Feral Litter

[Beauty55]

No, I don't mean that our cats are being attacked by wild bits of clay while in their box. I mean that the stray female cat who comes regularly to the window outside our hallway (she gets onto our roof) has had a litter of kittens. She has had other litters in past years, and we have found homes for them. Obviously, we need to try again to trap her to be spayed. (We did try, but she got into the trap without tripping the trigger. Can anyone recommend the best kind of trap? We might accidentally catch some of the skulking toms, too, which wouldn't be a bad thing. We'd do the TNR thing for them, too, if they chanced into our hands.) Okay, so there are three darling kittens and we are going to try to find homes for them, but my question is this: when we take the kittens from the mother, is there anything at all we can do for her about the engorgement of her breasts from sudden weaning? The kittens are definitely old enough to be taken, and if they get older, they will probably be too wild to catch. I always give kitten food, KMR, a bottle, and instructions when I give a kitten, by the way.

[moosmom]

Have-A-Heart traps are the best! Call your local shelter or ASPCA and see if they'll lend you one (you may have to put a $20 refundable deposit down but it's worth it)

There isn't much you can do about her engorgement. Her milk will just have to dry up.

The ideal age of adopting them out is 8-10 weeks of age. At THAT age, they only need dry kitten food and canned kitten food along with water.

Lisa, (K&L)

You're the TNR expert. Got anything to add???

[QueenScoopalot]

I personally don't care for Havahart traps; the ones with the trigger in the middle and 2 doors are the worst! The trigger doesn't fold flat, and a flipping out cat can get cut up on the trigger pad! And the model with the solid door is very dangerous to cats as the door comes down so hard it could easily kill a kitten that may be following mom into the trap. I prefer Tomahawk traps, or Safeguard traps. Tru-Catch traps work great as they are quiet when they go off, but I always bungee cord the doors (when cat is in) on them because if the cat tips it over they can escape. http://www.animal-traps.com/ Always cover the trap with a sheet when kitty goes in as this will calm her right away. Also the best bait in the world for a mom cat is her own kittens. If you can pick them up (be sure you know how many so none get left behind) put them into a carrier behind the baited trap so she can see them thru the trap door, cover the carrier with a cloth, and watch from a distance so mom cat doesn't see you, and when she goes in you can cover her right away. A bit of stinky food leading toward the trigger and a dish beyond and you should get her in no time. Good luck!

[moosmom]

Jan,

I never knew that!! Thanks for the info. Great advice from another great expert!!

[Beauty55]

Thank you very much for the advice about the traps and how to use the kittens as enticement. I had thought of the kittens as the best enticement, but couldn't think of how to put that into action. And I didn't think about covering the trap, either, except as a way to conceal it *before* she went in. I will have to try - we can't keep having her as a kitten factory - she has had kittens before, and we have found homes for them, but it isn't a good situation for anyone for this poor stray to keep having kittens, and for us to be stressed out by the responsibility we feel, just because we know they are there, and we have been feeding her, and we haven't captured her yet. (As I said, the one Have-a-Heart that we tried, borrowed from the Humane Society, didn't work because she didn't trip the trigger.)

[catmandu]

I Have No Advice, Just Prayers.
And Praise For Helping Those Kittens.
May The Lord Bless You, And Those Kittens.