer a stray cat. : )  And I think he knows it, he's all curled up snoozing away in his room.
> 
> ...



If you can pick the mother up, the kittens aren't to far behind. Nice job on the new masters of your universe


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## waltky (Sep 15, 2012)

possum thinks ya ought to be careful...

... right when ya think dey's yer buddy...

... dey'll smack ya onna nose.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 15, 2012)

If you get a Hav-a-hart humane cat trap (raccoon size) you can bait it and trap the mom and then the kittens. How old are the kittens?

Our neighborhood is home to feral cats (crazy cat lady started feeding them about 3 years ago).  I trapped many of the adult cats and took them to the spca in the hopes of maybe they could be adopted but they were all too feral.   

Two weeks ago I looked out my kitchen window and there is a black mom cat with two small kittens coming out from under our shed.  Apparently the chicken wire we put up had come undone and she had a litter under there.  I set the cat trap to try and get the mom but no luck so I positioned it by the shed then blocked off all other ways out.  Caught the two little kitties within a couple of hours.  They were about 6 weeks old and yes, too young to be away from mom but I took them anyway because I knew the mom would relocate them and there would be two more cats reproducing in a couple of months.   Have been taking care of these two for about a week and a half and they are just terrific little kitties!  They started out hissing and growling A LOT! but both have turned out to be very, very affectionate and will make wonderful pets.  Amazing what steady food, calming voice and patience will accomplish.  My daughter's friend is taking both of them.  Yay!

This past Monday we look out and there is same mom cat with yet another kitten under my daughter's car.  Kitten crawled up into the engine, took us about 45 minutes to unwedge him.  He joined his brothers.  He is the most active and started out hissing like the others but within 30 hours he was purring.

Two days later I see the mom cat out by the shed with yet another kitten!  Trapped him and he joined his brothers this past Tues. night.  He is still very shy and very unsure of people.  Am working hard to try and get him to trust people.  He finally came out to play with his brothers but I often have to pick him up and place him in the middle of the fun.  

I am looking for homes for the last two.  If I can't find homes they will have to go to the spca.  I'm hoping that won't be for another two weeks (I think they're 8 weeks old now, hoping I can contain them in the area I made for two more weeks) but at least they will have the best chance of getting a home that way.  

Hunger will win out almost every time with these guys.  If you can get the mom you will be able to get the kittens.  Patience is key.  Good luck and keep us updated.

btw, anyone want  a kitten?


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 15, 2012)

waltky said:


> possum thinks ya ought to be careful...
> 
> ... right when ya think dey's yer buddy...
> 
> ... dey'll smack ya onna nose.



That is good advice.  I have two small scratches from the tom cat I brought in.  They are healing nicely, no infection.  The only reason he swiped at me is because I startled him.  He was being defensive.  Can't blame him for that.  Otherwise, he likes to snuggle up to me and loves to be petted.  I would guess he hasn't been petted in at least a couple of years, but you can tell he was once someone's cat.  : (


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 15, 2012)

The tomcat is named Lazarus because I thought he was dead and yet he started showing up again. : )

Lazarus hasn't used the cat box in his room, yet, but he hasn't gone to the bathroom outside the box either.  I read that they will wait a long time in a situation like this.  It will be a mini-triumph when he goes in that box!


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 15, 2012)

I'm frustrated about the mom cat (I call her Delilah) and the kittens because I wanted to get them inside before the storm.  There will be heavy rain and wind gusts up to 110 mph in the upper elevations of our city.  We're supposed to get gusts up to 65 mph where I am, hopefully it won't be any worse than that.  It will start tonight and go until tomorrow night. : (

She has  found a good spot, she'll be well protected from the wind where she is.  I think.  

I do have a trap, in case I need it.  Once the storm is over I can try spending some time out there and befriend the kittens.  I don't think there's much I can do before then, although I will hang out there a bit before the wind starts picking up and see what happens.  Like I don't have anything else to do. : (  (sorry, little whine there)


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 15, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> If you get a Hav-a-hart humane cat trap (raccoon size) you can bait it and trap the mom and then the kittens. How old are the kittens?
> 
> Our neighborhood is home to feral cats (crazy cat lady started feeding them about 3 years ago).  I trapped many of the adult cats and took them to the spca in the hopes of maybe they could be adopted but they were all too feral.
> 
> ...



I think the kittens are about five weeks old.  That's my best guess.

Screw the SPCA.  I have one feral cat that I managed to tame down.  He's still a little weird, but he lives in my home and doesn't cause any trouble.  He was caught in a trap by someone else and they were going to take him to Animal Control, but he was crazy wild and I knew they would just kill him.  So I took him in.  He lived in a room in my house and I would go in there every night and read to him.  He had taken to sleeping in a cat kennel in there so I was able to close the door and take him to the vet.  They had to gas him in the kennel in order to get him neutered.  With felin leukemia test negative I started leaving the door cracked open and he started exploring the house at night.  It was 17 weeks before I was finally able to touch him.  The first other creature in my house he approached was one of my Dobermans, started rubbing on her legs. : ) 

There's no such thing as "too feral."  What it is is that no one wants to spend the time required to tame the cat down.  Let's just be honest about that.

Aren't you going to help the mother cat?


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 15, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > If you get a Hav-a-hart humane cat trap (raccoon size) you can bait it and trap the mom and then the kittens. How old are the kittens?
> ...



Five weeks is very young, you should have no problem catching them and it should only take a few days or so for them to come around to people.

I can't keep the kittens or any cat as I have a 15 1/2 year old male cat who is marking my house as it is because of all the cats outside, can't imagine what would happen if I bought another cat into this house.   Putting in the time and energy doesn't have anything to do with why I can't take them in, the number of cats around here and my cat are why.   I'm not talking about a cat here or there, there have been many, many cats ... no idea how many are still running around.  I took them to the spca because there are so many; I stopped because no one else in the neighborhood was doing squat about the cat problem.  Maybe when it gets bad enough others will pitch in.  We have no animal control officer in our town, spca officer talked to crazy cat lady but she will not stop feeding them, she will not take medical responsibility for them, she will not have them neutered/spayed.  So we have lots of feral cats who are constantly reproducing and no one willing to do anything about it.  The situation is what it is.   

If I can't find homes for the last two kittens then the spca it is, I have no alternative as I can't keep them. Better they be given a chance at adoption and a good life vs a hard feral life that won't be very long, imo.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 15, 2012)

I feed cats, too, that's why they show up at my house.  I cannot turn my back on them.  For some of them, I am their lifeline.  I take that responsibility seriously.

No, it is good you are finding homes for the kittens.  Even taking them to the SPCA is okay, because they're just kittens and easier to bring around than a full-grown feral cat.

Yeah, the marking is not acceptable to me.  That will be Lazarus's true test.  If he marks in my house, he cannot stay.  I have my limits.  I will cross that bridge when I come to it.  My husband and I are talking about putting a cat door leading into a pen in the garage, so at least cats could come in and sleep in a warm place.  We shall see.


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## earlycuyler (Sep 15, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> I befriended a couple of stray cats this summer.  One tom cat and a little female.  A few weeks ago I was able to pick the female up and I discovered that she was nursing kittens.  Just tonight I found the kittens!  And are they ever adorable! They are under a van on my property.  I believe she moved them there because it is a friendly atmosphere and I always put food out for them.
> 
> I brought the big old tom cat into the house tonight.  Just picked him up and stuffed him into a kennel and brought him in.  He has  his own room until I can get him to the vet Monday for feline leukemia test.  And he has an appointment on Tuesday at the SPCA to get neutered.  He is no longer a stray cat. : )  And I think he knows it, he's all curled up snoozing away in his room.
> 
> ...



Are the kittens eating food ? If so, you can tarp three sides of the van, and go head and collect the mom. Just kennel her and leave her by the van. Put food in her kennel and snatch kittens as they try to get to her or her food. Or you can just leave the kennel open by the van with food in it. When the weather hits they should all just go in to the better digs.


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## uscitizen (Sep 15, 2012)

Cats have a sense to detect soft hearted suckers.
I have 4 little furry buddies that live outside.  But all need lap time when I am out on the porch.


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## gallantwarrior (Sep 15, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> I befriended a couple of stray cats this summer.  One tom cat and a little female.  A few weeks ago I was able to pick the female up and I discovered that she was nursing kittens.  Just tonight I found the kittens!  And are they ever adorable! They are under a van on my property.  I believe she moved them there because it is a friendly atmosphere and I always put food out for them.
> 
> I brought the big old tom cat into the house tonight.  Just picked him up and stuffed him into a kennel and brought him in.  He has  his own room until I can get him to the vet Monday for feline leukemia test.  And he has an appointment on Tuesday at the SPCA to get neutered.  He is no longer a stray cat. : )  And I think he knows it, he's all curled up snoozing away in his room.
> 
> ...



Patience.  If you can pick the momma up, you might be able to get the kittens to come to you too.


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## gallantwarrior (Sep 15, 2012)

Big Black Dog said:


> If you put a can of tuna into a live animal trap, you can catch the kittens one by one until you have them all caught.  My wife has about 9 outdoors (barn cats) and this is how she catches the kittens that tend to be wild.  We have all of the cats spayed or neutered except for one female we can't catch.  Low and behold, a stray male cat came calling earlier in the year and as a result we have some kittens running around outside that we need to catch.  I am not especially a cat person but my wife enjoys her yard cats and she keeps them well fed and cared for.  BTW, please don't tell my wife if there is a yellow cat in the liter.  She loves yellow cats and is looking for one.



I have a litter of six barn cats (ferals) living on my place, one is a really pretty, all-orange kitty, another is orange tabby with white bib and paws.  Where can I send them?


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## uscitizen (Sep 15, 2012)

Any Chinese restaurants nearby?


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## gallantwarrior (Sep 15, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> If you get a Hav-a-hart humane cat trap (raccoon size) you can bait it and trap the mom and then the kittens. How old are the kittens?
> 
> Our neighborhood is home to feral cats (crazy cat lady started feeding them about 3 years ago).  I trapped many of the adult cats and took them to the spca in the hopes of maybe they could be adopted but they were all too feral.
> 
> ...



Two of my house cats originally came from the ferals living in my barn.  The latest was only two weeks old when we rescued him and his sister.  That was a year ago.  Normally, I won't mess with the queen's nest, but momma had disappeared and these two were alone, hungry and filthy.  I took them in, but it was too late for sis.  I originally named the boy "Sylvester" because he's a black tuxedo cat with a white tip on his tail.  I've renamed him since then.  He's now "Sherman" (as in Tecumseh) because he's a destructive force in his own right, leaving a swath of destruction wherever he plays.  He is a lover, too.


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## gallantwarrior (Sep 15, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> I feed cats, too, that's why they show up at my house.  I cannot turn my back on them.  For some of them, I am their lifeline.  I take that responsibility seriously.
> 
> No, it is good you are finding homes for the kittens.  Even taking them to the SPCA is okay, because they're just kittens and easier to bring around than a full-grown feral cat.
> 
> Yeah, the marking is not acceptable to me.  That will be Lazarus's true test.  If he marks in my house, he cannot stay.  I have my limits.  I will cross that bridge when I come to it.  My husband and I are talking about putting a cat door leading into a pen in the garage, so at least cats could come in and sleep in a warm place.  We shall see.



You know I feed ferals, too.  They keep the mice out of my feed bins.  Right now, I have six house cats and really don't feel like I can support any more indoor cats.  I have been considering trapping the current crop of kittens, though.  The past year, I have been donating goat milk to two cat rescues.  17 gallons of milk goes a ways to feeding kittens and nursing moms.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 15, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> I feed cats, too, that's why they show up at my house.  I cannot turn my back on them.  For some of them, I am their lifeline.  I take that responsibility seriously.
> 
> Do you just feed them or do you provide medical care (shots, etc) and spaying/neutering?  If neither are provided the cats will gets sick and just continue to reproduce (and they inbreed with strange looking off-spring).  Rabies are always a concern for non-vaccinated cats.
> 
> ...


.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 16, 2012)

Good news!  The stray male I brought in Friday night used the cat box today!  I was sitting in his room visiting with him and he looked over at the cat box.  Looked right at it, and you could see him thinking.  Then he went and got in the box and peed.  

This is great!  He knows what a cat box is for.  His chances for a good life just improved remarkably. : )


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 16, 2012)

> feed cats, too, that's why they show up at my house. I cannot turn my back on them. For some of them, I am their lifeline. I take that responsibility seriously.
> 
> Do you just feed them or do you provide medical care (shots, etc) and spaying/neutering? If neither are provided the cats will gets sick and just continue to reproduce (and they inbreed with strange looking off-spring). Rabies are always a concern for non-vaccinated cats.



zoom-boing, I feed them because I figure the least they should have in life is food to eat.  That may be all I can do for them.  I'm not a rich person.  But since I was able to befriend Lazarus and Delilah over the summer, I decided to rescue them.  I already have six cats, four of whom are strays I rescued.  This will make eight.  

But even when I've gotten both of these two in I will continue putting food and water outside.  Because some other cats may be depending on it.  If no one eats it after a couple of days, perhaps I'll stop.  But if it's being eaten, I'll continue putting cat food outside every day like I've been doing for at least three years.  Never miss a day.

The kittens will be going to Animal Control.  They don't have any trouble adopting kittens out there.  Hopefully I can socialize them a little bit and make sure they know how to use the litter box before I take them there.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 16, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> > feed cats, too, that's why they show up at my house. I cannot turn my back on them. For some of them, I am their lifeline. I take that responsibility seriously.
> >
> > Do you just feed them or do you provide medical care (shots, etc) and spaying/neutering? If neither are provided the cats will gets sick and just continue to reproduce (and they inbreed with strange looking off-spring). Rabies are always a concern for non-vaccinated cats.
> 
> ...



By feeding them without getting them medical care and especially getting them spayed/neutered you are contributing to the feral cat problem, just as the woman who keeps feeding them around here is.  I want to take care of all the cats around here but don't because it I can't afford proper care for them and it just exacerbates the entire problem.  It isn't fair to the cats and it sure isn't fair to everyone else who lives around here.  Just my 2 cents.    Good luck with the two new cats!


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## gallantwarrior (Sep 16, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> Kooshdakhaa said:
> 
> 
> > > feed cats, too, that's why they show up at my house. I cannot turn my back on them. For some of them, I am their lifeline. I take that responsibility seriously.
> ...



I feed a feral cat colony, but surely cannot afford to spay/neuter them all.  Every few years I end up adopting one, which is promptly vetted.  So far, the colony is healthy with no Felv, rabies, or such.  It saddens me that their lives are difficult but at least thei short lives are well fed and as sheltered as the barn can make them.  In turn, those cats have kept my barn and feedstock mouse-free.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 16, 2012)

gallantwarrior said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > Kooshdakhaa said:
> ...



I get that and all. Is your house isolated/surrounded by a lot of property or are you in a neighborhood situation where there are a lot of houses close together?  I'm in the second situation which is why it is/has become a problem.  The cats aren't just hanging at one house/barn/property, they roam all over, mark all over, have kittens all over.  I can't tell you the condition I've found some of them in . . .  it would break your heart.  It isn't fair to the people or the cats _around here_ that they are being fed without being vetted.  I assume other cat situations are like mine ... that was dumb of me!


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## gallantwarrior (Sep 16, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> gallantwarrior said:
> 
> 
> > Zoom-boing said:
> ...



I live in an area where lots are usually at least couple acres.  The place next door keeps about 30 sled dogs.  There are a couple other dog lots in the area, and loads of horses.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 16, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> Kooshdakhaa said:
> 
> 
> > > feed cats, too, that's why they show up at my house. I cannot turn my back on them. For some of them, I am their lifeline. I take that responsibility seriously.
> ...



Okay, so you're suggesting I let them starve to death because I can't afford to take every one to the vet and get them spayed/neutered.  Sorry, but I think I'll pass on that idea.  It's not the feral cat "problem" I care about, it's the individual cats.  

I am thinking about talking to someone at the SPCA or Humane Society, though, and seeing if they can help.  I don't like to just turn cats over to some of these people, though, because their facilities are substandard as far as I'm concerned.  I think the cats might be better off stray than in some of these rescue organization facilities.  And I can't keep taking them in.  So far I'm within reason and I'm legal...I have a special facility license from Animal control that allows me to have this many animals  at my house (I have five dogs, also).   But I can't really afford any more!


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 16, 2012)

Here's my current plan to get the mom cat and kittens.  I tie a rope to the door handle of my porch screen door, string the rope through the door into the house.  Set my cat trap up on the porch.  Once I've caught the mother cat, I peer through a crack in the door.  When all four kittens come up on the porch to see what mom's doing, I pull the rope and close the screen door.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 17, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > Kooshdakhaa said:
> ...



They won't starve to death they'll find food.  I've found the carcass of many mice and birds that the cats have left behind.  Once found the carcass of a small bunny ... could a cat kill a bunny?  Hmmm, don't know, maybe.  But they will hunt and survive even without being regularly fed.  But the lifespan of a fercal cat is only a few years (on average) vs. that of a house cat.

I don't know your neighborhood situation, ours is many houses close together.  A couple of kids have been scratched by some of the ferals and I had a $300 vet bill on my dog who injured her nose chasing the cats out of our (fenced in) yard.  So my concern is less with the cats and more with the problems the cats cause for the people and pets living here.  There was also a wild cat with rabies found one town over so that's always a concern.  

I can tell you that our spca will monitor the cat for quite some time to see if they are tamable and if there is a chance at all that they can be adopted, they will try to find them a home.  But often they are not tameable, at least in the timeframe that the spca gives them.  The township was notified of the problem but since we don't have an animal control department they just blew us off.  We have an HOA here as well who talked like they would do something but in the end they, like everyone else, decided to do nothing and ignore the problem.  At the point when it becomes apparent that there is a plethora of feral cats in this neighborhood maybe the township or HOA will actually try to do something about it.  In the mean time?  I'm done trying to catch them, although any kittens I find I will socialize and give them the best chance to be adopted.  One of these days my old cat will no longer be with us and maybe I'll be able to do more for them at that time.  At the least, we would keep any kittens we found.

Were you able to catch the mom cat and her kittens?  Did they do ok in the storm you had?


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 20, 2012)

Zoom-boing, I have not been able to catch the kittens.  It occurred to me that I don't need to trap the mom cat since she will let me pick her up!  So I picked her up and put her in a kennel and then proceed with my plan to lure the kittens onto the porch and pull the door shut.  The kittens had been playing nearby, under the van, but as soon as they heard mom make a couple of distressed sounds, they all shut up and hunkered down.  They did not come to check on her.  I waited a while and realized it wasn't going to work.

So, I let the mom out.  The next day she had moved her kittens! : (  So, now I'm back to not knowing where they are.  

The tomcat, Lazarus, is doing well.  Took him to the vet Monday and the vet says he has fleas, but I'm skeptical.  Been combing him with a flea comb and can't get a single flea.  Lots of flea dirt, but I think it may be left over from a previous infestation.  My theory is the fleas died out over the winter and all that's left behind is the flea dirt.

It'll be a bitch if all my other animals (eleven) get fleas.  *sigh*

Anyway, Lazarus went to the SPCA Tuesday and was neutered and got shots, and they didn't see any fleas, either.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 20, 2012)

Yeah, the mom cats move the kittens in a blink don't they?  That's one of the reasons I trapped the kittens I found ... I knew she'd move them.  Am still looking for a home for the last two.  They are starting to climb the area where I have them in the garage (kitten towne!) so I don't know how much longer they can stay.  Dang, wish I could keep them.  My old cat peed/marked in a new spot last night.    Can't say for sure if it was him getting wind of the kittens or the fact that I opened the living room window yesterday.  Grrrrr.

Glad to hear Lazarus is doing so well!


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, I always put food out, every single day, and the mom cat is still showing up for dinner every day.  So, I figure it's only a matter of time that the older kittens will be following her to my house to eat the cat food.  I can't blow it next time.  I think I just need to try and befriend them like I did the mom cat.  When they see me petting her all the time, eventually they'll lose their fear of me.  I hope.  Winter's coming soon! : (


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 21, 2012)

Ah, I saw a kitten hopping around under a bush nearby when I fed the mom cat last night.  So they are following her around now.  I expect they'll be eating the catfood soon.  Maybe this weekend I can sit out there for a while.  I need to get them used to me.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 21, 2012)

When they start to wean they'll come around with the mom for food, especially if she comes regularly.  If they let you try petting them while they are eating.  I did that with the kittens and even the last one, who took the longest to trust people and who is still skittish around more than one person at a time, let me do this.  I wanted to get the connection of food plus petting by human = good.

We put up some flyers in the neighborhood and kitten #3 found his home!  He's going tomorrow night, #1 and #2 are going in a week.  That just leaves #4, who is the smallest and most hesitant with people.  He's come a long way but still has some to go.  I can not take just him to the spca, I'm afraid he'll just cower in the corner and be scared and no one will adopt him.     Gotta find him a home!


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 22, 2012)

And then there were three.  #3 went to his forever home a bit ago.  He was scared when I put him in the box but he adjusted the fastest when he came here so I'm sure he'll do fine.  Felt kinda bad though cause he got scared.  Agh! wish I could keep them all but alas, that just isn't feasible.  #1 and #2 are going tomorrow after dinner.  The girls taking them decided to take them a week early because next weekend is Home Coming at school (they're friends with the Seniors) and several people will be over.  Figured they'd give the kitties a week to acclimate before that.  So this time tomorrow night there will just be one lone kitty.   _That's_ making me feel bad.  He'll be all alone in kitten towne and especially at night, no buddies to curl up next too.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 23, 2012)

I still haven't been able to get close to these kittens.  Even though the mom lets me pet her, she is nervous about her kittens being around me and herds them away.

I brought out a jingly ball on a string today and was trying to entice the kittens with it.  They were very curious and I felt they were going to start pouncing on it anytime.  But the mom came over to check it out and when I pulled on the string and made the ball jingle she got concerned and whisked the kittens off somewhere.  

On to Plan C.  Whatever it is.

Oh, I bought some kitten food and started putting that out along with the other food.  They ate it all!  

I sure hope I can get them before it starts getting really cold...and snowing.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Sep 23, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> And then there were three.  #3 went to his forever home a bit ago.  He was scared when I put him in the box but he adjusted the fastest when he came here so I'm sure he'll do fine.  Felt kinda bad though cause he got scared.  Agh! wish I could keep them all but alas, that just isn't feasible.  #1 and #2 are going tomorrow after dinner.  The girls taking them decided to take them a week early because next weekend is Home Coming at school (they're friends with the Seniors) and several people will be over.  Figured they'd give the kitties a week to acclimate before that.  So this time tomorrow night there will just be one lone kitty.   _That's_ making me feel bad.  He'll be all alone in kitten towne and especially at night, no buddies to curl up next too.



You sound just as soft-hearted as I am.  Poor little kitties. : (


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## koshergrl (Sep 26, 2012)

You do know that toms will kill kittens, right? I wouldn't want to bring a bunch of little kittens into a house with a feral tom cat.


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## Zoom-boing (Sep 27, 2012)

We still have the last kitten.  Can't seem to find a home for him and I just can't bring myself to take him to the spca. 

Gaaaaaaa.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Oct 1, 2012)

koshergrl said:


> You do know that toms will kill kittens, right? I wouldn't want to bring a bunch of little kittens into a house with a feral tom cat.



The tom cat I brought in was friendly with their mother.  I think he might be the dad and I don't think he would hurt his own kittens.

Nonetheless, I have four other tom cats (although all neutered) and I would not take a chance.  I have a spare room the kittens can live in with their mom until they are old enough to go to Animal Control  to be put up for adoption.  I also want to give them an opportunity to learn about indoor living and using a cat box while they're still with their mom to improve their odds of adapting successfully to new homes.

Unfortunately, while mom keeps coming around for dinner every night, I haven't seen the kittens in several days.  So frustrating.  I could set out a trap, but a kitten could be injured in this trap I have.  For example, if one kitten went in far enough to trip the door, but another kitten was following behind and the door came down on them. : (


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## gallantwarrior (Oct 1, 2012)

I've integrated many cats of both sexes into a multi-cat household consisting of both male and female cats (neutered and spayed).  You are dealing with more than one cat at a time, though, so it might be a bit tricky introducing everyone at once.


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## strollingbones (Oct 2, 2012)

air can will work wonders......yoda was taken in by clark...a neutered male......tiff ..the neutered female still doesnt accept yoda...


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 2, 2012)

gallantwarrior said:


> I've integrated many cats of both sexes into a multi-cat household consisting of both male and female cats (neutered and spayed).  You are dealing with more than one cat at a time, though, so it might be a bit tricky introducing everyone at once.




Any tips?  We still have the last kitten.  Brought him into our basement last week.  It's a finished room with a closed door so the other animals can't get it.  Brought the dogs in to see the kitten.  Kitten hid at first but got brave with the younger dog.  He stayed hidden and hissed at the older dog.  Haven't introduced our nearly 15 year old cat to the kitten yet.  Did rub an article of clothing on each cat then let the other smell it.  Baby steps.  Any advice would be appreciated.  And I still don't know if he's staying.  I'd be willing to give him away but the kids, especially my oldest, just cry when I say this.  I'm such a sucker when it comes to animals.  




strollingbones said:


> air can will work wonders......yoda was taken in by clark...a neutered male......tiff ..the neutered female still doesnt accept yoda...



"air can will work wonders".  What does that mean?

Yoda is male, yes?  and Clark is a neutered adult male?  That's the situation we have and I'm concerned that Shadow (old cat) will mark when he discovers the kitten.  He marks when the feral cats hang outside of our house .. I've given up on opening any downstairs windows in the front of the house.


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## gallantwarrior (Oct 2, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> gallantwarrior said:
> 
> 
> > I've integrated many cats of both sexes into a multi-cat household consisting of both male and female cats (neutered and spayed).  You are dealing with more than one cat at a time, though, so it might be a bit tricky introducing everyone at once.
> ...



If your older cat has been an "only" cat for very long, and he marks now, you may not be able to bring in another cat.  I've only had two cats who did not mix in with my "pride", both were spayed females and had been only cats their entire lives.  One took over her own territory in the house, the other was so miserable I homed her with my partner.  I still get spats when the youngster plays with the older cats, but nothing lasting.  I have six cats, all neutered or spayed, all but one declawed.  They range in age from 1 year to 15.
I usually introduce newcomers while they are in a kennel.  I put the kennel in the house where everyone can get a view and a sniff.  After the growling and hissing have died to a tolerable level, I'll open the kennel door.  No one is forced into or out of the kennel before they are ready.  Sometimes, the newcomer will return to the kennel after exploring a bit.  I now live in a very small place and haven't the space for the more traditional "put the cat in a separate room" thing.  
I have found that adding a kitten to an adult cat works well if they are opposite genders.  I don't know why.  I have also found that odd numbers work better than even numbers after the first two.  (I guess they don't form up 'teams' as well that way.)


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 2, 2012)

Oh I hadn't even thought of putting the kitten in the cat carrier and letting them get acquainted.   Good idea!

I blocked off the kitchen today and brought the kitten up.  He was scared (he's a scaredy cat kind of cat) and he meowed quite a bit.  Older cat was on the other side of the blockade.  I picked up kitten and old cat saw him.  I did slow blinks to older cat, he turned his head.  Swishy tail but not angry cat tail.  He stayed where he was and we did this for about 5 minutes.  Then I went around through the dining room and stood next to old cat, who was in the hallway.  Old cat was purring and rubbing up against my legs.  He clearly saw and smelled kitten I was holding but didn't seem bothered.  I then took kitten back to his room in the basement.  Old cat followed and came into the room but just a bit.  His purring stopped then, he sniffed a bit then sat outside of the room.  We played with kitten in view of old cat and old cat didn't do anything, just watched.  Old cat was annoyed at the dog blocking the top of the stairs though.  lol  Old cat hasn't marked anything yet, as far as I know.

We're taking it one day at a time.  Hubs said he didn't want to keep the kitten then makes suggestions like "you should probably take him out of the garage and put him in the basement" and "he needs sunlight he can't just stay in the basement".  Yeah, he doesn't want to keep him.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 2, 2012)

Oh, and no we didn't, like, name him Finnick or anything.


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## gallantwarrior (Oct 2, 2012)

Finnick is a cute name.  
It would appear initially that the old cat isn't too bothered.  You might also want to make sure you give him lots of attention, too.  Kittens tend to steal the show and the older guy gets neglected.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 3, 2012)

gallantwarrior said:


> Finnick is a cute name.
> It would appear initially that the old cat isn't too bothered.  You might also want to make sure you give him lots of attention, too.  Kittens tend to steal the show and the older guy gets neglected.



Since the kitten has been in the basement (one week), Shadow has been all over us purring and he's just been _around_ more.  He usually sleeps most of the day in my daughter's room.  Of course, the weather is changing and that usually brings him out of his coma-sleep too.

Named him Finn(ick) because this is The End, El Fin! of taking in anymore animals ... at least as long as these cuties are around.   Also, to get the youngest to go along with the name as she never got to name any animal, Finnick Odair is one of the most likable characters from The Hunger Games book.  She wanted to call him Dipper and no one else was really liking it.  Compromise reached!


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## Skull Pilot (Oct 3, 2012)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> I befriended a couple of stray cats this summer.  One tom cat and a little female.  A few weeks ago I was able to pick the female up and I discovered that she was nursing kittens.  Just tonight I found the kittens!  And are they ever adorable! They are under a van on my property.  I believe she moved them there because it is a friendly atmosphere and I always put food out for them.
> 
> I brought the big old tom cat into the house tonight.  Just picked him up and stuffed him into a kennel and brought him in.  He has  his own room until I can get him to the vet Monday for feline leukemia test.  And he has an appointment on Tuesday at the SPCA to get neutered.  He is no longer a stray cat. : )  And I think he knows it, he's all curled up snoozing away in his room.
> 
> ...



Get them tested for feline leukemia and aids before you do anything.  If they are positive the best thing to do is to euthanize them


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## strollingbones (Oct 3, 2012)

they dont test for feline luk or aids till you are damned attached to them.....

but skull is right...


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## gallantwarrior (Oct 3, 2012)

True about testing.  I have mine vetted before introducing them to the others.  Since I take in a feral kitten every year, or so, it also gives me some way of monitoring the health of the feral population.  So far (touch wood), the ferals come up clean.
(Aaarrrgghh!  Right now, my blue-gray girl is fussing over me, standing on my lap, peering into my eyes, and head-bumping my chin and nose.  Makes it tough to read and type!)


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## Kooshdakhaa (Oct 5, 2012)

That's the first thing I do, get them tested for feline leukemia.  The tom cat tested negative.  Actually, I've never had a cat test positive.  Until they get their feline leukemia test, they are totally sequestered from the rest of my cats.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Oct 5, 2012)

Unfortnately, I haven't seen the kittens in quite some time now.  Mom still shows up for dinner, although I don't see her every night.

The tom cat I took in, Lazarus, is doing very, very well.  He is neutered and has his shots, feline leukemia test was negative.  We discovered a wound on his leg, thought one of my cats did it but the vet said it was an old wound.  He got a 10-day antibiotic shot for that and it healed right up.  Because he had a lot of flea dirt on him the vet was convinced he had fleas, but I've yet to see a flea on him or any of my other animals.  

Anyway, he finally started coming out of his room in the past week.  Last night he followed me downstairs, crawled up on my lap and laid there while I watched an entire hour of television.  He was definitely once someone's kitty cat, or he wouldn't do that.  Poor guy has had a rough couple of years, that's for sure.  It's not easy living on your own outside in the winter in Alaska!

There have been a couple of fights with my other cats, but nothing too extreme, actually.  My Doberman, Greta, is demonstrating that she understands the "no cats" command by flopping down on her side when she gets close to him.  She had initially been trying to get right up close and sniff him and he swatted at her a couple of times while I said, "NO CATS, GRETA!"  I think she's letting him know that she is no threat by laying down that way. : )  She's so sweet. : )  

He uses the cat box faithfully and none of the other cats has done any marking because of his presence in the house, although they have used his cat box in his room.  He found the room where all the other cat boxes are kept and I think he used those in addition to the one in his room.  Maybe now he "belongs."  This may just work out fine!


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## gallantwarrior (Oct 6, 2012)

Congratulations on another successful addition to your fur-fam, Koosh!  I hope the kittens are OK.  When it's wet like this, I don't always see my ferals much.  I know they're around because they eat their chow and drink almost a gallon of fresh milk every day.


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## Zoom-boing (Oct 6, 2012)

Koo - congrats!  Great job on nursing Lazarus back to full health!   So glad it all worked out with him.  Hopefully someone else took the kittens in and is taking care of them.   

Do  you have other male cats in your home?  Are they getting along with the new cat?  What kind of 'cat fights' have happened between your old cats and the new guy?  Just hissing/growling or real fights?

We still have the kitten Finn but he mostly stays in the basement.  When we're down with him we open the door and he explores the front half of the finished part of the basement.  (I  have to block a small cat door that leads into the unfinished part of the basement, where Shadow's litter box is.  The kitten is too small, he'd get lost back there or fall into the sump pump well).  He does fine wandering around and exploring and managed to sneak up about four steps yesterday before I grabbed him..  So I blocked off access to our dining room and hall (so he was just in the kitchen and breakfast room) and brought him upstairs.  He just meows and meows and wanders around trying to get out.  He seems scared.  Maybe I just need to wait a bit till he gets bigger and let him find it all on his own.  Shadow hissed at him when he heard Finn meowing.  I was holding the kitten and old cat was laying by the front door.  I put the kitten down on the floor about 4 feet from old cat (I was still holding the kitten).  Old cat hissed several times then growled.  I figured that's all  normal behavior.  I keep rubbing the kitten with a sock then bringing it to the old cat to let him sniff.  Not much reaction.  

Waiting for the little guy to get bigger so I can let him wander more around the house and not worry that he's going to get stuck behind something or get hurt by old cat or the dogs.  Hopefully once the kitten is big enough our old cat will only hiss and growl.  Uncharted territory here . . . . . . 

Dio (our younger dog) sooooo wants to make friends and play with him but he's very uncertain on how to go about doing that.  He gets in play pose frequently but Finn, being a kitten, doesn't quite get that.  I think with enough time they will get along just fine.  Penny (our older dog) doesn't go down to see him as much but when she does she's quite interested in him.  He was tending to hide from her but is getting braver.  She's not interested in playing with him as much as just curious about him.  

When Finn finally is big enough to not have to be sequestered, I have a feeling that Shadow will continue to hiss and growl at him, regardless.  Finn is a scaredy cat and will retreat  -- at least that's his reaction now.  Last weekend my daughter went to see her friend who adopted two of the kittens  and she said they are significantly bigger than Finn.  He's the runt and is a small kitten ,... might be awhile before he can wander the house.  Problem with this is our basement, although finished, is underground and no matter what we've done it alwaus has a slight 'mold' smell (especially since it's been raining a lot lately) and it's kicked up my daughter's asthma.   Come on first frost!


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## sarahgop (Oct 6, 2012)

congrats


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## Kooshdakhaa (Oct 6, 2012)

There have been some fights, Zoom-boing.  I already had four neutered male cats and two spayed female cats when I brought Lazarus in.  The male cats are picking fights with him, well all except for one of them.  The fights consist of a lot of staring each other down and making low growling noises, but occasionally they do go at each other like banty roosters or something.  No injuries, though, just a lot of fur flying.  And it's not constant, I think there have been three instances of actual fur flying in the few weeks he's been here.  Nothing bad enough to make me think it's not going to work.  My place is pretty big, big enough for everyone to have their own space.

And Lazarus hasn't even learned that he gets to go outside yet!  I have a fairly large yard and it's all cat-proofed...they can't get out.  I have six-foot fence with barb arms pointing in at the top and netting hanging over that.  There's no way they can navigate around that netting.  It's worked for years.  So they get the best of both worlds, a safe indoor environment but they also get to enjoy the outdoors in a safe way.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Oct 6, 2012)

Zoom-boing, by the way, my third cat was a kitten that I brought in.  He was quite young, I'd say no more than six weeks old. Someone found him wandering around in the grass, they almost stepped on him.  So who do they call?  Yeah, me. : (  Anyway, at the time I had one spayed female cat and one neutered male cat, both fairly young, about a year old, I'd say.  We did not keep the kitten sequestered from the older cats and there were no problems.  I have pictures of my white persian male splayed out on his back with this little orange tiger kitten on top of him...they would play-fight like that.  Of course, I kept a real close watch on things.  Persians can be real mean-looking, but he never hurt that kitten.  The female took the role of mother with him, but she was kind of rough, she'd hold him down quite forcefully and groom the hell out of him, that sort of thing.   Now he's my biggest cat and I think he's the boss of the group.  He's the only one who has not gotten into a spat with Lazarus.  I think he's above that.  His name is Pink Simba, but we call him Pinky or Pinky Moon.  : )


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