# To Trap Or Not To Trap Pregnant Feral?



## furryfriends251

Long story short: the dairy farm I fed calves @ before quit. Now I'm working at another again feeding calves...and there are also 4 or so feral cats there.

Tonight I noticed Black Cat was looking quite round. She's semi-feral and I would like to get her spayed. However, would it be better to :

A) trap her now and keep her in an extra large dog crate until she has her kittens and they are old enough for her to leave for a day to get spayed. Then, once the kittens are old enough, get them S/N as well. Let her go once kittens are 8-12 weeks old (what is the best amount of time for her to be with them?) and get her kittens adopted out.

B) leave her and let her have the kittens. Trap her and try to trap her kittens once they are old enough. I wouldn't be able to have contact w/ said kittens until they were trapped though (she apparently likes to have her babies inside the wall). Also, run the risk of her getting pregnant again.

I will not get her spayed and abort the kittens. For me, that is definatly not an option. The vet will spay/abort until the hour the kittens are born...but I can't stand the thought.


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## ETrescued

Definitely trap her asap. Every extra day you have with her before her kittens are born will aid in her socialization, and will let you to work with the kittens as soon as momma allows. I know it might be a bit undesirable for her to be in the large dog crate, but it is best for all and will ensure that you can keep an eye on her and give her a safe place to deliver 

-BP


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## Jeanie

I agree. Trap her now and give her a safe warm place to deliver the kittens. And as BP recommended, she and the kittens will be easier to socialize. You will the one who feeds her, and you can spend some time talking softly to her and building trust. Good luck!


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## Heidi n Q

I agree with BP, since you said she is semi-feral I think you have a good chance of being able to win-her-over. 
_I have a friend who had a terrible experience with a pregnant feral who birthed in captivity with no time to adjust to her captivity before the birth and it ended badly._ Because BlackCat is described as semi-feral, I think you've got time to help her get settled into a routine before she births her kittens. Even just a few days would be enough to help her adjust. If you leave her at the farm to birth, she can become pregnant w/in days of giving birth and you will *never* have an opportunity to spay her as a non-pregnant cat unless you trap and confine her before she delivers the litter of this pregnancy.

I like the cage set-up that Merry used for her blind kitties, and the one Leslie used for Ginger on her front porch last year. The crates are like super-large wire dog-crates, for Great Dane and St. Bernard breeds. There is plenty of room for a nesting box, food, water and litterbox. You can even put shelves in there for her to have options to get up off the floor.

















We have a crate that is about 3'x5'x4' tall. I use it for the occasional stray dog but mostly it is a safely contained 'treat' to let some of the kitties spend part of the day out there to watch everything that goes on in the sunshine and fresh air.


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## furryfriends251

Thank you all! I guess tomorrow I will go there with a humane trap (or two, there are still her kittens from last fall:wink ). 

The cat doesn't seem that terribly feral. At least tonight when I was feeding them out in the other barn she stood waiting for me to get the food down and leave from about 15 feet away.


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## CataholicsAnonymous

Heidi n Q said:


> I have a friend who had a terrible experience with a pregnant feral who birthed in captivity with no time to adjust to her captivity before the birth and it ended badly.


You frighten me, Heidi, and I'm already nervous! I'm going tomorrow to pick up a very wild, very pregnant trapped cat who was dropped off at my vets' office tonight. I'm already fostering a 7-8 month feral calico who's got a loooong way to go before she's adoptable. She's been here a couple of weeks, just got spayed, and is still somewhat dangerous to handle. 

I do have the wire dog crate ready for the mom-to-be, with a bedspread draped over it for privacy. 

And I've stocked up on band-aids.

My own 9 cat-children are taking all this pretty well, and I'm so proud of them!


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## Heidi n Q

I am so sorry Elsie, I don't mean to frighten you.  My friend and this cat, it was just badly handled all the way around. This feral gave birth before she even got settled into her new place. _There is a lot more to the story, but I really don't wish to dredge it up here, though it is in the Feral Forum, buried way-back._ Your feral has had at least one night to become acclimated to having people nearby. If you can get her situated in an area with a nice nesting box I'm sure you'll be able to do great with her. I like the sound of the comforter draped over her place for privacy, I bet that will be a key element in helping her to become comfortable.
Best wishes!
h =^..^=


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## Mitts & Tess

furryfriends251 said:


> Long story short: the dairy farm I fed calves @ before quit. Now I'm working at another again feeding calves...and there are also 4 or so feral cats there.
> 
> Tonight I noticed Black Cat was looking quite round. She's semi-feral and I would like to get her spayed. However, would it be better to :
> 
> A) trap her now and keep her in an extra large dog crate until she has her kittens and they are old enough for her to leave for a day to get spayed. Then, once the kittens are old enough, get them S/N as well. Let her go once kittens are 8-12 weeks old (what is the best amount of time for her to be with them?) and get her kittens adopted out.
> 
> B) leave her and let her have the kittens. Trap her and try to trap her kittens once they are old enough. I wouldn't be able to have contact w/ said kittens until they were trapped though (she apparently likes to have her babies inside the wall). Also, run the risk of her getting pregnant again.
> 
> I will not get her spayed and abort the kittens. For me, that is definatly not an option. The vet will spay/abort until the hour the kittens are born...but I can't stand the thought.


We use 4x4 kennels with a perforated board top that we zip tie on to the top so feral mom and babies cant escape. The one shown is two 4x4s since I had 3 adult cats together. Its very diffacult to crawl into a 4x4 and clean boxes a couple times each day. Esp if the cat is feral. We also put baby bumpers around the bottom of the 4x4 so the babies cant crawl out of the kennel. We line the bottom with cotton rugs which need to be shook each day to get litter and food out of them. Or you can use towels. I do a load of wash each day when I have a kennel going. I try to keep the floor of the kennel clean which results in all the wash.

Is there a tack room in the barn? It would be much easier to trap her in there and manage her and the babies. 

We typically let the mom have the babies out of doors and take them around 4 or 5 weeks. That way they got a good start and we dont have to bottle feed. The mom isnt stressed but is getting fed but can come and go. The downside to this way is moms tend to move their babies around to keep them safe. You have to keep an eye on her so when your ready to take the babies and trap her everyone is where you can find them.


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## furryfriends251

Mitts & Tess said:


> We use 4x4 kennels with a perforated board top that we zip tie on to the top so feral mom and babies cant escape. The one shown is two 4x4s since I had 3 adult cats together. Its very diffacult to crawl into a 4x4 and clean boxes a couple times each day. Esp if the cat is feral. We also put baby bumpers around the bottom of the 4x4 so the babies cant crawl out of the kennel. We line the bottom with cotton rugs which need to be shook each day to get litter and food out of them. Or you can use towels. I do a load of wash each day when I have a kennel going. I try to keep the floor of the kennel clean which results in all the wash.
> 
> Is there a tack room in the barn? It would be much easier to trap her in there and manage her and the babies.


Thanks you so much for that picture. It gave some good ideas for what to do. I'll need to get that set up tonight. I have two full queen sized bed sets which are still in really good condition. If nothing else, they will work really well to cover the cage with. There is a really nice thrift store here and I was able to get two of the sets for only $4 (they gave them to me 1/2 off after I told them they were for a pregnant cat I was going to rescue :lol: Hey, they asked me what they were for and apparently they love cats :mrgreen: 


So, I'll attempt to trap her tonight. If I get one of her kittens from the fall I'll check if they are male or female. I'd prefer if they are female to keep them for a few weeks to see if they show any signs of being pregnant before sending them to get spayed. Chances are they will be already pegnant :| Great...how do I get myself into this??? :lol:


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## furryfriends251

Heidi n Q said:


> We have a crate that is about 3'x5'x4' tall. I use it for the occasional stray dog but mostly it is a safely contained 'treat' to let some of the kitties spend part of the day out there to watch everything that goes on in the sunshine and fresh air.


So, I actually have two large dog crates that look like that. Forgot that I had one of them! Anyway, so far I have them hooked together. The back "flaps" of each of the cages are hooked to the cages roofs. Because they are so close to the same size, I was able to easily then hook the cages together with several zipties. The doors are at either end so I can get in from both sides. Its the length of a queen sized bed (or at least the sheets that are supposed to be queen sized perfectly fit from one end to the other). Hopefully that will be more than enough room...

Now to get the inside made up :| and of course actually catch the cat :wink:


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## Jeanie

You have a good heart. Thank you for caring.


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## Mitts & Tess

What ever kennel you use be sure and use baby bumpers in them. You can find them cheap at thrift stores also. That is where we got ours to use. Babys can scootch out between the bars.

Do not wait to see if the other cats are pregnant. If they dont look pregnant take them in or they will become while you are waiting to see if they are. Kitten season is looming over us. Tell the ladies at the thrift store that baby bumpers are for the kennels too!


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## ETrescued

Mitts & Tess said:


> Do not wait to see if the other cats are pregnant. If they don't look pregnant take them in or they will become while you are waiting to see if they are.


Great advice. I know it can get overwhelming fast, but kitten season is well underway. It is most imperative that you get these girls in and fixed, especially if you are fortunate enough to have them not yet pregnant.

-BP


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## Heidi n Q

furryfriends251 said:


> (or at least the sheets that are supposed to be queen sized perfectly fit from one end to the other).


Oh, I think it'll be plenty of room. What I like about it, is it is large enough for her to retreat away from you when you go in to clean AND you have doors at either end so you can clean one half at a time. I noticed with Shadow that she spent her first month IN the carrier with her kittens, only leaving for food, water, litterbox and attention from me after the kittens were nearing 4wks old. As they became mobile, then she did, too. I would recommend having her enclosed nesting box at one end, possible food/water nearby and the litterbox (hooded) at the other end. There is a chance she will NOT leave her babies in the nest and you may have difficulty cleaning that area, but if she will leave her nest, she can hide in her litterbox until you've quickly exchanged the kitten bedding. ** 
My only concern is the *sheets* you wish to use for the top? I only wish to caution you that a determined cat can easily get through a bedsheet. You may wish to see how that works and/or replace or reinforce with a thin piece of plywood or chicken wire over the top. 

** Just some ideas: _I would like to suggest having the kitten bedding prepared and ready-to-go so there is as little disturbance as possible for her. You also may want to somehow have two nests ... either sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic carriers so when it comes time to exchange, you just lift the babies into the fresh nest and take the other one out to clean and have ready for the next day. Another thing to consider if she is being very protective, is some way to block her into one half when you must change the nest-bedding so she cannot go all mamma-cat on you when you have to handle her babies to move them to the clean nest._


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## furryfriends251

I GOT HER!

I'll post more later


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## Heidi n Q

furryfriends251 said:


> I GOT HER!
> I'll post more later


Woot!Woot! Congratulations on her capture! *_closes eyes to sends good thoughts and friendly wishes for this kitty to allow you to easily help her and her impending family_*


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## furryfriends251

Mitts & Tess said:


> What ever kennel you use be sure and use baby bumpers in them. You can find them cheap at thrift stores also. That is where we got ours to use. Babys can scootch out between the bars.
> 
> Do not wait to see if the other cats are pregnant. If they dont look pregnant take them in or they will become while you are waiting to see if they are. Kitten season is looming over us. Tell the ladies at the thrift store that baby bumpers are for the kennels too!


Yes, I'll get them as soon as I can. For some reason though the normal thrift shop I go to doesn't normally except/sell baby items. 

Oh, I meant that when I trapped them I would keep them in another cage I could borrow for a few weeks to see if they show any signs during that time of being pregnant. Not that I would leave them on their own until they looked like they were pregnant. Trust me, I don't _want_ them to get pregnant. However, I don't even know if these kittens from the fall are girls...



> Oh, I think it'll be plenty of room. What I like about it, is it is large enough for her to retreat away from you when you go in to clean AND you have doors at either end so you can clean one half at a time. I noticed with Shadow that she spent her first month IN the carrier with her kittens, only leaving for food, water, litterbox and attention from me after the kittens were nearing 4wks old. As they became mobile, then she did, too. I would recommend having her enclosed nesting box at one end, possible food/water nearby and the litterbox (hooded) at the other end. There is a chance she will NOT leave her babies in the nest and you may have difficulty cleaning that area, but if she will leave her nest, she can hide in her litterbox until you've quickly exchanged the kitten bedding. **
> My only concern is the *sheets* you wish to use for the top? I only wish to caution you that a determined cat can easily get through a bedsheet. You may wish to see how that works and/or replace or reinforce with a thin piece of plywood or chicken wire over the top.



I put two possible nesting boxes in there with her. One is a large cat carrier without a door. The other is a large cardboard box. Both of them have towels/blankets inside.

The two cages fit perfectly back to back and I have them stuck together with zipties (there should be a class on how to use those things). There is really NO space between for a cat to escape. I can barely fit my fingers through the opening that is still left. The sheets are to drape overtop of the cages so that she can’t see out which makes her feel much more comfortable.

You know, she sure doesn’t act that scared of me. She was worried about the whole new situation but didn’t hiss or growl. She dug into her food within the first few minutes of being in there. 

Her belly is huge…I hope she has the kittens soon (but not to soon) for her sake. The biggest problem is that she is underweight and for the majority of her life (except for the last few weeks) she has been getting only foods like KitandKabboodle and MeowMix :|


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## Mitts & Tess

:lol: I know what you mean by the zip ties. I always put them on backwards. Youd think with as many times Ive put that kennel together Id remember! Its a blonde thing with me! :? 

Is the feral kitty you trapped have a box to retreat into? It important she stays unstressed as much as possible. Is she giving you that half eyed stare? If she isnt, Im wondering if she is truely feral or maybe just semi feral. Which would be good for you when cleaning the kennel. A true feral you wont be able to reach in the kennel to near her babies or you wont have an arm or face anymore 

You might want to be giving the momma kitten food cuz it is higher in calories to help fatten her up. I would rifle her food day and night. As much as she will consume. soft and hard.

Do you have an old electric blanket? It would be good to put over her kennel to keep it warmer. Its important when she has the babies to keep them warm. Since you cant use a heating pad for her, an electric blanket would help. 

congrats on getting her right away. This will be a grand adventure for you and the momma feral and the babies.


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## furryfriends251

Mitts & Tess said:


> :lol: I know what you mean by the zip ties. I always put them on backwards. Youd think with as many times Ive put that kennel together Id remember! Its a blonde thing with me! :?
> 
> Is the feral kitty you trapped have a box to retreat into?
> 
> You might want to be giving the momma kitten food cuz it is higher in calories to help fatten her up. I would rifle her food day and night. As much as she will consume. soft and hard.
> 
> congrats on getting her right away. This will be a grand adventure for you and the momma feral and the babies.


I don't know how many zipties I used to make sure the cages were stuck together. But 99% of the time I put them together backwards. Then half the time I redid them I still put them together backwards! At least I finally got them. Yes, I'm very blonde :wink: 

I am giving her Authority kitten canned food (as much as she wants to eat) and Orijen dry food. Trust me, I'm going to feed her as much as she can eat. Which is for sure going to be a lot :lol: 

She has a box as well as a cat carrier. The cat carrier is covered with another blanket so its really just a dark hole. 

I was really suprised to have already gotten her! There are four cats in the barn (her and some of her kittens, she has the other half of her fall batch living 1/4 of a mile away :? ). Though she had the least luck to be able to get back out of the trap :lol: But literally within 2 minutes of setting the trap I had caught her. Apparently some cat loves sardines...


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## Heidi n Q

furryfriends251 said:


> But literally within 2 minutes of setting the trap I had caught her. Apparently some cat loves sardines...


 :lol: Awesome! I love it when a plan comes together!


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## Mitts & Tess

If just she and her kittens are the only cats in this barn get those kittens immediately. Siblings mating with each other can produce some very tragic genetic defects. 

Your off to a good start. 

Im glad Im not the only one who cant see or remember which side to turn the zip ties


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## Heidi n Q

:? Zip-ties have _sides_?  _...and I don't even have blonde as an excuse, I'm brunette._ :mrgreen:


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## Mitts & Tess

Dye your hair blonde girlfriend! Yes zip ties have side which are poorly marked. 

My long pink fake nails dont help when Im trying to use the zip ties either. Now you _really_ know how blonde I am!


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## furryfriends251

Ugh, I am so mad at one of my cousin's kids right now.

I had the cage in a room @ the farm which is heated. Well, they were at the farm for some reason and heard meowing in that room. My cousin's kid (who is 10) opened the cage and the cat escaped :yikes Apparently the "DO NOT TOUCH CAGE" signs aren't clear enough. Or the fact that the cage was completly covered. I don't think it could have been any clearer. So we are going to get a lock for the rooms door. And a lock to put on each end of the cage. There is _no_ room in our house to put a two cages that big. It would have to be in my room and unless I quickly learn how to fly and walk through walls I won't be able to get into or walk in my room.

So now I am just hoping and praying momma cat finds her way home which is only 1/2 mile away atback 

In the meantime, I'll keep setting the trap to get her other batch of kittens. And hope that I can get her again...


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## Jeanie

Oh, what a shame!  I hope she comes back. She knows you'll feed her, so that should be an incentive. 

I know you must be very upset with the child. I would be....but that's the way children are. Sign or no sign, he/she had to find out for herself.


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## Mitts & Tess

Oh that is such a shame. Hopefully you can get her again. Or maybe when she has the kittens you can find them and keep an eye on them till your ready to take them. 

Keep us posted


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## Heidi n Q

:evil: Man. What I'd like to say to that child wouldn't be nice at all, though I'm sure I wouldn't have had _any_ problem telling my adult cousin how I felt! :evil: 

Here is to hoping that her territory was large enough to include that structure and when she got outside she recognized where she was in her territory and she should return to the area where you first trapped her.


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## furryfriends251

Trust me, I wasn't happy. They did call to tell me they were sorry...probably a good thing they called instead of coming face to face with me :wink: 

I got two locks for the cage though now so no one but me can get into it. Tonight I'll try get at least _some _cat. Whether it is her or one of her 6-8 month old kittens I don't know. 

I'll let you know what happens. I would think the momma cat can find her way back. Its only a 1/4 a mile back to her territory. Also, the farm/all this land is on top of a small hill. I'd think from seeing the land below it she could figure out where she was...


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## Heidi n Q

Smell can lead her back home, too. 
The Wanderer's territory stretched for MILES. I began feeding him in our barn but on early mornings when I would take my husband to work (_at the time we had one car because mine was in the shop_) we would see him hunting the field ditches up to 4 miles from our home. That is why we named him The Wanderer.


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## furryfriends251

Well, I caught a possum. Does that count?


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## Heidi n Q

Yeah, it counts, but only half-points because it wasn't feline. Nasty teeth them things have, eh?


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## Mitts & Tess

furryfriends251 said:


> Well, I caught a possum. Does that count?


 :lol:


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## furryfriends251

Heidi n Q said:


> Yeah, it counts, but only half-points because it wasn't feline. Nasty teeth them things have, eh?


Well, lets just say the possum wasn't to pleased. And I was wishing I had a trap that was easy to release animals from. Baling twine is now my best friend. That and the hay bale I jumped on after I pulled the door open...

I didn't set the trap tonight after seeing a skunk wandering very near the barn. Somehow I didn't quite feel like dealing with one :lol: Possums are one thing but how do you let a skunk go without stinking up the barn and smelling like skunk for a few weeks?

The cats there haven't figured out the whole time change thing. I'm to early and they aren't hungry yet...but if I leave the trap out over night I can easily catch things like possums, raccoons, and skunks.


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## Mitts & Tess

I love skunks! they are so cute. there was a baby one which would come and eat the cat food we put out. Ive never caught one in a trap though.

I guess you havent seen the mom yet? her babies are still at the barn?


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## furryfriends251

I'm quite sure those who sit near me in school would have a much differant opinion about skunks if I got sprayed by one :lol: 

I got one of her kittens tonight. It was a boy so I already took him to the shelter to get fixed tomorrow. One down...

Still haven't seen the mom cat. Though one of the neighbors did. She had kittens in their shed last year, so if she does again they will let me know.


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## Heidi n Q

furryfriends251 said:


> Still haven't seen the mom cat. Though one of the neighbors did. She had kittens in their shed last year, so if she does again they will let me know.


Well I think this is FABULOUS news! It means she is still in an area that is familiar to her and I don't have to worry and be sad about her being "lost" in an area she isn't familiar with. She could be avoiding the original barn now, since she got 'trapped' in it and she may consider it unsafe.


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## furryfriends251

Well, I got another of the fall kittens. I assume its a boy - he doesn't want me to have anything to do with his hind end though thank you very much :lol:


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## Jeanie

Good for you!


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## Mitts & Tess

2 kittens down and 1 to go? or are there more kittens?


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## ETrescued

Just wanted to commend you. What awesome work you are doing!! Fingers crossed you get mama... but any cat (not possum!) in the trap is one less reproducing.

I am not sure where you are located, but spring is pretty much here where I am in PA. I have to say that it does make me cringe to think about the warm weather really bringing in kitten season... which is already well underway as is evidenced by all the litters and kittens being brought into shelters. 

-BP


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## Mitts & Tess

For some reason kitten season hasnt started her. Were bracing ourselves for the next couple weeks. We know were right on the cusp!


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## furryfriends251

I'm only ever in that part of the barn to quick feed them...not sure if there is only one kitten left or if there might be another. Quite sure that I have only ever seen three differant ones.

Well, I'm quite sure that momma cat has made it back to the barn. The dry food is never all gone unless she comes; all the dry food was gone tonight.

I didn't get any kitten/cat tonight. I wish I could keep the trap set longer and not just while I am there which is anytime between 1 hour and 1.5 hours.

Thank you everyone! I'll keep trying  Not gonna quit till I have at least gotten all the kittens and know where the mother cat has her kittens.


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## furryfriends251

And I got the last one (or a think the last one of the kittens). Another boy.

He wasn't exactly pleased with me....a few pics of this guy below.


















sorry, I forgot to rotate it


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## Heidi n Q

:luv *le sigh* :luv 
He's a shiny and beautiful Tuxxy! He really doesn't look all that "fussed" about being contained; ears up, eyes not super-dilated and he is approaching the cage close to you.

Have you seen this? viewtopic.php?f=22&t=66484 Thought I'd toss that out there, in case you could find it helpful with some of your ferals...


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## Mitts & Tess

What a handsome healthy looking tuxy. Im weak in the knees! I love tuxys! He looks like he is about 9 months old????? He doesnt looked freaked out to be in there. Even a semi feral would be in the carrier giving you the half eye stare! Good job!


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## Heidi n Q

He is awakening my heart with wonderful memories of our Mister (1995-2006) who was a glossy b/w Tuxxy, but Mister only had a 'half' mustache.


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## furryfriends251

Heidi n Q said:


> He is awakening my heart with wonderful memories of our Mister (1995-2006) who was a glossy b/w Tuxxy, but Mister only had a 'half' mustache.


One of the other kittens has a half mustache as well!


Mitts & Tess said:


> What a handsome healthy looking tuxy. Im weak in the knees! I love tuxys! He looks like he is about 9 months old????? He doesnt looked freaked out to be in there. Even a semi feral would be in the carrier giving you the half eye stare! Good job!


He was born sometime in late summer so I think your right. 

I had given him some of this: http://homeopet.com/anxietyTFLN.html in the wet food. It really seemed to help. Yes, its meant for loud noises/storms but works really well just to calm down a cat. I have that one as well as the "digestive upsets" one which has worked really well on Milo and I am using it on Rajah.

He though is (or was) the least scared of me. Though I'm sure I'm an enemy to him right now. He's supposed to be getting nuetered sometime this week. I'll take him home with me on Saturday when I go to the shelter. 

this shelter is very small, mainly all run by one person. They however help with TNRing cats, taking the cat in for a few days, getting it fixed, and letting it recover a few days before bringing it home. They take cats to one of the two places that will S/N feral and barn cats for free.


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## Mitts & Tess

furryfriends251 said:


> He's supposed to be getting nuetered
> sometime this week. I'll take him home with me on Saturday
> when I go to the shelter.
> 
> this shelter is very small, mainly all run by one person.
> They however help with TNRing cats, taking the cat in
> for a few days, getting it fixed, and letting it recover a
> few days before bringing it home. They take cats to
> one of the two places that will S/N feral and barn cats for free.


that is a good deal! Free is good!  Will he be vacinated too? 
Tested for Felv or Fiv? Is that part of the free package? Have 
them check for fleas while he is out so he could be treated if 
he has them? Are you going to tip his ear?


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## furryfriends251

Mitts & Tess said:


> that is a good deal! Free is good!  Will he be vacinated too?
> Tested for Felv or Fiv? Is that part of the free package? Have
> them check for fleas while he is out so he could be treated if
> he has them? Are you going to tip his ear?


The shelter automatically gives them them Revolution. 
He'll probably only get vaccinated for Rabies which is either $5 or $10
He is tested for FIV and FELV when he goes in.
I always have them tip the ears of any cat I bring in if they are not going to be adopted out. 

*The shelter itself requests a $5 donation for each cat. I do bring the cats own food for while they are there though they don't care about that. However I want them to be getting mostly canned which is what they are used too. The "spay van" which they are done at would like however much you can manage to pay to get the cat spayed/nuetered. Though will very happily though do ferals/barn cats for free. Another deal is if you bring in the mother cat and pay for her spay all the kittens are fixed for free.


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## Heidi n Q

furryfriends251 said:


> ...if you bring in the mother cat and pay for her spay all the kittens are fixed for free.


Wow! I *love* this organization!


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## Mitts & Tess

Are you going to have him vacinated for Fiv or Felv etc? Do they give
you the option to add the rest of the vacination on?

Sounds like a good deal! I esp like the program of mom and babies. 
We got a grant and we s/n, vacinations, and will treat for mites and 
fleas if we find them for $10. Feral or your own cat.

Doing these discount programs are the only way well ever get to a
point in this country of _no more homeless pets_. And we only get
there by wonderful people like you who are willing to trap and return 
and feed these guys!


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## furryfriends251

Mitts & Tess said:


> Are you going to have him vacinated for Fiv or Felv etc? Do they give
> you the option to add the rest of the vacination on?
> 
> Sounds like a good deal! I esp like the program of mom and babies.
> We got a grant and we s/n, vacinations, and will treat for mites and
> fleas if we find them for $10. Feral or your own cat.
> 
> Doing these discount programs are the only way well ever get to a
> point in this country of _no more homeless pets_. And we only get
> there by wonderful people like you who are willing to trap and return
> and feed these guys!


I called and yes they will give him those vaccines.

Since the program started (the free spay/nueter for ferals/barn cats and the pay $35 and you get mom cat spayed and all kittens then done for free) the euthanasia rate in the main human society has gone down 75%! I hope that it goes down to zero cats being put down.

And I am officially a feral cat magnet. The last two nights there has been an orange tabby running out of the barn (the one where all the farm cats are) when I go in. The problem is setting a trap and NOT getting one of the farm cats. Err, Missy especially loves going in the trap to get the food. One time I let her out 9 times before I gave up on getting the right cat for the night.


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## lynphyllis

Hi,
I am new to this forum, but have been working with a feral cat colony in my neighborhood (I live in central Florida) for the last few years. Several months ago I had the same situation with a pregnant black cat. I had been trying (unsuccessfully) to trap her between litters, so I decided to trap her before she had this litter. She was quite used to me, but had never let me touch her before. I put her in a spare bedroom with a litter box and food and she had her litter (four healthy kittens) and stayed inside until they were weaned. I had the kittens and her spayed and neutered and was able to find homes for two of them. The other two are inside/outside cats and are very sweet and adjusted. 
The best part is that the mama has grown quite tame. I let her back outside after she was spayed and licensed and the kittens weaned, but now she chooses to come in a lot (we have a one way cat door) and recently she has started sleeping on my bed every night 
So, I would encourage you to trap the mother - you may end up with a very devoted pet in the end.


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## chuck7

Lyn , you sound like a very devouted cat lover .


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## Jeanie

Yes, devoted and very thoughtful!


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## Mitts & Tess

Lyn what a sweet story! She knew a good thing when she found it! Keep up the good work your doing with there freal colonly. You sound like a true cat lover!

FurryFriends that is a wonderful program and price of $35 for momma and kittens. Sounds like you have a proactive rescue to work with! Nice. Is it down 75% in your county or is that the percentage for your rescue? That is impressive too either way.


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## furryfriends251

I got the latest cat back today. Looking at their form that the vet fills out he got a rabies vaccine for free and something else I couldn't read the writing on. He was also eartipped which is a very good thing as I already trapped him again :roll: Also he got dewormed and Revolution.

But he was NOT incredibly happy when I picked him up. Or the car ride home. Then he gave me a look of disgused when I let him go :lol: Oh well...


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## Mitts & Tess

Usually if we neuter a male we keep him for a day before we release him. 
If it is a female we keep them 3 days and release. Before I release them 
I give them as much food as they will consume so they head out with a 
full tummy.

Good job! Keep up the good work! You and the kitties have a happy easter.


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## furryfriends251

*Re: To Trap Or Not To Trap Pregnant Feral? (update)*

I have been seeing the mother cat around every few nights. She comes to the calf barn to eat. 

The thing is no one knows where she has her kittens. None of the nieghbors have seen them and I'm worried she had them out in the woods somewhere. My hope is that she will move them to either the calf barn when they are old enough so she doesn't have to supply their food. She does know that if she purposely lets me see her I will go and open another 6 oz can of food :lol: She isn't dumb - she does realize that I am the bringer of the food. Now if she would figure out that if she brings all the kittens to the calf barn she wouldn't have to catch food for them when they got older. Plus I could end this whole cycle of having kittens :wink: 

Also, she is much skinnier looking now than she was two weeks ago. Two weeks ago she looked like she *could* have been pregnant. Not anymore. Poor girl!!! What if she has two batches of kittens  But as it seems they are out in the woods somewhere I don't dare take her away for a day to get her fixed. Coyotes thrive around here and I wouldn't be suprised if they got the kittens. Plus I can only imagine how painful it would be to have kittens nursing/climbing all over her when she was just spayed.

Food wise: I hate it but I have been feeding them some dry to make sure she gets all the food she can eat. The dry is a mix of Authority Kitten and some grain free dry. It was 1/2 EVO for a while but that got to be much to spendy. They are also fed two 5.5 ounce cans of the "good" flavors of Sophistacat a day. One in the morning and one at night - except if momma cat is there I will feed her another 5.5 ounce can once the others have had their fill.


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## Jeanie

You are doing a humane deed, and doing a great job of it! We can do only what's possible. Thank you for your kindness!  

I hope you find the kittens soon!


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## Mitts & Tess

Can you watch her from a distance and follow her. We find kittens that way sometimes. They are big on moving them around. Rifle as much food as she can eat she needs it badly if she is nursing kittens. Hope you find them soon. Ending her cycle of kittens after kittens. Its so hard on their bodies. So many of them dont make it. Terrible death. Breaks your heart to find them dead.


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## furryfriends251

I am planning on trying to follow her this weekend. I need to be able to be out late (though hopefully it won't get really late) because of school. I had tried last week but had to turn around way to soon - jeans with holes in the knees don't work to well when you are going through some stinging nettles :lol: 

They do have all you can eat - or I try to make sure their is at least dry food around at all times. Sometimes it won't last through the night if some possums come by...or if Ringo (tame raccoon) shows up. 

I would love to find her kittens and trap her again. I'm just hoping she doesn't have her kittens in two differant places as that is apparently another habit once the kittens are older. And I hope she doesn't have them on someones property though even then I would at least know where the kittens are and hopefully get permission to get them.


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## Mitts & Tess

One thing we noticed about new moms is they split up kittens and keep moving them around! Have a count of how many you think she has so kittens dont get left out there. They wont survive.

fyi on raccoons. They kill kittens. That may be why she hasnt brought you her kittens. They will move them close to food sources unless there is wild life around like raccoons or possums. This could be why she is keeping them far away from your barn. If the **** is eating the cat food I would take it up at night when your not there because it will only encourage the wild life to stick around. Im encountering that right now. We only feed during the day light. The cats will figure out what your feeding schedule is.


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## furryfriends251

And the drama continues:

You know how I thought that momma cat had gotten pregnant again and had more kittens? Well...that is half the truth. Actually there are TWO cats who happen to look exactly alike. So that makes for two batches of kittens...

So the "new" momma cat let me pet her tonight. She freaked out when I went in there...like she had her kittens in there. However I didn't see any (very small area to check out) so unless she is really good the kittens aren't in there. Though she is there every night right when I get there which is kinda strange :| 

I didn't see the 2nd (original) mother cat the last two days. I am guessing she comes much later than I had thought.


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## Jeanie

Perhaps if you feed only in the morning or early afternoon, and never leave food out at night, she'll come in the daytime. I hope you find the kittens before they get much bigger, but mother cat will eventually bring them to the food. Of course, they'll be much easier to socialize if they are younger. Good luck!


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