Help! We've broken out in a horrible case of kittens!

What **Mouse Maven ** said, only don’t wait too long. Kittesn of four to five weeks can still be socialized, but it gest much more difficult with older kittens. I’ve volunteered for such a cat-rescue organization in the Netherlands, similar to the ones described by Mouse-Maven. We would work for free, only needing the assistance of the people near the litter to tell us where it was and to phone us if the cat was trapped in the trap. We would ask for a donation, in the neughborhood, but only on a voluntary basis.
If the cat was feral, we had to separate her from her kittens, otherwise they would inherit her mistrust of people and become essentially unadoptable. If mommacat isn’t feral, the whole bunch goes to a foster home where foster parents have time to socialize the kittens and give them medical care. In both cases, the mommacat was neutered as soon as possible to try to prevent future pregnacies. If the cat was feral, we’d put her back where she came from after neutering; if she was social we’d try and find a home for her. Up untill now, my local cat-shelter has managed to find homes for every healthy cat that has been brought in. :cool:

One kitten. Actually, my boyfriend adopted him and now we’re living together, so I guess it counts as keeping him.

Yep, I loved fostering little ones. I can’t do it anymore because my beloved has a lot of allergies and my older cats (10+ years) are getting cranky. “Moooommm! We want your attention right now!”

I don’t want to be negative here, but really whose dime do you think should be used? Your tax dollars are used for your local animal control, but you do not want to see the animals destroyed, so you are looking for alternatives.

The kittens are most likely to be adoptable if they are handled during the 4 to 8 weeks of age period. That should be a priority, along with seeing that mom cat does not reproduce again.

I don’t want to be negative here, but could you please read my post again, for comprehension this time? **I **don’t have a problem with paying for *any *care for the animals, but I did kind of make a promise to consider my husband’s opinions when I married him. If you want to take a position, fine, but don’t twist my words to do so.

The point may be moot now anyway. The kittens and mom cat happily slurped up the kitten food I put out last night, but I have seen no sign of any kittens so far today, and the food I put out this morning hasn’t been touched. I think she may have moved the kittens during the night. I’m going to keep an eye and ear out when I go for my walk this afternoon, and I’ll go poking around in my across the street neighbor’s side yard (after asking permission of course) which is the only other place I’ve seen the mom cat.

“Squirrel feeder” … also known as a “feral cat feeder.”

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was treating you and your spouse as a single unit.

I’ve eaten squirrel. The cat is better off with the food **lisacurl ** set out. (Hell, they’re better off eating the grains in the feeder. Squirrel is tough, stringy and nasty. bleh)

Hmm. I hadn’t thought about that. We only keep the squirrel feeder stocked in cool weather, which means it hasn’t been stocked here in months. I hadn’t thought about the stray cats stalking the squirrels, because I haven’t found squirrel bits in the backyard. But I suppose I wouldn’t, would I?

Pah, no problem. My husband seems to think I am a soft touch for every hard luck charity case that comes along, and well, I am… if they are cute and furry. He seems to think that the South Park episode with Chef’s parents (The Succubus one, I think?) is pretty indicative of our relationship in this regard, and is, in his way, often on guard to exhort me not to give those Loch Ness Monsters a dolla.

That damn soul…guess I’ll go bake a pot roast…
Of course I gave the Loch Ness Monster a dolla!

Well, he’s not going to go away if you give him a dolla! You gave him a dolla, he’s gone 'sume you got more!

But that damned Loch Ness Monster…he tricked me!

Ooh, it must’ve been about seven, eight years ago. Me and the little lady was out on this boat, you see, all alone at night, when all of a sudden this huge creature, this giant crustacean from the paleolithic era, comes out of the water.

To piggyback on this thread:

I, too, have a feral mama cat in my backyard. I am trying to socialize one of her kittens (the only one we could catch). Little fuzzers is five weeks old and I’m hopeful that by fostering, we can keep him/her from going feral as well.

The only problem is, I don’t really know what to do with the little guy. He seems very open to cuddling and holding, and is also very happy to eat moist kitten food from my fingers (very gentle, too!). No scratching or biting, and hissing only when he’s startled. Last night I put him in a large-ish cage with food, water, litter, and a blanky. So far, so good.

But the mewing. My god. Last night I didn’t sleep 20 minutes. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew. MEW. MEW. MEW. MEW. I tried everything I could think of: feeding, walking, cuddling, repetitive noise (I don’t own a clock, so I used my dripping shower). Just mew. Mew. Mew. All night.

I know he’s homesick for mama and scared, but how can I get him calm enough to let me sleep just a little? Will he adjust soon? Am I doing something wrong? Am I doing the right thing at all? Any help from the experts out there will be deeply, deeply appreciated.

Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew, Meow, dammit!

Yeah, like that. Only more. And louder.

Will he sleep in the bed with you? That might make him less lonely.

If that’s not an option, you might want to consider a heating pad in his bed area. He might be cold.

Well fuffle you’ve lured me back to the boards…with advance apologies for any etiquette errors I may commit (It’s been a while).
I’ve done a fair amount of rescue and socialization and would love help you out.
Since she’s already eating food from you and accepting attention, you’re well on your way. Hang in there.
Right now I’ve got to leave for the afternoon, but will check back early a.m.
Try a low heat heating pad with room for kitty to get off of it. A radio turned very low might reassure her as well since you don’t have a ticking clock for her. Cover the cage you are offering her with a light blanket, sheet or afghan - cats are far calmer in a dark, snug place. Maybe a shoebox or something similar with an opening cut out that she can hide in, in or near the cage would help her feel more secure. Be sure she has a low sided litter box and knows where it is. Show her how to dig in it (just take her front paws and make scratching motions gently on the surface once or twice), if she hasn’t used it yet. Food and water should not be close to the litter box.
If you want to give me an e-mail address I can send some literature that will be better and more comprehensive…I tried and wasn’t able to contact you directly through the board.
Good luck and thanks to all of you who are fostering, rescuing and generally trying to help…from the cats, and all who care!

Anne–I did try taking him into my bed last night, but he was awfully fussy. But then I moved out onto the couch with him in the early a.m. and he was quiet for a long time, dozing on my chest. I hope I don’t end up having to sleep on the couch to comfort the cat! :eek:

I don’t think he’s cold–I live in Tucson and we’re already wearing shorts here.

Hillkat–I’ll try the radio tonight. I’ve managed to find someone at work who can lend me a ticking clock, so I can try that tomorrow. The shoebox is also a good idea–he seems to like to hide, so maybe something a bit more private would help him feel secure.

Any info you could send would be fantastic. I turned on the option to receive email from the boards, so you could try that, or my email is edityr at yahoo dot com.

Thanks for the help!

Catch another kitten. They need socialization with others of their kind. 5 weeks is too young to be separated from the litter, obviously releasing isn’t an option so get another kitten. :smiley:

At 5 weeks old, the little guy may have a belly ache. He’s eating very rich kitten food and his stomach isn’t use to it. Try gently massaging his belly. Mother cats wash their babies to stimulate their stomach and other digestive processes. If you are giving him just kitten food, you may want to add some cat milk formula to his diet.

For anyone who fosters kittens, I suggest you get an older cat that is friendly to little ones. Spayed former mothers are great. I have a neutered tom that really loves kittens. An adult cat will give the kitten a sense of security and provides the grooming they’re used to.

(Watching my Jake with kittens is a hoot! He grooms them, then they get the “mom” vide from him so they nuzzle his belly to nurse. Jake backs away with a WTF? look on his face. :smiley: )