Mummy and kittens on doorstep

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AndyBud
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Mummy and kittens on doorstep

Post by AndyBud »

Hi.

I have a feral cat that has just had her latest litter in a box on my doorstrep.

I live in the countryside, and there are lots of feral cats around here (I live in Hungary, although I am British). A couple of months ago, one of the cats who we see often in our garden appeared with two kittens, approximately 8 weeks old. Previously I had been chasing this cat out of the garden as she was hunting the birds on the bird feeder I have. I hadn't realised she was about to have a litter. Anyway, she'd had them in the neighbour's woodpile, and only 2 of 4 had survived according to the neighbour. Soon after, one of the two kittens disappeared - presumably taken by a large bird of prey we have in these parts.

I started to feed the cat and kitten, and gradually over the past 2 months some trust has grown. I have a basement, and put an automatic cat feeder in there to feed them when I am not around.

Anyway, it soon became clear the mummy cat was pregnant again, and so I have been feeding her well. The cats started to come in the house and now the kitten, which has been rejected by the mother, is now spending the night inside the house and is now allowing me to pet her. Mummy comes in the house for food, but generally leaves when finished and doesn't like me too close (about a foot is the closes though I have stroked her a little when feeding. I had built a couple of nests in the basement (boxes with blankets in surrounded by wood with two ways in and out so she might have the litter there as it's quite protected and out of the weather.

I had previously put a box with a blanket and hole in it by the front door, more for the kitten - but this morning the mother is in it with two seemingly well newborn and one dead kitten by the entrance hole. There is another box and blanket on top, but this is open and was where she has been sleeping overnight the last few days....

So - I need advice. It's getting quite cold at night here, and I would like to bring the box with mummy and kittens inside to where it is warm. I have prepared a large box in which I will put this one with a entrance cut in it and no top so I could put the current box inside with a litter tray - but I don't want to freak the mother out. She quite freely comes in the house, and sometimes even sits in here when the door is open, but also bolts if I open the door to quickly when she is in the outside box she was sleeping in. This morning I have been able to let her sniff my hand and go in and out without any reaction...

So, what should I do?
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fjm
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Re: Mummy and kittens on doorstep

Post by fjm »

I am not very experienced with feral cats, but I suspect the mother cat would find confinement and forced proximity to humans very stressful, and might abandon or even kill her kittens as a result. I would create a warm den outside - a box within a box, with insulation between the two - and leave her to move the kittens there. If you provide her with food and water she will not need to leave them to hunt, so will be able to keep them warm. If you have a place in the house where she could have a window permanently open, or a shed or garage, that might be even better.
AndyBud
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Re: Mummy and kittens on doorstep

Post by AndyBud »

Thanks for the advice. I have put some left over polystyrene house insulation around the box and put the wife's electric blanket underneath. They are warm and toasty now. I don't know if they can get too hot?

She just had another, but it seemed stillborn. How long does it take to deliver a litter? I thought there were 2 alive this morning and one dead, and when I just moved the box to put it inside the insulation I had cut to size, with the help of a neighbour, we saw another one that's alive. I removed the dead one, but the mother had the latest one outside and then carried what looked like a lifeless body into the nest. Is there any advice on how long I leave it there if it's dead?

Thanks

Andy
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fjm
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Re: Mummy and kittens on doorstep

Post by fjm »

I think Mum will take care of things if you leave her to it. Not very pleasantly, perhaps, but she is probably safer undisturbed. They can get too hot - perhaps arrange the heating so it is only under half the box, so they can move away if necessary.
AndyBud
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Re: Mummy and kittens on doorstep

Post by AndyBud »

Thanks

It's been a bit traumatic this afternoon. I came out to check on the kittens and I discovered the mother trying to kill the 4 month old kitten that remains from her previous litter. She had her by the throat. We then had a one and a half hour terrible experience of the trying to stop the mother hunting the 4 month old...

She was calling to her, but clearly in killer mode - and of course I couldn't stop the kitten going to her as the pull to her mother is still strong. Finally, with the help of the neighbour I managed to catch her, and bring her in the house - although she's a bit traumatised by the experience and still under the bed.

Is it usual that a mother cat will try to kill a female from a previous litter. The mother had been in with the kittens and the other kitten looked into the box...

So, I guess she'll have to stay in for some time. She's not going to like that.

Oh, and I pulled out half of the blanket. Good point, and the box is now well insulated.

Thanks

A
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Mollycat
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Re: Mummy and kittens on doorstep

Post by Mollycat »

I'm far from an expert on ferals but I do take an interest in the natural life of cats, as far as that's possible to work out in an animal that has been domesticated for 9000 years and whose only "wild" version is in reality tame gone wild, not true wild at all.

Yes it is natural for a mother to drive away her kittens, sometimes quite forcefully, once she has new kittens or is in season again. However that should happen once they are ready to be successful independently of her, and 4 months doesn't cut it, a 4 month old kitten does not have the skills needed to hunt enough to eat. It is also natural for a mother cat to reject and even kill kittens that are not fully fit and healthy and have a reduced chance of survival. However it's also very normal for grown-up females of family groups to share kitten duties and even midwife for each other.

Keeping a dead kitten doesn't sound right, and attacking her 4 month old kitten isn't right either, she is too young to be driven away and too young to help with midwifery, but too old to be left to die. I would definitely keep the daughter away from now on at least until the new kittens are a bit older. It sounds to me like the mother is one confused little critter with her hormones and a half-grown kitten plus newborns and one dead.
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