Rough kitten situation?

Question

My friend lives in the country where they have a few roaming cats. He loves cats and has two fixed house cats of his own. There is a female he has become attached to and feeds but she has yet to let him take her in. One day she shows up with 2 month old kittens and starts hanging around his house. The kittens are adorable but very wild. They will take the food he gives them but they are not house cats by any means. Because of this the SPCA will not take them in. They are over crowded with kittens as is. Because of their nature they and the other local rescues said they will end up being put to sleep and not adopted. The no kill shelter refuses to take them.

My friend is very upset about this because he is very attached to the kittens. He can't afford to get the mother spade much less the kittens. And he already has two cats and can't really afford to keep the others.

The mother will go in heat again soon if she isn't already. and it won't be too long before the kittens are able to breed.

Any suggestions on what can be done? and if the best solution is to put the kittens to sleep how should I convince my friend?

Answer 1

If he really wants the cats to stay, he needs to trap them and have them spayed/ neutered. There are several groups that help trap and spay feral cats. Tell him to check with the local animal control about trapping.

Answer 2

Your ASPCA should have a feral cat spay/neuter and release program. Local Hardware stores should sell Have-a-heart live traps that you can get and place outside. Catch the momma cat and if you take her to the ASPCA they will spay her for free or next to nothing and tag her ear so people know she has been fixed, then you can re-release her into the wild. IF they don't have a program they should be able to direct you to someone that does.  

Answer 3

well sure they are gonna be a little wild they were born outside and that's the life they know rite now don't let them get killed noway.... i agree with everything the Pretty Kitty lady said.... now if they were born inside they wouldn't have to defend themselves ect....ect... good luck

Answer 4

Are these kittens 1 month old or 2 months old? I currently have a kitten I caught in the wild and have had no problems with him. He uses the litter box, plays, and has adapted well to inside life. He loves tummy rubs. If you can catch these kittens quickly, there is still time to socialize them. It's said they have to be under 5 weeks old or they can't be socialized but my Rocky was 6 weeks old when I caught him. He's 8 weeks old now. To socialize them, set up a nursery and put everything they need except food in it. Go in a t feeding time with wet food. Put the food on the floor and sit a few feet away. If they don't come eat soon, take the food and leave. Go back in a bit and try again. Each time the kittens eat, sit closer to the food next time. Soon, you should be able to pet them while they eat. After they are socialized, you can rehome them.   Mom should be trapped and spayed immediately. If you have no access to a live trap, I used a $6 fishing net from WalMart to catch my kitten (and some of his friends). Put out food, put the net behind them as they eat, step forward, they will turn to run right into the net. Don't dangle the net with the kittens in it.

Answer 5

No Kitten DEserves to die, COuld You take them in?

I Think You should ask all of your friends if they want a kitten?

Or make a large sign and let people know some adorable kittens are for sale or for free. But before you sell the kittens make sure that they go home to loving families ;]

or walk around your nieghborhood with kittens for free or for sale and put them in peoples mailboxes or knock on the door and let people know . BUt most definitely dont let them die.

Hope That Helped

Answer 6

In my opinion, it's best to let the cats live out their life on his property and save money to get mom fixed and then start saving for the babies. You can eventually catch up. I know it's hard, because you don't want them to reproduce, but really, if they're healthy, the shouldn't be killed just because they can reproduce.

Have your friend call around and find the cheapest rate for spay/neuter. Then he can get a change jar and drop change and random dollar bills in it. That's what I do to save up for things.

And yeah, unless they're under 2 months old, it'd be very time consuming to tame them and then whomever took the time to tame them will likely be the only person the cats trust and feel comfortable with.

You could try placing an ad in the newspaper and screening any potential owners.

In any case, Alleycat.org is a group for feral/wild cats. They may have some informaton or resourcs that'll help you. I'd also suggest Catster.com

Good luck!

Answer 7

You don't say what area you live in, so I cant be more specific, but check under feral cat rescue as a search term.

Answer 8

Have him contact the local shelters to find out if any of them to Trap-Neuter-Return.  This returns the cats to the wild after neutering them.

If no one in his area does that (they might call it something different), then it gets tougher.  He might call vets in the area, explain the problem, and ask if they have special rates for people trying to care for feral cats.