need advice on stray cats

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Ann - 07 Oct 2004 21:50 GMT

There is a mother cat and 4 kittens that have been around my neighborhood
all summer. I found out that the don't belong to anyone.The past 2 days I
have seen the mother and one of the kittens around again. I have never tried
to rescue a cat before.
Are there groups that will come and trap them? I live in Connecticut and
don't know who to call. Any advice would be appreciated.
Ann

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Steve Touchstone - 07 Oct 2004 23:30 GMT

>There is a mother cat and 4 kittens that have been around my neighborhood
>all summer. I found out that the don't belong to anyone.The past 2 days I
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>don't know who to call. Any advice would be appreciated.
>Ann

Frist off, thanks for caring about the cats and trying to help them.
In a lot of areas, there are groups (mostly non-profit or volunteer)
who try to rescue stray and feral cats. Unfortunately, I'm in Oklahoma
and don't know who to put you in touch with in Connecticut.

If you can't find a group in your area, would you be up for trying to
trap them yourself? Maye some of the neighbors would be willing to
help, too, depending on the neighborhood. If so, there are people on
the net, and here in this group, who can offer advice.

If you do end up trapping them yourself, you'll need to have some plan
for them. The main thing would be to get them checked out by a vet,
and neutered. A truly staggering number of offspring can be produced
from a single unpayed mama cat,

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Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
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Ann - 07 Oct 2004 23:58 GMT

Today I say the mother cat and 3 of the 4 kittens. I was just looking at
them and thinking how hard it must be for them to to find something to eat.
The next thing I know I was in the house getting dry cat food for them and
if they have dry food then they need water. Out I go with a container with
water in it. I did see the kittens eat some of the food.
Ann

>>There is a mother cat and 4 kittens that have been around my neighborhood
>>all summer. I found out that the don't belong to anyone.The past 2 days I
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> and neutered. A truly staggering number of offspring can be produced
> from a single unpayed mama cat,

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Elise - 08 Oct 2004 00:27 GMT

>>>There is a mother cat and 4 kittens that have been around my neighborhood
>>>all summer. I found out that the don't belong to anyone.The past 2 days I
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>>>don't know who to call. Any advice would be appreciated.
>>>Ann

The Connecticut Cat Rescue Web:
http://members.tripod.com/~Kirra/index.html/rescuers.html
they list shelters and rescue organizations all over Connecticut so
hopefully you can find one near you.
Good luck with the kitties!

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Elise (supervised by Gossamer & Jeeves)
dragonandthistle at snet dot net

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Ann - 08 Oct 2004 02:19 GMT

Thanks for the information. I found 2 shelters near me. Kitty Angels is
where I adopted my 2 cats from.
Ann

>>>>There is a mother cat and 4 kittens that have been around my
>>>>neighborhood
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> hopefully you can find one near you.
> Good luck with the kitties!

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Ann - 08 Oct 2004 22:25 GMT

Thanks for the advice on helping the stray cats. I talked to Sandy at Kitty
Angels today. She suggested I feed them and try to see how friendly they
are. If they are to wild there is a problem with getting them tame enough to
be adopted. She asked that I call her back in about 2 weeks. When I put put
the food out I stayed about 10 feet away and watched. They did come out from
behind the fence to get the food.
Ann

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Steve Touchstone - 09 Oct 2004 03:44 GMT

On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 17:25:58 -0400, in rec.pets.cats.anecdotes you
wrote:

>Thanks for the advice on helping the stray cats. I talked to Sandy at Kitty
>Angels today. She suggested I feed them and try to see how friendly they
>are. If they are to wild there is a problem with getting them tame enough to
>be adopted. She asked that I call her back in about 2 weeks. When I put put
>the food out I stayed about 10 feet away and watched. They did come out from
>behind the fence to get the food.

That actually sounds hopeful - at least to me. I went through this
with Rocky (he was feral for 6-8 years), and it was months before I
saw more than his tail disappearing over the fence. My suggestion, if
you have the time and patience, would be to just sit out there while
they eat. Feed them about the same time each day. At first, just
ignore them while they eat and get used you being there. When they get
used to you, you can start moving the chair a little closer each day.
Eventually, they should feel safe enough to come close to you while
they eat. They may not be ready to be adopted in two weeks, but
hopefully Sandy knows of someone who has experience with fostering and
socializing.

When I was doing this with Rocky I let himset the pace. I'm thinking
that your kitties may accept you sooner than he did, since they don't
sound as wild as he was. There really is something really special
about a rescue kitty.

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Ann - 09 Oct 2004 19:14 GMT

I have been sitting out near them while they are eating and have been
talking to them.
Sandy at Kitty Angels does have people that will socialize the kittens. She
is hoping that
they are not completely wild and that is why she wants a call back in 2
weeks.She said it is
hard to socialize feral cats that are to wild.
The kittens where born in the spring from what I heard from a neighbor. They
were born under his deck but the
mother moved they before he could get her.
Ann

"Steve Touchstone" <stouchst@junksirinet.net> wrote in message >

> That actually sounds hopeful - at least to me. I went through this
> with Rocky (he was feral for 6-8 years), and it was months before I
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> sound as wild as he was. There really is something really special
> about a rescue kitty.

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Christine Burel - 10 Oct 2004 01:42 GMT

You're doing a good thing, Ann; they'll have a good chance because you're
taking the time and effort to work with them-- kudos and much encouragement
from us! I had help from a rescue group in 2001 to get 3 adults and 3
kittens out from under my kids' school library (Oreo was one of the cats)
and last year was coached through rehabbing a feral kitty (Tucker). Lots of
purrs from us!
Christine and Omar, Oreo, Midnight, Robin & Tucker
P.S. Feel free to email me if I can help in any way; although it sounds like
you've got a good handle on what you're doing!

> I have been sitting out near them while they are eating and have been
> talking to them.
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> > sound as wild as he was. There really is something really special
> > about a rescue kitty.

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Marina - 10 Oct 2004 04:02 GMT

> I have been sitting out near them while they are eating and have been
> talking to them.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> were born under his deck but the
> mother moved they before he could get her.

I don't have a any advice to give, but wanted to say thank you for
caring and trying to help those kittens. It sounds like you are
progressing nicely. We are purring for your success.

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Enfilade - 10 Oct 2004 18:08 GMT

> > I have been sitting out near them while they are eating and have been
> > talking to them.

You'll have friends in no time...my Smokey went from feral to lapcat
in two months by doing that.

However we suspect he might have been a pet before. If the mother was
born wild, she might not let you touch her, but if the kittens are
only a couple months old, odds are they will accept you.

--Fil

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