Calling all cat experts - kittens in my yard

[LtlFirecracker]

I need some help from all you cat owners.

I found a litter of kittens yesterday under my air conditioner. I am guessing they are about 4 weeks old? Last night it rained really hard (7 inches total) and I could hear them crying. This morning, one was dead and one looked really ill. The other 2 looked good. I dried the ill looking one off and put him somewhere dry. I came home at noon and the body of the dead cat was gone and so was the sick cat. The healthy ones were playing in my yard. Today I saw all three cats with their mom under the air conditioner next door. It is starting to rain again.

There is no "no kill" shelter where I live. I can''t bring them in because I am sure that would not go over well with mom cat, and I have 2 cats of my own.

If it starts raining really hard again, can I put them in my garage? Will mom cat reject them? Any other suggestions on if there is anything I can do to keep these kittens from dying in this rain?

 

[TooPatient]

So sad.

My mom has kittens in her yard too. They had a dry spot when they were really little. When they got old enough, she caught them and had them spayed/neutered.

There are still 2 kittens + mama kitty + daddy kitty in her yard waiting for adoption. She built a shelter for them -- basically just a large-ish wood box with a blanket -- to keep them a little warmer and dry. They have moved in there on their own.


Wish I could be of more help.

 

[Steel]

Awh no!

Thank you for trying to care for them.

I would grab them all and lock them in the garage. (Wear gloves in case she scratches you)

 

[MonkeyPie]

If you dried off one kitten and she accepted it back into the litter later, then she likely won''t object to you moving them - with her! - into the garage if you want to keep them warm and dry. It''s probably a good idea to socialize the kittens now, too, if you want to find homes for them when they get big enough. Otherwise they will just be wild.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Aww poor babies!

I would try to put them in the garage so that they will at least be dry and safe. Do you know of anyone who might be willing to adopt the kittens when they''re older? Maybe you can get the mom spayed and the kittens checked out if you have anyone who will take them.

 

[radiantquest]

I am a kitty lover so dont take this the wrong way. Let them be. Survival of the fittest. Mommas know what is best for them. If there was no mother then I think you should take matters into your own hands. Just my opinion. Both of my cats were rescued from outside. Both times the mother was either hit by a car or had simply abandoned them.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Bring them into the garage with a secluded spot with old towels. They are good mommies and as I understand it, almost never reject the kittens because someone has touched them. Plus if you bring them in, you can socialize the kittens, which can make a huge difference in their adoptability.

I have raised abandoned kittens and my MIL has taken in mothers and I know that if you pamper the mom, she will start to like people, which the kittens will see.

Also, thank you for caring.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Thanks everyone.

There is no way I am getting Mom into the Garage. She always stays about 10 feet away from me, just enough to make sure I am not causing her babies harm while they are exploring. I think my plan is to leave them be unless they are in danger again. Maybe I will leave mom some food, but there are so many other strays, I am concerned that would put her kittens at harm. She has already moved them once. I don''t want to bug them so much that she totally moves them away from me. But she is pretty thin. I am not sure if that is normal for a cat who has been nursing for a month or not.

If the kittens get rained out of their hiding spot again, I will move them to the garage. The runt is so frail, he won''t survive another storm. I might tip the door open so that Mom can get in. I have not fed the kittens or given them anything on purpose because I don''t want to disrupt nursing. I am approaching the kittens so that they can maybe get use to humans but the only one I have picked up is the runt who literally clung to my leg and cried when I bent over to look at him. He looked so terrible that I thought Mom rejected him. I am glad to see him with her when I came home from work this evening. It would be nice if I could try to socialize them while "letting them be." I know that would be the best thing for them if I want to find them a home after she leaves them.

There is a small catch and release program here I just found on Google, I will look into that.

 

[kenny]

I'm sure I'm the only one sick enough to notice the dark humor of a poster named Ltlfirecracker asking what to do with extra kittens.

. . . Donning flame suit. . .

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 5/25/2010 8:01:55 PM
Author: kenny
I''m sure I''m the only one sick enough to notice the dark humor of a poster named Ltlfirecracker asking what to do with extra kittens.

. . . Donning flame suit. . .

Ha Ha.....

There was so much lightening here last night that the sky was already lit up without my help

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

If there is a storm, take the kittens in and leave a trail of food into the grage towards them. Mommy will come looking for her babies fast in such a case.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 5/25/2010 10:16:57 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
If there is a storm, take the kittens in and leave a trail of food into the grage towards them. Mommy will come looking for her babies fast in such a case.

Good idea!!!

Mom moved the dead kitten to the same place she is hiding the other ones. My thought is that would put the kittens at risk for disease???

 

[yssie]

Oh my, are you able to access the nest at all? If so I would absolutely remove the dead one - definitely use gloves.

 

[PumpkinPie]

poor kitties - thank you for trying to take care of them!

 

[oddoneout]

I don''t really have any good advice but I wish you a lot of luck helping the cats out.

 

[Trekkie]

Just wondering about your/the kitties... Are they still ok?