Stray has had a litter in our shed

[MayMiracle]

A stray cat, who is almost impossible to approach, extremely skittish and anxious has had a litter in our shed.

We thought she was pregnant as she had been gaining weight and was meowing much more than usual.

But you can't get near her as she scarpers as soon as you approach.

I'm not sure what to do next, I'm assuming the kittens are very new, as we last saw her a few days ago looking heavy.

My husband checked shed this morning and she is laying in the back corner with at least 2 maybe 3 babies feeding. We don't want to scare her, or have any to harm come to the kittens, but just not sure how to best proceed.

Should we leave her/them alone? Leave food, water for her? I don't think local rescue centres are coming out due to CV19.

I'm just looking for advice, guidance please

The rescue centre may not come out but they should be able to give you advice over the phone.

Can you feed her so she doesn't have to go hunting? Kitten food in I think for new mums?

Umm...congratulations?
Can you shut her in there with a litter tray to keep babies safe from foxes etc?

I think a rescue would still come out as no close contact necessary. I would shut her in with food and a litter tray to keep them all safe for now and contact your local cat rescue.

Thanks all, I've left messages with a couple of local rescue centres. We will leave some food for her and a litter tray

Does she have a cushion or some old towels to lay on? Food and water for mum too. Hope they are ok x

She’ll need water too. Filtered if you use it.

Many rescues are still operating. We would still come out to this. Where are you in the country? And you can find a full list of your local rescues here: www.catchat.org

And, in the meantime, just leave them all alone and feed the mum.

This happened to us, we made sure she had food and water and left her to it until the kittens were old enough, three out of five survived, one lives with us, and two others with neighbours, the mother gradually started to go into the neighbours house and is far less jumpy. We got a contribution from the CPL for vets fees because we'd rescued them. The kittens seem fine, they all had very grungy ears when we took them to the vets but no other ill-effects.

Thank you. We're in Warwickshire, I've left messages with 3 local rescue centres (all say to expect delay in response).

I'll take the advice given and leave them alone for awhile aside of food, water for mum

That's good to know Tabby. I already feel a sense of responsibility towards the wee things, and hope they have a chance at survival, happy rehoming x

We also think we know who the father and other relatives are by their fur patterns and way they move! There was a family in the street who didn't neuter their cats, so there were quite a few strays. No more kittens recently though! She will probably try to move them if feeling threatened, that happened to us - the DCs were perhaps a little over-excited - though we brought them back and gave them more space.

Honestly the best thing you can do is leave them alone for now. Put a box and blankets in so she has a next, food and water and a litter tray but then leave her alone. If you stress her too much she'll probably want to move the kittens and it might be to a less safe spot.

A friend works for a cat rescue and she leaves lots of food out for the new mummy, feeding the kittens makes them really hungry. Once the kittens are weaned they trap her, get her spayed and let her decide where to go.

Hey OP, it would be really kind to leave her food and water. Maybe a box with some cushions in it if you have one? Or just some cushions? Really nice of you to look after her.

Yes, leave her plenty of food and water. Kitten food is great because it is very nutritious and all the nutrients are passed on to the babies. If she is extremely skittish I would focus on dry food because you can leave a big heap of it without having to go back as often to top up the food. Thankfully the weather is not too cold and they will be warm and snuggly with mum. The main thing is to leave her alone as much as possible so she doesn’t move her kittens elsewhere. Keep ringing the charities for rehoming but you’re fine at the moment as they are still very small. They will want to get mum for neutering and they will advise on when to take the kittens. With very feral mums, kittens are sometimes taken a little bit earlier than usual to make sure they can be socialised.