Expert: Kate Tilmouth - 8/12/2009

Question
A cat - not ours, we don't have them - has given birth to at least one kitten in our garage.   I know this because I can hear it but not see it - it is settled in the soffit area where I can't see even with a flashlight nor am I able to reach it. Question: do I let the mother come and go as she has been doing  when we open and close the garage door and will she remove the kitten (s) when they are ready?  Or will they be left there to potentially die. This is the second time the same mother has given birth in our garage in the last 3 months (is that possible?)and the kittens we found were very weak and had fallen from the attic.

I can't keep them and don't want to make this a regular hangout for cats.  What should I do?

Thanks,

Answer
Hi
well garages are oftena favourite area for stray cats to have their young as they are warmer and sheltered. It is unlikly that this is the same cat as their gestation period is around 62 -68 days and weaning is a further 6 to 8 weeks.

Normally the mother cat will stay with her kittens if she feels they will survive, runts or sick kittens get left to die. So you should allow her access to the kitten at all times, she will decide whether or not the kitten is healthy enough to survive and will take care of them accordingly. She may decide to move the kitten if she feels that the area is unsafe.

To prevent cats getting into your garage in the future you will have to make sure that there are no entry points available for them to get into. in fact garages are not the best places for cats to go as chemicals, oils and sharp items are often around.

You may want to call a local animal shelter to see if they can come and trap the mother and take both her and the kitten away for rehoming etc, as the more strays you have in the area the more the likelihood you will have of more unwanted kittens being born in the future.

I hope all works out well for you all

best wishes Kate
http://www.our-happy-cat.com