please help!! feral cats!

[ultasol]

Trap them and mama, and start handling right away. We've tamed 6+ litters of ferals, the last two kittens from the most recent litter just went to a no-kill shelter in Seattle after recovering from their spay/neuter.

 

[hchorselover]

Thanks for all the advice!

I gave the mom some wet food and sat by it, and after a while of her meowing at me to leave she finely crawled forward and ate. While she was eating she let me pet her (a little) and she would take food from my hand then back-away and eat it and she didn't hiss or bite or anything which really surprised me... and as for the kittens when i came out to the shed/barn and they were all sitting in a pile on top of the wood stack it was so CUTE!

I think i might try to catch the mom by getting her used to me (if she doesn't start to get aggressive) good idea or not?

thanks everybody!

 

[Chicken_Lover4567]

I actually have two little kittens (occasionally I see their mom, but they are old enough to take care of themselves) who come onto my porch and we feed them. I got one of the smaller ones in a cat carrier actually. I left a bowl of food in the back of the carrier, and as soon as the kitten went in I jumped up and closed the cage. The kitten wasn't very pleased, but it worked.

 

[Catstar68]

This little girl was a feral just 2 weeks ago. Caught her 'stalking' the chickens. Turns out she just wanted to be near them for company and had probably been sleeping with them on the floor of the coop for several days! My 8 week olds have just learned how to roost this week...

finally.
She is now a spoiled, friendly purr-machine.
You simply must get all of them trapped and neutered. Barn cats are great to have around.

 

[hchorselover]

oh and i forgot to ask. How old do the kittens have to be to get them fixed? Would the vet be able to tell how old they were because I have know idea how old they are.

 

[Catstar68]

You can get them fixed very young, as early as 8 weeks but I think it is best when they hit around 4 pounds. If they are small, then around 10 - 12 weeks should be fine. It's easier on them although the vet needs to be a little extra vigilant about anesthesia. A baby needs much less than an adult of the same weight i.e. adult drug dosages must be scaled down to account for immature kidney/liver function. And since most of the time spays are done under general anesthetic with isoflurane or sevoflurance, the kittens are difficult to intubate if too small.
Remember, some early maturing kitties can get preggo at 4 months! That's 16 weeks to you and me

but a teenage pregnancy to the cat. It's easier on the cats if they do not have their first heat also. We always charged extra for females in heat since it was always a bloody affair and more of a risk to the cat.
As far as males - eh. If you can feel them, you can yank 'em.

Nothing has been proven that male cats getting neutered at a young age causes problems with urinary blockage and such. Neuter them ASAP! It's done under a heavy chemical sedation with pain relief so it's an easier operation. The younger they are less nerve/blood supply there is so as they get older, it gets ouchier (medical term

) Plus, they don't get in the habit of spraying.

Hope this helps!

 

[SallyF]

I had a male kitten who was neutered by SPCA as soon as he reached 2 pounds, which is when they would let them be adopted.