wild cat with kittens advice

duckysauce

Hi

A cat with 4 kittens has moved into my parents garage , Parents are ok with it short term but not as a long term arrangement , what is the best thing that can be done for the cat and the kittens in this situation. They are not being given food etc at the moment. Cheers

tenandtracer

If you are in Dublin then you might contact the DSPCA in stocking lane

Wisco

If the kittens are pretty young, with a lot of handling they can be tamed quite quickly (within a few days if they're less than 6wks old if handled frequently). They can then be rehomed, either through people you know, or often the SPCA will help advertise them- your local vet is also a good place to put up posters, etc.
If the mother is totally wild, your best bet is to get a trapper cage (your local SPCA or vet often have them) and trap and neuter her before releasing. She can be neutered when the kittens are around 6 weeks of age or so.
If you don't start to tame the kittens ASAP they'll just be feral and not really rehomable. The mother may gradually become a little less wild if you feed her and she gets used to your family but she's unlikely to be a real pet.

duckysauce

tenandtracer wrote: »

If you are in Dublin then you might contact the DSPCA in stocking lane

yeah they put me in contact with a lady who came to the house she reckons that the kittens are wild and over six weeks and would not be adopted same with the mother , and that they could be collected in a few days and pts. I contacted cataid (they are very busy) aswell it would be a month before they could come. Parents are elderly so notes up in shops etc are really a runner. I am living down the sticks at the mo so can't really help. Are there any other solutions or is it that when cats are wild there isn't a huge amount that can be done with them ?

Zapperzy

duckysauce wrote: »

yeah they put me in contact with a lady who came to the house she reckons that the kittens are wild and over six weeks and would not be adopted same with the mother , and that they could be collected in a few days and pts. I contacted cataid (they are very busy) aswell it would be a month before they could come. Parents are elderly so notes up in shops etc are really a runner. I am living down the sticks at the mo so can't really help. Are there any other solutions or is it that when cats are wild there isn't a huge amount that can be done with them ?

:eek: How old are the kittens? Normally kittens with a lot of tlc, handling and patience will become tame, they may not be turned into perfect lap cats (or they might) but definitely capable of becoming somebodies pets. The mother most likely will always remain cautious and shy but with time she will probably become less shy.

Best bet is to catch the kittens, buy or borrow a dog crate (or if you've a spare room or bathroom kitten proof it and keep them there) and slowly start to tame them by just sitting quietly in the room with them.
Best thing for the mother is to catch her in a cat trap, bring her in to be neutered and either release her at your parents house, or try and find someone who wouldn't mind her being released on their property and to just feed her every day and slip the odd worming tablet into her food and in return will catch mice.

duckysauce

Zapperzy wrote: »

:eek: How old are the kittens? Normally kittens with a lot of tlc, handling and patience will become tame, they may not be turned into perfect lap cats (or they might) but definitely capable of becoming somebodies pets. The mother most likely will always remain cautious and shy but with time she will probably become less shy.

Best bet is to catch the kittens, buy or borrow a dog crate (or if you've a spare room or bathroom kitten proof it and keep them there) and slowly start to tame them by just sitting quietly in the room with them.
Best thing for the mother is to catch her in a cat trap, bring her in to be neutered and either release her at your parents house, or try and find someone who wouldn't mind her being released on their property and to just feed her every day and slip the odd worming tablet into her food and in return will catch mice.

i live the other side of the country and have a crazy springer who does not like cats , so they won't be staying with me . And my mother is 70 odd years old with scoliosis so trapping a cat and minding kittens is out the window.

doctor evil

I'm not surprised you were told that DS, it is symptamatic (sp?) of how bad the cat problem is in Ireland.

Unfortunately with constraints of money/time/volunteers feral cats do get put down. The arternative is that left alone they tend not to have a very good life and are a threat to vulnerable species eg corncrake.

If you bring them to the vet they may try to rehome the kittens, it really depends if the mother is a feral or a sh*t scared stray. There are no wild cats in Ireland.

Zapperzy

duckysauce wrote: »

i live the other side of the country and have a crazy springer who does not like cats , so they won't be staying with me . And my mother is 70 odd years old with scoliosis so trapping a cat and minding kittens is out the window.

Ah I see. You could try posting on here to see if someone in the area could help? http://www.petsireland.invisionzone.com/

I just adopted two cats from Drogheda Animal Rescue, both were feral when rescued and are still not tame animals. (George seems to have had a personality transplant though - I can actually PET a feral cat - I think he may have been a pet long ago and he's switched modes again). However what I am saying is that there is not always a need to euthanise a litter just because they are not yet tamed. Some rescues will ask for foster families to take in litters of orphaned kittens, or wild kittens, to prepare them for rehoming. I wish I could offer to do this for this litter, but with the semi-feral pair still confined in my sitting room, can't right now. I might know someone in the Dublin area who may be willing - if you're interested PM me and I'll get in touch with her.

patmac

My mother in law had one wild cat that had 4 kittens and they have now produced 8 kittens in the last few days! She is a pensioner in hers 70's and lives in Ballinasloe any help in neutering(the cats not the mother in law) would be a great.

MaryK666

duckysauce wrote: »

yeah they put me in contact with a lady who came to the house she reckons that the kittens are wild and over six weeks and would not be adopted same with the mother , and that they could be collected in a few days and pts.

Hi duckysauce,
Please, please, don't listen to this lady. Don't allow her to impose a death sentence on these poor little mites just because of her narrow-minded opinion.
I have two cats who were trapped and neutered from feral (they had lived wild on a farm) at the age of 14 months. One was a bit poorly so they were re-homed together rather than released and they are the loveliest, happiest, most affectionate cats you could ever meet. They are indoor cats who love cuddles and sleep with us on the bed at night.

duckysauce wrote: »

Are there any other solutions or is it that when cats are wild there isn't a huge amount that can be done with them.

There are so many other solutions rather than killing the poor little things. They can be trapped, the mother neutered and returned to the wild and the babies rehomes with people who understand the wants and needs of ex-feral kittens and young cats.
Where abouts do your parents live? I have several friends and contacts who would happily help them out by removing the offending animals and providing them with the care and attention they need instead of condemning them to death.
Please PM me with details and I can give you a list of phone numbers for people who'd be happy to help and keep mamma cat and these poor babies alive.