She's Back and With Her Kittens

[furryfriends251]

The feral mother cat has come back with her four week old kittens...and they are living in the grain/hay shed. Unfortunatly she will attempt to attack anyone who walks into there...and we have to go in there several times a day.

I'm considering taking a trap with me tomorrow and trying to catch the mother to get her spayed. The kittens are accessable where they are (they were previously living under a chicken coop) so would it be best to take the kittens as well and keep them until they are old enough to get fixed??? I know, not the best thing to do, but I really don't want the mother to get pregnant again.

The mother cat's name is Jezebel...she was named by one of my friends lol! Considering this cats attitude the name does fit though

[Heidi n Q]

Myself ... when TNRing ... don't pass up any opportunity.
I catch what I can, whenever I can. If kitts are young, I hand-raise them.

[furryfriends251]

Thanks, I'll try to get her then. I have a large cage I could borrow to use for the kittens (it is tall, with three 'floors'. I don't know quite how I will get the kittens other than after I trap the mom. It would be easiest to just grab them by their scruff - they shouldn't have sharp teeth at their age right???

I can block off any enterance/exits from the shed once I have the mom (if I get her...). I really don't care if I get scratched up in the process of getting the kittens; to me its worth it No idea how many kittens there are either - I have seen two. I could have looked in their hiding place but didn't feel like having Jezebel attack me

Sorry for the fact that this post is centered but I had accidently clicked the button to make it this way and can't get it to stop.

[Heidi n Q]

LOL! I was wondering what was up w/ your post!

I think it was 2003 or 2004 when I trapped Malibu's litter, then when her kitts were no longer claiming the shed, another mom-cat moved her 3 babies in and would leave them there to play as she left for hunting. I watched for my chance and a bit after the mom-cat had dropped her kitts off at the shed and left to go hunting, I went down and closed them in the shed w/ me and a carrier. I hand-caught all three, which were small and I didn't get scratched or bit, but I managed to 'herd' one into the carrier and the other two I scruffed. I never saw the mom-cat again and I wonder if she perished during that hunting trip and I had narrowly managed to save her babies from starvation.

Malibu's four and the 3 younger kitts from mom-cat.
I *think* the 3 were about 5-6wks old when I caught them. They were good weaning age, but w/in 1-2wks of having been on an all nursing diet, so still pretty young; small teeth/claws but *big* hisses.

[furryfriends251]

Thanks!

I am about 90% sure that these kittens have to be right at the four week mark. For one thing they look it. Plus cat will (apparently) move their kittens when they are four weeks old to the place they will teach them to hunt.

I'll pick up an extra can of sardines, a can of tuna, and some fried chicken on the way home from school tomorrow. The hard part is that she is already waiting in another barn to get fed when we go to calves (which is where these kittens are). There is no way to get her to leave until she has had her fill...so that makes trapping her harder. I've tried not feeding them their full amount and Jezebel will just be waiting at their food dish for me to give them more wet food.

I hope I can trap Jez tomorrow! I've tried and failed enough already...

[Heidi n Q]

I'll keep whiskers, noses, fingers and toes-es crossed for you!

[Jeanie]

My prayers are with you. Thank you for your kindness to this little family.

[furryfriends251]

The trap is set!!!

The shed was a chicken coop so there is a small rectangular "door" that the mother is coming in and out of. Really its just a hole in the side of the building. She wasn't in there so I set the trap right inside of the shed (by the "door"...so if she wants in she has to go in the trap.

There is some very good smelling chicken in the trap as well She's lucky I didn't eat it myself lol!!!

[furryfriends251]

I didn't get her tonight. I had the trap set from 4:30-8:30.

Now I have the real door open a few inches and the trap situated outside of the hole in the wall so if she goes out that way I get her.

I was there for half an hour (8:00-8:30) and she knew it. Even though I was standing in a dark pen (which happened to have four calves in it so I was being very sucked on...I'm now wet with calf drool lol!) she knew I was there. I didn't move the whole time, she didn't move the whole time. She just sat there staring at me. That was very...fun-)

[Heidi n Q]

Ah-ha! The Classic Feline-Standoff. Sounds like a waiting-game of "who-has-the-most-patience/stubbornness" to me.