Re-homing - help needed.

bellajack

Long story.....

Around 12 - 13 months ago we had a stray cat arrive in our garden. We fed her, looked after her and tried without success to persuade her to come indoors. We made her a home in a shed and continued to feed her until we noticed a kitten. Said kitten was very timid and we could not get near her - when she was old enough to feed herself we continued feeding both her and mum. Unfortunately mum became very aggressive towards her and we had to find ways to feed them separately.

Kitten made her home elsewhere - under a pile of bricks. Eventually - around September last year we managed to entice kitten into the house. Cat then got pregnant again and had 5 kittens at the beginning of August so we looked after all of them - 6 outside and one inside! All kittens still timid but we did manage to encourage 1 to come inside end of November and then another a week or so later.

Cats Protection League helped us out and we got mum spayed and one of the kittens - the female. They also took 2 of the other kittens away 2 or 3 months ago.

Mum cat is friendly towards us and she tolerates the kitten who still lives outside with her but she is still very aggressive towards first kitten and sometimes towards others. She sees the 3 kittens we have adopted through the windows and doors and often sits outside looking in...we can't let her in now though as she would attack kittens.

The problem we have is that we need to find homes for cat and one kitten and I am not sure how to go about this. The kitten outside is soooo timid that we can't get near. We could catch mum but not the kitten. When CPL took away the other 2 kittens they started phoning us and saying they would have trouble rehoming them as they were not suitable for a domestic home. I think they were just scared and didn't react well to the way they were handled - one of the CPL ladies got scratched. They wanted us to take them back which I don't think was very good.

I really don't think mum and the kitten have a very good life at the moment and kitten is not being socialized. I think three is enough for us to cope with and wondered if anyone has any suggestions as to how to go about rehoming the Cat and kitten (who will be very difficult if not impossible to catch!). I also don't know if kitty is male or female!

tattyuk75

http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/html/cats.html

Just had a quick google for you and depending on where you are, one of the rescue centres in the list in the above link may be able to help. I've just read that some people will home a semi-feral cat for pest control purposes, so that could be a good way to go. I gave a home to a semi-feral farm kitten a few years ago, and he turned into a lovely pet, I think the CPL were maybe being a bit hasty though. Saying that, I don't think it would be very easy finding a home for an adult semi-feral cat like the mother but you can try.

This situation is precisely why you should definitely get your male cats neutered, so they can't go round giving the feral females kittens!

Good luck, you are doing a brilliant job in looking out for their interests

tattyuk75

http://www.catchat.org/feralcats.html

Loads of info on this link too.

missmontana

See if there are any stables near by looking for cats, they often have them as mousers.

juliebunny

Oh well done for getting these cats neutered - you have saved them from a lifetime of hard knocks having endless kittens.

Not many charities will take on ferals - they are simply too hard to care for and home - how old is the kitten? I'm guessing she is 6 months + if you have had her neutered, so she will never be homeable now except as a feral or to a very loving cat mad person.

If you are willing to care for them, you could make a shelter for them in your garden and feed them? I have a very feral cat and her kitten (who I have 'tamed' as had her from 3 weeks old.) I also put up shelters in my garden for my neighbours 4 cats who she has out permanently :mad:- they live in an old rabbit hutch lined with straw which they love. My cats tolerate them....but that took a while for them to get used to each other!

If you are going to catch them again, if you do find a farm or stable to take them, your CP may lend you a trap for this purpose?

podperson

Not sure how old the kittens are but if they are only a few months could be worth trying your local pet shop. My mum had a similar problem - two stray cats kept hanging round their house begging, looked like one was probably the kitten of the other as it still had that just grown up look and female was pregnant again. Local cat charity agreed to spay her when she'd had them but wouldn't take the kittens so they just rang the local pet store and they said they would take them when they were weaned or up to 3 months at a push. The kittens were fairly social though, would let you pick them up etc. so were easy to put in a basket and they were gone within 2 days. My mum is still stuck with 2 cats though, they live in their shed now