Expert: Ali - 4/17/2009

Question
A white cat comes to our house to get fed and she has obviously had kittens but we have searched and cannot find them.  We have tried following her but to no avail.  It is distressing to think she has no proper home or at least appears to have none.

Answer
Beth,

I understand your concern for this kitty and your desire to help her and her little family, unfortunately she may not be entirely comfortable with the idea of human help depending upon her history. If mom doesn't want you to know where her kittens are there's a very good chance you won't find out. Mothers of all species have a primal instinct to protect their babies at all costs and cats are no different. Ultimately whether or not you will see the kittens is dependant upon the relationship that you have with their mother and how much mom trusts you. Many stray cats were someone's pet at one time and some folks abandon their cats when they move, their cat reaches sexual maturity and begins to exhibit unpleasant (but completely preventable behavioral issues) or their female cat becomes pregnant because she wasn't spayed and her caregivers simply don't want to take responsibility for these new lives.

You didn't happen to mention whether this kitty is a stray or feral cat, contrary to popular belief there is a significant difference between the two types of kitty. Stray cats have been socialized with people, they're often quite friendly and affectionate although they can become wary around people as time passes because many people chase strays away from their property and generally work on scaring these unfortunate kitties away. Most strays will be quick to revert to their pet mentality if they have found someone who is willing to provide food, clean water and attention.

Feral cats are usually closely related to stray cats, these guys are born in the wild and they're not handled by people so they don't become socialized as pets, in fact many are so fearful that they will do just about anything to get away from people. Some ferals have adapted to the point of trusting the kind and generous people who feed them, but that trust only goes so far and some of these kitties will never allow a person to touch them. Feral cats often form colonies and populations can escalate out of control in a fairly short period of time.

I know that you are looking for answers as to how you can best help this mom and her babies. I think you should be aware that not all kittens born outside make it, especially if it's chilly outside. It's important to understand that the kittens may have been born stillborn, the mortality rates of kittens increase dramatically if the little ones are born outside for a variety of reasons. Kittens born in the wild face increased risks of exposure to viral/bacterial infections carried by their mother. Predators including domestic dogs, wild animals and even intact toms, will kill the young kittens for food, toms will do so to ensure that mom will cycle back into season more quickly and they can mate with her. Stress is significant in terms of the survival rates within a litter, if mom's stressed she's more likely to have problems with letting her milk supply down, she may also reject or kill her kittens. If the weather in your area is cold the little ones may have died as a result of hypothermia because kittens aren't born with the ability to regulate their own body temperature.

On a more positive note I thought that I should outline some positive possibilities. In the event that mom has found a safe, sheltered place to give birth to her litter the kittens may be just fine. Obviously the little ones should ideally be rescued with their mother and cared for, but the reality is that if mom doesn't want to show you where her kittens are she won't. You may find that making a large airline kennel lined with old towels or blankets will encourage mom to bring her babies to your house so that they can be warmer and she can be closer to her food source. If this does happen then you could simply reach quietly around and close the door to the kennel to bring the entire family inside where they'll be safe, warm and well nourished.

You could certainly try searching the area for the kittens, but I'm not optimistic that you'll find them, mother cats tend to want to keep their babies safe from predators and they'll keep the kittens hidden as well as they can. I'm fairly sure that mom's babies aren't too far away, you could certainly check under sheds and porches or ask neighbors to check in storage sheds, garages and in other snug, sheltered areas, I'm fairly certain that most folks wouldn't be upset about your desire to care for this little family, they may even offer to help you catch mom and her kittens. If providing an appealing nest for mom/trying to find and trap the family doesn't work out then it's quite possible that when they're 3-4 weeks of age mom may bring them to your home so that they know where to come so that they can be fed as well.

It's very important to be aware that female cats don't need our help to wean their kittens, if at all possible it's best to allow mom to do this on her own, this usually happens during the first 12 weeks of the kittens' lives. In this situation you may find yourself in a dilemma about whether best to allow mom to continue caring for her kittens which would minimize their chances of being adopted into a forever family because of the lack of socialization. If you do take the kittens into your home it's certainly best to try and get mom at the same time so that she can continue caring for her offspring while you socialize them to help these babies be more adoptable. I do think that it would be a good idea to have mom and the kittens spayed and neutered to prevent a population explosion in your area. After all, it only takes a few intact cats to create a colony.

All too often people become angry when they discover that there is a feral/stray colony in their neighborhood. People tend to view these colonies of unwanted strays and their wild offspring as vermin at worst or an annoyance at best which is why educating pet parents about the importance of spaying and neutering is very important to me. Cats that are spayed/neutered are spared uterine, ovarian or testicular cancers. The earlier in life that a cat is spayed/neutered the less likely s/he will be to develop breast or prostate cancer. Female cats who have been spayed are spared the suffering involved with a potentially fatal uterine infection called pyometra. This infection causes the womb to fill to (and sometimes beyond capacity) with pus, if the uterus ruptures spreading the infection throughout the abdomen, the cat's chances of survival are minimized.

Many common behavioral issues are less likely to occur in cats that have been spayed/neutered which is significant considering that the leading cause of death in North American cats is euthanasia due to a behavioral problem. Sterilized cats are far less likely to mark their territory with urine/feces outside of the litter box and around the neighborhood. Spayed female cats don't howl to advertise their availability to mate, neutered toms don't caterwaul and/or fight for the right to mate with a receptive female cat. Wandering and fighting are less likely to occur in cats that have been spayed or neutered. Some forms of aggression directed towards people are also prevented by having cats spayed/neutered as early as possible in their lives.