Need advice on feral mother and kittens to capture.. (eating, declawed, food)

[himain]

So in my brothers condo there is a black momma and shes got three kittens. I'm not sure how old the kittens are they they are still nursing but not too small. Anyways, I found out its her third litter. I want to catch her and the kittens to take them to humane society for low cost spay/neuter. I've read it isn't good to spay a nursing mother as there can be complications from it. Also, they are all very skittish and you cannot get near them. I have a cat trap but I'm worried about catching just the mom, or just one kitten or any other combo. Plus I can't leave trap out at 10pm until 7am right??? Any advice is appreicated!!

[DewDropInn]

I had a stray who brought her litter to my house and hid them behind a drip pan (for a car) that was propped up against a wall. Catching them in the trap takes time and patience. I put one out and caught the same kitten at least 10 times. (He later became the world-famous Murphy.) But slowly Mom and the other kittens decided they couldn't resist a tasty snack and one by one I caught each of them. They all had homes assigned but it took me a lot of car trips. (I "delivered" as part of the bargain of them taking in a kitten and giving it a home.) Even managed to catch "Dad" eventually. (I put the trap on my patio during the day and was at home so I could keep an eye on it.)

Oh, and I waited until they were no longer nursing though Murphy was eating the kitty nibble I put out for Mom as soon as he was brave enough to show his face.

After I was down to the two I wanted to keep it took me a long time to win their trust. I spent a lot of hours sitting on the patio a few feet from their food dish talking to them. They also loved water(!) so I used to put out a sprinkler on low for them to play in. All the while sitting nearby talking to them.

The two I kept were two of the best cats I ever had. I think they knew they'd been rescued and paid me back with enormous amounts of love. They both loved to be cuddled to!

Miss them.

Good luck. Where there's a will there's way!

[PantherPride]

Feral cats are not very adoptable expect for use as mousers on a barn... the kittens could be... should is another matter entirely- so they could get declawed or eat garbage pet food so they could get dumped and probably euthanized and made into pet food after their owners dont want them anymore. Its not all roses for the tame cats either...sigh


The best thing to do in your suitation I think would be keep the mom( if mom is tame/not feral whiuch doesnt appear to be the case ) as an indoor cat as well as any kitten you want tame weather you want them to go wild or not is your choice but reguardless i'd say alter the lot and just keep them as a collony of outdoor sheltered feral cats. TNR can give you advice on how to manage ferals.. There are shelters you can buy just put um in your backyard/brothers condo.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by himain

I've read it isn't good to spay a nursing mother as there can be complications from it.

I don't think any vet would spay a nursing animal unless it were a medical emergency.

Thank you for doing this for them. MommaCat will thank you too. (But only after she's shredded you to show her initial displeasure. )

Trapping is a bit of an art and there are tricks. You don't say specifically, but I'm working from the principle that you've not trapped before. I'd start here

Miami County Humane Society - Spay/Neuter Program (http://www.miamicountyhumanesociety.org/index_files/Page000006.htm - broken link)

with a call and see what hands-on assistance they or another organisation can offer you. There may be someone local - a volunteer for instance - that might be able to come over and show you where to place the trap, what to do if you trap Momma but not kittens or vice versa, etc.

[himain]

I'm not looking to adopt any of the cats. Just spay/neuter and release back to the complex, I think. I'm trying to stop another litter from coming into the complex...

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by himain

I'm not looking to adopt any of the cats. Just spay/neuter and release back to the complex, I think. I'm trying to stop another litter from coming into the complex...

And regardless of where the cats end up, what you've done is subtract another "X" number of breeding machines from the overall population. It's an important part of the puzzle.

[zugor]

Here's excellent advice from Alley Cat Allies:

Alley Cat Allies - How to Conduct Trap-Neuter-Return (http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=330 - broken link)

thanks and good luck

[PantherPride]

Good luck to your mission