6 week old kittens.

[Bargebill19]

I’m furious with hubby and he knows it.

6 weeks ago a feral cat I’d been feeding for several months, decided to give birth under my car. On vets advice mum and 3 kittens were transferred to a box in our shed.
Kittens only just weaned this week but are still wanting mums milk as top up. As such the vets have refused to neuter mum until kittens are no longer wanting mums milk.

I returned from work tonight to find hubby has deliberately let Mrs cat out of the shed for ‘fresh air’. Predictably she has run off. I doubt she will come back. He is convinced she will return and somehow I will ‘sort this out’. Mrs cat has and does refuse to come anywhere near us, even in the shed she likes to sit under the wheelbarrow out of reach. I can’t magic this ‘better’!

We have always intended to neuter and home the kittens with us - once they no longer needed mum. Sorry, but I don’t trust other people to look after them responsibly. I always though Mrs cat would likely return to the wild but AFTER she had been neutered.

So my question - what do I do now? Do I bring the kittens in from the shed immediately or hope that Mrs cat somehow plucks up enough courage to return and allow me to open the shed door for her?

Could you leave the shed open for a wee while if the kittens are contained enough

Hi, no real advice but I think that Mrs cat is likely to come back. She maybe wanted to escape for a bit ( dont we all?!) I would maybe try and leave the shed door open if you can for her to return. She will hear the kittens mowing and mothering instinct will (should) make her come back x

They have a kitten pen as they’ve outgrown the cardboard box. I can do that for a bit but would have to sit with them as one is like Harry Houdini.
I’ll grab a coat and give it a go.

At 6 weeks I don't think she will be back for the kittens .
Unless you are loudly announcing food regularly( dry food box or can sounds) and she comes to you...
Maybe dh needs to be the one camped out in the shed waiting for her.. A whole week possibly? ?

I would wait... feral cats often come back for their kittens. But only until it starts to get dark because after that foxes are about and may kill them. If mum cat comes back you will notice her miaowing at the shed and you could return the kittens to her.

At 6 weeks they can survive without mum and as they are weaning she may not want to come back for them - cats don't recognise their kittens as theirs after a certain age.

If OP has been feeding her regularly then she will probably come back

I hope her mothering instinct does kick in. I don’t have a problem with her wanting her old life but would rather the issue of her having yet more kittens is solved first and these gorgeous kittens have what they need from mum first. Sadly she is bit of a crap mum according to a neighbour - her last lot of kittens were born up a tree and it did not end well apparently.

She will likely come back, she will likely have been mated, so she needs to be neutered asap.

Your vet has been very irresponsible to not spay a feral cat, waiting for the kittens to wean is very outdated.

I was feeding her only if I saw her. So if she appeared in the garden, I’d put a bowl of food out under a chair, retreat to a safe distance and them she would eat happily. I did not leave food out due to a potential rat problem occurring. She’s a tiny scrap of a feral cat and a very independent lady. The feral toms around here are huge and would rip your arm off if you even so much as think ‘vet’.

I think the covid 19 restrictions have played a part in the vets reasoning. I had to ring several vets before one would agree to it. Several refused as they were not allowed to use oxygen for non emergency surgery. I guess the government wanted it for the nhs?

Vets are allowed to carry out essential treatment still, spaying a feral cat comes under this. I would be making a complaint and finding a new vet. There is absolutely no reason to wait until the kittens are weaned and this simply increases the risk of her becoming pregnant again and needing to spay and terminate which is riskier for her. It should have been done weeks ago. Vets are still vaccinating puppies and kittens, no reason at all to refuse to do this.

@DonnaR1987

Thank you - I’ve only ever had kittens from rescue centres and they were a bit older and definitely eating food rather then needing mums milk. If they will be ok with help, then I’ll stop being quite so mad at hubby.

Here’s the RCVS covid advice if you want to have a read. Clearly states that procedures that have an animal welfare implication should be carried out.

www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19/

@LesbianMummies

I agree - but it’s what I was told and I phoned several before one even agreed to do it once they were fully weaned. - I guess that at the rate the kittens are growing next week would have been ideal.
What’s done is done. I doubt I’ll catch her again to get her spayed unless she returns tonight. I have no idea what on earth possessed my hubby to even think letting her out was a good idea.

I understand you did what you could it is the vet who has however been very irresponsible and vets have been advised that neutering should be going ahead for animals where they are unable to be contained and prevent pregnancy.

Mrs cat has returned!!!
I put the kittens in their pen and left the door open and sat quietly. Little family all safely together.
Neutering will be done ASAP. Although hubby is now firmly off the cat sitting rota.

Thank you everyone!!!

Phew!! Maybe send dh along - tell them not to bother with anaesthetic for him!

😂😂😂 I was so cross I could have done it myself with two house bricks!

@Bargebill19 you sound lovely, I would be exactly the same as you; lots of history of stray/unwanted/neglected beautiful cats. Hats off to you :)

I'm so glad she returned! My vet spayed my female cat when her kittens were about 6 weeks old. The vet said ideally they wait until the mum's milk has dried up, kittens fully weaned and mum's recovered a bit, but as she was young and there was a stray male tom inviting himself into my cat flap, they decided it was safer to spay! When they spayed her, her uterus was ready for mating again apparently!

No advice but you’re a lovely person for looking after baby cats and looking out for Mrs Cat. Would be great if you can get her neutered. Would she not perhaps make a nice pet after that?

Mrs cat is washing her family throughly. - they are happily having a bedtime feed. She’s had a bowlful of kitten food and some dry kibble and some milk and water.
I can’t tell you how happy the sight makes me. !

I’m stood on tiptoe peering through my own shed window in the rain. Does this make me mad or a slave ????!!!

I would love to be a slave to the entire family. But I don’t think Mrs cat will want that - she’s such a fearsomely independent lady. The kittens will definitely become part of our household and Mrs cat will be welcome to stay if she so chooses.