Ask Me Help Desk - Feral kittens disappeared

We had three feral kittens in our garden. We left food for them and they were around for about a week. One larger tabby looks around 10 weeks old, there is a smaller black kitten around 8 weeks old and a tiny black one who looks around 6 weeks. This is to give you a rough picture of their size. The black ones were very shy, would not come near me. I managed to get close enough to the tabby to feed it. I woke up yesterday and haven't seen any of them- they have completely disappeared! The food bowl in the garden is polished off every morning, but I am not sure if this is a fox or something else. I'm worried I frightened the kittens away or whether something has happened to them. I was hoping to catch them, tame them and neuter them but was waiting for them to learn to trust me so I could get close enough to catch them. Is it likely they will be back? Or is it normal for feral kittens to just leave even if they're well fed?

No, even feral kittens won't leave a food source. Whatever is eating the food has made a meal of the kittens as well. Fixes don't discriminate.

Feral cats can be tricky, they could be hiding, they could have left the immediate area and will return to eat.
Unfortunately they are at the mercy of the great outdoors and whoever they may be sharing that space with, be that wildlife or cars.
The best chance of catching them if they come back a around is to go ahead a set a humane trap, but are you willing to bring them indoors so you can work with them?
If not then it's not much more than a waiting and watching game.
Given that they are young your more likely to succeed in taming them---if you can catch them.

I am absolutely prepared to bring them indoors. I will tame them and neuter them and care for them- the idea of something happening to them really bothers me- they're so young!

Have you checked shelters? Maybe they were picked up by authorities or animal welfare groups. If they met harm one way or another, seems unlikely that all 4 met the same fate. Maybe they found a better/closer food source. Good luck.

They may have found another food source, however I live in a tiny village surrounded by fields, and we have a huge pond in the garden that many different animals come to drink from. I worry that a fox came to drink and found the kittens or something. Perhaps they are all right fending for themselves, I just wanted to tame them and neuter them so they don't produce more feral kittens. They may have moved onto a neighbour's garden, and there aren't really authorities in the near area that would be interested.

They are in the food chain as far as foxes and coyotes are concerned; this is what happens. I am in the same kind of environment as you are. We lose small dogs, cats and kittens all the time. It is, unfortunately, a matter of species and kittens, as many as they are all the time, and cats too, get eaten.

My understanding is that it is very difficult to tame feral cats, sometimes impossible. In my town, where there are a lot of them, the policy is to pick them up, spay or neuter them, give them rabies shots and return them to the wild, they are wild animals and I would not recommend trying to make pets of them.

I have an invisible-except-to-cats sign above my front door -- FREE FOOD! We used to get stray and feral cats waiting in line to eat. We'd socialize them and trap them and get them neutered and find homes for them, or just continue feeding them after neutering (if too feral).

That ended about three years ago. We haven't seen any ferals and strays in the neighborhood at all. We have seen coyotes, though -- very well-fed coyotes that are smiling.

I agree with >dontknow>, they are wild, which is basically what feral means. They are best where they born, fending and eating mice and whatnot.

At that age, they are able to become pets.

My clinic runs a trap/neuter/release program for feral cats. Any kittens 12 weeks or under are rehabbed and placed up for adoption. It takes a few weeks to have them become friendly, but the ones we've had (about 30) have turned into great cats and found good homes.

I know many people whose cats were once feral kittens and in this environment I think it would be safer for them to become domesticated. I hate to think that they would be made dinner :(

My mom was among other things a cat hoarder. I have hands-on experience with feral cats dating back decades.

Thank you for wanting to spay and neuter. That is a promise I've made to myself ever since seeing my Mom while growing up.

By now perhaps the kits have returned to your food, if not, not much you can do. But if they are out there, trust me, you will get more kits sooner rather than later, so continue to try this catch and fix approach. Make personal safety and personal protective gear your top priority, though. I cannot emphasize that too much.

I strongly suggest only large kits not adult cats be handled this way. An adult feral cat can easily manhandle and twist away to attack an adult human and the results are usually not good. In that case, call in a professional to trap it and take it away. (Turtleman?) Sadly, a adult feral will probably be euthanized, but at least you've stopped the cycle of more unwanted kits.

Here is what I do to tame/spay/neuter: bring a helper or two and don heavy thick gloves (thickness and toughness of glove material should not allow penetration of a razor blade the length of a kit tooth.) Get a crab net or other long-handled net with holes smaller than the kits' heads. (Not butterfly, too weak of a netting.) Put out food and wait for opportunity to catch kits in net. Immediately upon netting, grab them up with your gloved hands, being careful that kit teeth are like razors as are those tiny claws, so don't get anywhere near your face. If you can grasp tight to the scruff, hold them that way, as this maneuver usually causes a young kit to drape calmly in your hand. Otherwise, envelope the head and shoulders with circled fingers of one hand and grab the hind feet together with your other. You want to prevent biting and hind-feet kicking more than anything else. Have a helper along to open doors and such, you don't want to loosen grip on kitten.

(If more than one kit, this may scare away the others for some time, but they will most likely come back when they are hungry so gear up to repeat performance or else have several nets and helpers ready to get them all first time around.)

Immediately take kitten to small enclosed room, preferably a 1/2 bathroom, in case your grip loosens too soon. (bring net if that happens) Close the door and while you have kit's back turned--so you avoid reaction to water running--have helper turn on sink to very warm water and fill sink. (remember cat temp is higher than yours so what feels warm to you feels cold to cat. Don't get too hot, absolutely avoid scalding, just get very warm) While filling, take kit to sink and put it under running water and immediately bathe him/her, being careful not to get soap or shampoo and water in eyes or nose or ears. Rinse well. (doesn't matter what soap or shampoo you use, but I think I used baby shampoo, because it's a baby... )

Hold onto struggling kit with your still-gloved hands for protection. I have never ever seen this not work. Kit may spit and fight as all cats do at first with water, but should calm very soon after you are done. I think thy are so grateful you didn't drown them, they trust you now. Kit will spend a great deal of time worrying only about licking him/herself dry and so that is when you move in to pet it with bare hands and hold it. If you ever find a kit you do this on who doesn't let you touch it, I'd really like to know. Never seen it happen. They are so distracted with the wet they couldn't care less about your touch.

Keep kit in bathroom with litterpan and water bowl and yummy enticing canned food for a couple of days and you should have a tamed kit to 'fix' and then find a home for.

Best wishes.

My cat was a barn kitty, and her litter mates were eaten one by one until her owner brought her in the house. It's just the way it goes. Foxes, coyotes, and all the members of the weasel family are the common predators, as well as birds of prey. And yours didn't even have a shelter to hide in.

@joy, sad but true, survival of the fittest in the animal kingdom.

This makes me think of my annoyance with "outdoor cat" owners. Basically they raise feral cats with collars that become a nuisance to neighbors. I like cats but don't want one in my home or on my property-my son and I are both allergic. Drives me crazy. So many in my neighborhood that use my vegetable garden as a litter box, get fur all over the cushions on my front porch benches and get my dog barking constantly. Funny though... neighbor called and said, "can you get that damned dog to stop barking" one afternoon. I said,"no, but you could if you got your damned cat off my back patio...it's upsetting my dog". I could do without the neighbor, but I loved that conversation!

During the 1950s, I lived in rural NY dairy country where cats and dogs were a dime a dozen and wandered all over the place, were never neutered. Vets concentrated on large animals, not small ones. My brother's main job every spring was drowning litters of kittens born in our garage to barn cats looking for a good nesting place. He also carried a BB gun when riding his cycle and shot at stray dogs nipping at his heels. No one thought twice about any of that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by etienneboulton

i am absolutely prepared to bring them indoors. i will tame them and neuter them and care for them- the idea of something happening to them really bothers me- theyre so young!

If it was me I would go ahead, and get a live trap. Wait until the evening hours to put food out for them (so they are extra hungry). Set the trap with the food inside, and I bet you will have one in there after it gets dark. Continue this routine each evening, and hopefully you will manage to trap all 3 within 3 days. FYI: Sardines make a great lure when inside the live trap. :)

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Originally Posted by dontknownuthin

This makes me think of my annoyance with "outdoor cat" owners. Basically they raise feral cats with collars that become a nuisance to neighbors. I like cats but don't want one in my home or on my property-my son and I are both allergic. Drives me crazy. So many in my neighborhood that use my vegetable garden as a litter box, get fur all over the cushions on my front porch benches and get my dog barking constantly. Funny though...neighbor called and said, "can you get that damned dog to stop barking" one afternoon. I said,"no, but you could if you got your damned cat off my back patio...it's upsetting my dog". I could do without the neighbor, but i loved that conversation!

Awww that is really kind of sad "dontknownuthin" because cats are awesome pets to have. I do however know how you feel regarding the allergies, and pooping in the garden as it must be so frustrating for you. My sister had allergies to cat dander so we never had cats growing up, and truthfully I hated them. I broke down a few years ago, and allowed a stray kitten to join our family, and I am now a huge cat lover with 2 adult indoor cats who I love to pieces. Can't imagine how I ever hated them in the first place. I would love to see you fall in love with a kitty.. lol Take care

Quote:

Originally Posted by emmasmom

Awww that is really kind of sad "dontknownuthin" because cats are awesome pets to have. I do however know how you feel regarding the allergies, and pooping in the garden as it must be so frustrating for you. My sister had allergies to cat dander so we never had cats growing up, and truthfully I hated them. I broke down a few years ago, and allowed a stray kitten to join our family, and I am now a huge cat lover with 2 adult indoor cats who I love to pieces. Can't imagine how I ever hated them in the first place. I would love to see you fall in love with a kitty..lol Take care

I don't hate them but am not a fan either. I am a pet owner though, so can guess how people feel about their cats, of course. I will never get one!