Found stray cat with 3 newborn babies, mama cat is very protective. When will her protectiveness go away?
Monday, July 19th, 2010 at
2:19 am
Last week, I found a cat and her three newborn kitties on my balcony. She had her babies inside my chihuahua’s tiny dog house. I will be moving May 1st since my lease is up. I will NOT abandon them but she is so protective I am afraid she is going to bite/scratch me. Should I buy a cat carrier to transport all of them to my new house? How do I do this without having her bite or scratch me?
I keep water, milk and dry/moist cat food for her. I know she trusts me because she purrs when I get near me.
She purrs when I get near her.
Filed under: Cat Supplies
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It sounds like you really want to take the family with you. The fact that the cat purrs when you are around is a really good sign. She may just be a little protective and frightened because she has had kittens and has no home, perhaps was out for awhile with no care. If you can warm her up, this might work out fine. If, however she is actually wild, try the following: Try confining her in the little dog house when you are ready to leave for your new home. She may freak out in a confined area, so you also might need to cover the door to the little house, and then transfer the whole thing to a large dog cage. She will not be happy, but once you have it at your new location, you can bring the little dog house out. The thing I would be worried about is that she may flee with the kittens and you won’t see her again. In this case the kittens will grow up wild if she is, actually wild. If you can find a place at your new home like the garage, another room that can remain closed, or a large cage (which is what I beleive the rescue leagues do), then you can keep her from running with her kittens. In order to determine whether she is just protective or if she is wild, will she come to a bowl of food if you are near? Will she come near you, at all when she is not with the kittens, or is she just protective around the kittens? If she is actually wild, you will be saving the kittens from living a feral life, by intervening. If you contact a rescue league they could advise you as to the steps to take. The problem with feral cats and kittens, is that the kittens learn to view people with the same fear as their mother if they are kept with her. After 5 or 6 weeks they can be very wild. A rescue league would be very helpful in regards to this. If you keep her, then, as the kittens grow, try coaxing her out of the nest for food. If possible, then handle the kittens when she is not directly around them, or can’t immediately run back to them. If they are handled regularly, then it will be easier to keep them from becoming wild like their mommy. Feral kittens, by 9 weeks, with no intervention from humans are very difficult to get used to handling or human contact. They learn just what their mother teaches them about people and the world around them. They may need to be permanently separated from her by 5 or 6 weeks if they do not show signs of becoming friendly toward people, by this time. In this case, they will turn around pretty quickly and become good pets with no other contact from their mother, and learn that people are good, give food, etc. Find a group, then that deals with feral cats who will help you to get her spayed so she does not have any more kittens, even if she remains wild.
You should leave the doggie house there. Since the cats a feral, you cant take them anywhere else because they are wild, and of course you cant keep wild animals.
call the humane society. Are you going to give them their shots and neuter them? If not have them bring humane cat traps.
I would wear gloves.Talk to her so you don’t scare her.Get on her level and proceed slooooowly.You have about a week.Good luck.
Put milk or food in the carrier and put in in front of the dog house, she will probably go in eventually, or try to wait until she sleeps
You could get a carrier and move them. You’ll have to gain her confidence, by feeding her and petting her before you get near the babies. But, what do you plan on doing with them after you move? You’ll have to keep them strictly indoors so she won’t move them off somewhere. If she was a "stray" when she found your balcony, odds are she’ll do just that.
The mama cat is being cautious becouse she is afraid. You are making all the right moves. I would put on a pair of leather work gloves and cautiously attempt to pet the mother, ignore the kittens for now. She may hiss but talk quietly and soothingly to her. If she freaks out back off and try again later. Hopefully after a day or two she will allow you to touch her with no problem then I would use a carrier to transport her and the kittens. Put Mama in first and wearing gloves move the kittens too her but always keep the kittens in her sight. Good Luck
try to warm up to her with in the next few days put out some cat food and water. sit out there with them.
yes you should get a cat carrier. try to put the kittens in the cairrer.
This is my advice because my family saved not even one year old mother cat and her four kittens a few years ago
by from horsegirl
put a blanket on her so she cannot see you and grab her put her in the carrier with the kittens get some one to help you