I just saw at least 3 kittens under a slab of concrete in the house next to my place. The kittens look quite small, one month old probably. If I were to take them in, how would I take care of them? What would I feed them?
This should get you started but look through her Youtube channel
Hey! I was gonna post all that!
Kitten Lady totally fucking rocks!
Step one is to attempt to live-trap them with their mom.
Kittens do well on bottles. I’ve fostered several like that. It’s tedious and fun at the same time. That 2am feeding gets old.
I have a litter right now. They’ve just started some canned kitten food. My job is nearly done. One more week and they’ll go back to the shelter to be fixed and adopted out.
Yes. Mom may well be around somewhere, and she can take care of kittens that age better than any human.
If something’s happened to Mom, of course, then humans do need to step in. Month-old kittens shouldn’t be anywhere near as hard as newborns – I’m pretty sure they can shit on their own by then, for one thing. Keep them together, they need the socialization.
I went back around 10:20PM, saw 1 black, 2 grey and 1 cow kitten plus the mom.
There’s an animal shelter I could call, I guess. I’m not sure how I’d catch a recalcitrant cat and four kittens who can hide under a slab with a 1-2’’ entry.
See if there’s a rescue group in the area. They should be equipped to trap the mom and kittens and provide care.
Bring cat food. Put down cat food. Unless immediately approached by mewing cats, go away.
Come back the next day with more cat food. Put down cat food. Sit down ten or fifteen feet away and looking in the other direction. Stay there until approached (which won’t happen yet unless mama is both tame and trusting), or until they’ve finished eating, or until you get bored. If they haven’t appeared and eaten, leave the cat food there.
Repeat the next day. If they ate with you sitting fifteen feet away, sit ten or twelve feet away. If they didn’t, keep the same distance.
Keep repeating. If by day 5 or 10 you still haven’t even seen them again, you’ve got full scale ferals. A rescue service might or might not be able to trap them. If by day 5 or so they’re eating while you sit there, you’re gaining on it. Sit a foot or two closer each day.
When they’re eating within arm’s reach, reach out and pet one. One pat only, the first time. Very gentle. They may all instantly disappear. Try again the next day.
When you can pat them, find a sturdy cat box or trap that you can open one side of fully. Start putting the cat food inside, with the door open.
When they’re finally all eating inside the box at once – shut the door. Be quick and resolute, you’ll probably only get one chance. Bring to a secure room indoors, which contains food, water, cat pan, and – this is important, they may panic entirely if they can’t hide – at least one thing they can hide under; and, if possible, at least one they can climb on top of. Call the vet. and make appointment.
Depending on Mama’s previous experience with humans, you may be able to short circuit this whole thing. She may be in your lap on day 2, begging to be taken in.
I’m sure you mean well, but kittens that young need their mother, and you must not separate them. Not saying you couldn’t physically take care of them, for example if they were orphaned or abandoned, but that is not the case here. Unless there is an urgent problem, what I would do is invest in the appropriate cat food (try Royal Canin Pediatric Weaning or equivalent)
and put it out there for the kittens and mother, plus water.
If you really want to adopt a kitten (or three, or the entire family), you can bring them indoors when they are 8–9 weeks of age. In any case, don’t forget to subsequently fix the mother.
@thorny_locust’s advice about socializing the family is basically sound, but there is no hurry to trap any of them unless they are in an unsafe place or something. If you regularly hang out nearby and feed them like that it will be that much easier to trap them later when the kittens are 9 weeks old.
My two cats now 3 yo were fostered as abandoned kittens, not by me but by the mom and daughter who kept them alive.
Sully the fuzzy tail is the most affectionate animal I’ve ever met. He will jump up and give a hug with both paws around your neck and give head butts while purring and try to perch on your chest. I think he remembers how he used to spend a lot of time perched upon the large breasts of the women who cared for him. On me he perches until he slides off.