A cat forum. CatBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » CatBanter forum » Cat Newsgroups » Cat health & behaviour
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Semi-wild cat w/kittens



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old May 31st 06, 09:16 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Semi-wild cat w/kittens

We have a cat that is approx 1 1/2 yrs old. When she came to us, she was wild.
She is still not tame but she does tolerate us petting her when she feels
like it and feeding her. She is an outside cat, WILL NOT come into the house
no matter what you offer her. She had kittens approx 8-9 wks ago. At first we
thought that there were no viable kittens as it did not seem she was nursing
and we could not find evidence of any kittens. After about 4 wks, we noticed
that one side of her stomach (around her teats) was lumpy and a little
swollen. That is still going on and have now noticed hair loss around the
teats. She also does not seem to be putting any weight on. We have seen 1
possibly 2 kittens in the last day or so that we think are hers. I don;t know
if any of this is normal since we have never had a cat before. I would love
to take her to the vet but she only comes around in the late evening or at
night and even then you can't set you watch by it. She just kinds shows up
when she wants to. If anyone has any info or advice at all, I would really
appreciate it.
  #2  
Old May 31st 06, 09:55 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Semi-wild cat w/kittens

You need to borrow or buy a have a heart trap and trap the mother cat and
her kittens. Then, bring her to the vet to be spayed. The kittens can be
socialized and the mother, also. This is the best way to catch them. As
ferals, they will have terrible lives and not live long (as well as populate
the area with more feral cats).
Gail
"Pebop" u22496@uwe wrote in message news:6116950f427a4@uwe...
We have a cat that is approx 1 1/2 yrs old. When she came to us, she was
wild.
She is still not tame but she does tolerate us petting her when she feels
like it and feeding her. She is an outside cat, WILL NOT come into the
house
no matter what you offer her. She had kittens approx 8-9 wks ago. At first
we
thought that there were no viable kittens as it did not seem she was
nursing
and we could not find evidence of any kittens. After about 4 wks, we
noticed
that one side of her stomach (around her teats) was lumpy and a little
swollen. That is still going on and have now noticed hair loss around the
teats. She also does not seem to be putting any weight on. We have seen 1
possibly 2 kittens in the last day or so that we think are hers. I don;t
know
if any of this is normal since we have never had a cat before. I would
love
to take her to the vet but she only comes around in the late evening or at
night and even then you can't set you watch by it. She just kinds shows up
when she wants to. If anyone has any info or advice at all, I would really
appreciate it.



  #3  
Old May 31st 06, 10:49 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Semi-wild cat w/kittens

You really need to trap this girl and her kittens and get momma spayed and
the family socialized so you can find good homes for babies. You can try
contacting rescue groups in your area and see if one of them can lend you a
trap. If you can't get one there you might try the animal control or an
spca. Sometimes they will 'rent' you one. They will ask for a deposit which
you get back when you return the trap.

Once you acquire a trap, cover it with a large towel and start by feeding
the cat next to the trap. Over the next few days move the food closer and
closer until you finally can bait the trap. If momma hasn't been trapped
before it should be pretty easy to get her. You need to know where she has
the kitten stashed first so you can gather them up at the same time momma is
snagged.

If you make arrangements to get the cat spayed ahead of time you can bait
the trap the night before the spay appointment and then you don't have to
take her out of the trap at all. Just cover it once she's in there and
transport her to the vet in the morning in the trap. You may want to put
newspapers under the trap because she's likely to pee or poop in there
overnight. She will have food in there already so should be just fine
spending one night trapped. Just make sure your vet is ok working with
'feral' cats. Some don't want any parts of it.

Good luck.

W


"Gail" wrote in message
news
You need to borrow or buy a have a heart trap and trap the mother cat and
her kittens. Then, bring her to the vet to be spayed. The kittens can be
socialized and the mother, also. This is the best way to catch them. As
ferals, they will have terrible lives and not live long (as well as
populate the area with more feral cats).
Gail
"Pebop" u22496@uwe wrote in message news:6116950f427a4@uwe...
We have a cat that is approx 1 1/2 yrs old. When she came to us, she was
wild.
She is still not tame but she does tolerate us petting her when she feels
like it and feeding her. She is an outside cat, WILL NOT come into the
house
no matter what you offer her. She had kittens approx 8-9 wks ago. At
first we
thought that there were no viable kittens as it did not seem she was
nursing
and we could not find evidence of any kittens. After about 4 wks, we
noticed
that one side of her stomach (around her teats) was lumpy and a little
swollen. That is still going on and have now noticed hair loss around the
teats. She also does not seem to be putting any weight on. We have seen 1
possibly 2 kittens in the last day or so that we think are hers. I don;t
know
if any of this is normal since we have never had a cat before. I would
love
to take her to the vet but she only comes around in the late evening or
at
night and even then you can't set you watch by it. She just kinds shows
up
when she wants to. If anyone has any info or advice at all, I would
really
appreciate it.





  #4  
Old May 31st 06, 11:12 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Semi-wild cat w/kittens

"Pebop" u22496@uwe wrote in message news:6116950f427a4@uwe...
We have a cat that is approx 1 1/2 yrs old. When she came to us, she was
wild.
She is still not tame but she does tolerate us petting her when she feels
like it and feeding her. She is an outside cat, WILL NOT come into the
house
no matter what you offer her. She had kittens approx 8-9 wks ago. At first
we
thought that there were no viable kittens as it did not seem she was
nursing
and we could not find evidence of any kittens. After about 4 wks, we
noticed
that one side of her stomach (around her teats) was lumpy and a little
swollen. That is still going on and have now noticed hair loss around the
teats. She also does not seem to be putting any weight on. We have seen 1
possibly 2 kittens in the last day or so that we think are hers. I don;t
know
if any of this is normal since we have never had a cat before. I would
love
to take her to the vet but she only comes around in the late evening or at
night and even then you can't set you watch by it. She just kinds shows up
when she wants to. If anyone has any info or advice at all, I would really
appreciate it.


We had a similar situation last winter. A stray
mother cat was friendly, came to the patio for
food, but wouldn't be picked up. Once the
kittens were weaned we tried to trap her. One
evening we managed to grab her long enough to
dump her into a cat carrier with an opening on top.
She struggled wildly but didn't scratch or bite. In
fact, she got away from me the first time, but
came right back and with my husband's help we
got her into the carrier.

I had prepared the carrier with a cut down cardboard
box in the bottom and lots of shredded newspaper.
We left her in the carrier overnight and took her to
the vet the next day. We had explained the situation
to our vet weeks earlier, and the staff said to bring her
in whenever we caught her.

She was tested for FeLV/FIV, found negative, got
spayed and vaccinated. When we brought her
home it got cold (only time that winter!) so we
didn't let her out, although our intention was to
release her back into the neighborhood. We
have an "isolation" room on the patio set up for
cats so it wasn't a problem for us. After two days
she had settled in and showed no interest in going
out. That was December and now she is part of
the family, still not showing any interest in the
outdoors.

It doesn't always work out that well, but as
others have noted there are special traps for
cats, and vets should know how to handle
feral cats, and understand you can't always
schedule when you trap them. Talk with your
vet to make sure she/he is willing to be flexible
about when you bring the cat in, assuming you
can capture her.

Even if all that works, and the hair loss problem
is resolved, your cat still might insist on being let
out. At least she will be spayed and vaccinated.

Gail F.
San Antonio, Texas
Chief of Staff for Lao Ma, Ephiny, Minya,
Melosa



 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Help protect America's wild horses from slaughter Magic Mood Jeep© Cat anecdotes 4 May 20th 05 09:50 PM
Hundreds Attend Meetings Across Wisconsin to Discuss the Possibility of Hunting Wild Cats Andrew Cat health & behaviour 38 April 15th 05 05:22 PM
Proposal Would Allow Killing of Wild Cats Bill Cat health & behaviour 2 April 2nd 05 10:25 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:15 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CatBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.