Kitties under our deck

[Gertrudes]

Ok, I think I need some insight on kitty behavior. I just found a litter of kitties under my deck. The neighbor's cat comes a lot to our garden and enjoys our strokes and laps. Lately my partner noticed that her belly was looking protuberant, therefore pregnant. I didn't think so as she looked way too young, but since 3 days we have been hearing baby kitties mewing nearby, only we never thought they were under our deck! The mother is nowhere to be seen, so I don't know whether she is just keeping them in a safe place as they usually do and then comes back to feed them, or whether she has abandoned them.
From vague childhood memories, I remember my cat being always with her kitties when they were new born, so I don't know whether this litter being alone for this long is normal. I haven't seen momma cat in a while, but then again she might have come while I'm working.

So, we don't know what to do. For those of you who have cats, do mums usually leave them and go out and about and then come back to feed them? This is maybe very obvious but I really don't know.

I don't know how she managed to get inside, we certainly can't reach them and are considering taking a few deck boards to at least see in which condition they're in, if they have been fed or not. On the other hand, if she is coming she will probably not like our intrusion. There are a few foxes around here, so maybe that's why she's put them in such an inaccessible place?

Thanks for any tips!

 

[EmeraldHope]

Gertrudes,

I would say I have seen it go both ways. While most momma cats seem to stay near their kittens, some do abandon them . My youngest cat was abandoned in the woods with his brother and sisters. One got eaten by some type of predator and one was so weak and malnourished that she could not use her front legs for quite some time. My friend and I rescued all of them and nursed them with an eyedropper and kitten milk that is sold in small cartons at pet stores and Wal mart. They were also badly infected with ear mites. I would guess you would need to see their condition and approximate age and perhaps find a way to monitor them and see if they are being looked after .

If they are very young, the momma cat usually doesn't leave them except to eat,drink, potty, etc.

 

[Gertrudes]

I would say I have seen it go both ways. While most momma cats seem to stay near their kittens, some do abandon them . My youngest cat was abandoned in the woods with his brother and sisters. One got eaten by some type of predator and one was so weak and malnourished that she could not use her front legs for quite some time. My friend and I rescued all of them and nursed them with an eyedropper and kitten milk that is sold in small cartons at pet stores and Wal mart. They were also badly infected with ear mites. I would guess you would need to see their condition and approximate age and perhaps find a way to monitor them and see if they are being looked after .

If they are very young, the momma cat usually doesn't leave them except to eat,drink, potty, etc.

Oh dear.... I also thought she wouldn't leave them on their own... Do you have an idea of how long they can survive without food?

 

[Guardian]

Oh dear.... I also thought she wouldn't leave them on their own... Do you have an idea of how long they can survive without food?

Everything depends on their age, if their mom is feral, she will usually start to go out to drink and hunt again for short periods a week or two after they're born. How long they can survive without her depends on their age too.

I would go for the rescue, check their condition, feed them if necessary, and make a nest for them somewhere on your porch where mom can get to them.

Cats are not like birds, if mom is alive and healthy (and mature) she's come get her kittens and carry them to another hiding place one at a time if you move them.

If mom is alive and feral, you might also want to consider whether or not it would be MUCH more humane for you to take the kittens in and find them good homes. This kinda depends on where you are...feral cats are common (and often welcome) in farm county, horse barns, etc. but the city's a whole other story.

 

[Gertrudes]

The meows have stopped, even when we knocked on the wood. We whistled, talked, walked and couldn't get a sound. I held my hear against the thin gap between 2 wooden boards and heard a sound similar to a clock ticking, but that also seemed a suckling sound. It stopped after a while. It seemed like they were being fed, which would also explain the total absence of meows. I'll go outside again in an hour or so, I'm not comfortable with taking the deck board out yet if mom is with them now.

Cats are not like birds, if mom is alive and healthy (and mature) she's come get her kittens and carry them to another hiding place one at a time if you move them.

She's young, but is a city domesticated cat.

I would go for the rescue, check their condition, feed them if necessary, and make a nest for them somewhere on your porch where mom can get to them.

I'm checking again in a few minutes and if there are meows, I'll open the deck, if not...I'll probably open it anyway.

 

[Guardian]

She's young, but is a city domesticated cat.

Can you get a picture of her and circulate it among your neighbors to see who she belongs to? If she's domesticated chances are she lives VERY close to where she hid her kittens.... and her owners could be wondering where she had her babies?

 

[Gertrudes]

The floor boards wouldn't move, the screws are too rusty. We managed to attract them trough a hole, and 2 came out. They're gorgeous! They look healthy, their eyes are opened, they walk and seems strong, so I think that they have been fed. We brought them inside and are trying to find out whether there's more. I'm worried about the foxes though, so I don't know whether we should put them back in, since it seems, by their looks, that momma has been coming. Also, it is nearly midnight here and everything is shut. Can they feed on meat already?

Edit: grammar

 

[Gertrudes]

Yeah, by the way they are moving around and playing with each other they have definitely been well fed. They're such cutties

She's young, but is a city domesticated cat.

Can you get a picture of her and circulate it among your neighbors to see who she belongs to? If she's domesticated chances are she lives VERY close to where she hid her kittens.... and her owners could be wondering where she had her babies?

You're right. I know it is one of the houses to my right, maybe 2 or 3 houses after. I was thinking of knocking on all doors tomorrow since it's late here now.

 

[Gertrudes]

I'm going to put them back in, I think it is the best option. It is where they're warmer and safer and mum will probably return soon.
Thanks EmeraldHope and Guardian!

 

[Guardian]

The floor boards wouldn't move, the screws are too rusty. We managed to attract them trough a hole, and 2 came out. They're gorgeous! They look healthy, they're eyes are opened, they walk and seems strong, so I think they have been fed.

Yeah, she has to have been taking care of them if they're in good condition and their eyes are open.

We brought them inside and are trying to find out whether there's more. I'm worried about the foxes though, so I don't know whether we should put them back in, since it seems, by their looks, that momma has been coming.

Mom can protect them from a fox, IF she's there. Can you get her to come to you?

Also, it is nearly midnight here and everything is shut. Can they feed on meat already?

That depends on their age. Their eyes open at 7-10 days, and they can start eating solid food as young as 3 weeks. You could try grinding up a little raw meat and offering it?

 

[Gertrudes]

Mom can protect them from a fox, IF she's there. Can you get her to come to you?

That's what we've been trying, but we haven't seen her yet.

That depends on their age. Their eyes open at 7-10 days, and they can start eating solid food as young as 3 weeks. You could try grinding up a little raw meat and offering it?

7-10 days, so they're that old already!
Now we have a little problem, they won't stay in (under the deck), and we can't let them wonder around because that attracts predators and it is colder. We're going to cover the hole, I think it is safer for them to stay under the deck and wait for mom to return.

 

[Guardian]

We're going to cover the hole, I think it is safer for them to stay under the deck and wait for mom to return.

That's not the same hole mom uses to get in and out is it?

 

[anart]

We're going to cover the hole, I think it is safer for them to stay under the deck and wait for mom to return.

That's not the same hole mom uses to get in and out is it?

I had the same thought. Looks like you showed them the way out and now they want out...

 

[Gertrudes]

We're going to cover the hole, I think it is safer for them to stay under the deck and wait for mom to return.

That's not the same hole mom uses to get in and out is it?

That hole was covered, we opened it up. I think she's getting in through the side of the deck.

I had the same thought. Looks like you showed them the way out and now they want out...

I know :/ I didn't want to put them back either, but I think it is safer for now. Then....we might keep one...or two :D

 

[Gertrudes]

Here is the rest of our Kitten story:

Yesterday me and my partner decided to open the hole again and check on the kitten's condition. The last time we have seen the mother was last week, so although the kittens looked fine on Thursday we were a little worried. So we called them out and the same two kittens came out.....They looked so weak it was painful to watch....The black one could still stand on his legs but the grey stripey one that had been so lively on Thursday couldn't, his legs were so floppy they looked like overcooked spaghetti. I don't know how he managed to drag himself to the hole but I'm glad he did, we had to take him out ourselves though. We immediately got some cooked meat we had as the raw meat was all frozen, and fed them. They ate voraciously. The black one was fine but the stripey one really scared us with sudden convulsions that made him pass out. For a moment there we thought he had died, but he improved steadily and after a couple of hours was back on his legs and, fortunately, stronger then when we got him out.
We took them to the vet who estimated them to be 2 weeks old, he said they were fine just very undernourished. We got some kitten milk and fed them.

In the meantime we were worried because we could no longer hear the meows we heard last Thursday from the other kittens. We called Celia Hammond animal trust for help, these were motherless very young kittens that we couldn't take care of since we are out all day working (Luckily yesterday was our day of) She came with a helper and a builder who finally managed to dismantle part of the decking. Celia made a seriously impressive imitation of momma cat mewing which, after a long time, got us a very faint squeak. We found what seemed to be an ice cold stiff dead kitten body. Poor little thing had fallen into a hole and that's why it was in a much worse condition then the others who at least had been keeping each other warm. He seemed dead, but after being rubbed and warmed for over an hour he finally opened his eyes and began to move. It was heart warming to see it, particularly how he reacted to Celia's cat mum imitations of meows. Hearing those meows was actually the only thing that got that initial squeak from him, I don't think anything else would have gotten a reaction from this nearly dead kitten.

They took the kittens, the mother has clearly been taken away or has, perhaps, died. I thought that despite all of this the story would have a happy ending, which it does, partly. The little one we brought to life last night died at 3am this morning. According to Celia, he seemed to have been doing fine all night until just before 3am when his breath changed....Poor thing, I think it was just too much for him, he has probably been without food for longer then the others, not to mention warmth.
The other 2 on the other hand are doing great, they are feeding very well and are jumping around!
I have to say that I was seriously impressed with this rescue team. I have had to look for help in the past but never found this degree of genuine interest nor commitment.

They will only give out these 2 cats to families that will take them together, and they check the family profile before handing them. In the meantime they are looking for a foster mother.
I'm very glad they are in good hands.