Conference misery::feline

    Having alot of experience rescuing cats...I have never had to
    deal with a mom/kittens so I don't have many suggestions on
    how to capture them.
    
    BUT...it would seem that a key right now is to continue to feed
    all of them to help gain their strength. I would think giving
    all of them kitten food (alot more nourishments in kitten food then
    adult food) would help and I don't think it would hurt to start giving
    them some KMR. (kitty milk)   You could also talk to your vet and
    he might suggest some type of vitamins you can add to the food.
    
    Once the kittens are old enough...and they don't need the Mom...you can
    either trap them or start working on them to gain their trust. This
    will be a VERY long process because it sounds like the kittens have
    not had any exposure to humans.   
    
    The VERY sad part is...if the Mom and kittens are not taking care of...
    your friend could end up with about 30 cats next year.  BUT...it will
    be very difficult to adopt out feral kittens unless she works with
    them to get them use to humans. (sigh!!)  And of course mostly all
    no-kill shelters are filled to the maximum at this time of year.
    
    Good luck....I wish I could be more help...but I still have MAJOR
    problems with strays/ferals in my own neighborhood that I have been
    working on for two years.   Keep us posted.....
    
    Sandy

    I am assuming that you and the cats are in Massachusetts.
    
    I don't have any answers except, be careful approaching and (if you're
    lucky) handling the kittens and cat.  The mother cat probably is not
    protected by rabies shots and the kittens certainly aren't.  They are
    living rough and if the mother is desparate for food may well be
    reduced to hunting and trapping sick animals.  Mice and chipmonks can
    have rabies and pass it on.  
    
    Wear gloves, leather if possible, and wear something that covers your
    arms like a thick shirt or better still two thick shirts.  Also, saliva
    carries rabies so remember to wear rubber gloves when cleaning up any
    area where the animal has been.
    
    I think you have your priorities set right.  Feed the animals up and
    then start to trap them.  Also, ask your vet about rabies vac. that can
    be soaked into bread, etc. On the Cape they are leaving bread out with 
    vaccine on it to try and create a rabbies free zone between them and the 
    rest of Mass.
    
    Best of luck
    

    During my research on Rabies...I was told by multiple sources 
    that mice and chipmunks do not carry rabies.   Does anyone know
    if this is true or not?? 
    
    In either case...it is best to take precautions with any stray
    animal.     
    
    Sandy

    Thanks for the advice.. I'm in New Hampshire and will take all
    precautions against rabies... Until you mentioned it here, I never even
    thought about rabies...   thanks again...
    
    I'm bringing my dog to my vet today for a check-up and will ask him
    about what to feed the kittens...  
    
    Wish me luck...
    
    Kathleen
    
    

    I also heard that small animals generally do not get rabies, the
    reason being that prey animals do not usually survive attacks by
    the larger animals who do get rabies, so they don't have an opportunity
    to survive , get and spread the disease.  A larger animal is more 
    likely to survive a scuffle with another larger animal who has 
    already survived and contracted the disease, thus spreading it.
    I believe it was a person from the wildlife division that stated this.
    
    

Anything new on the mom & kittens outside?  I have successfully caught
a momma & kittens twice.  It took several weeks, and I had to spend time
sitting outside near the food I put out. Day by day, they will let you
get a little closer each time.  The kittens would trust me sooner than
the mother, but then eventually the mother was OK.  

The first time I lived in an apartment and couldn't have any more than
our one (at that time).  Had to take them to a shelter.

The second time the momma became Georgina, and the surving kittens are
Bailey and Bosco, and another with my sister.

Bill

    Hi..
    
    One kitten has been taken in... The woman managed to catch the kitten
    and she is feeding it and will be keeping it... we are still feeding
    the other 4.. The mother is extremely unapproachable... she plants
    herself between us and the kittens and herds the kittens away when we
    come near.  
    
    The kittens are eating though, and the one kitten that can be handled
    is starting to put on some weight...  so we are assuming that the other
    three are doing the same... 
    
    Kathleen