Good idea? Or not....

For the past two or three months my husband and I have been feeding between 4-5 strays on our front porch. We put food out every night when we get home. About a month ago we realized that two of them are kittens. We also have seen an adult at the bowl who looks to be their mother but aren't sure. I really want to bring the little guys in, and probably will end up keeping them. Actually we have already decided to keep them so that part is a moot point. I have been trying to get them to trust me and it is very slow going but I am thinking about moving it along a little. I want to see if I can get one of the traps from my vet and try to snag the little ones...is this a good idea? We don't know if they are strays or ferels, but I really don't care. I am prepared to do whatever I can to bring them inside.....any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. The weather here in Pgh has been so ugly and cold that I am really worried about them. If we succeed(nope! positive thinking!) when we succeed it will bring us up to 7 cats total, all spoiled rotton house cats....

First off, you should not introduce the strays/ferals to any of your other cats until they test negative for FIV, distemper etc....if by chance one of these cats is sick you will run the risk of making your other cats sick as well. You just don't want to fool around with things like that. Once that is done then they can be introduced to your other cats.

If you want to bring them into your house because of the weather, etc...then make sure to keep them in a seperate area (maybe in a spare room or your basement or someplace like that). This will keep your other safe and it will also give these newbies a chance to get situated and feel more comfortable in your home.

I'm not sure about anything else, but I know that Kim, Jen, Kelly and several others know much, much more than I do about this and I'm sure that they will share lots more information with you.

Best of luck to you. --- Meg

Oh trust me. Me can have our spare room turned into a "guest"room in about 10 seconds. I realized the other day that the 5 we have now were all strays of one kind or another before we brought them in....

The younger they are when you get them the better your chances are to socialize them. So if you're going to do it......DO IT! no use putting it off.
Another very important point is that more than likely one of the adults is their mom and will continue to have litter after litter if she is not spayed. Is there any way to trap and spay her as well as taking in the kittens? Otherwise your population outside will simply multiply.

Everything that has been said up to this point is so important. I understand your situation completely! I too fed ferals and strays on my porch and one was a female that kept bringing babies. That is where seven of my nine came from. I was never able to trap her and she has since disappeared. I saw many of her other babies get hit by cars or simply disappear. If you want these kittens you better hurry. It can be a hard task to teach them trust and with each passing day it gets harder.
The most important thing came from Jen. If at all possible trap the mother or any female for that matter and get them fixed! You can put them back out if you don't want to keep them or if they just refuse to be house kitties. The cycle will never end if you don't get them. I was ready to call in some professional trappers because it is heartbreaking to see what some of the kittens go through.
I wish you the best of luck. It is so rewarding to not only know that you have saved the babies but when you gain their trust and love it is awesome!http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/o...es/biggrin.gif
Keep us posted on your progress!! I get so excited about feral kittens!!!:D :D http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/o...es/biggrin.gif

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Originally posted by catcrazylady
[B]. . . The cycle will never end if you don't get them. . .

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Not only the mom and female kittens, but the boys, too.

It is very rewarding to win over the trust and socialize a feral, but it usually requires quite an enormous devotion of time and patience. Maybe the mom is not feral in the true sense, and is merely being cautious. If this is the case, she may not have drilled into her offspring that humans are the enemy, and you might have an easier time with them all.

The first step is to trap and fix as many as you can, and go from there. Best of luck and keep us posted! :)

Thanks for the support. We are slowly getting them to the point where they don't immediately take off when they see us. And we are 99% positive one of the "larger" cats is their mom 'cause the kittens look like little carbon copies of her. Another suggestion I recieved was tot ry to borrow a trap from the local animal control. But I don't want to call them if I can avoid it. I would rather they didn't know about this. WOuldn't want them coming out just to trap and destroy. Going to give it our very best shot. One of our guys was all curled up on the couch last night, blanket tucked around him...I told my husband I was going to take a picture, blow it up, put the caption "This could be you!" on it and hang it in the window:rolleyes:

Look up the TNR (Trap Neuter and Release) on the net and write them.There maybe someone near to you and they have traps and maybe could lend them to you or direct you to where you could get them.Trapping is tricky but don't give up.It takes time and patience and sometimes many misses but with patience you can get them and help them. There are lots of tricks like not to feed much the day before you trap.All kinds of great suggestion and help you can get.Thank you for helping these furbabies.You are doing a wonderful thing.
Laurie

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Originally posted by trinity
I told my husband I was going to take a picture, blow it up, put the caption "This could be you!" on it and hang it in the window:rolleyes:

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:D:D:D:D

I loved that line. LOL! I wonder if it will work?

Anyway I just wanted to say good luck. I would listen to the others, they have given very good advice. I wish I had some, but have no experience in this area. I would definately look for local groups that do TNR, they would be a great source of information and maybe even traps.

I think my little girl Joey wants you to catch them too, she is a semi-feral. She came up and typed:
olppppppppppp'llllllllllllplkoo;lkpplpo45456666655 5555555548

Maybe, it is a message for the kittens. Put it on your sign.:) She has been walking around the desk the entire time I have been typing this post.

Good luck.:D

I also just found a group for you with information att:
http://www.alleycat.org
give them a try.They have lots of info. and helped a friend with info.that was catching ferals.I hope it helps.
Laurie

For traps you might try your local Humane Society, feed stores, or pet shops to see if they rent traps. Once you get a trap here's some good rules to follow:

Do not feed the cats for 48 hours before you try to trap them. They will not go into the traps unless they are really hungry.

Set the traps around the area where the cats are used to being fed. You can also set up in areas where they are seen. In general cats like to be up against walls, etc. so you are more likely to catch them there.

Put newspaper, folded in half length wise, in the bottom of the trap and put a small amount of smelly food on a lid or other small item in the back of the trap against the door that will remain closed. Sprinkle a very small amount of the food along the newspaper in one or two places. Never put any food outside the trap itself. Suggested food: Tuna fish; sardines; Fancy Feast salmon or other smelly cat food.

As you trap the cats and move them be sure to look at the ground. Sometimes the tuna or other food you use for bait will spill onto the ground. Pick it up immediately if you have not yet caught all the cats you are trying to trap. You don’t want it to be eaten by the other cats you are trying to trap.

Once cat is trapped immediately cover the trap completely with a towel or sheet then take the cat away from the area. (Careful – they can move back and forth quickly in the trap and catch you off balance.)

It takes a while for other cats to come back in the area after a cat is trapped so be patient. It gets harder to catch the remaining cats with every trap they see or hear go off.

If you don’t have access to a trap, you can try trapping in a carrier, but this is way more tricky. You need to cover the carrier with towels so they can’t view you from the side and back openings. Tie a string or something on the door so you can close it fast and hard once the cats go inside to eat. Once they realize they’re trapped they’ll use all force to open the door. If you use a carrier you might try feeding in it for about a week with door tied so it won’t close on them. Once they go in the carrier on a regular basis, you may be able to catch them pretty easily!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I trap constantly, and would like to add a few tips. If there are more than one to be caught, it's easier to catch the others if the trap is pre-covered. I use a heavy cover so if the wind blows it doesn't spook the cats. Accordian the cover across the open door (always use traps with one entrance, not the old tome Havaharts w/two doors) so when the door falls the cover does too, and the cat remains calm, and doesn't alert the others. Bring the trap inside right away so others don't hear the commotion. I also find that rubber car mats (with the nubs on the bottom) work better than newspaper or cardboard as that too doesn't blow around if it's windy. And it can be bleached too. Be sure to use a clean trap that strange cats haven't been caught in before, or you'll spend a lot of time watching the cats sniff the trap. Catnip works wonders but only if placed just past the trigger. If you sprinkle it freely the cats may start rolling before they get far enough in, and trigger it on their backs and it's back to square one. I always cage newcomers as it gives them a sense of security, and it is easier to assess their disposition. I cover the cage all over except for the door, and have the cage preset with a shelf attached to the back wall. This is easy with a scrap of plywood cut to width, a drill, some carpeting, and some wireties. (Those are those plastic zip things used to bundle wires together). Always set the litterpan up front for easier access, and food as well. Don't waste any more time here! Good luck and let us know how you did! Jan