At one point all but one kitten had been removed from the attic. We found two on the ground in the fire escape at the back of the house. Both were in poor condition and covered with flies. We managed to save them though and energize them with this
Who would have thought you could by formula for kittens? We removed the one from the attic and had this trio for a day.
Deborah and Elizabeth took it upon themselves to be feeders of kittens. At one point hey had the little black and white one on the grass in the yard and the mother cat came up and swiped it away.
We don't know what happened to the first three kittens of the litter but we found the decapitated body of one of them under a bush about ten feet from the opening of the fire escape. A day later we found the decapitated body the black and white one in the same spot but the former body had disappeared.
We can only assume that the mother or one of the father cats had killed the litter off. I don't understand the ways of cats and don't plan on studying them at this point.
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth but Elizabeth got over it. She got her first dose of how cruel life can be.
The two remaining kittens were fed every morning and evening and any time in between if we were able to. They really needed attention every 2 hours but that was impossible. They weren't going to die though. After about a week our mail delivery person rang the doorbell and told us that her neighbor fosters cats for SICSA (Society for the Improvement of Conditions of Stray Animals). After a phone call we were also informed that the neighbor was currently fostering a nursing mother with four kittens. Within a day or so after that our two abandoned kittens were placed in a home where they could learn to be cats. I would like to thank the federal government (via the USPS) for their support in relocating these two orphans. When and if we ever catch the mother we are going to get her fixed and release her. Maybe I should issue a Mayor's Proclamation. I certainly need to cover that hole in the roof of the fire escape before I have a case of Deja vu!
3 comments:
Wow. They say feral cats are different, and it really is true. My kittehs' feral mother got them weaned before she turned up dead, which put me ahead of things for taking care of them.
Congratulations on finding a nursing queen so close. And good on you for planning to get the kittens' mother spayed. I look forward to the proclamation. :-)
My ex had a cat who disappeared once. He found her a few days later, on the side of his driveway, decapitated.
His old wise grandpa told him that that's the sign of owls hunting. Supposedly they like to swoop down and snap the heads off of animals...leaving the rest behind. Don't know if there's any truth to that..but your post reminded me of it. It's a horrible thing to see helpless little animals meet a tragic end. :(
Thank you for taking the time to help the little ones and it is so great to find a nursing mother. Please try as soon as possible to trap the mamma. She will be in heat again in about 8-12 weeks after the kittens were born and is only pregnant for 60 days. I wish every city had a TNR (Trap Neuter Return) policy. It is actually so much more cost effective to do TNR than euthanize them. Great blog!!!]
Beth
Central NY Cat Rescuer
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