Cat has her litter of kittens under the car hood. Can I move them or can I get her to move them?

Question

So there is a cat and her brand new newborn kittens under the hood of my friend's husband's truck. The cat is the neighborhood stray that is getting fixed after this, but in the meantime, my friend's husband needs to drive his car. If he turns it on they die. NOT GOOD. So what do they do? Can they move them, or is that bad, like the cat will disown the kittens if they have human smell? (just not familiar with the rules of touching kittens) If she can move them then I think she can figure it out. Any suggestions on this? She is desperate to do something by tomorrow midday. Thank you!!!

Answer 1

CALL YOUR LOCAL SPCA /ANIMAL CONTROL.THEY MAY COME OUT AND RESCUE MOM AND HER BABIES. THEY WILL PUT THEM IN THEIR SHELTER AND THE CATS/KITTENS WILL RECEIVE PROPER CARE.ALSO ALL THE CATS WILL GET SPAYED/NEUTERED BY THE SPCA.THERE ARE 4 TO 5 MILLION DOGS AND CATS PUT TO SLEEP EACH YEAR.THIS IS VERY VERY SAD.DO THE RIGHT THING AND PLEASE CALL THE SPCA.

PLEASE SPAY & NEUTER!!!

God Bless

Answer 2

Keep some activity going around the truck, then leave for a few hours. Most cat mommas will move their kittens quite often to keep them safe and the more activity in that area is going to make her want to move them sooner.  Just make sure you leave the area for a few hours to give her time to do so safely.  

Answer 3

no you shouldnt move them because the mother will try to kill you before you get to move that car but if you really have to sure try but she may disown them i wouldnt touch them

Answer 4

Yep, you should leave them alone. Mothers are very protective and she will either bite you or abandon the kittens and in some cases they have been known to kill them if there is a strange scent on them.

Give her time, she has to move them when they get a little bigger and start to move around.

Answer 5

move them and find the mommy and put her beside her kittens in a large boxe or cat cage or in a room with food and water and litter box  yes the mom won't care if you touch her kittens.

The kittens will be fine.

Answer 6

Some people are pretty sure that you should just leave them alone until the mother decides to move them.  No problem.  The owner of the car should be fine calling in sick until that happens.  Bosses totally understand putting a cat before a job and won't mind his absence at all.  Or he can spend hundreds of dollars on renting a truck until they move on.  No big deal.

Have you considered taking the car out of gear and letting it move a few feet?  That might help the mother understand that she didn't exactly pick the best home.

Answer 7

The mother cat will not kill the guy, nor "disown" the kittens - geesh.  Make a box with a small amount of finely shredded newspaper, make one edge where the mother cat can get out easily, but the kittens cannot.  Put the box in a nice quiet - dry area.  Move the kittens first (preferably when momma isn't with them, but within sight) by using gloves - they may have fleas or parasites- nothing to do with human scent.  Make sure the mother sees you moving them one by one so she knows where the kittens are.  Do this at a normal pace, don't make a big deal by trying to get the momma to follow you - she will track the kittens.  Make sure you check on the kittens after a few hours to make sure momma found them by looking from a distance....the mother will be nervous and anxious enough.  Before your friend's husband starts up the truck, make sure the kittens are still in the box, or if they aren't - not in the truck's engine again. When you get momma fixed - take the kittens with her to also get done.  

Answer 8

I think "Cat Lovers" answer makes a lot of sense. My sister has a feral in her yard that she is feeding and this cat is really wild. My sister touched her new born kittens. Momma was not thrilled but did not disown the kittens. In fact she moved them several times. Unfortunately she managed to have a second litter in her yard while my sister was trying to get help with a trap, spay and release thing. My sister managed to handle the kittens while momma cat when to eat. So opening the hood and touching the babies will probably get momma cat to move them. Whether momma cat will be open to human help in a place to put them who knows. My sister tried to set up a box and a safe place and Momma was not interested. There are some things that just can't be controlled. If Momma is tame enough with humans the sooner the kittens are handled the more human friendly they will become. They do need to nurse to at least 6 weeks, I've heard that 9 or 12 weeks is better but years ago I got an abandoned street kitty at about 6 weeks who became a great pet. Momma will not disown the kittens but can be very protective hence the strategy of feeding her to get her away from they for a bit and use caution. I have lived with cats for many years altho I have never had a cat with a litter, if it comes to it and Momma doesn't move the kittens on her own I would make a cozy place as one of the other answers suggested and just make sure she knows where to look for her babies. In my experience cats are very smart, flexible and learn quickly. Good luck.  

Answer 9

No, if you touch them they will not be 'disowned'.  In fact, if you disturb them, she may relocate them.  The problem then is that you may not find where she relocates them.  If you think you can find where she will relocate them, then probably opening the hood will cause her to relocate them.  If she feels a danger, that is when she will relocate them.

If she is not real feral, make a safe place for her, take her there and have help to gently relocate the kittens.

Answer 10

Move the kittens into a clean cardboard box, lined with shredded newspaper and an old clean towel.  If you are super nervous, call your local vet and see if one of their techs will come out and help you.  Let the mom cat see where you are going with the box, and put some kibble out for her.  Many vet offices will accept mom and kittens, and then adopt them out in a few months; the local ASPCA will do the same thing.  I would definitely do my best to get them to one of those, so the mom and kittens can get spayed/neutered,  get vaccines, and have the chance to live with some loving families.