# Cat question



## paratrooper

About 6 weeks or so ago, a stray female cat started hanging around our house. Eventually, we started feeding it and suspected that it might be pregnant. 

Long story short, on or about May 1, it delivered 4-5 kittens. It's staying out behind our large storage shed. 

It's become tame enough that we can pet it and my wife gets along well with the cat. We don't allow it to come into the house though. 

Anyways, my wife is wanting to move the mother cat and her kittens to a better place out of the weather. We have a playhouse that no longer gets used. My wife is thinking about moving the clan there. 

Question: How old should the kittens be before we attempt to move them? We are going to be leaving on vacation near the end of May. Our neighbor will continue to feed the cat(s) though. 

TIA!!


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## TurboHonda

Did the cat have access to the playhouse before the kittens were born? If so, she may have preferred having the litter elsewhere. You can move them now if you want to. The cat may move them back. You might try putting the food in the playhouse. Good luck. Herding cats is like, well, herding cats.


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## paratrooper

TurboHonda said:


> Did the cat have access to the playhouse before the kittens were born? If so, she may have preferred having the litter elsewhere. You can move them now if you want to. The cat may move them back. You might try putting the food in the playhouse. Good luck. Herding cats is like, well, herding cats.


No, the cat didn't have access to the playhouse. My wife has been out checking on the mother and it's kittens, and the mother doesn't seem to be upset by her doing that.

I told her that mother nature pretty well gives animals a good sense of what they need to do and such. My wife still thinks the cats deserve better shelter.

We've been feeding the mother cat on our back patio. The playhouse is only about 20' or so away. Wife wants me to cut a hole in the door of the playhouse so that the mother cat can get in/out easily.

My wife did go out and put some plywood around where the cats are, to provide a little better shelter. I'm not much of an animal guy and I don't like making choices on their behalf for them.

Maybe we'll just wait another week or two before we try anything.


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## blake38

I think turbohonda has it right. You can move them now if you want to. The cat may move them back. The cat is not going to abandon them because you handled them. But, just to be on the safe side, consider calling a local vet or animal rescue organization to get their advice on this.


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## paratrooper

blake38 said:


> I think turbohonda has it right. You can move them now if you want to. The cat may move them back. The cat is not going to abandon them because you handled them. But, just to be on the safe side, consider calling a local vet or animal rescue organization to get their advice on this.


Thanks guys for the advice.

I do appreciate it. :smt023


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## paratrooper

My wife called our local animal shelter and ran some questions past them. She was told that the kittens are okay to move to a better location. Their eyes are still closed, and there are five of them. 

Anyways, I cut a hole in the door to the playhouse and we put a cardboard box with some old towels in it. We moved the kittens and the mother cat followed them into the playhouse. We put a food bowl and a water bowl inside. 

So, now they're out of the weather and much better protected. It's been a very long time since I've handled a kitten. It was pretty cool actually.


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## Frankv64

You do not know what you are getting into. Lol. 
Me and my wife started feeding a pregnant kitty about 8 years ago we now have 7 cats left out of 14 which are all fixed. They can reproduce every 6 months with each other so do the math. It is very hard to find homes for stray kitties so you should have them fixed as soon as possible usually around 6 months old or you will have your hands full. It has cost me thousands of dollars in vet bills as stray cats are very prone to getting all kinds of diseases. It is very easy to fall in love with those cute fur balls that's what makes it hard not to help them


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## paratrooper

Frankv64 said:


> You do not know what you are getting into. Lol.
> Me and my wife started feeding a pregnant kitty about 8 years ago we now have 7 cats left out of 14 which are all fixed. They can reproduce every 6 months with each other so do the math. It is very hard to find homes for stray kitties so you should have them fixed as soon as possible usually around 6 months old or you will have your hands full. It has cost me thousands of dollars in vet bills as stray cats are very prone to getting all kinds of diseases. It is very easy to fall in love with those cute fur balls that's what makes it hard not to help them


Yes, what you say is true. We really hadn't planned on all this, but we ended up with it anyways. I'm not sure what's gonna happen down the road, but we'll see.

No way are they gonna be house cats. That much I do know. Wife is talking about having the mother cat fixed once we return from our trip.

Neighbor and 13 yr. old grand-son will feed them while we're away.


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## paratrooper

Momma cat and kittens are doing fine. I'm really surprised at how well she adapted to her new housing. We go out to check on her and the kittens, and she's totally fine with us fussing over them. 

How many weeks does it take until the kittens open their eyes? They are about 7-8 days old today.


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## Philco

paratrooper said:


> Momma cat and kittens are doing fine. I'm really surprised at how well she adapted to her new housing. We go out to check on her and the kittens, and she's totally fine with us fussing over them.
> 
> How many weeks does it take until the kittens open their eyes? They are about 7-8 days old today.


You should start to see their eyes opening within the next few days. They usually will do it between two and three weeks of age. It's important that you handle them some while they are very young so that they will be socialized to humans. If you don't they'll grow up afraid of people and will be far less adoptable should you decide to try and find homes for them.


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## paratrooper

Philco said:


> You should start to see their eyes opening within the next few days. They usually will do it between two and three weeks of age. It's important that you handle them some while they are very young so that they will be socialized to humans. If you don't they'll grow up afraid of people and will be far less adoptable should you decide to try and find homes for them.


Yes, that's exactly what our local animal shelter told my wife. We've been handling them already a bit. Our 13 yr. old grand-son is here to help us, and he wants one of the kittens when they are able to leave the mother.


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## paratrooper

Well.......the kittens are almost 3 months old, and we've been adopting them out. We've placed three so far over the course of two days. We feel good about the people and the homes they are going to. 

We still have two left, both all grey, a female and a male. The mother cat is going in next week to be spayed. We may or may not keep her. I have to be honest, it's been tough to see the kittens leave. I guess even an ole SOB like me still has a soft spot in his heart. :smt083


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## pic

Empty nest syndrome


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## BigCityChief

^^Or maybe a soft heart after all.^^ In any event, you and your wife did a good thing. I believe good begets good. God bless.


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## paratrooper

We placed one more kitten today. It was the grey female. It went to a 13 yr. old girl. Her, her mother and younger brother came to look at it. It was love at first sight, and the young girl was head over heels in love with it. 

They live in a small town on a ranch. It's gonna be an indoors cat only. We only have the gray male left, and he's gonna be an issue to adopt out. He's shy and not all that crazy about being held. Looks as if I'm gonna have to go and get him used to being held. We hope to wait for a few days before he gets placed.


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## Raylan

I enjoyed reading this paratrooper. You have a good soul. Maybe that's shy cat will turn out to be your buddy and you will decide to keep him. I ran into a shy kitten 15 years ago, he's sittin' right next to me.


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## paratrooper

Raylan said:


> I enjoyed reading this paratrooper. You have a good soul. Maybe that's shy cat will turn out to be your buddy and you will decide to keep him. I ran into a shy kitten 15 years ago, he's sittin' right next to me.


Thanks for the kind words. My wife is having a hard time with most of the kittens gone. It just seems so quiet around here. The remaining kitten seems to be doing okay, but you do have to wonder what's going thru it's mind, in regards to all of it's brothers and sisters being gone. He's sticking close to his mother. When we had all five kittens, it was funny as could be, watching them play and rough house with one another.

We do know one thing for sure though. We don't want to go thru this again. It has been tough to see them go one at a time. I don't think I've been around kittens for over 30 yrs. or so. I pretty much forgot how much fun they can be to be around. I also forgot how tough it can be to see them go.


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## Vodoun da Vinci

Yer a good one, paratrooper. I have had a lot of pets - cats and dogs over the last years and letting them go, either to "wherever we go when we are gone" or to another home is always hard. It means we are human and good...feelings are good things even if they don't always feel so good.

My brother had a cat that was his pride and joy and learned tricks like coming when called and rolling over, sit, stay. It was always a stitch when visiting to watch the show. After many good years the cat passed away and he was shocked that he actually cried and grieved for many days.

His wife, not a pet person at all, thought he had gone crazy or that he had a brain tumor or something to grieve so about a cat. But to us animal people they are as good as any human friend and often better. Folks who aren't pet lovers don't get it.

Thank you for taking car of the kittens and the momma kitty. It's cool to know there are folks who are not suffering from the modern malady of Compassion Deficit Disorder. :smt1099

VooDoo


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## pic

if you hang the cat by the tail they move more n are much harder to hit.
downside is they don't make that cool metal sound when hit


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## paratrooper

pic said:


> if you hang the cat by the tail they move more n are much harder to hit.
> downside is they don't make that cool metal sound when hit


I'm quite sure that you were trying to be funny, but as far as I'm concerned, you came up way short.


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## pic

I have three house cats, tired of the cat hair, cleaning the cat box twice a day( the kids promised they would take care of them). Cat hair sucking through the duct system. Changing the filter all the time.
no I wasn't being funny . All they do is eat sleep after Scratching the furniture, carpets, running around all night knocking things over, 
AM I MISSING SOMETHING USEFUL? Help me to find these cats fun or useful
I really don't care for the useless animal


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## paratrooper

pic said:


> I have three house cats, tired of the cat hair, cleaning the cat box twice a day( the kids promised they would take care of them). Cat hair sucking through the duct system. Changing the filter all the time.
> no I wasn't being funny . All they do is eat sleep after Scratching the furniture, carpets, running around all night knocking things over,
> AM I MISSING SOMETHING USEFUL? Help me to find these cats fun or useful
> I really don't care for the useless animal


I feel the same way about some dogs and their irresponsible owners. They bark all hours of the day, crap all over the place, and tear up lawns. And sometimes, it's a real challenge to figure out who's actually smarter, the owner or the dog.

BTW......the cats we are placing are being kept outside, in a kid's playhouse that was converted to a cat house (pardon the pun). :mrgreen:


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## pic

paratrooper said:


> I feel the same way about some dogs and their irresponsible owners. They bark all hours of the day, crap all over the place, and tear up lawns. And sometimes, it's a real challenge to figure out who's actually smarter, the owner or the dog.
> 
> BTW......the cats we are placing are being kept outside, in a kid's playhouse that was converted to a cat house (pardon the pun). :mrgreen:


You have me thinking now!,lol.
Cats do have a place in my heart.:heart:
What I said, I believe is misplaced anger,lol.
I would like to retract my feelings about cats and figure out my misplaced anger. Maybe it's me. 
or
Politicians , drug dealers, ETC.


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## paratrooper

pic said:


> You have me thinking now!,lol.
> Cats do have a place in my heart.:heart:
> What I said, I believe is misplaced anger,lol.
> I would like to retract my feelings about cats and figure out my misplaced anger. Maybe it's me.
> or
> Politicians , drug dealers, ETC.


Yup......if you want to be angry, be angry at the politicians. I'm sure that we can all get on board that band wagon. :smt023


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## paratrooper

Another update. Took momma cat in yesterday to get spayed. She's back home and getting used to having that deflector shield around her neck. For the most part, she's okay with it. She's gotta wear it for 7-10 days. 

And....we called and asked for one of the kittens back that we placed earlier. It was the all black female and we adopted it out to a young guy with two dogs. We had some bad feelings at first about it, but didn't act on it. 

It's hard to explain, but we felt the young guy and his two dogs weren't a good fit for the kitten. My wife called him after three days with the kitten to see how all was going? He said that his dogs were okay with the kitten, but the kitten wasn't all that good with the dogs. 

Young guy agreed that he should return the kitten. He brought it back and we gave him $20.00 to cover cost of gas and expenses. My wife was sick that we allowed the kitten to go with him. She couldn't sleep all that well and had cried over it a few times. 

Anyways, momma cat still has two kittens to fuss over. We're gonna wait for a while until we decide to adopt the two remaining kittens out. We learned a very valuable lesson, and to learn to listen to what our guts tell us, when it comes to potential adoptive persons.


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## BigCityChief

^^Good for you and your wife - a great call IMO.^^


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## Vodoun da Vinci

Good on ya...

I'm a pet lover. We need to take care of them because, in this century, they only exist because humans made it so. We are responsible for them....some person either bred the animals or allowed them to escape and make more animals.

My personal belief, having dumped over $12,000 into a Chocolate Lab rescued from the pound, is that they are worth as much as a human. Maybe more...I didn't want the Lab but he helped me survive my Wife's cancer and I have no idea how I would have made it without his love and attention to my grief and needs. She survived and is living large almost 5 years later and *she* survived because of my support and *I* survived because of the unconditional love and undying lotalty of an animal I rescued from within minutes of being terminated.

Love of animals and assuming the reins to make their lives as you have done with the kittens is a good thing. Good on ya...this is good Karma and means you and your Wife are strong and "human" to save a life.

Well done and thank you!

VooDoo


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## Raylan

Glad to hear that all is well with the cat and kittens Paratrooper, I still think you should keep the shy one. I think he will be your buddy for the rest of his life.


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## paratrooper

Thanks again for the kind words and thoughts. We're talking about going ahead and having the two kittens fixed. The local animal shelter offers free spaying and neutering to owners of animals that are seniors or veterans. I'm both, so I guess that's a good thing. 

Anyways, the kittens are close to being old enough to have it done. Within a few weeks, they should be good to go. No way do we want to have the female kitten get pregnant.


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## high pockets

Good move. That's one of the biggest drawbacks to "free kittens."


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## paratrooper

Raylan said:


> Glad to hear that all is well with the cat and kittens Paratrooper, I still think you should keep the shy one. I think he will be your buddy for the rest of his life.


That just might become a reality. We have a person interested in the mother cat. Time will tell.


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## paratrooper

We had some serious thunder and lightning storms here last night. The kind where the light and noise hit at the same time. The black female kitten has gone missing.

My wife is now upset all over again. It's gonna be a long couple of days................:smt100

*Update:* Black female kitten showed back up. No idea as to where she was hiding out, but the wife is now happy again.....as am I. :smt038


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## pic

paratrooper said:


> We had some serious thunder and lightning storms here last night. The kind where the light and noise hit at the same time. The black female kitten has gone missing.
> 
> My wife is now upset all over again. It's gonna be a long couple of days................:smt100
> 
> *Update:* Black female kitten showed back up. No idea as to where she was hiding out, but the wife is now happy again.....as am I. :smt038


I would celebrate and buy another sig.


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## paratrooper

pic said:


> I would celebrate and buy another sig.


I don't smoke..............:smt018


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## paratrooper

Just cause I'm bored, I'll give an update. We ended up keeping the momma cat and two of her kittens. Kittens are now 5 months old, an all black female and all grey male. 

All three have been either spayed or neutered. I never thought we'd end up with three cats......ever! But, things have a way of working out, so it looks as if we'll have them for a long time. It is fun to watch as the kittens romp around and wrestle with one another. 

My wife is happy, so that makes me happy. A happy wife makes for a happy life. :smt033


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## Labradaddy

paratrooper, I know how you feel. I have always been a dog guy and have 7 rescues. All various large breeds. Never have been a cat fan but never had anything against them either. I put in a small shop and one of the barn cats decided to move in. She keeps the shop rodent free even with deer corn and sweet feed stored in there. She has had two litters of kittens since then. She has been spayed now. The sole survivor of the first litter is currently sitting on my lap helping me type and her second litter was four kittens. All ok and one has gone to my sister's house. The other 3 are running around the house like they own the place. They were born July 4th so we call them Freedom Kittens. Fun to have around no doubt but glad there won't be any more too soon.


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## EvilTwin

Labradaddy said:


> paratrooper, I know how you feel. I have always been a dog guy and have 7 rescues. All various large breeds. Never have been a cat fan but never had anything against them either. I put in a small shop and one of the barn cats decided to move in. She keeps the shop rodent free even with deer corn and sweet feed stored in there. She has had two litters of kittens since then. She has been spayed now. The sole survivor of the first litter is currently sitting on my lap helping me type and her second litter was four kittens. All ok and one has gone to my sister's house. The other 3 are running around the house like they own the place. They were born July 4th so we call them Freedom Kittens. Fun to have around no doubt but glad there won't be any more too soon.


This post is useless with out photos ... LOL
My wife and I are both rescue volunteers... we are cat people, we have elevated our spiritual status by moving from dogs to cats...
Also Happy to know this original 1 year old thread has a happy ending.

Pictures ?
Here is my Bi-eyed doll faced Persian Cubby










and Our Maine **** Chloe










we have a sign on the front door saying , house protected by a trained savage attack cat... here he is in action..










Bill aka ET


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## iGuy

Oops


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## iGuy

please find indoor homes for the cats. There is no such thing as a 'outdoor' pet. Ask your vet... If they're worth their salt they will be honest.

If no one is willing to acquiesce into taking them as indoor pets, find a no kill shelter where they will work to place them.

Outdoor cats become neighborhood nuisances at best - diseased and prematurely dead at worse. Lots of folks think cats are fine outdoors, but given the proper care, they all would rather the good life afforded by an indoor home.... My proof is sitting right by my side....

And please get the mom fixed as soon as it is possible to do so.... It is the responsible thing to do, and - well - you know it will prevent more orphaned kittens.


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## desertman

IGuy


> please find indoor homes for the cats.


We've had cats all of our lives, never let any of them out, they all lived long lives. If you're going to let them out, then why have them? Our current cat we found as a stray wandering the neighborhood at 5 months old. He was drinking dirty water that was in my neighbors driveway, so I called him and he ran right over to me rubbing against my leg. We already had two cats and were hesitant about taking him in, but the little fellow was hungry and thirsty. So we brought him inside and away from the other two as we didn't know if the cat had any disease that could be transferred to the other cats. Brought him to the vet to have him checked out, other than fleas and worms he was okay. We planned on giving him to a "no kill shelter", but he was so friendly we couldn't let him go. We have him to this day and no matter where we are inside the house he's right there. I wouldn't even think of letting him out, you never know what they will get into or type of animals they will come into contact with including those that are rabid.


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## pic

I like cats, BUT, they are very unsanitary as inside cats.
We have three inside cats.
Cat hair , Cat dander, Cat box with urine n feces. 
Cat uses the cat box , obviously, but then walks out of the cat box trailing cat litter,ok!
Do the cats not step in their own feces,urine? 
I insist the cat box be cleaned twice a day, minimum. 
Hair shedding . 
I constantly change the air filters. Cats hair through the ductwork.
My own personal opinion. 
If your circulating your indoor air you can add the cat urine, feces, cat dander in the circulated air.
I have three cats that need rescuing. Their time of demise is very close


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## Labradaddy

desertman said:


> IGuy
> 
> We've had cats all of our lives, never let any of them out, they all lived long lives. If you're going to let them out, then why have them? Our current cat we found as a stray wandering the neighborhood at 5 months old. He was drinking dirty water that was in my neighbors driveway, so I called him and he ran right over to me rubbing against my leg. We already had two cats and were hesitant about taking him in, but the little fellow was hungry and thirsty. So we brought him inside and away from the other two as we didn't know if the cat had any disease that could be transferred to the other cats. Brought him to the vet to have him checked out, other than fleas and worms he was okay. We planned on giving him to a "no kill shelter", but he was so friendly we couldn't let him go. We have him to this day and no matter where we are inside the house he's right there. I wouldn't even think of letting him out, you never know what they will get into or type of animals they will come into contact with including those that are rabid.


You guy obviously don't live on farms with barns. However I applaud your love and dedication to your cats.


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## otisroy

I call 'em organic pest control. Years ago we had construction all around us in NM that disrupted the mice and a couple eventually found their way into the garage and finally the house. We set traps and they're only so effective. I kept telling my wife, that we could just go to the pound and get a cat. Well, she'd never had cats and was convinced that cats are horrible pets. When she found mouse droppings on the floor in the pantry, she decided she could live with a cat. That cat liked to fetch so she had a new best friend.


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## flgunner

If you have some time on your hands, some cats (at least Rocky) are trainable.

My brother shot the attached vid of Rocky doing his evening routine.

[video]http://johnmtaylor.com/Rocky%20Clip/Rocky_0001.wmv[/video]


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## desertman

Labradaddy:


> You guy obviously don't live on farms with barns.


No, I live where there are coyotes, javelina, mountain lions, bobcats, rattlesnakes, raccoons, skunks etc. All of our cats have been friendly affectionate animals, I certainly would not want to see anything happen to them due to our neglect. My sister has both cats and dogs and lets the cats out regularly despite having one of them getting hit and killed by a car and others mauled by who knows what. The dog got loose one day and was bitten by a rabid animal. Fortunately the dog had rabies shots, but had to be quarantined regardless. Luckily my sister had the common sense not to handle the dog after it was attacked, more than likely it had the saliva from the rabid animal on it's fur. But what if a small child had handled it? One of our neighbors is an animal hoarder, really doesn't give a damn about any of her animals. Her cats run loose at all times of the day, go to the bathroom in other peoples yards and kill the lizards and birds. Leaving their carcasses where they were killed. She has four dogs who live in a fenced in area and are lying in their own excrement as she rarely cleans up after them, let alone walk them. One of the dogs killed one of her cats and dragged it's bloody carcass through the doggy door and into the house, she then had the dog euthanized. What I don't understand is why people have so called pets when the only thing they do is feed, and give them water and let them out the door. They then are nothing more than ferrel animals. I have often seen signs posted "Lost cat (dog) family heartbroken" along with their children hugging the lost animal. I have to wonder is this due to neglect or by accident? Barn cats are fine as long as they don't get out of the barn.


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## EvilTwin

iGuy said:


> please find indoor homes for the cats. There is no such thing as a 'outdoor' pet. Ask your vet... If they're worth their salt they will be honest.
> 
> If no one is willing to acquiesce into taking them as indoor pets, find a no kill shelter where they will work to place them.
> 
> Outdoor cats become neighborhood nuisances at best - diseased and prematurely dead at worse. Lots of folks think cats are fine outdoors, but given the proper care, they all would rather the good life afforded by an indoor home.... My proof is sitting right by my side....
> 
> And please get the mom fixed as soon as it is possible to do so.... It is the responsible thing to do, and - well - you know it will prevent more orphaned kittens.


feral cats can be cute, but their lives are much different then house cats... ferules can keep the neighborhood free of vermin.. Ferels can be tough and live a long life if not destroyed by human touch. They can indeed become a nuisance in the wrong environment, though. 
Ferules


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## EvilTwin

pic said:


> if you hang the cat by the tail they move more n are much harder to hit.
> downside is they don't make that cool metal sound when hit


Not an appropriate remark in a thread where there are obvious animal rescue workers like myself, and animal lovers.


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## pic

EvilTwin said:


> Not an appropriate remark in a thread where there are obvious animal rescue workers like myself, and animal lovers.


I'm also an animal person.
LOVER , what does that mean.
Being in love with animals will cloud one's common sense


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## pic

Animal lovers can be very mentally twisted,lol.
Not all animal lovers are twisted I'm sure. 
But , I've seen the extreme to the not so extreme. 
\"doggy:\"doggy:\"doggy:\"doggy::smt117:smt117


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## EvilTwin

pic said:


> I'm also an animal person.
> LOVER , what does that mean.
> Being in love with animals will cloud one's common sense





pic said:


> I like cats, BUT, they are very unsanitary as inside cats.
> We have three inside cats.
> I have three cats that need rescuing. Their time of demise is very close


how are you going to handle their demise...??? hang them by their tail and hit them with a base ball bat?


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## pic

EvilTwin said:


> how are you going to handle their demise...??? hang them by their tail and hit them with a base ball bat?


Try to find a home for them.

I don't think I own a baseball bat. I own plenty of golf clubs.
Hey,
I have scored an "eagle" , "birdie" , maybe a "kitty" very soon., just kidding.
:smt033


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## desertman

pic:


> Animal lovers can be very mentally twisted,lol.


It's not so much as being a "LOVER" such as for ones spouse, family members or friends. It's more of having a respect for the life of innocent creatures that are often neglected by their thoughtless owners after the novelty or "cuteness" of having such animals wears off. When cats stay indoors they do become attached to their owners as do their owners to the cats. Same for dogs. When each one of ours died it was indeed a sad affair in our house even after they had lived a long and healthy life. Whenever we go out, whether it be for a shopping trip or all day hiking trip out into the desert. Purring and rubbing against us, the cat is always glad to see us return and never leaves our side. True, some people are obsessed with their animals and will not do anything or go anywhere unless their animal(s) "tags" along. Which is sad as those people become slaves to their animals and are depriving themselves of the many wonderful places and things to do that life has to offer. Recently someone, or should I say monster was arrested for putting a small dog in an oven and roasting it alive and another was just sentenced to die for beating to death a 3 year old girl down in Chandler. That poor little girl was apparently beaten for the last three months of her life, they found her lifeless body cowering under a sink. I don't cry very often, but that really got to me. That my friend, is mentally twisted.


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