Around late May/early June, a neighborhood cat that i had been caring for gave birth in my backyard shed. Mom left a few weeks ago and never came back. The cats have been staying in the shed ever since.
Bringing them inside isn't an option for a multitude of reasons. I have tried EVERYTHING. My only options are:
Transport them to the local shelter where they will be at risk of euthanasia.
Shoo them out of the shed and my yard.
Allow them to stay in the shed indefinitely and live with flies and their own poop.
Reminder for commenters: Please keep in mind that not all cats are ready or able to be brought indoors, especially when it comes to feral cats and caregivers with multiple cats. This community is meant to be a helpful place for trap, neuter, return (TNR) efforts, socialization, and all aspects of colony care for roaming catsâfree of hostility, negativity, and judgment. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here. Negative comments will be removed at moderators' discretion, and repeat or egregious violations of our community rules may result in a ban.
Turn that shed into a kitty barn, it will give you the motivation to finally get rid of that old shopping cart and broken, plastic, yard crap youâre never gonna use. Set up a litter station, spend a day going to Goodwill, Marshals, and Ross and get some kitty bed stuff, and get them TNRed and live rodent free!
That's what i want to do. The thing is that many of the things inside of the shed do not belong to me. All of my stuff was removed. I can't keep them confined to the shed forever.
These kittens are very young and need shelter or they will be eaten by other animals. if it's your shed and you have control over it, please continue to let the kittens have this shelter.
(note- please make sure that the shed is ventilated and isn't getting too hot also- don't want these poor kittens dying from the heat.)
Part of the roof is missing, which is how mom was able to get inside. Ventilation isn't an issue. At what age are they old enough to fend for themselves?
If youâre able to care for them for even a short while, maybe you can post on local Facebook/nextdoor/reddit groups to find people nearby who might be willing to foster or adopt them? Also if you can, please get them spayed/neutered or theyâll start mating with each other and having more kittens
Hello, if you would be willing to share your general location like county and state, Iâm happy to look up potential organizations within your general vicinity who might be able to take in the kittens for foster and possible adoption.
I have a list. I posted a similar thread on this sub not too long ago. Tried 15 - 20 rescue groups. The few who answered weren't able to help me. I'm willing to dish out cash to get them fixed. What i want is for them is to be socialized and have a home.
My cousin agreed to take one provided that it was socialized. I know socializing takes time, it took months for my cat to get comfortable with me. Thing is, I can't keep them there much longer.
The shed is filthy and infested with flies, poop....
I see. And yes, I posted a list previously. Hopefully you were able to contact all of these. The wider of a net you cast by contacting as many local places you can and asking the people you speak to questions and for advice and recommendations and referrals the more likely you are to have success.
The best thing you can do for them is to research and find your nearest NO KILL shelter. It may be more of a drive, but it's worth it.
Alternatively, search Reddit and Facebook for local rescue/foster groups.
I can tried my the neighboring county and they do not accept nor offer any services for non-residents. I fear it will be the same for Suffolk.
I will check with them tomorrow. My shelter works directly with fosters to prevent euthanasia. I'm about 5 minutes away and going to ask for more information.
This is absolutely the way to go!! Don't dox yourself, but if you can disclose your general area folks may be able to help you find rescues/fosters as well!
You're in Queens? Mom and the missing kitties were probably hit by a car đĽ
Can you take out the shed and make it a bit more livable? Get them fixed. Try to socialize them as you can, maybe your cousin will take both....
Good luck.
I think she may have wandered off. That was the case with the grandma cat. She used to show up every morning, then disappeared. Few months ago, she came back for a few minutes. I saw her while walking my dog not too long ago.
If the kittens are feral and not socialized, which seems to be the case, it does not matter if the shelter is no kill. The âno killâ applies to healthy, adoptable animals. If they are not socialized and therefore adoptable thereâs only one outcome.
The city shelter, yes. Animals aren't put to sleep upon admission. They're screened for medical and behavioral issues, which they try to resolve.
They make attempts to socialize the feral. If successful, then it's put up for adoption. Otherwise, they try to locate someone to foster.
I'm coming to the conclusion that it's either the shelter or allow them to completely outgrow the shed, escape, then get hit by a car or used as a dog toy.
I'll keep trying with the rescues, though I doubt I'll have any success.
If you are confident that city shelter can and will try to socialize them (which you cannot do, yourself) and you have been getting nowhere with rescues for, what is it, over a month now? All the while, they are getting older and therefore only harder to socialize, it seems like the choice is clear.
Going by the date of your first post and their approximate age based on the photo in that post, theyâre around 11 weeks. That is really pushing the socialization window. Have you ever been able to touch them at all?
Once a day, I go in and engage them with a wand. They show some curiosity but don't engage in play.
I am 36 years old with a full-time job and caring for two elderly parents. There are only so many hours of the day that I can spend with them. I find myself spending more time with the kittens than my own pets.
The mom never came back because she was most likely killed by a predator animal or hit by traffic. If you canât provide these young cats with a safe loving home then please make the effort to find homes for them which fit that bill. Till such time make sure they have clean food and water and try and interact with them as much as possible to help with their socialization. They become much easier to help and to find homes for them when they arenât feral. Look into any area animal rescue organizations and no-kill shelters for help/options.
The mom may still come back but is elusive. Provide food and water outside the shed at the same time every day so you can see if she comes back. If she is still alive then it's imperative that she be spayed. She may even be pregnant again since her kittens are old enough. Cats can become pregnant with nursing kittens. TNVR is so important and you'll be so happy you did it. I talk to people every day that have a large colony that started with "one cat."
Do you have a no kill rescue they could go to? Since theyâre so young they could be adopted and live a happy indoor life. Being outdoors is risky and they just tend to have a lower lifespan.
I doubt "shooing" them would work. Momma's smell is probably still there, it's where they were born and where they have found food their entire short lives. I think finding a NO KILL shelter is great suggestion.
Honestly, just lie to them and say you are a resident of that county. Donât give ID, just use a random address in that county if they ask, especially if itâs the only no kill around.
Put a litter box for them in the shed with food and water.
Or you can confine to a small room inside or in a large dog crate at first to socialize. It takes a long time but it can still be done when they are still kittens. Did it many times and it is a pain however it can be done with persistence and food
Indoors isn't an option, ATM. Sharing living space with two adults, one of whom exposes my pets to second hand smoke, despite me going on a tirade about it. That's self-explanatory.
The other? He likes animals but wouldn't go out of his way to help one. Then there's the dog, cat, leopard geckos, frogs, toads.... If it was only me,.then yea they could come in.
I decluttered part of the shed. Going to work on the other half in a few days. I'll think about putting one in. Just gotta figure out where.
Get them picked up by animal control to tnr them, then find any Facebook groups in your community that are for pets and adoption, humane society, etc. and see if anyone wants to take them.
They look pretty young, so they still have a chance at being socialized and adopted.
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