[Karen]

The little feral cat (Little Dickens) gave birth to her kittens around the first of June. I tried to capture her before this all came to pass but also did not want to scare her away into a more dangerous habitat so didn't put out a trap for her. During her pregnancy she and I became good pals -- she let me pet her, came up on the porch, marked the carpet on the porch, nuzzled my hands, etc. A little sweetheart. I thought about trapping her on the porch and bringing her into the house BEFORE she had the kittens but didn't have a quiet place to keep her with my house cats. No room at the inn! Anyway, when she was born last year, her mother (Maggie) made a home for Little Dickens and her brother, Enigma, in my garage and there is a little rabbit hole under the garage door where Maggie came and went to take care of her kittens. I am happy to report that Little Dickens has now moved her kittens into the garage, too, and they are in a pretty safe setting now. I am so relieved she brought her kittens over here -- I could tell she'd had them about a week ago because she was suddenly skinny and jumpy but didn't come around very much and I figured she had them tucked away in the greenbelt across the street. Not good. But now the news is better -- she's brought her kittens here and she's appearing twice a day to eat. Now, then -- how many kittens? I don't know. I don't want to disturb her or her kittens until they are old enough to be weaned. In about 3-4 weeks I'll go into the garage and start to get them used to human touch .... So my question is -- when this time comes -- say about six weeks from now, does anyone want a kitten? Or willing to take one? Little Dickens is a very healthy little cat with moderately long hair (coal black) and green eyes. She is at the stage now I'd call her semi-feral -- if she can bond with me she could bond with someone else. I'm not sure what to do about Little Dickens except to trap her (after the kittens are weaned) and take her to the Spay and Neuter clinic. I may try to add her to the household. But not the kittens. It's impossible. I'll keep you posted as to the progress of the kittens, how many, what they look like, etc. Karen

[Backpacker Joe]

Cats are so kool. Pictures please.....

[steppinrazor]

You should start handling the kittens as soon as the semi-feral cat will let you near them. The more handling cats get when very young, the more people friendly they are as adults. Wish I could take one, but my 17 old siamese probably wouldn't like that.

[jenjen]

My cats are not indoors only. They are shut in at night so they're safe from predators. If you could live with one of them being a domesticated barn cat, I'd be happy to take one.

[Karen]

Jenjen, I'll let you know when the kitten(s) are adoptable. Your love of aniimals of all kinds is all I need to know about you as an owner. Yes, I know about the handling them as young as possible too. Thanks, all. Karen

[blue_tuberosa]

I'd love to take two... I'm just worried because my housemate has a pretty hyper black lab. Stella the dog is not a cat killer, but certainly a cat chaser. I do have a nice big attic with steep stairs that Stella can't get into though.... I'll think about it. Please keep me posted. Edit: I just talked with Sella's human about it & he thinks it could work.... Now I'm seriously thinking about it.

[LittleHikerMom]

We have 3 cats already... too many. And besides... i'm moving soon... to a dog house where the poor kitten will be scared out of her wits!

[Karen]

Little Dickens (aka Minx) has moved her kittens into the garage next to my house which is a pretty safe place for her. I still have not seen or counted the kittens. They were born June 1st as best I can tell by the looks of the queen (the Mom). By now their eyes should be open and when they get to be about 3 weeks old I'll go into the garage and start getting them used to me. I don't want to open the garage door now because it is noisy and I'm afraid the Mom will move the kittens OUT of the garage. Timing is everything. I've got to get in there before the kittens can move around well enough to run away. According to everything I've read and heard from others, 3 weeks is about the right time to get them used to human beings. In the meantime, the Mom (Little Dickens/Minx) is becoming pretty accustomed to me. Last night she let me pick her up and hold her briefly and she allows herself to be petted. She wraps herself around my ankles when I sit on the porch. She is not a lap cat yet -- I tried to settle her onto my lap on the outside porch and she made a flying leap into the yard and glared at me. This all takes time. I'm feeding her tons of quality food (wet and dry) and overseeing her while she eats (when I am home, of course). I bring in all the food at night from outside so as not to attract racoons. This is still a learning process for me, I'm no expert. What I would like to do is get Minx neutered before she goes into season again but I don't want to scare her away while the kittens are close and don't want her to move them. Hopefully, when the kittens are used to be handled (by 4 weeks or so), I'll be able to get Minx into the house ALONG with the kittens. I'll have to keep them all sequested in my tiny bedroom until I get Minx nuetered and the kittens checked out, though I believe all are healthy or apt to be. I'll keep you all posted as to how many kittens there are -- I suspect given that Minx is a small cat that 2-3 kittens would be the maximum number. For all I know at this point, she may only have one. Minx is trusting me more day by day -- now she will go in and out of the hidey hole between the driveway into the garage while I am watching so she knows that I know she and her kitten(s) are in there. Karen

[Jeepasaurusrex]

My cats last litter of kittens, we were handling them when they were 1 day old. They are all loveable. Ended up giving them all away.

[Karen]

Since "Minx" is semi-feral and the kittens are in a garage with a noisy door that opens with a device, what do you think the chances are that she would let me handle the kittens? They should be about 2 weeks old tomorrow. Again, I can handle Minx, the Mom but I don't want her to move the kittens out of the garage -- they are safe there. I'd love to go into the garage and see how they are faring but don't want her to move them. She trusts (the Mom) trusts me to some extent but I don't think she'd want me to get close to them yet. I'm willing to listen to any advice any of you might have on this issue. Karen

[Tazz]

I worked at a humane society for 6 yrs as an animal health tech. I dealt with many feral cats and kittens. (depressing job would not recommend it) If you have gained her trust she will probably be ok with it. You could also feed her and spend time with her near the kittens. That way she can see that you are not a threat . Food is the way to a cats heart. Now the door might be something that she will not like. Is there another entrance to the garage? You should be handling them now. There eyes open at two weeks. If you wait any longer it will be more difficult to get them used to being handled. Offer them soft food around five weeks (That is when they start eating solids) or she will. If you know what I mean . You might have already know all this its just my two cents. good luck keep us posted.

[Karen]

Tazz & Mania, Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it. I am going to move up the schedule for meeting the kittens and will do that this weekend when I am home all day (Sunday). I was going to wait until they were 3 weeks but this weekend sounds better. I wish I didn't have to work all day tomorrow and be gone Friday and Saturday too. Good news, though, there IS another way into the garage, from another door inside my house. Of course, if that scares Mom away, she'll run out the hidey hole that leads outside but if I bring food, maybe she'll come back in. At least I can find the kittens, handle them, and leave Mom some food. Will keep you posted -- thank you for your work with ferals in the past. I've only worked with a few in my own intuitive fashion (I did manage with help to trap three and get them spayed/neutered) and two of the cats here at home are ferals that I tamed over a period of time -- one of them was an adult, the other a kitten. The kitten is completely domesticated now, the adult is about 80 percent there and loves to be petted but is still a little jumpy. All my cats are indoor only. Can't wait to rescue Mom and her kittens. I hope it goes well. Wish me luck. I'm not all that confidant, but will do my best for them. Karen PS They are EXACTLY two weeks old tomorrow (Thursday). Do you think they are moving around yet? I knew from reading and research that their eyes are open but don't know how mobile they'd be at this point. I haven't heard any mewing at all -- I certainly hope they ARE in the garage but they MUST be in there, why else would Mom keep going in and looking all around BEFORE she goes into the little hidey hole??

[Tazz]

They should be toddling around by four weeks and quickly getting more active from that point on. Hopefully no mewing means they are content. If she runs when you go to the garage just sit down with the food and talk to her she will come out when she is ready, this may take time. If she comes to you feed, pet, and talk to her before you touch the kittens then work your way to handling the kittens. This may take several days for her to trust you in there with them. When handling the kittens hold them out to her so she can see and sniff them to see that they are ok. Don't push her and let her make the moves. From the sounds of it you are doing a great job with her so I don't think you will have much of a problem. Your doing a right thing. Good luck let us know how it goes.

[MCaver]

[Karen]

Tazz & Mania, Sunday will be the big day. I could go in tomorrow but I won't be around at all on Saturday and I want to be home for the day I first go into the garage as well as the day after (so if necessary, I can see whether or not she moves the kittens and hopefully discover the site where she moves them). I'm afraid that if I go in tomorrow (Friday) that she might move them while I am gone at work tomorrow or on Saturday when I'm gone. A couple of questions: if Mom cat runs away when I go in on Sunday, should I leave the food for Mom anyway? Should it be baby food, something the little ones might eat too or Mom's regular food? Should I handle the kittens if Mom runs away or wait a few days until I am in her prescence? My one concern about leaving food in the garage is that it might attract other critters though I am certain the hidey hole is way too small for racoons (racoons have been seen in this neighborhood). By the way, Mom was outside today playing with a chip of wood, hurling it about and jumping up and down with it as if it were prey. She really looks good, at a good weight with glossy fur, eyes clear, no sign of sickness of any kind. I know her mom is disease free (Maggie) and Maggie still shows up here to eat (Maggie was caught, spayed and released). And my rescued young cat in the house, Stealth, is also disease free, another son of Maggie. So I am assuming that this little Mom is in good health and her kittens should be too. Thanks for all your help and advice. I'll do my best to follow it and will keep you posted. Karen