Cat and two kittens in garden

[TitaniaQueenOfTheFairies]

I have noticed a cat and her two kittens in my garden a lot recently. Just thought they were playing, no idea who they belong to.

This morning they are out there, huddled under a bench. It's frosty and I'm wondering if they maybe don't have a home. My cats would never have been out in this weather (would have been in my bed!).

They look healthy from what I can see. Not sure what to do. We are at the end of a cul de sac, so surrounded by many neighbours.

Should I call RSPCA?

Can you get close enough to see if the adult cat is wearing a collar? Be sure not to startle her or the kittens

You need @thecatneuterer for advice!

Have you asked your neighbours if any of them know the cat?

Not asked neighbours, we back onto too many gardens.

Don't call the RSPCA. They don't help with strays/ferals. You need literally any other charity. The cat is obviously stray or feral. An owned cat, with a home, wouldn't have her kittens outside.

Can you assess how friendly she is? The first thing to do is to put down food, water and, if possible, some sort of shelter (such as a plastic storage box with a hole cut in the side and blankets inside).

If the mum seems to be friendly then try to gain her trust. How old are the kittens? Are they eating?

You will then need a charity to catch/trap them all. At the very least the mum cat will need to be neutered and returned - and what would happen to the kittens depends on age and how feral they are. At worst they too would be neutered/returned. At best they would be tamed and homed.

Can you tell us where in the country you are? We might be able to recommend charities. You can also find local charities here: www.catchat.org

Do they look fed? I had a cat camping in my garden one year its owner wouldn't care for it rspca weren't interested because I fed it my cats wouldn't let him in so he spent the winter in a wooden box I would put a hot water bottle and towels in there for him the RSPCA said they might help as she failed to provide a roof over his head and then the poor thing was hit by a car killed outright my other neighbour rang the RSPCA back and called them murders he was 18 months old

@thecatneuterer they aren’t tiny kittens. I am in UK. I was thinking of getting cat food on the way home from work later, but didn’t want to steal someone’s cats.

Where in the UK?

A cat that has kittens in a garden isn't owned. Just forget that idea entirely. How tame does the mum cat seem?

Check facebook for your local cat rescues. Dont bother with the big ones. A small local one will have someone out today most likely.
Good luck.

I don't know if different RSPCA branches have different policies? A stray cat had three kittens in my garden a couple of years ago. She was fairly tame but no id tag and not microchipped. My local RSPCA rehoming centre looked after them and put them up for adoption. Maybe other RSPCA branches are different? I don't know.

She definitely needs food, water and shelter. Where in the UK are you?

It was freezing last night, no bloody wonder they were huddled under a bench.