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Member
 
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| Hi, Two days ago a mother cat showed up at my balcony with 3 kittens. It had rained heavy for 2 days straight so maybe thats why she came to my balcony for shelter. Odd thing is I live on the first floor. So she had walked up the outdoor stairs to get there. Then today when I looked out there was a 4th kitten there. I think the kittens are around 2-4 weeks old not quite sure. I put a box with a towel out for her when she left the kittens yesterday to hunt and today they were all sleeping in the box with her. She seems scared of me so I have not opened the balcony door while she been there, just looked out the glassdoors and also took a peak from the stairs. I have not touched the kittens or her at all since I read it's not good to touch wild animal babies since then you risk the mother won't like them because of the human smell. My questions are: 1. Shall I give them food? I figure it's probably best not to since then they might get dependent on me. And if I can't get them tame they will be alone when I might move later this year. 2. Should I get a cat trap from a shelter and bring them there? 3. Should I just let them stay there and not interfere? I just want to help them since I love cats, but don't want to mess things up and scare the mother cat away. So any suggestions on how to handle this would be very appriciated 
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Supreme Being
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Yes leave food and water out for momma, she needs it since she is nursing four kittens. Try and trap the kittens at about 12 weeks of age, they will be weaned by then. Once the kittens are trapped you could trap the mother too and take her with her kittens to a no-kill shelter or trap the momma and spay her and then release her. She might not be adoptable since she is most likely feral but her kittens will be if you trap them early, so I would spay momma and release her so she can't have any more kittens.
  
"The really great thing about cats is their endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit any kind of decor, color scheme, income, personality, mood. But under the fur, whatever color it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world's free souls." Eric Gurnery
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Supreme Being
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| Mama needs food, and the kittens need to be kept safe from predators as well as the weather. Your balcony can be a very good place for them to nest. (Side note: Outside of the USA, "first floor" is what Americans would call the 'second floor.' Place the food and water on the balcony, but as far from the nest as you can. The balcony will also need a litterbox. Some potted plants (be careful they're not poisonous to cats) would be welcomed, as well as a sheltered, open area (like under a chair). Mama needs protein, lots of protein, as well as taurine in her diet. The taurine comes from commercial cat foods, and 'wet' or canned food will have more protein that kibble. Feel free to suppliment the canned food with bits of chicken and beef. Mama's needs will increase as the kits grow. Right now she can use two of the small cans of cat food each day; soon that will be two of the standard size cans. You're doing things right not to force yourself on the family. For the most part, just ignore them. Let them get accustomed to seeing and hearing you as you move about in the house. If you do happen to make eye contact with the Mama, say 'hello' and leave her be. With time, you'll notice she will get closer to you. Finally, let me prepare you for something magical that just might happen after Mama settles in: If Mama accepts you to the point where she will let you touch her, there might come a time when she will suddenly act hostile as you get up to go. If this happens, sit down! Chances are, she will then go to her babies, and bring one out for you to inspect. After you return the little tyke, she'll let the others meet you. This -naturally- means that she has accepted you, and is proud of the babies you're both raising.
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Supreme Being
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renosteinke (9/16/2009)
If Mama accepts you to the point where she will let you touch her, there might come a time when she will suddenly act hostile as you get up to go. If this happens, sit down! Chances are, she will then go to her babies, and bring one out for you to inspect. After you return the little tyke, she'll let the others meet you. This -naturally- means that she has accepted you, and is proud of the babies you're both raising.I didn't know cats did that, cats can be so sweet! 
"The really great thing about cats is their endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit any kind of decor, color scheme, income, personality, mood. But under the fur, whatever color it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world's free souls." Eric Gurnery
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Forum Guru
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Given the absolutely insane number of tame kittens and cats on death row. I would get mom and kittens fixed, on vaccinations and then let her raise them all to be feral.
Don't make them tame unless they can be alloted a forever home... many cats in shelters are going from home to home until they go crazy and are put down. 
As tame cats they could get de clawed, eat garbage diets that slowly kill them, much like fast food does to us if we eat it everyday. They could be abandoned because of issues that would make them great barn cats,such as hunting,scratching,ect.
Better I think a kitten lives to be a fixed wild animal in a natural setting , then alloted to someone, possibly gets de clawed and bites someone or craps in the house then thrown into a cage and put down. Or even worse goes from home to home having learned the lessons of love from you that its humans are frankly not worthy of.
Call around at a local barn out in the country, I'm sure they could use mousers that cannot breed.
cats as pets
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| Today has been horrible. I live in a rented appartment and know we not allowed to feed strays. So since I didn't want to get in trouble for helping cat mom. I thought if I let the appartment place know about the strays, and ask them for help how to handle it then I would do the right thing. Boy was I wrong  First they seemed all understanding and said they would help. So they called animal control! But the guy from animal control was only able to get the kittens. Now cat momma has been back four or five times looking for her babies and calling for them Then animal control had told me to tell my appartment place to get a live trap and get momma that way. Then all day I kept calling them if they were getting that trap or not. But kept getting told manager was not there. Then just before closing hour I call again. And they tell me they won't get the trap and strays are not their problem. So why where the kittens a problem if they don't care about the mother? I feel like the worst person ever now. I send the kittens to deadrow because I wanted to help And momma cat is all sad. I don't know if she will come back and I don't know how to catch her with traps with no help. What if momma cat now get sick from having milk but no kittens to give it to? They all looked so happy this morning before animal control came. And now it is all ruined. It breaks my heart and I been crying all afternoon. The thing I learned from this is I will never report strays to this apartment place again when they so cold hearted I rather get in trouble for having helped them then to have ruined a little cat family.
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Supreme Being
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It isn't your fault, you didn't know. I feel bad for momma, because you have no control over the kittens now you should make momma as comfortable as possible, try and trap her and get her spayed. You might have to wait for her milk to dry up, which I don't know how long that takes, someone else might know. Don't be too hard on yourself.
"The really great thing about cats is their endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit any kind of decor, color scheme, income, personality, mood. But under the fur, whatever color it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world's free souls." Eric Gurnery
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Forum Guru
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One of the things you are going to learn as time passes and you get older is that sometimes the best thing you can do is let nature be nature. After spaying and neutering of course.
Now because of your actions at the very least they have a 75% chance of being put to death at the shelter. a 1 in 4 percent chance of being tortured ( de clawed) and a 90% chance of being fed garbage and dying early from it.
Thats IF no buddy buys them and does who knows what with um.
See why they were better off fixed and wild now that you know what happens to unwanted cats? At least they would have lived a few years hunting, playing and being outdoors
I'm sorry I made the same error I brought sheet medal for a tree I was growing for a planting project when a stray cat clawed its trunk It made deep wounds in the bark and along with the aphid treatments it nearly died
cats as pets
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| Mystiques81, I'm so sorry about what happened. This was a hard lesson to learn but, please try not to be too hard on yourself about it. You had no way of knowing what would happen and I know you wouldn't have made that phone call if you had. And it is not written in stone that those kittens are doomed to be tortured and live horrible lives, it is very possible that they will all find good homes. There are still some good people out there. In the meantime, is it possible for you to try and trap the mommy kitty and have her spayed to prevent any more litters? Perhaps you can try to befriend her, even if you can't keep her, you would at least be one good person in her life.
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Supreme Being
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| Mystique - I am so sorry that happened. Of course it's not your fault, you didn't know what would happen! I do find it strange that the apartment management would immediately call animal control for the kittens but then not care if mama-cat was trapped or not, but then many apartment managers seem to be in it just to make sure the rent's paid on time. Mama-cat will be sad for a time, but her milk will dry up. I haven't heard of a cat getting sick from having milk but no kittens. HVV is right - people do adopt kittens from the pound and give them good homes. Probably most people who adopt kittens or cats from the pound or from shelters take good care of them and love them dearly! Hopefully that is what will happen to these kittens too. Is there a way you might be able to call the pound and check on them? Again, you did what you believed was the right thing to do for you and for the kittens. Don't beat yourself up.
Cats_Dolls  
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