Yard/feral cats.

[poiuytrewq]

Sorry probably more suited to pets perhaps but they are farm cats not pets so...

We moved to a farm just over a year ago. Realised we had a very wild feral cat around. It's very timid and no one has got close but it hangs round the yard and grain store when no one is around (we can see it out of the house Windows)
It was a bit small and skinny and the weather was bad so we started putting a bit of food down which every evening she comes for as long as it's quiet.
Recently she's not been about as much which we put down to harvest with the grain store dryers going etc.
However the last few days she's been back, with two kittens.
Whilst this is cute we are worried that they will start breeding with each other and cause problems or even just that we will become over run with stray cats.
I'm happy to let the three stay and continue feeding them or even maybe have the kittens as proper pets/find homes for them. (We'd take on mum properly but she's terrified and I don't think that's ever going to change)
Problem is how to catch them. Is there a charity/cat rescue that would spay them cheaply or free?
I'm just not sure what to do with them?!

 

[Charlie007]

We took on two ferral kittens 5 years ago and they are the most beautiful cats! You can get a cat trap. One of the charities near you should have one. We got vouchers from the cats protection league to neuter ours so it turned out very cheap. Good luck with the puddy cats, they are lovely to have around.

 

[chillipup]

Cats Protection should be able to help you out. They can use a humane trap to catch mum and kittens, you'll need to keep a regular eye on the trap and bait it with food, & contact them when cats are caught. It may be that they would take them all in, socialise the kittens until ready for pet homes and spay the mum so she could return to you if you are willing to have her back as a farm cat. Give them a call.

 

[Equi]

I had a ferrel cat that had a litter in my stable and multiplied lol they just fought and ate my own take cats food. I called cats protection and they set traps and spayed/neutered them all and rehomed the smallest kittens that were tamable and the fixed ones came back here but I never saw them again really. Only the original mother stayed but I think she got hit by a car cause she couldn't walk right one day so she was put to rest and buried in the orchard. She was alright really.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ok, I've just been looking up some charities close to us.
That's interesting about borrowing cat traps, we are close to a Blue cross so may pop in and chat to them about it.
I'm worried about the catching bit! I'm not sure how old the babies are. Mum leaves them round the back of my stable in a hedge while she comes to eat so I'm assuming they are too young for food?!
I don't want to trap a baby too young to leave and accidentally split the family up.
I'm not at all a cat person but we have got quite fond of mum and keep checking the window to see if she's been to eat! I feel a bit responsible now for her!
At the same time realistically I can't afford to neuter 3 cats I don't own!

 

[Blanche]

If the kittens are still small and not moving much yet it is a good time to trap mum. The kittens can be put in the front of the trap to encourage mum in. Much easier to trap now when they are small than when they are older. Cat Protection can help with vouchers for neutering and will usually have someone to help you with trapping. Cat Action Trust is another charity that deal with ferals but not sure if you have a branch near you.

 

[Rollin]

No Cat Protection League in France. A neighbour's cat had 4 kittens in the barn. We caught three and gave them back. The fourth was too wild and female. Six years on we have about 30 feral cats and YES we do feed them. After spending 1,000 euros on neutering only for the sterile cats to vanish, we gave up. However, the population has now stabilised. We are advised not to feed them, shoot them or bring in some terriers but we are cat lovers. We don't have a rodent problem and NO they have not destroyed our wild birds who have plenty of safe roost, berries and insects.

 

[cobsandbassets]

Sorry no useful advice as the OH and I are complete pushovers for anything which turns up. So far have adopted 1 Sec D; 3 Basset hounds and a cat who lives a life of luxury in the office. We also used to feed the yard cats at our last place. Totally unable to refuse a cute furry face!

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

You are halfway to becoming a cat person already,
I got Arthur from SSPCA who had trapped him and put him right, he had probably never lived in a house and it was two months before he was communicating with me, now he is living out ,eating in, more recently he sleeps at the end of my bed, he likes being groomed, hates restraint.
I would think Cat Protection or RSCPA would trap and neuter.

 

[Finlib]

I inherited a couple of feral cats at a small holding we bought some years ago .Each cat had 2 kitten I managed to trap mums and babies when the kittens were about 6 weeks old .Took mums in to be spayed and they were already pregnant again (early stage!) Had teme both dealt with they returned to me as stable cats and the kittens were rehomed as pets and happily settled into pet cat life.
Get the mum quickly or she couls be pregnant again!!!!!.Cats protection paid for the spaying as I was willing to take them back as stable cats.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ah god! I have no idea how old kitties are. They are pretty quick. In fact I've only seen one but my o/h saw the other when they were playing in the sun yesterday.
I don't know where they live/sleep so can't grab kittens but did think of trying to sneak out to the stables when mums busy eating to see if I can see them.
Bonkers, I'm dog through and through I do hate the thought of any animals being hungry or out in the wet and cold when we can easily provide food and shelter

 

[Pedantic]

We have lots of feral cats and kittens at the farm, food is supplied for them, we rarely have any vermin problems.

 

[merlin12]

Cats Protection league will help.

 

[Kafairia]

We had a stray cat come around a lot, she was fairly friendly and would let me pet her. I called her Sweetheart. She then had 3 kittens in our hay store, YO threatened to poison them as didn't want stay cats everywhere.
I found a rehoming for cats online and they picked them up.
After I asked for updates, it turns out they overdosed two of he kittens on wormer and they died because they were too young. I was really devastated and was furious I'd trusted their lives with someone so careless. I'd only ever consider reading them myself now if it ever happened again. I couldn't keep her at the time because I already had a cat who preferred living alone and a dog which hated cats passionately but respected this other cat as she had known him since being a puppy.

I'd recommend keeping them but spaying and neutering all of them. They'll keep the mice and rat population down nicely and you should be able to tame the two kittens to be pets, should you want them.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Get hold of your local Cats Protection: they'll be able to lend you a cat-trap which you need to bait with food - they'll show you exactly how to do it.

Have always found them mega helpful.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Will contact them tomorrow thanks
My worry is also that we have a commercial shoot here and the gamekeeper knows not to shoot mummy cat so we mentioned she had kittens and he looked unimpressed!
I'm worried they will get shot accidentally or on purpose. They definitely will if we end up with loads.

 

[Sukistokes2]

Cats Protection should be able to help you out. They can use a humane trap to catch mum and kittens, you'll need to keep a regular eye on the trap and bait it with food, & contact them when cats are caught. It may be that they would take them all in, socialise the kittens until ready for pet homes and spay the mum so she could return to you if you are willing to have her back as a farm cat. Give them a call.

^^^^
This.

The kittens deserve a loving home. The mum could then be released and over time they become a bit tamer. At least spayed she won't be worn out by having litter after litter.

 

[Notimetoride]

A feral cat used to hang around my stables. Initially I couldnt get near her. But I used to bribe her with cat treats so over a good few months she came closer and closer to me. Now shes totally tame (with me, but still nervous with some other people). I used to put a few treats a good few yards away from me, and over time shorten the distance until she would come to me for them. That was about 6 years ago. Now I can pick her up and cuddle her, and she comes trotting over to me. We love her to bits

 

[supagran]

Definitely contact Cats Protection League, our local branch is brilliant - they give vouchers towards the cost of spaying/neutering. Phone around local vets and see what they charge as they will differ. CPL will also give advice on capturing them all.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ive not called yet as being Bank holiday i assume they will be closed to the public side of things.
I have looked up our nearest branch of Cats protection and they are Swindon which isn't a million miles away. Maybe takes about 40 minutes but they postcodes they cover doesn't include mine. I guess at worst they can advise another place that might cover my area.