Feral Kittens how old until they are impossible to catch?

[Slipper]

We live in the country. We live on one of those roads with only a few houses on it and people love to drop off animals here. The dogs are fairly easy to catch and actually have been easy to re-home. The cats...not so much. We have a total of seven cats, two are feral and haven't been spayed/neutered. We have a lot of property, so if they are tame, we typically take them to our vet for shots and spay/neuter and then they live on our property (we feed/shelter them, but they are outside cats). 

 

We need to trap the two adult cats, but one of them had kittens last week in the attic of an old building on our property. The mother cat, in spite of being around us for about eight months, still runs when she sees us. I'm not sure how we're going to accomplish catching the baby kittens but DH is going to try early next week.

 

I admit that I don't know if this plan will work which is why I'm posting. I'm guessing that once we grab the kittens, the mama cat will abandon them? (Of course, she won't come around them when we're around and if we leave them alone she will just move them elsewhere and they will grow up as wild as she). Are they too young to try and bottle feed? Are they too old (the kittens) to learn to be gentled? We'd like to try to find them homes at some point (and if not, then have them spay/neutered and ears tipped to live here). 

 

 

[Tanaqui]

One week is much too young unless their lives are in danger -that is, if their mother is dead or is not caring for them, or they're sick, or they're in some incredibly dangerous location and the mother cannot or will not be relocated. Feral kittens should be removed from their mother around six to eight weeks, and kept with their littermates if at all possible. Non-feral kittens should stay with mom for at least eight weeks, but twelve is better. (Aside from that extra month being important for socialization, twelve weeks is the earliest you can get a cat spayed or castrated, and the earliest they can get their shots. It's important to do this to kittens before you give them away.)

 

What I suggest you do is locate the kittens, then put out a humane trap for mama with attractive, smelly food in it. You may want to put out the trap unsprung for a few days without the food so it seems familiar to her. Catch mama, then pick up her babies and bring them all to the shelter. One week old kittens cannot walk. Two week old kittens kinda stumble all over the place. It's only at about a month and later that you might have to use the word "catch" to refer to grabbing up kittens.

 

 

 

 

[MercyA]

There is an excellent article on the subject here:

http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=977

 

Bless you for helping animals.

[Cera]

Kittens can be switched to solid food around 3 1/2 to 4 weeks.  I would start putting out canned and dry kitten food when you think they are around three weeks and then trap them around 4 weeks.  That should give you enough time to tame them while they are still little but allow you to avoid the headaches of bottle feeding them.

[hornblower]

I know rescuers here will grab moms & kittens together. You need humane traps. Some places will let you borrow them but given where you live & the likelihood of this happening again, I'd suggest buying some good traps.
It can require a team to do this right. There are some instructions here (near bottom of the page) which explain how to lay out traps end to end to entice mom.  If the kittens are small and not so mobile yet, you can use them to entice mom into a trap if you have some ability to partition sections off etc. Moms usually  WILL come back - I would not assume that she'll abandon them. 

Regardless, keep putting out food for mom - she'll need lots of good food to nurse the babies.  Hopefully there's someone near you who will do a pediatric spay & neuter for the kittens.

[texasmama]

Feral kittens cannot be socialized well past about 4 weeks of age so you have a short window of opportunity to catch them at a point at which they are able to eat solid food and are still able to be socialized to people.  If you can get at them, handle them a bit every day starting at any point.  Mama will leave but will come back to nurse them.  If you can get them socialized to people in this way, you can make them into potential pets and not doomed to live as feral cats.  I've fostered and socialized two ferals starting at four weeks who had had no human contact.  They were never extremely friendly, but we socialized them to the point at which they did not hiss/spit and run when we approached them.  We had them for about three weeks.

 

It is quite possible that mama cat will move the kittens if she becomes uncomfortable with you around them.  I think it is a hard choice, and I don't know if there is one right answer, but if these were on my property, I would probably leave them alone for now and let mama take care of them and then take them away at 3 1/2 weeks of age, socialize them, feed them canned (pate) food and then have them spayed and neutered.  It gives the kittens the best chance at a good life as a pet.

 

We have a current foster mama and kittens which will be four weeks old on Sunday.  They are just beginning to be able to eat canned food.  At three weeks, kittens suddenly come alive and start becoming much more mobile and developing the ability to play and interact.  The mama is much less tied to them at that age than she was for the first couple of weeks.

 

You are a good person for wanting to help them.

[Tanaqui]

 

Feral kittens cannot be socialized well past about 4 weeks of age so you have a short window of opportunity to catch them at a point at which they are able to eat solid food and are still able to be socialized to people

 

This is contrary to the advice most give, which is that your window of opportunity is between six weeks and three months. It's urgent to move quickly, but it's not quite that dire.

 

Of course, cats do vary. Some cats even with friendly, socialized mothers and caring humans still grow up shy and cautious... and I personally know people who have had success socializing full-grown, adult ferals.

 

[texasmama]

 

 

This is contrary to the advice most give, which is that your window of opportunity is between six weeks and three months. It's urgent to move quickly, but it's not quite that dire.

 

Of course, cats do vary. Some cats even with friendly, socialized mothers and caring humans still grow up shy and cautious... and I personally know people who have had success socializing full-grown, adult ferals.

 

I am going from the advice and information given to me by the Humane Society, where I was a long-time volunteer.  In my own experience, ferals with no human contact very quickly lose the ability to become fully socialized.  I can only give advice and information based on my own experience and on the experience of Humane Society employees.

 

Some feral adults can become socialized to people, but that is the exception.

[Slipper]

Just to update....there are five baby kittens. They were born in the attic of a building that wasn't in good shape. Today, four of them fell down the chimney into an area that the mama cat couldn't get into. DH and my MIL heard the mewing and pulled the boards off the fireplace and found them on a ledge. One was about to fall all the way down, so they scooped up all five of them. They're trying to find a place for the mama cat to come to them but we're worried about other predators. So, for now we have kittens and I appreciate the links provided and any other advice. I have a call into the animal shelter here but they won't open up until next Thursday. It's a high kill shelter and they will only take animals to euthanize, but there is a volunteer there who will try to help people out who "find" animals on their property. I'm hoping she will have some experienced foster parents who can help. 

[MercyA]

Oh, my!  I'm so glad your DH and MIL were able to rescue the kittens!  It would be best if their momma could still care for them, if at all possible.  Hoping that you can find a good safe place for them to be retrieved!  If their mother doesn't come for them, here is a good link on caring for neonatal kittens:

http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=291

 

Please keep us updated!

[Tanaqui]

Oh my goodness! If they can get a large no-kill cage they can put the kittens in outside and Mama will almost certainly come to rescue them. Then they can shut the door and they'll have all six cats safe.

 

Try calling your local vets as well. Often they have some ideas about which of their clients are willing to foster animals.

[StephanieZ]

We own a vet hospital and do kitten adoptions regularly. We've placed at least a hundred kittens over the last decade, and the majority are feral when we get them. We don't take them until they are weaned, so usually around 6 weeks old or older. Even the most scared feral ones are gentled somewhat within the first week of being in quarantine, and within a month, they are all very friendly, not fearful, and wonderful. I've never heard of a single kitten being fearful once it was adopted out. It is truly amazing how well they can be gentled, even when they are terrified when they first come in. 

 

FWIW, our "system" is that they are in quarantine in our ISO ward for 7 days. So, during that time, they are in a quiet room, in a fairly small cage (dog size cage, not a kennel) with litter box, soft sleeping box, food, water. They are handled briefly and gently by staff at least several times a day while they are in ISO. They get some medical procedures (vaccines, exams, dewormers, baths), but otherwise, they are only handled comfortably. Sometimes staff or staff kids come play with them for short visits in the ISO ward. Once they are out of ISO and officially ready for adoption, they spend their days in a large multi-level cage (about 3 ft wide by 2 ft deep by 5 ft high, 3 levels) in our reception area. There, clients, staff, kids, dogs, cats, etc all wander by all day long. For an hour or two at lunch, they get free play in our staff room -- staff members are in and out, playing with them, talking to them, etc. There is a cat tree in there and various other play space. Over nights and weekends (whenever we aren't open to clients), they are (together) in a large dog run (size of a large bathroom) with play space, snuggly space, etc. Once a day or more, staff kids or other kids or various kitten-loving staff or friends of the hospital visit with the kittens, either in the staff room or on the floor of an exam room. Without fail, the longer the kittens hang around pre-adoption, the sweeter and more comfortable they become. I'm confident that the vast majority of kittens under 4 months old could be gentled this way, as I've seen it work every time. 

 

When we have, on rare occasion, rescued a queen with her kittens, we have kept the queen with her kittens in ISO until the kittens are old enough to be adopted. They are in a large cage (about 4 ft x 2 ft x 3 ft high). This has typically been for 2-5 weeks. It's always gone smoothly. (When the cats are in a cage, it is an elevated cage, about 3 ft off the ground. This is much more comfortable for cats than being on ground level.)

 

To replicate this process in a private home, I'd consider putting the kittens and mother in a large dog kennel or a big cat play thing (like we have our kittens in -- it's only $200 or so) in a quiet space, in a corner of a quiet room, on an elevated surface such as a bed or table. If room permits, include a covered hide space in there such as a cardboard box or some commercially available soft cube.  I'd keep them there until the kittens are weaned. If it is just the kittens, I'd keep them there for about a week. For that first week, I'd only interact as much as needed to provide care, and I'd be sure to be calm and speak gently. After a week, I'd move the cage/kennel into a busier part of the house, such as a living room . . . and, over a couple weeks, I'd increase their exposure to more noise/chaos/animals/kids . . . Give them quiet time away from stressors -- a safe space in a bathroom perhaps -- for half of the day/night, and the rest of the time, gently expose them to as much as you can. Invite neighbor kids over, bring dogs nearby, etc. 

 

That's what I'd try. Hope this helps.

 

 

 

 

[Reflections]

My first large concern is - have you been able to provide food for the kittens in the form of a bottle.  If not you need to start thinking quickly about nourishing these kittens or getting them back to their mother.  It can be done either way.  But ime, feral kittens can be difficult to bottle feed.  Babies can die quickly if they haven't eaten.

 

I had a feral mother cat bolt out of my car and disappear in the woods.  The worst and most terrible things I ever did to kittens was: I placed a live trap with smelly food and one kitten in it and then held the other kitten high in the air so it would scream it's little guts out.  Within ten minutes she started calling back to them and got into the trap even though I was standing right there . So strong was the urge to get her kittens back.

 

Also there is a way to nurse reluctant kittens that is like tube feeding.  But that can be dangerous if you have never done it before as you can fill their lungs with fluid.

 

Pm if you need any help at all.  Shoot, I'll even give you my cell number.

[Reflections]

Oh my goodness! If they can get a large no-kill cage they can put the kittens in outside and Mama will almost certainly come to rescue them. Then they can shut the door and they'll have all six cats safe.

 

Try calling your local vets as well. Often they have some ideas about which of their clients are willing to foster animals.

 

Yes. This.  Likely there's even an emergency vet within calling distance that you can get advice from.

 

IMO, right now, you are in crisis mode with week old kittens and have a very small window to meet their needs.  Worry about getting them homes next week, now the focus is elsewhere.  

 

Not that you're not.  I have no way of knowing what your level of experience is with kittens and cat in general.  So I'm erring on the side of "very little".

 

ETA:  some rescues and vets even have nursing moms that are willing to take in "extras".

[Tanaqui]

Reflections is quite right. Kittens cannot go that long without food, not at this age. Bottlefeeding is a tricky business, though. If your vet knows of a family with a nursing mama (and not too many of her own kittens), it might be better to see if she'll "adopt" them. Cats will sometimes do that. (Source: I've done it)

[MistyMountain]

My childhood cat was a feral kitten we took in at 4 months. We had to work slowly to get him to trust us. He was a great cat. He was skittish around people he did not know but socialized with our family or people he got to know.

[Slipper]

Thanks everyone. I'll probably have questions later on as mornings are my busiest time.

 

The story I posted above was the one DH had told me in front of the girls. After we were alone, he told me a bit more. The kittens had apparently crawled into the chimney from the attic and landed not far down on a ledge that pine straw and leaves had blown into. Unfortunately, that area had a hole to the outside big enough for them to crawl out. Two had fallen out and were on the ground. We have a border collie named Trouble who located them. He picked up one and took it to DH and my MIL (who is visiting). They saw that it was a kitten (alive) and followed him (he laid the kitten at their feet). He took them to the other kitten (who was already dead). They started looking around and saw a kitten literally hanging out of the hole (tail and back paw). That prompted the rescue. There were originally six kittens. :(

 

From what I can tell, they are probably between 2 and 3 weeks old. Their eyes are open (blue), their ears are up and they have tiny little teeth coming in. Our local wal mart had puppy bottles but no kitten bottles. They also had kitten replacer milk. I contacted the lady who volunteers at the shelter and she said the puppy bottle would work or a regular baby bottle, just widen the hole. I tried that but I haven't been that successful. However, all of the kittens have had a little to drink every four hours (including during the night). We've wiped them like the links suggested to help them use the bathroom. That was very successful although the girls were not as enthused about that part. DH has left to go to our nearest Tractor Supply store to purchase kitten bottles which I hope will make things a bit easier. 

 

We placed them in a small soft cat bed with a heating pad underneath. I warmed up rice bags (rice in socks) and stuck them in leg warmers so they would have a long, furry, warm thing to sleep against. All of that was placed in a large dog cage in my youngest daughter's room. We call her the cat whisperer because she has a way with cats, so she is in charge of them (with supervision although I did the night feedings). I have extra cat beds and bedding so it can be changed and washed. 

 

We do have a larger cage (we use it to transport the male goats) but I've watched feral cats bounce around cages violently, so I'm hesitant to try and trap the mama cat. I'm worried that she will hurt the little ones. I have a friend coming over tomorrow who has helped me in the past with catching feral cats and I am going to ask her for some help resolving this situation. She also does animal rescue although she only takes in dogs. (She has taken in five puppies that have been dumped off at our house over the past few years). Additionally, the kittens have brown specks in their fur (which I think might be mites?) and also show signs of having a few fleas. I know how to get rid of the fleas (bathing), but will probably pack them all up and take them to our vet's office for a quick look-over. I love cats and kittens, but have never had to care for one this young. I'm not opposed to placing them with another mama cat. I doubt anything will get done today as it's Mother's Day. Places around here close down. We have no animal control and the shelter is basically a rabies hold shelter - after seven days they are euthanized if they are unclaimed. As long as they are eating/pooping/peeing, I think we're fine until tomorrow. 

[Slipper]

Thanks everyone. I'll probably have questions later on as mornings are my busiest time.

 

The story I posted above was the one DH had told me in front of the girls. After we were alone, he told me a bit more. The kittens had apparently crawled into the chimney from the attic and landed not far down on a ledge that pine straw and leaves had blown into. Unfortunately, that area had a hole to the outside big enough for them to crawl out. Two had fallen out and were on the ground. We have a border collie named Trouble who located them. He picked up one and took it to DH and my MIL (who is visiting). They saw that it was a kitten (alive) and followed him (he laid the kitten at their feet). He took them to the other kitten (who was already dead). They started looking around and saw a kitten literally hanging out of the hole (tail and back paw). That prompted the rescue. There were originally six kittens. :(

 

From what I can tell, they are probably between 2 and 3 weeks old. Their eyes are open (blue), their ears are up and they have tiny little teeth coming in. Our local wal mart had puppy bottles but no kitten bottles. They also had kitten replacer milk. I contacted the lady who volunteers at the shelter and she said the puppy bottle would work or a regular baby bottle, just widen the hole. I tried that but I haven't been that successful. However, all of the kittens have had a little to drink every four hours (including during the night). We've wiped them like the links suggested to help them use the bathroom. That was very successful although the girls were not as enthused about that part. DH has left to go to our nearest Tractor Supply store to purchase kitten bottles which I hope will make things a bit easier. 

 

We placed them in a small soft cat bed with a heating pad underneath. I warmed up rice bags (rice in socks) and stuck them in leg warmers so they would have a long, furry, warm thing to sleep against. All of that was placed in a large dog cage in my youngest daughter's room. We call her the cat whisperer because she has a way with cats, so she is in charge of them (with supervision although I did the night feedings). I have extra cat beds and bedding so it can be changed and washed. 

 

We do have a larger cage (we use it to transport the male goats) but I've watched feral cats bounce around cages violently, so I'm hesitant to try and trap the mama cat. I'm worried that she will hurt the little ones. I have a friend coming over tomorrow who has helped me in the past with catching feral cats and I am going to ask her for some help resolving this situation. She also does animal rescue although she only takes in dogs. (She has taken in five puppies that have been dumped off at our house over the past few years). Additionally, the kittens have brown specks in their fur (which I think might be mites?) and also show signs of having a few fleas. I know how to get rid of the fleas (bathing), but will probably pack them all up and take them to our vet's office for a quick look-over. I love cats and kittens, but have never had to care for one this young. I'm not opposed to placing them with another mama cat. I doubt anything will get done today as it's Mother's Day. Places around here close down. We have no animal control and the shelter is basically a rabies hold shelter - after seven days they are euthanized if they are unclaimed. As long as they are eating/pooping/peeing, I think we're fine until tomorrow. 

[Slipper]

Hmmm.....one link said that if they have teeth starting to erupt they are between 2 and 3 weeks old. However, the pictures look more like 9 or 10 days old. This drastically affects my feeding schedule so any insight would be helpful. :) 

[Reflections]

Hmmm.....one link said that if they have teeth starting to erupt they are between 2 and 3 weeks old. However, the pictures look more like 9 or 10 days old. This drastically affects my feeding schedule so any insight would be helpful. :)

 

Thanks so much for updating.  And honestly, your update sounds very encouraging.  First nights are the hardest.

 

 

If you can find a way to post a picture I can date them for you.

 

I'll pm you.

[mommaduck]

We just rescued a kitten, about 4wks old, a little over a week ago. She had an injured back leg and couldn't keep up, so mama abandoned her to the elements. She's back in good health, eating wet food, dewormed, using her back leg a bit more (though I think the damage may be permanent or neurological in nature), and she's very well socialised. She's now a rider on my husband's truck. Past experience, we weren't able to socialise a feral kitten. Those were healthy ones that had to stay outside and we were in the country. This kitten, we are in town, the kitten had to be nursed back to health, and was very dependent upon us. 

[texasmama]

With the current foster litter we have, their eyes started opening at about 8-10 days and were fully open by 12-14 days or so.  We lost one at 10 days old.  Its eyes were not opening like the other kittens' were.  One day it was just suddenly gone.  

[MercyA]

Thanks so much for the update!  It sounds like you are taking excellent care of the kittens, though I admit to feeling sorry for the momma cat who is probably missing them.  I know they would need to be separated from her eventually, but I am a softy.  It would be great if you are able to trap the mother and keep the whole family temporarily inside, but hopefully your friend will be able to advise you what would be best and safest for all.

 

I really admire what you are doing!  Good for your dog Trouble, too.   :thumbup1:

[StephanieZ]

Be very careful about the fleas. Kittens can die from blood loss due to fleas . . . and they are also very vulnerable to poisoning from common flea meds/baths. Talk to the vet for sure. More food is better than less food. So glad you are taking such kind care of them. 

[Pippen]

We just rescued a kitten, about 4wks old, a little over a week ago. She had an injured back leg and couldn't keep up, so mama abandoned her to the elements. She's back in good health, eating wet food, dewormed, using her back leg a bit more (though I think the damage may be permanent or neurological in nature), and she's very well socialised. She's now a rider on my husband's truck. Past experience, we weren't able to socialise a feral kitten. Those were healthy ones that had to stay outside and we were in the country. This kitten, we are in town, the kitten had to be nursed back to health, and was very dependent upon us. 

 

I found a one week old kitten in my yard which I wound up keeping. We found what was likely the litter right around the 8 week mark and a neighbor kept one of those kittens. The one caught later actually wound up being a cat of much sweeter temperament than mine, who is on the feisty side. 

 

I wound up using a medicine dropper for the kitten formula, the kind you get at the pharmacy for liquid medicine. It worked great for my kitten--seemed easier than the bottle for him. 

http://www.americanscreeningcorp.com/5mL-Medicine-Dropper-P4221.aspx?utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=organic&gclid=CNPY6oSzuMUCFZE1aQodKi4AEw

 

We loved having a tiny kitten in the house and planned to foster until we decided my cat probably couldn't be trusted with kittens in the house. 

[Χά�ων]

I will disagree that feral cats cannot be socialized. Many cannot. Some can be socialized. I have one sleeping on my bed who came to me at a year of age (per vet paperwork), she was a feral city cat. She is still a bit more skittish then the fat, overly domesticated pile of fur my son calls his cat but getting less so every week.

[Slipper]

Kitten update :) The vet looked over the kittens today. She estimates about 12 days old. They weigh between 2 and 7 ounces. They are all doing well except one of them seems a bit weak. She suggested extra feedings and pedialyte. We will start a worming treatment after another week passes. There are a few fleas but she said that could wait until next Monday. (I have someone come clean on Mondays and she also bathes kittens for me if needed - technically I'm allergic to cats and develop Cat Scratch easily). The eyes all looked clear and no infection was noted. We have a great vet. She said if we have them spayed/neutered she would give me a discount. :)

[Tanaqui]

If she said fleas can wait a week, I'll believe her, but as fleas do kill kittens there are some things you can do right now.

 

First, you should change the bedding at least every day (possibly more often) and launder it in HOT water with soap. Fleas don't live on cats and dogs, they just jump on when they feed, so that will eliminate a great deal of your small flea problem. Second, you should absolutely vacuum the baseboards in whatever room they're in, and the carpet as well if there is a carpet, every single day. Third, when they're being fed or generally handled, if you should see a flea, you should diligently pick it off and drop it in a bucket of water to drown it.

[Okra]

I'm glad they are healthy......Now, how many of them are you going to keep?