Covid kittens

[FataMorgana]

If you must, then 4-5 weeks is the minimum unless you're going to bottle feed them. At 4-5 weeks they're going to start to explore their territory and mama will lead them straight into traffic lanes full of speeding cars or past the noses of hungry predators.

The 3 we rescued last year (Ginger, Spot, and Leah) were all bottle fed from about 1 week or so. They turned out fine.

I would think the only must is if the mother is either dead or missing.

Far too young.

 

[HisArpy]

I would think the only must is if the mother is either dead or missing.

Far too young.

For ferals, if you don't get them early, it's harder to re-domesticate them successfully. GeeToo was trapped at (we estimate) about 4 months and he's still really shy and will hiss at us sometimes. He won't attack and submits to being petted and touched/held for things like applying flea repellent, but by showing us his teeth he's saying he doesn't trust us. He likely never really will. He cannot be brushed, groomed, or bathed. The others are like tigers, they'll voluntarily jump into the sink if we fill it with water but they've been getting baths on a regular basis since they were babies. Even the last batch were already swimmers. It's just so much easier to bathe them when they need it if they learn young and you keep it up. Ask anyone who shows cats and they'll tell you that.

We've learned the hard way that even as early as 8 weeks is iffy and 5 weeks about perfect if you're going to try to save them. It's better if you can have access to them every day and still let mama continue to take care of them while they're nursing, but that's not always possible in every situation.

When it's not you have to make the decision to either intervene or let them die. We got tired of watching some of the most beautiful kittens we've ever seen, die. It terrible to hear them scream as they're carried off by a hawk and there's nothing you can do at that point.

The dozen we've been able to save is nothing compared to the total number of lost kittens, but we did save them. Our neighborhood will ultimately end up safer for those pets who get outside once the predators learn that there's slim pickings here and move to other areas.

 

[FataMorgana]

For ferals, if you don't get them early, it's harder to re-domesticate them successfully. GeeToo was trapped at (we estimate) about 4 months and he's still really shy and will hiss at us sometimes. He won't attack and submits to being petted and touched/held for things like applying flea repellent, but by showing us his teeth he's saying he doesn't trust us. He likely never really will. He cannot be brushed, groomed, or bathed. The others are like tigers, they'll voluntarily jump into the sink if we fill it with water but they've been getting baths on a regular basis since they were babies. Even the last batch were already swimmers. It's just so much easier to bathe them when they need it if they learn young and you keep it up. Ask anyone who shows cats and they'll tell you that.

We've learned the hard way that even as early as 8 weeks is iffy and 5 weeks about perfect if you're going to try to save them. It's better if you can have access to them every day and still let mama continue to take care of them while they're nursing, but that's not always possible in every situation.

When it's not you have to make the decision to either intervene or let them die. We got tired of watching some of the most beautiful kittens we've ever seen, die. It terrible to hear them scream as they're carried off by a hawk and there's nothing you can do at that point.

The dozen we've been able to save is nothing compared to the total number of lost kittens, but we did save them. Our neighborhood will ultimately end up safer for those pets who get outside once the predators learn that there's slim pickings here and move to other areas.

Hmmm. I forgot they were feral, I am probably wrong about that then.

 

[HisArpy]

Hmmm. I forgot they were feral, I am probably wrong about that then.

I would go snatch them except they're 2500 miles away and I promised myself that there'd be no more rescues.