Rescuing feral kittens - a worthy or lost cause?

[UncleEJ]

A momma cat had a litter of kittens in the shrubs at my chiropractors office. They noticed them yesterday playing out on the little patio and in the bushes. The momma cat appears to be completely feral, but I was thinking the kittens were young enough to be saved, they looked to be around four weeks old. So I decided to try and catch them. My plan was to bring them home and foster them until they were a bit bigger and find new homes.

 

It turns out they were much more wild then I thought. They were NOT interested in being caught. I finally got ahold of one kitten and it went ballistic and clawed and bit me very badly so I let it go. I went inside and washed my hands and ended up going to the ER and got put on antibiotics. I have to call animal control tomorrow to see if they can catch the kittens and test them for rabies. If not, I will have to have the rabies vaccines.

 

Are these babies a lost cause? If animal control, or myself, were able to catch them, could they possibly be socialized? I hate to see them get run over as they are near a busy highway and we all know we do not need anymore feral cats running around. I am such a sucker for kittens and I hate to see them hurt. Is there any hope?

[Jean in Newcastle]

At the very least, they need to be captured and spayed or neutered.

[UncleEJ]

At the very least, they need to be captured and spayed or neutered.

 

 

I agree. I hope animal control will at least help with this.

[Flowing Brook]

We've rescued kittens like you described. We kept one kitty. She was always a little independent but we love her dearly and she made a pretty good indoor kitten. If you don't count the time she jumped up on the counter and ate a two pound roast! I do think they can be tamed.

Sorry about your getting scratched.

[BigMamaBird]

When we lived in the trailer park they had a HORRIBLE feral cat problem. People would move out and just dump their cats so there were herds of them everywhere. We caught a litter of tiny yet incredibly evil kittens from beneath our trailer one year. We took them to the local Animal Control place and the lady there scolded us about it! "You shouldn't do that." I didn't do it for the fun of it sister! Did I mention these cats were sheer evil? She almost didn't take them but I told her if she didn't we were walking across the street to the empty field and dropping them there.

 

So I guess before you go about attempting to help them with all the best intentions in your heart, make sure there's a place to take them that won't try to make you feel like dirt for doing it.

[StephanieZ]

If they are that young, they can be rehabilitated for sure. Our vet hospital's adoption program has placed hundreds of kittens, and about half are totally feral or nearly so when they come to the hospital. We keep them in isolation for a full week, so they are in a large cage with 4-5 times/day contact with a staff member for feeding/cleaning of cage/etc. Plus several vet procedures that week (shots/deworming/blood draws/flea TX/etc), then after that, they go "up front" for day times -- in a large "play pen" (2x3x6ft multilevel cage) all day where they see lots of people and animals through the cage bars all day. At that time, they are also free to play with, so a couple times a day, they all get out into the staff room or an exam room with various staff members playing with them for 20-60 min at a time (during lunch breaks, etc.).

 

No matter how feral these kittens are when we get them, they ALL get progressively more and more comfortable with people as the days go on. Within 2 weeks or so, they are completely friendly and no longer afraid.

 

So, anyway, if it were me, I would live-trap the mom and kittens. The mom will most likely remain feral, but you should at least get her spayed, ear tipped (to mark her spayed), tested for Feline Leukemia (euthanized if positive), and vaccinated. Then a rescue MIGHT take her if they have someone dedicated to rehabbing adult feral cats -- it is possible but very challenging, but she'd be best off as a barn cat if you know anyone who can take her. Then all the kittens can be rehabbed and placed in homes. If it were ME, I'd euthanize the mom if I couldn't place her in a semi-feral home like a barn. Life as a stray un-vetted cat is short and brutal.

 

Don't mess with the cats again without protective gear. Rabies in feral cats is NOT unheard of. You should actually probably be on rabies shots right now. I'd call your health department today to discuss. Rabies positive cats happen routinely in many states. It is fatal if you don't get the shots BEFORE you are symptomatic. Not something to mess with.

[catz]

I had a cat for 16 years that started out as a feral kitten. :001_wub:

[Sisyphus]

Everything Stephanie said!

 

 

[UncleEJ]

If they are that young, they can be rehabilitated for sure. Our vet hospital's adoption program has placed hundreds of kittens, and about half are totally feral or nearly so when they come to the hospital. We keep them in isolation for a full week, so they are in a large cage with 4-5 times/day contact with a staff member for feeding/cleaning of cage/etc. Plus several vet procedures that week (shots/deworming/blood draws/flea TX/etc), then after that, they go "up front" for day times -- in a large "play pen" (2x3x6ft multilevel cage) all day where they see lots of people and animals through the cage bars all day. At that time, they are also free to play with, so a couple times a day, they all get out into the staff room or an exam room with various staff members playing with them for 20-60 min at a time (during lunch breaks, etc.).

 

No matter how feral these kittens are when we get them, they ALL get progressively more and more comfortable with people as the days go on. Within 2 weeks or so, they are completely friendly and no longer afraid.

 

So, anyway, if it were me, I would live-trap the mom and kittens. The mom will most likely remain feral, but you should at least get her spayed, ear tipped (to mark her spayed), tested for Feline Leukemia (euthanized if positive), and vaccinated. Then a rescue MIGHT take her if they have someone dedicated to rehabbing adult feral cats -- it is possible but very challenging, but she'd be best off as a barn cat if you know anyone who can take her. Then all the kittens can be rehabbed and placed in homes. If it were ME, I'd euthanize the mom if I couldn't place her in a semi-feral home like a barn. Life as a stray un-vetted cat is short and brutal.

 

Don't mess with the cats again without protective gear. Rabies in feral cats is NOT unheard of. You should actually probably be on rabies shots right now. I'd call your health department today to discuss. Rabies positive cats happen routinely in many states. It is fatal if you don't get the shots BEFORE you are symptomatic. Not something to mess with.

 

Thank you for the advice. I am so glad to hear there is hope for those babies!! I am calling animal control first thing tomorrow and can hopefully work with them it terms of what is done with them after they are caught. I am thinking my plan of bringing them home with me is probably not very wise because of my small children. Hopefully they will also be able to test them for rabies right away as well. If not then I will be getting the rabies shots. I recently received an email from my vet that said there have been a lot of rabies cases in my area lately, so I am on top of that.

[StephanieZ]

Thank you for the advice. I am so glad to hear there is hope for those babies!! I am calling animal control first thing tomorrow and can hopefully work with them it terms of what is done with them after they are caught. I am thinking my plan of bringing them home with me is probably not very wise because of my small children. Hopefully they will also be able to test them for rabies right away as well. If not then I will be getting the rabies shots. I recently received an email from my vet that said there have been a lot of rabies cases in my area lately, so I am on top of that.

 

 

The only test for rabies requires a dead cat. :( If the cat(s) can be quarantined for a time, then it is possible to rule-out rabies (to a large extent) being transmissible to you when you got the bite. (I don't know the details, but it's something like if the cat doesn't get sick with rabies within a month, then they were not infective when they bit you, even if they do carry it. They can actually come down with it many months after having been infected . . .)

 

It would be safest for you to undergo the post-exposure prophylaxis. I would urge you to contact your health department immediately. It may be free through the health dept if you don't have insurance. (The shots cost 2000 or so.) If you can't get hold of the cat(s) who bit you, then you need the shots. If you DO get hold of them, they must either be euthanized and tested OR must undergo quarantine. Quarantine is expensive, so it is likely that the kitten who bit you might be euthanized instead.

 

FYI, the cat who bit you should NOT be vaccinated for rabies prior to testing! Be sure any vet is informed of the bite.

[UncleEJ]

 

 

The only test for rabies requires a dead cat. :( If the cat(s) can be quarantined for a time, then it is possible to rule-out rabies (to a large extent) being transmissible to you when you got the bite. (I don't know the details, but it's something like if the cat doesn't get sick with rabies within a month, then they were not infective when they bit you, even if they do carry it. They can actually come down with it many months after having been infected . . .)

 

It would be safest for you to undergo the post-exposure prophylaxis. I would urge you to contact your health department immediately. It may be free through the health dept if you don't have insurance. (The shots cost 2000 or so.) If you can't get hold of the cat(s) who bit you, then you need the shots. If you DO get hold of them, they must either be euthanized and tested OR must undergo quarantine. Quarantine is expensive, so it is likely that the kitten who bit you might be euthanized instead.

 

FYI, the cat who bit you should NOT be vaccinated for rabies prior to testing! Be sure any vet is informed of the bite.

 

 

I will call first thing tomorrow! Thank you! I am kind of surprised the ER didn't really bring up getting the shots :-/

[Pippen]

I will call first thing tomorrow! Thank you! I am kind of surprised the ER didn't really bring up getting the shots :-/

 

 

I was bit by a feral kitten and went to ER. They report all animal bites to the health department, who in turn contacted me about the possibility of shots and asked questions about the situation, behavior of the animal involved, etc. Animal control wasn't able to trap the kitten (mom moved locations) so the state health department reviewed it. There had only been one positive rabies test on a cat in a decade in my state, and they recommended against shots.

[Jann in TX]

SInce you were bit/scratched animal control will likely euthanize the whole litter (for testing) unless you can be 1000% sure the EXACT kitten that you touched.

 

It is possible to rehab the kittens- especially if they are under 6 weeks. It does take some time. My ferral babies ended up being great and very social cats.

[Little Nyssa]

Our neighbors took in 4 wild kittens and they turned out fine pets (though one became a very good rattlesnake hunter, believe it or not) but what was heartbreaking was that the momma cat would go around meowing looking for them. It was so pitiful.

[NCMom]

We are raising 3 orange tabbies taken from a feral mother at barely 4 weeks. This is our 4th day with them and they finally look like something aside from little orange skeletons, though they aren't beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. Yet... :D They were actually pretty easy to tame, but they were really young. it's hard since they are so young but man are they love bugs. I think it's worth it; they were dying and thousand of ferals are killed every year in this county.

 

Georgia (will try to post a picture in the AM)

[celticmom]

We adopted a feral kitten living near our old house. We saw him and started feeding him. Then we realized that as soon as we left after putting food out the other feral cats would chase him away from it. We started stating outside with him for a while after putting food down and pretty soon he decided that we were less scary than the other cats.

 

I was able to gradually begin to touch him and then one day it was raining lightly and getting cold and halloween was a few days away so I picked him up and carried him into a spare bedroom. He stared out the window until I showed him the food and water bowls then he was no longer interested in the outdoors. He went to the vet for surgery and shots a few days later.

 

He was always a little timid especially around strangers. He was also very agorophobic. If he was in a room and a door to the outdoors was opened he would flee to "his" bedroom and hide under the bed.

[Pawz4me]

Young feral kittens are usually capable of being socialized. But it takes someone willing to work with them. If you can't take them, I think it's likely AC will euthanize them. Most rescue groups are overflowing with kittens this time of the year. And given the need to test them for rabies . . . . it seems to me euthanasia is the likely outcome if they're caught.

 

I hope you get the rabies issue decided quickly. I'm guessing rabies in cats isn't a bit issue in your area, or the ER would have recommended beginning shots immediately. A few years ago my nephew encountered a fox who'd been hit by a car but not killed. He stopped and killed the fox and decided w/o thinking it through that he'd keep the pelt. And he didn't have gloves on. So he had to get the rabies shots. FWIW apparently years ago they used to be very painful, but he said the ones he got didn't hurt any more than any other injection.

[lavender's green]

We took in a couple of feral kittens when I was a kid, one at about 6 weeks and her brother at about 10. She bit and clawed my dad pretty badly when he caught her, but tamed up very nicely, and he was already tame from hunger. He was a total sweetheart but was hit by a car a few years ago, and she just spent all night cuddled between my husband and me. :001_wub: She's about 12 now.

[SquirrellyMama]

One of our cats was feral. She is much more skittish than our other cat and doesn't like to be approached but she is the most affectionate cat we have. As long as she can approach us she loves to rub our faces :001_wub: She also likes to groom our other cat.

[UncleEJ]

SInce you were bit/scratched animal control will likely euthanize the whole litter (for testing) unless you can be 1000% sure the EXACT kitten that you touched.

 

It is possible to rehab the kittens- especially if they are under 6 weeks. It does take some time. My ferral babies ended up being great and very social cats.

 

Fortunately I do know exactly which kitten it was because four out of six are white, one grey tabby (which bit me), and one black and white. I hope they can be rehabbed, but I am guessing that prolly will not happen unless I take them and I'm now not sure that would be a good idea...

[UncleEJ]

Young feral kittens are usually capable of being socialized. But it takes someone willing to work with them. If you can't take them, I think it's likely AC will euthanize them. Most rescue groups are overflowing with kittens this time of the year. And given the need to test them for rabies . . . . it seems to me euthanasia is the likely outcome if they're caught.

 

I hope you get the rabies issue decided quickly. I'm guessing rabies in cats isn't a bit issue in your area, or the ER would have recommended beginning shots immediately. A few years ago my nephew encountered a fox who'd been hit by a car but not killed. He stopped and killed the fox and decided w/o thinking it through that he'd keep the pelt. And he didn't have gloves on. So he had to get the rabies shots. FWIW apparently years ago they used to be very painful, but he said the ones he got didn't hurt any more than any other injection.

 

I actually just received an email from my vet office stating that there have been a surge of rabies cases in my area :-/ The paperwork the ER gave me said to call animal control and look into the shots, but not one staff member mentioned it all. Luckily I am one to read that paperwork.

[UncleEJ]

I just got in contact with animal control and am waiting for a call back from them. I am also going to call my Dr. and see about starting the vaccine. I do not want to take any risks, being dead is a bummer ;-).

 

The antibiotics they prescribed me are making me feel kind of sick. I hate when a good deed comes back to bite you, literally!!

[celticmom]

I think some of the variation of success in taming feral kittens/cats has to do with the individual cat's personality. Ours was probably older than is generally considered ideal for taming but it was relatively easy to tame him because he had a very submissive personality.

 

My mother raised a kitten that was not feral but her mother died when she was very young(less than two weeks) and that cat was a total psycho. I can't count how many times she scratched me as a child. The vet visibly cringed when mom brought her in for her annual shots and checkup. She tolerated mom more than most other people.

[Laurie4b]

I just got in contact with animal control and am waiting for a call back from them. I am also going to call my Dr. and see about starting the vaccine. I do not want to take any risks, being dead is a bummer ;-).

 

The antibiotics they prescribed me are making me feel kind of sick. I hate when a good deed comes back to bite you, literally!!

 

You'll probably have to get the shots at the ER, or possibly the health department if they do that in your area. The vaccines are too expensive for regular doctors to keep in stock. The human immunoglobulin (sp?) shots hurt. You get those the first time only. The rabies shots are a pretty thin needle--not bad at all. What is aggravating is that you have to go back to get subsequent shots on a very specific schedule. If you're getting them in the ER, then you have all the ER hassle to go with it.

[UncleEJ]

I watch this show on Animal Planet. It's about this guy who is basically a cat whisperer. He knows how to handle cats and is good at dealing with cats that are having issues. 99.9% of the time the issue is with the owner, but that is not why I'm telling you this. Anyhow, whenever he sees feral strays he catches them, has them fixed, and then lets them go. They manage. They probably don't live as long as house cats, but that is what they are used to. They don't always take well to being domesticated. I'd be more inclined to try if there are no kids in the house.

 

I have seen that show. I wish I had a big old barn, I would do exactly that.

[Rhonda in TX]

We have 2 cats that were feral. We got one when she was 3 weeks old, so I'm not sure how "feral" she could have been at that age. :) She's about 2 now. Sweet, but feisty. She has definite ideas of when she wants to be left alone. That could just be her natural temperament, though. She is a cat, after all.

 

The second was a stray, probably a little under a year old, that DH befriended about a year ago. It took him several months to get that cat to trust him. He finally got him indoors so that he could put him in a carrier to take him up and get him fixed. The cat freaked out at that point. The vet had to sedate him to get him out of the carrier! However, within a relatively short period time, he became the sweet, most affectionate cat I've ever seen. It's really amazing. He did have problems integrating with our other cats, and still has problems with the older one. He's a bit of a bully with them. With us, though, he's as sweet as can be.

[NCMom]

I watch this show on Animal Planet. It's about this guy who is basically a cat whisperer. He knows how to handle cats and is good at dealing with cats that are having issues. 99.9% of the time the issue is with the owner, but that is not why I'm telling you this. Anyhow, whenever he sees feral strays he catches them, has them fixed, and then lets them go. They manage. They probably don't live as long as house cats, but that is what they are used to. They don't always take well to being domesticated. I'd be more inclined to try if there are no kids in the house.

 

 

That is what we do for adults. Many places have trap/spay-neuter/return programs as this is accepted feral protocol. i will be trapping the mother of the little guys we have to go on a caravan to SC to get spayed, ear tipped and vaxed in a couple of weeks. Then she will come back here and be released, though I will feed her, catching her yearly for rabies shots. That part isn't fun. for anyone. :glare:

 

The science (and math!) of feral cat colonies and the management thereof are a fascinating thing to look into. Eradication is the worst possible thing one can do to manage a population.

 

Georgia

[Trish]

Our two cats were rescued as 'feral kittens' when they were young. They didn't seem to have a problem adjusting, and the vet calls them "very well socialized."

[Jeannie in NJ]

behind our house as far as you can see is meadows and intercoastal waterway. There is a large feral colony there. The humane society traps, neuters, vacs and releases them. Someone also erected a fairly large low to the ground and mostly enclosed shelter for them for the rain and cold. There are blankets in there and always food for them (we looked in there once). Also part of this area is behind the fire station. I have heard that the firemen take care of the cats in bad weather. If there was not this feral colony who knows what the mice and muskrat population would be in this area of vast meadows. Years ago, when we first moved in, we had mice in the house and even a muskrat once. And I am glad not to have them anymore (my 8 cats could have something to do with that) but also the feral colony keeps the mice/rat pop. down.

[Jeannie in NJ]

in my previous post I could not get it to do a new paragraph so here is the rest of my post. Three of our cats were feral. Our oldest, age 13, we got as a tiny, in bad shape little kitten. It took 2 years before he became loving and now he is our most gentle cat with both us humans and the other cats. Angel, is now 5. She was a feral living on the docks. She was very sick when we got her. She is beautiful long hair calico. Even now 5 years later, she is afraid of most everybody, she lives upstairs in our upstairs year round sun room which connects to the master bedroom. She almost never comes downstairs. She does have a great sunroom and great views. Our third feral Cali, is 2 years old, she is still as small as a kitten. She is a little psycho, one min. she will be loving, the next hissing and scratching. She never tries to bite anyone tho and since she is so tiny, we just laugh at her when she hisses. She does boss all the other cats, she def. thinks she is a queen.

[lailasmum]

The cat I had as a teenager was feral for most of her first year. She was a tiny cat with a huge fiesty personality. She would try to beat up huge dogs and would sit on the stairs and swipe poeple as they walked by but she was also very loving. She was super confident and forever getting herself into trouble.

[Pawz4me]

 

You'll probably have to get the shots at the ER, or possibly the health department if they do that in your area. The vaccines are too expensive for regular doctors to keep in stock. The human immunoglobulin (sp?) shots hurt. You get those the first time only. The rabies shots are a pretty thin needle--not bad at all. What is aggravating is that you have to go back to get subsequent shots on a very specific schedule. If you're getting them in the ER, then you have all the ER hassle to go with it.

 

 

My nephew got the shots at his regular doctor's office. It didn't seem to be any big deal for them to get the vaccine, but it's a very large practice.

[Jenny in Florida]

My mother raised a kitten that was not feral but her mother died when she was very young(less than two weeks) and that cat was a total psycho. I can't count how many times she scratched me as a child. The vet visibly cringed when mom brought her in for her annual shots and checkup. She tolerated mom more than most other people.

 

 

One of our two cats is like that, too. I don't know anything about his life before he came to us. We adopted him through a local cat rescue organization and have had him since he was a kitten.

 

He's never taken to me all that much, but he adores my husband. Once we got the dog, the cat began withdrawing more often into my son's room, since that's dog-free territory, and he's become more attached to my son in the last couple of years. He pretty much ignores my daughter and will occasionally seek me out if he's desperate for companionship and neither of the men-folk is around.

 

He's very unpredictable, though, and sometimes lashes out even at my husband or son for no dicernable reason. He'll be lying on the bed with one or the other of the guys, being petted and will just decide he's offended and take a swipe and/or bite and not want to let go. The last time he did it, we needed several large band-aids to cover up the mess he made of my husband's arm.

 

After a couple of . . . incidents . . . our vet has a warning on the cat's file, and we have standard orders for them to tranquilize whenever they feel it necessary in order to get through an exam or procedure. (He's sent a couple of the techs to the doctor, as a precaution, but still.)

 

It's odd, because he really can be very sweet a lot of the time, until he's not.

 

I've often wondered where he came from and what his life was before he joined our family and whether those experiences had anything to do with making him the very "special" being he is.

[UncleEJ]

Thank you all so much for your stories! It makes me so happy they have a chance!

 

I got ahold of animal control and they are going to try to trap them Monday. He also said that since the kitten that bit me was less than four months old, I didn't need the rabies vaccines. He said before four months old, a cat very, very likely would NOT survive a bite from a rabid animal. So yea! I get to skip a ton of expensive shots!

[unsinkable]

Thank you all so much for your stories! It makes me so happy they have a chance!

 

I got ahold of animal control and they are going to try to trap them Monday. He also said that since the kitten that bit me was less than four months old, I didn't need the rabies vaccines. He said before four months old, a cat very, very likely would NOT survive a bite from a rabid animal. So yea! I get to skip a ton of expensive shots!

 

thank goodness, Melissa!

 

You seem like a such a sweetheart. I'm glad this might work out.

[UncleEJ]

 

 

thank goodness, Melissa!

 

You seem like a such a sweetheart. I'm glad this might work out.

 

Aww thanks! I am a sucker for kittens and apparently can't get my hands on enough small creatures to take care of ;-)

[RemsMom]

I am amazed at all these stories. I have rescued two feral kittens. One was before I had children, she was about five weeks old and was always the most loving cat. The second was two years ago and he is now sleeping on DD11 bed. Both were really easy to tame. The cat we have now can be bratty (he will growl and hiss if he is mad) but is usually a very sweet cat that will put up with being dressed in doll clothes and carried about the house by DD. After reading this thread I will be more careful if I encounter a feral kitten in the future. I had no idea that a small kitten could be so wild.

[Rebecca VA]

(Haven't read the other replies, but...) When we lived in Guam, a pregnant feral cat took up residence in our shed. She had two kittens. She was so very thin that I put out cat food for her each day for a couple of weeks. I was hoping the kittens would be friendly, but the momma cat always hissed me away when I'd approach.

 

One day I checked on the cats, and the kittens had disappeared. Someone told me that momma cats sometimes ate their babies. I've always wondered if that happened in this case.

[Pawz4me]

She probably moved them. I've never heard of a cat eating their own kittens. That certainly wouldn't bode well for the long-term survival of the species. Most dogs and cats are very tolerant and protective of young members of the species.

[UncleEJ]

After reading this thread I will be more careful if I encounter a feral kitten in the future. I had no idea that a small kitten could be so wild.

 

Me either!!! I figured they might be hard to catch, but never that they would attack me!

[Catherine]

I will call first thing tomorrow! Thank you! I am kind of surprised the ER didn't really bring up getting the shots :-/

 

 

So am I!! Methinks you need to find a better emergency room for future needs.

[StephanieZ]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2208326/Hunt-rabid-kittens-woman-handed-supermarket-car-park.html

 

I am sorry, but I don't think the AC is correct.

 

Dh is a vet, and I can't tell you how many insanely stupid stories about about AC. doctors, and even health departments giving idiotic advice about rabies prophylaxis. Often, vets are better informed about these issues. If your vet is open now, PLEASE CALL or just show up and beg to talk to the vet for a minute about the rabies exposure.

 

There have been recent rabies vaccine shortages, but if you are in a rabies endemic area, as it sounds like you are, I would urge, urge, urge you to get post-exposure vaccines NOW. I would call all your ER rooms and find one that has the shots in stock, and I would go in and get started.

 

This is life and death. If you wait, you will either be fine or be dead, but there is no middle ground here.

[UncleEJ]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2208326/Hunt-rabid-kittens-woman-handed-supermarket-car-park.html

 

I am sorry, but I don't think the AC is correct.

 

Dh is a vet, and I can't tell you how many insanely stupid stories about about AC. doctors, and even health departments giving idiotic advice about rabies prophylaxis. Often, vets are better informed about these issues. If your vet is open now, PLEASE CALL or just show up and beg to talk to the vet for a minute about the rabies exposure.

 

There have been recent rabies vaccine shortages, but if you are in a rabies endemic area, as it sounds like you are, I would urge, urge, urge you to get post-exposure vaccines NOW. I would call all your ER rooms and find one that has the shots in stock, and I would go in and get started.

 

This is life and death. If you wait, you will either be fine or be dead, but there is no middle ground here.

 

 

Thank you for your concern and the article! It seemed a little to good to be true when the AC said no big deal. My thought was, what if the momma had rabies? Momma cat could have bitten the kittens or passed it while pregnant. I WILL find out ASAP were I can get the shots. I don't want to be dead!

[UncleEJ]

Ok I made some calls and it turns out animal control had not intention of trying to trap the kittens. But I found out that they would take a cat to the humane society to be tested for rabies. So we went and got the kitten (much more carefully this time) and I have it in a kennel and will be taking it in the the humane society first thing Monday. I am sad that the kitten will have the put down in order to have the test, but I need to know.

[StephanieZ]

I am sorry for the kitten, too, but it is necessary. Honestly, the life of a feral cat is horrible. Although the kitty has to die now, she at least is saved the suffering of a few short brutal months, which is all she would likely survive feral. Feral "colonies" are really just rapidly replenishing populations of sick and short-lived cats who die young after suffering greatly. I am glad the cat will be tested so you can breathe easy and save yourself the discomfort and expense of the shots. (((hugs)))

[RemsMom]

I decided to post because I am hoping for an update on Monday and wanted to get this moved to the top.

[duckens]

My feral cat stories:

Years ago, I had an acquaintance who had gone out with friends to clean out empty buildings (in Boston) of feral cat colonies. She shared that most of the cats would be destroyed, because

--there are a lot of people willing to foster feral cats

and

--there are a lot of people willing to foster cats with feline leukemia

but

--there are not a lot of people wiling to foster cats that are both.

 

On the night she went out, ALL but one of the feral cats were positive for FL, so they all had to be put down except for one little guy. He lived isolated on her indoor porch for several months until he could be rechecked for FL after a certain time period. He had to be separated from her other cat(s) because she didn't want her original cat(s) infected if the poor little guy was positive.

 

--------------------------------------------------

 

My old boss was a vet (I babysat twice a week for her). She also had a farm, and they always had kittens. It was the job of her kids to socialize the kittens twice a day. Once the kittens were old enough, vetboss would take them into work, spay/neuter them, and find them homes.

 

One little guy was too wild to deal with. All his siblings had long ago been fixed and found homes. At one point, vetboss put the tranquilizer in his food so she could get him fixed.

 

He POOPED in the food that day. :laugh:

 

I had no children, and no plans to have children of my own. I lived alone, and I was rather looking for a second cat to keep my Guineacat company. I offered to come and socialize him on my day off.

 

A day or two later, I arrived in the morning at her office. I announced to Claudia (the receptionist) that I was here to socialized the feral kitten.

 

"Oh, you mean SATAN????" she deadpanned. :lol:

 

She led me to the cages in the back. The other vet tech was cleaning cages, and I could hear yowling as Wildkitty voiced his unhappiness. They could barely clean his cage, he was so out of control.

 

I asked for a towel, opened his cage, and threw the towel over him. I quickly swaddled him as one would a baby. Then I sat in a quiet room and massaged his forehead (the only part of him that I could safely touch). I knew he was scared.

 

Within an hour, Wildkitty was calmed down. Claudia helped me to give him a bath, and we cleaned out his ears. Within a day, Claudia had moved him to the smaller room of cages (fewer animals, fewer people in and out) and posted a note on the door about how scared this little kitty was. She wrapped him in a towel (as I had) the morning of his surgery to calm him down so the vet could give him a proper examination.

 

When I took Wildkitty home, I put a harness AND leash on him. In this way, when I came home, I could find where he was hiding from the leash hanging out. Sometimes he was under the bed; sometimes he was behind the dresser; once he was inside a chair. And, as others have shared, at any unexpected noise, he would get scared and attack whoever was in the line of fire.

[UncleEJ]

The humane Society it closed on Mondays. Grr.. Will know more tomorrow.

 

Also I am having a reaction to the Bactrim. Swell.

[DianeW88]

I doubt you need a rabies shot for a bite from a feral kitten. We never give them for that here in Utah. The odds that a kitten would survive an attack by a rabid animal are slim to none. It's why you don't need a rabies vax if a squirrel bites you. Too small to survive the attack. I have been bitten, scratched, and attacked by more feral cats than I can count. I have never needed a rabies shot...and obviously, I have never contracted rabies. The doctor I work for laughs at my scratched up hands and arms, but a shot isn't necessary. LOL

 

If you're not up on your tetanus shot, get one of those, but most docs will say you don't need rabies....unless you're in an area with a high concentration of rabies in cats.

 

Yes, you can adopt and rehab feral cats. I've done it for 21 cats. Most are spay/neuter release, but we have kept a litter of four kittens. They are varying degrees of tame. Be aware that many animal control places will not deal with trapping cats. It's a waste of time for them. You can get humane traps from animal rescue organizations and some animal control places will rent you a trap. Here in Utah each trap costs $50 to rent.

 

You will need to trap them all at once, and you will need as many traps as there are kittens. Cover the traps immediately with a towel so that the kittens cannot see what's going on. They freak out and they can hurt themselves by bashing against the traps. Do NOT let them out of the traps until they are taken to the spay/neuter vet...you will NEVER get them back in. Do not trap more than 8-10 hours before you plan on taking them in. Do not set out a trap and leave it unsupervised...the animals can die that way...either from exposure, lack of water, or an attack by another animal.

 

If you bring the animals into your home, keep them in a small room (like a bathroom) from which they cannot escape or hide. Do not put them in a bedroom. They will run under the bed and you will not be able to get them out. Give them a litterbox, food and water, and a blanket inside a box. They will be VERY timid, they will hiss and bite, and they will run from you. You need to hold them, pet them and handle them as much as possible. Cat toys are great for bringing them around. That's how I tamed most of my feral kitties. That and wet food.

 

Good luck!

[NCMom]

I doubt you need a rabies shot for a bite from a feral kitten. We never give them for that here in Utah. The odds that a kitten would survive an attack by a rabid animal are slim to none. It's why you don't need a rabies vax if a squirrel bites you. Too small to survive the attack. I have been bitten, scratched, and attacked by more feral cats than I can count. I have never needed a rabies shot...and obviously, I have never contracted rabies. The doctor I work for laughs at my scratched up hands and arms, but a shot isn't necessary. LOL

 

If you're not up on your tetanus shot, get one of those, but most docs will say you don't need rabies....unless you're in an area with a high concentration of rabies in cats.

 

Yes, you can adopt and rehab feral cats. I've done it for 21 cats. Most are spay/neuter release, but we have kept a litter of four kittens. They are varying degrees of tame. Be aware that many animal control places will not deal with trapping cats. It's a waste of time for them. You can get humane traps from animal rescue organizations and some animal control places will rent you a trap. Here in Utah each trap costs $50 to rent.

 

You will need to trap them all at once, and you will need as many traps as there are kittens. Cover the traps immediately with a towel so that the kittens cannot see what's going on. They freak out and they can hurt themselves by bashing against the traps. Do NOT let them out of the traps until they are taken to the spay/neuter vet...you will NEVER get them back in. Do not trap more than 8-10 hours before you plan on taking them in. Do not set out a trap and leave it unsupervised...the animals can die that way...either from exposure, lack of water, or an attack by another animal.

 

If you bring the animals into your home, keep them in a small room (like a bathroom) from which they cannot escape or hide. Do not put them in a bedroom. They will run under the bed and you will not be able to get them out. Give them a litterbox, food and water, and a blanket inside a box. They will be VERY timid, they will hiss and bite, and they will run from you. You need to hold them, pet them and handle them as much as possible. Cat toys are great for bringing them around. That's how I tamed most of my feral kitties. That and wet food.

 

Good luck!

 

This was a great post! I would also add though, please if anyone takes anything from this thread, it should probably be that one really should not attempt to deal with feral or wild animals unless you already have a plan in place and/or experience with animals in these situations.

 

Georgia