Last Nov. 24th our cat had a litter of 4 kittens. She's actually from a stray cat's litter too, along with her brother. They were brought (4th batch, but the rest left our home) here by their mother almost a year ago. Since then they've been staying in our backyard. They don't like to be petted, but I know they recognized us as their owner because they respond to our calls.
Anyway, when she gave birth that was the first time she allowed us to touch her, we actually made a bed for her and her kittens in a box. This morning she took each of her kittens and transferred them to our neighbor's backyard. But she still comes here to eat. My question will she ever bring her kittens back in our home?
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Poor kitties. The mom most have sensed a predator and moved them. She may move them back, but it is hard to say. I am guessing she won't, but stranger things have happened.
Do you have any cat groups around who could rescue the kittens and get them into a shelter where they can be adopted out before the get feral?
We have tons in my area and I would recommend trying to do that type of rescue with a group that is NO KILL. They can also help you trap the mom, to spay her and since she is feral, they usually mark the ear and release after the fix.
Praying that the kittens can get a healthy start on a good life.
If you post your city, I can see if my friends who do this kind of work in my town know anyone in your town. It is so critical to do this and save lives!!
Good luck!
Thank You for responding. Well, their Mom did the same thing before. After 2 weeks or so she brings them back. And then she trained them to go out and explore outside until they didn't come back except for their Mom. And then comes my now Mama Cat and her brother ( I call them Kit & Kat) who never left our home. So, somehow I have this feeling that she will bring her kittens back until they're strong enough to protect themselves. It just that I'm worried because she might have second thoughts of bringing them back due to there is another feline family who choses to make our backyard their home too.
And to your question if we have a cat group in our city, yes we have. And I'm considering of contacting them but I'll just wait for the kittens to grow or until their Mom will let them go.
I do not think the mother cat will bring her kittens back to your yard. I think she has moved them out of danger, is it possible that you had a snake come into your yard, or any kind of predator, has she moved them to under a porch, or some kind of protected structure .
There's no snake or anything exotic living in our yard. Just a "bad" Momma cat with her 2 kittens who's bullying her and her brother just so she and her kittens can stay in our yard with no competition.
But Kit & Kat are my babies so I'm worried about my grandkitties too. I don't invade her privacy not unless she allows me like the time she gave birth. I know she's just being protective of her babies that why she moved them.
She probably moved because she saw, heard or smelled something that made her feel she and/or her babies were not safe. I dont think she will make your yard a home, at least not with this litter.
Yah that's what I thought too. Because there's another feline family who choses to take shelter in our backyard. And the mom has been bullying my Kit & Kat. But I have this mother instinct too that she will bring her kittens back.
Mother cats are very protective of their babies so I'm thinking the other cat in your backyard seems a threat to her babies and she may not come back as long as the other cat is around or until she has weened her babies and sent them on their way.
Maybe you could get someone interested in the "bad" feline that is making her home in your backyard and maybe if she were gone the mother would bring her babies back.
I know that you are worried about her but when they have been on their own for a long time they seem to be able to cope.
I hope there is a possibility of getting them spayed - both mom and kittens.
They are now spaying females at 8 weeks of age.
"For cats: It is generally considered safe for kittens as young as eight weeks old to be spayed or neutered. In animal shelters, surgery is often performed at this time so that kittens can be sterilized prior to adoption. ... It's possible to spay a female cat while she's in heat."
As much as I wanted to get rid of the "bad" Mama Cat , I can't because of her 2 kittens they're still very tiny and still needs to be fed regularly. I wanted to ask help from our cat group her in our city but I know they wouldn't be able to catch her.
Im really confused on what to do right now. Just last night when my Kat went here to eat this bad momma bullied her as if she's shooing her away from our home even her brother Kit is so afraid to stay after he ate he would also go and stay in our neighbors yard. I don't want to lose my Kit & Kat (and her kittens) , they're my babies.
Is there any way you can section off a portion of your yard for your Kit & Kat to eat without being harassed by the "bad" mama? That would be the best solution but you may not be able to do this.
If someone from a cat group were to help removing the "bad" mother, they would take her kittens with them. We have a group near me that specializes in capturing the feral cats and moving them to a safe area but this is probably an exception. I am fortunate that I live in a county that works with people trying to better the lives of these unfortunate animals.
Is there anyway someone can sit in the yard during feeding time and maybe be a deterrent to the other mama cat? Or will your babies not come to eat if someone is in the yard?
I hope you can find a peaceful solution that will keep your babies in your area because if they leave both yards, they may not return.
They've kind of have portioned our yard by themselves. And when I feed them, they have separate bowls and I sit with them after they're all finish eating. Is just that this "bad" Mama cat seems to find ways to get rid of my Kit & Kat recently it got worse and last night my Kit went off and he never came back I have been waiting for him the whole day. My Kat she came here this morning I fed her but I noticed she feels so uneasy, sad perhaps I can feel that she's looking for her brother. Until she goes back to our neighbors yard. I'm really sad right now and worried. Maybe they're not coming back. All I have now is this "bad" Mama cat and her kitties.
How I wish our cat group could do something about it, but I read from their Facebook page they couldn't foster another batch of cats.
I think my waiting game is over for my Kit & Kat.
This situation is complicated because there is more than one Mom cat. If you can get your group to take the mom cats and kittens you dont want, things will be easier. They are very good at catching foxy cats who dont want to be trapped. If the kittens are trapped when they are very young they can be socialized, neutered and adopted to good homes. The moms can be neutered and released, it does sound like they are feral. If you try to keep all these kittens in your yard it will get really difficult. Call the local group and work out a plan with them, for the cats sake.
Unfortunately our cat group here in our city don't have enough resources and shelter for feral cats so it's useless to seek help fron them even if I want to.
Especially now that I think I already lost my Kit & Kat. Maybe they're not coming back anymore, coz they've been tortured by this "bad" Mama cat with her wicked antics and she successfully got rid of them. I hate this cat so much but I also pity her kitties so I couldn't get her out of our home.
Sorry your town does not have good resources! If you had the desire you could probably start a non profit and do lots of good work! Our small business development center in my town offers non profit start ups help! You seem to have such a passion for the kitties!! Think of all the lives you could save!! Hope it all works out!
Unfortunately there's only one cat group in our town, they can only assist with the food but not a home that's why they just help when it comes to looking for a foster home for stray cats. How I wish I could do something for stray cats. Actually, it's been always been my dream to create a home or a sanctuary for homeless cats & dogs. I've been dreaming of building a kennel for dogs since college because I'm a dog lover. I have four dogs at home and it always breaks my heart to see homeless dogs. My love for cats started 2016 so now my goal is to build a home for both. God willing! For now I don't have enough to fund this dream/goal of mine.
Anyways, update about my Kit & Kat , they're back but only to eat.they will stay for awhile and leave again. I'm starting to lose patience with this"bad"Mama cat, she's been terrorizing them so they would leave including her kitties they're starting to be feral just like their mom.
Dreams are worth keeping so don't give up.
Have you thought about stating your dream on GoFundMe?
I haven't yet. Because first of I need to find people, care takers to man the place. My parents own a land property big enough for a kennel/sanctuary for the stray dogs and cats. Maybe in a few years time, I really hope and pray that I'd be able to fulfill that dream.
For now, I'm focus on how to give my Kat and her kitties a comfortable and stress free environment. Her brother Kit, he's doing okay now. He saw how I protect him and his sister Kat to that outsider cat who's coming in our backyard just to scare them off. By the way, he's the one who fathered the 2 kitties of this "bad" Mama cat and she's been bringing him here for the last four days. And also an update Kat already brought her four kitties back home. My father gor really worried because she put them is a very small space in our back yard. So, he decided to put them including Kat to a cage but that's temporary only...just so they'll all be comfortable until they reach the time they're strong enough to walk around and protect themselves. Do you think, that's okay?
I really hope you did the right thing and tried to get someone to trap all of the cats. Those babies have an average life span of only 2-5 yrs if outdoor only. Some rescues are willing to travel. I hope they did not all end up feral and continuing to breed and create more feral cats. :( The moms would have been spayed and released, but those poor kittens could have been given a chance at a better life and the two mamas wouldnt be able to add the the homeless cat population. I know theyre cute to look at, but in the future, its best to save the kittens and spay the moms. Sounds like you really loved the two ferals you were feeding and I totally get that. But you should have had them caught when they were little too and then they could have found homes. Instead of living outside, dying young and having more babies that will too be feral. You stated that you were hopeful that Kat would come back with her kittens when they were old enough to defend themselves until they went their separate ways. Thats just wrong imo. Im just being brutally honest. You had one excuse after another when people offered wonderful advice and I have a feeling you didnt even try. Because Id bet money that if someone else knew the situation and the county you live in, it would have been taken care of. I hope all those cats are still alive by now and not out there with more litters. You endangered 7 kittens, 3 adults and who knows how many future generations by not trying. I know this sounds mean & Im sorry, but someone needed to tell you the truth. Its one thing to have feral barn cats that have been altered than to allow so many unaltered strays in your yard and keep encouraging them to come back and not try to help the situation by getting them caught and fixed.
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