How to Foster a FERAL Mama and Kittens (10 Things You Should Know!)
2024 ж. 8 Мам.
1 120 247 Рет қаралды
In this video, I discuss ten things you need to know about how to foster a feral mama and her kittens, including how to set up a proper space for them, how to safely handle the kittens, how to transfer the mama in and out of the enclosure, when to spay the mama, and more!
Watch my video about Mama Tumtum reuniting with her babies HERE:
• Mama Cat: FOUND! Reuni...
Learn about why cats like Mama Tumtum are feral HERE:
• Why are some cats FERAL?
The number one reason I hear for people hating cats is “my relative had a cat once that hated everyone; it was so mean” and when I ask where their relative got the cat it’s always “outside somewhere”. Of course that cat hates everyone, it’s feral
So??? Wild dogs are nice typically so thats no excuse
@@wormer66 Dogs are totally different animals tho. They are social and cats are solitary, and as such, they need a lot of socialization to tolerate even their own kind. One of my cats lived as a single indoor pet for the first 4 years of her life, and while she's great with humans, it took her a year to stop growling and hissing at my other cat. They still don't snuggle or make any physical contact, not really, after 3 years of living together and they probably never will be. Also, most dogs are stray, not feral. Actual feral dogs have no more interest in dealing with humans and living in a house\flat than a feral cat does.
@@Rina_TL Feral inherently means wild, so yes. A stray is just a homeless domestic animal. Ferals are wild animals
@@wormer66 Translator: The cat is not tamed like a dog, a cat has more wild instinct. Have you ever seen a wild dog in a city or town? I do not. But I did see wild cats in cities, that's the difference.
My dad who is 92 hates cats with a purple passion but loves dogs. I had 4 cats and a tarantula. All of which just puzzled him to no end because he hated them ALL. When I talked to him a few years ago, I hot the rest of the cat story. As a kid of 10 or less, he grew up with his dad in the logging camps of NC. Of course, There was a cat. Apparently in his want of holding the feral cat- he grabbed the cat and the cat grabbed back. He never thought about how people had probably treated it and that was why it protected itself. That 1 interaction generalized his fear and anger with all cats. He has used food to win over dogs his entire life but cats were a complete mystery to him. The spider thing had more to do with running into huge orb weaver spider webs in the dark. His fear of all spiders- he caught a spider crab on a cane pole and threw the pole and all in the water. He will stand and tangle with yellow jacket, hornet nests or even cow ants (which are a type of wasp) in the light of day but runs away from cats or spiders. I didnt have the heart to tell him we caught a trap door spider (tarantula like spider) in sister's back yard. Most of the u.s. states have them.
So, what did you do today? - I scooped kittens with a spatula.
😂😂🤣🤣🤣
The true secret ingredient to the krabby patty
You know, the usual
Ummm yummy 😋😋😋
@@ametsunami4070 *OH NO MR KRABS IS EATING MY KIND* *GRAB THE GUNS!!!*
"stop trying to force socialization on adult feral cats." this is so important.
Definitely!
Why not
@@Talktomeniceangrybirds because it’s a feral cat and doesn’t want anything to do with humans, just imagine you have a fear of cats but they don’t really bother you much so your fine with seeing one as long as it’s a certain distance away but then one day some rando person just starts forcing you to socialize with one and your having a hard time getting away no matter how hard you try so the only choice you have is to socialize with it, that’s basically/kinda what forcing feral cats to socialize with humans is like to them, doesn’t sound fun does it
@@hiimluna2069 disagree, again currently have four and in 8 weeks they are doing great, 2 have already rehomed, its all on how you teach them, how fast and what you use to teach them...There is no need to force at all, time is all they need
@@cristinana6379 u probably traumatized them 😒
I once made the mistake of picking up a feral cat. Saw her being dumped and took her home. Where she climbed the curtains, hissed, growled, spat. People before me probably had the same issue, tried to house her and dumped her after she turned out to be feral. An aunt of mine had her own horse and stable, and could use a mouser. That cat thrived there. Sleep in the horses feeding trough, get some extra food from my aunt. Happy feral cat. They can't be socialized, and that's ok.
I agree. I have a feral momma that I am going to get spayed and she will be an outdoor kitty. I will make sure she stays healthy and is fed. I rescued her kittens young so this video is def going to help.
"Are those your babies?" Kittens proceed to crawl all over mom. "Maybe they are.. maybe they aren't.."
Lmaoo 😆
“They don’t smell familiar buttttt...they’re cute so I’ll keep them while I plan how Imma execute that giant animal with the long black deformed paw....”
"Who's asking?" 😾
"If you get any closer human, I will make you wish you never captured me to begin with."
LMFAOOO
“Passionately feral” like it’s a career choice. ❤️
aggretsuko haha
Feral - never socialized Stray - socialized but homeless
I dunno I.have seen some pretty committed to the cause 😹
long for me to help the stray cat we had because she was a sweetie pie and never scratched me and even though she was really sick . Now she' ok but again this is really sad that my cat is gone right now but it is for the good and if you want to know more then you can go to my channel
@@sylviacnonofurbusiebsss4899 definitely Retsuko🤣
"But we also know Kittens just don't fall out of the sky" *Everything I thought I knew was a lie*
Oh honey, don’t listen to those nay sayers about Santa, the Elves, the Easter Bunny ;-) Everyone needs some magic in their lives no matter what their age. That’s why we have Kitten Lady!
I was thinking, "Well it seems like it!" 🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈
😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂🤣
They do falling through ceiling tiles 😂
I was lucky enough to get to know the momma at the start of her pregnancy. On the day she was due she just walked right in and found her spot, and no hassle was involved. I just sat back and became that obsessed aunty.
Spay and neuter. Two months or two pounds.
A Autumn Notice the past tense I used :)
@@KhluKhlu You never said you got her spayed. You never said the kittens were spayed and neutered.
A Autumn I got a shelter to take all of them including momma cat at 5 weeks because I had to go back abroad, I’m sure they neutered and spayed all of them.
@@aautumn733 it would have been just as easy to assume they were probably sterilized as it was for you to assume they weren't. They weren't OPs cats in the first place and whatever recourses they could provide was better than nothing and is appreciated in the rescue world
You could see the "What the f*ck" on Mama Tumtum's face when the lady spatulated the kittens
'Spatulated' is my new favorite verb! Thanks for the 🤣
She was like give them back
KIttenlady: "Are those your babies??" Feral cat: "Dammit, why are all those crying furs back?"
"Just when I thought I was out, they dragged me back in ..." ... At the start it was like, why did I have be stuck with these tiny, mewling, things, again ... But, seriously, I am glad they were reunited with their mum. One of the many things I learnt from both Jackson Galaxy, and Kitten Lady, both, is that if you see a single kitten on its own, especially less than 9 days old, doesn't necessarily mean it has been abandoned ... One of the thing that is common with wild cats that especially use dens, is that they frequently move dens, to ensure the smell of their babies, especially when the mother has gone out hunting, doesn't become to permanent, least that attracts predators. Since that is hard wired into domestic cats brains, and as the mum can only carry one kitten at the time, the best thing is to wait at a far enough distance, for at least a couple of hours. If the mum cat doesn't come back in that reasonable amount of time, only then may you assume that the kitten has been abandoned ...
nigelft wow thats a lot of writing…
.....
Do you know these guys? ........ Crickets.....
Her: *fosters, pig, duck and cats* Her in 2060: Hello everyone! Today we are fostering a baby crocodile
If you're interested in someone looking after a (not actually baby) crocodile, I recommend Snake Discovery. The crocodile's growth was stunted by poor conditions after living as a pet, so she couldn't be released into the wild. They give her a better home though!
@@ILuvAyeAye omg I love Rex she's so fun
Today we are going to be socializing this little feral baby crocodile !
And, "Don't try to force an adult crocodile to be tamed!" _I think of Steve Irwin spreadeagled over an adult croc_
Maybe a Feral mom with kittens named like these could be called Bandersnatch! 😇
Australian here, there is increasing evidence that spay and neutered cats have less cancers, and longer healthier lives. As well as all the other positives. Thank you Kitten Lady. ! for all the great work you are doing,.
It sucks so much that trap, neuter, release is illegal where I am, or else I would totally be out there doing my best to help these kitties. :/
@@WhimsicalBlades what the heck? Why would it be illegal? You're literally saving lives and keeping kittens off the street where they can be exposed to all sorts of nasty things.
You are so very special....
@@WhimsicalBlades I don't believe you that its illegal to TNR cats but it's ok to let cats roam, breed on the streets.
@@belmum1689 i mean maybe it’d be ok if they weren’t getting euthanized in shelters left and right bc there’s just to many to take care of but sure
Yeeees we love a mom even if she doesn't really understand what a human is and how to act around one
At the end of the day, she is just trying to be a good cat momma.
she will, someday
@@sweetbunnybun No, she won't, and that's fine. She's feral.
@@user-uj8fy9lb9p Feral doesn't automatically mean bad mom, feral means the cat doesn't like having any human contact.
XD
I have a son who is moving onto college next year. He has been listening to you too. He wants to have me foster kittens in his room. I am thinking about it. Thank you
what a great idea! :)
Omg that's such a wonderful idea and what a darling son you have raised - you should be very proud 💜
I love this ❤️ Thank you for being a good person! Thank you for raising your son right. My eyes watered up to know it's still amazing people like you 🥰
I think you should, it would help shelters to have someone take care of kittens or older cats
He can foster too, depending on where he lives. I foster with a shelter in a college town and a lot of our foster parents participate during the school year and work together with their roommates!
Thank you for explaining the "feral" cat to people. They don't want to be caged or caught. They want to be with their family the feral colony just like people do so why try so hard to tame a cat against it's will? Bless you and keep on doing what you are doing
Yes, the window of opportunity (for human socialization) is shut and gone for most/all feral adult cats.
I would never want a feral or deformed cat as a pet when there are so many nice friendly social ones that need a home and deserve it a whole lot more!
@@josephstewart2821 Please don't contact me with your BS. You don't know what you are talking about
@@josephstewart2821 ?
Hi thank u so much for ur lovely video. God bless u❤
Thank you Hannah for STRESSING this fact about not trying to tame feral cats or they are not being releasing into "the wild" THEY ARE GOING HOME!!!! Thank you for stressing this!!
I accidentally tamed a feral cat, but Whiskers lived outside the whole time. I built up trust over 2 years. He had been kicked and hit in the past, but once he let me touch him he just melted and let me pet, hold, love on him. I never forced him, trusting me was his choice. I've also handled two litters of kittens from my cat Mochie, one litter passed away and info from your video helped me make sure her next litter thrived. After that we finally got her spay lined up. I love all my cats and make sure my neighborhood ferals are taken care of.
You are a sweetheart: We could use more of you in this world-a whole lot more!
You found an abandoned pet, not a feral cat.
That's awesome that the cat was happy and that the videos helped! I hope to foster at some point, and I'm definitely going to use these videos for help
Thanks for doing so much to help ferals! We need more people like you in the world!
YES,,MANY "FERAL" CATS,,WILL,,,LEARN,,T0,,TRUST,,,0VER,,TIME
I was feeding a feral cat for months and then there was winter and it snowed a lot. I tried to socialize, feeding him with my hands, one day he came home and he never left. Now I have him for 11 years. He brings so much joy and happiness to my life. You can socialize a feral cat but you have to do it outside and then they will decide if they want to come to the house or not.
so in other words you can´t socialize a ferral cat, but you can show them that you are trust worthy and your house is a safe place.
Thank you, you are absolutely right. I am trying to do the same and what you said just got me. I was so crestfallen… thank you!
I agree 100%. During winter I let the feral cat at my work come in. She hissed and didn’t want to be touched. So I just fed her and let her sleep. She would go by door. I would open door. She would go out and sit by door. Feel the cold and come back in. She eventually came up to me in doors. Sometimes she hissed other times I could touch her a bit. 2 yrs later she is def the loveable office cat. She comes in and out as she wants and has her dry food outdoors and comes in for some wet food and treats and to sleep somewhere better then dirty outdoors and she loves to be loved on. She is Miss Kitty and she’s adorable.
Super late, but to anyone reading, you don't need to socialize a feral cat outside. If anything it's easier indoors in a smaller area. Most will come around in a few months, but there are some that can take years if they're exceptionally anxious cats. I've read about someone who has tamed them in as little as 10 days. But the Kitten Lady is right in that it doesn't make sense for shelters to put their resources there. But if you want to tame yourself a feral cat and can find it a home, go for it.
@@erumwhat2110never too late on KZhead! I read it lol. I’m in the process of trying to tame a feral cat, if she’s wants to be tamed that is. This lady is great.
We've fostered 5 mama cats and kittens and 4 of them couldn't wait to get back home. The fifth one kept refusing to stay in her community. We would release her and within an hour, she would show back up at our door. We did this a few times over several days and the end result was the same, so we ended up keeping her as an indoor cat. It was totally her choice and totally adorable, but definitely not something I'd seen before lol.
Poor Mama Tumtum, she looked so traumatized from everything. So frustrating not being able to explain what was happening! Although she doesn't know it, she's in such great hands🙂
i know right😊
Yeah exactly
Yes can confirm that kitten hiss at everything new, when I got my 8 week old not socialized barn kitten she hissed at dry food, at treats and at people. The only thing she accepted was wet food everything else was scary and new all those new sounds and the move from a box in a cow stable to my kitchen was super scary for her. Now I have an adult fully socialized cat.
😂 My Rowan use to hiss as well ngl I found it absolutely adorable
Mine were 5 weeks & feral when I found them, one would hiss all the time at everything. At people, toys, strange smells, noises - we nicknamed him Lil' Hissypants. Now he's a confident relaxed house panther who doesn't fear anything & likes to be carried around on my shoulder.
Nothing more "terrifying" than a kitten hiss.
Yea we had a set of two kittens that showed up here that would growl and hiss at everything. The fiance's son found them up under the hood of his car. Thankfully they were pretty young but old enough to eat on their own so after having full bellies on a consistent basis for about a week they calmed down pretty fast. Sadly the one girl was what they call a kangaroo cat (front legs deformed so they were always folded under, though hers was primarily the left leg which is how she got the name Lucy for the little saying "Righty tighty, lefty loosey" and her brother was Mr. Right), but she was a pretty happy kitty overall. She passed sadly but her brother is still around.
@@jaynestrange more nice then the name my kitty had for a time captain poop paw. You can probably guess why.
Just watched this again. We were finally able to capture a feral Momma we have been after for 2 years. She is super smart and crafty. She has 3 littles and it Only took her a couple of hours to calm down and she was right in there with them. She is not friendly but does not hiss or growl when we remove the babies with the spatula. Thank you so much for all of the videos
Thank you for your awesome video on feral moms with kittens. We took in a feral cat and 4 kittens just after moving into our home 17 years ago. She rejected the kittens and we bottle raised them. So hard to let them go after, but they all went to great, forever homes. Momma stuck around after and kept inching closer. She's now my little princess cat that sleeps in an electric bed for extra warmth. I'm glad she chose to become an indoor cat and let us care for her many years ago. She lost her sight 2 years ago and would not be able to fend for herself as a feral. And our family has enjoyed our time with her since she moved into the house 16 years ago. We respect the feral, but are thankful for the ones who choose other lives also.
I bet Mama Tumtum will be happy when she goes home, and I'm so happy she'll never have to give birth outside ever again. I hope she lives a long, healthy life as a community cat.
13:26 Kitten Lady: if she’s growling at you Feral mama: *motor boat noises*
For such a tiny creature its surprisingly terrifying the sounds they make, though that is the point its still awesome to see when they act all tough 👀
"Are you going to release her into the wild?” Yes the kitty lady is returning tigers lions and Jaguars and bobcats. I am watching this with my daughter and that is what she said as we sat here listening to very educational facts. She found it funny knowing that their talking about cats here. For anybody that does what she does slow and steady wins the race. This is amazing my daughter enjoys system and asked why we ourselves are kitty parents of a very rambunctious nine-month-old and a very prissy two-year-old.
I'm currently fostering a mom and six babies (born on April 2nd) from a feral colony. Luckily, this mom became very affectionate to me while she was pregnant, so I brought her into my home and they're all doing great.
Mother: HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Kittens: Helo mama
good one
Seven words for you You are the best kitten lady ever
Softie panda lol
she is
THERE'S MORE KITTEN LADYS OUT THERE :o
@@thatsme2347 well thechneckly yeah. A kitten lady/cat lady is the expression we give when someone is cat obsest and hanna named her channel after that
No
I've been closely following mamá Tum Tum's case and she's amazing. You're definitely right, she's FERAL and does not wanna be indoors or anywhere near humans. Thanks so much for this. I've learned a lot.
"Where do you think she's from? She's from downtown San Diego" made me laugh
lol, yeah. Some people make it sound like returning a cat to where it was found is the equivalent of throwing her into a snake pit or making her fight dragons. If she is part of a community and that community is being looked after, she'll be perfectly safe and happy.
From my experience volunteering in a shelter up here in Canada, the only time we actively try to socialize a feral cat is if they have a medical issue where it wouldn't be safe to return them, even to a barn home. And that is not super common. In fact, there are only a handful of times we've had truly feral cats come through. 1. The cat had intense dental surgery, a heart murmur, FIV, was found half frozen on the ground and wasn't on the aggressive side of feral. He was also somewhat used to humans as he'd been fed pretty frequently in his neighborhood. After 4-5 months of constant work in shelter, plus the time he was recovering from surgery in a foster situation, he became a somewhat shy, skittish but non-feral cat. His name was Gulliver and he was adopted out. 2. The cat had FIV and the place he was trapped from was being torn down. There were no barn homes available and he'd spent nearly 6 months in a foster home because of many, many medical issues. He never fully became a lap cat, but he warmed up to humans when with a kitty friend. I still have a scar on my hand from my first encounter with him, and he quickly became a favourite of mine. His name was Sammy, and he was also adopted out. 3. One cat had to have a leg amputated and the shelter didn't feel safe returning her to her colony. She was trapped with another cat, and it quickly became clear they were incredibly bonded. They were still very skittish when they were adopted out, but they had made incredible progress and their adopter was fully aware she wasn't getting lap cats and that she'd need to be socializing them for years down the road. It takes a special type of person to adopt a semi-feral cat, and those people are not common. It also takes resources, space and time to work with them, things most shelters and rescues are severly lacking. We're lucky up here in Canada. We have a solid 5-6 months off from kitten season, where our shelters can work on adult cat situations that need more time and effort. But in warmer places, that simply isn't possible. There are too many cats for the number of adopters available. Feral cats are complicated, and the issue of their socialization is incredibly complicated on its own. Often times, the best we can do is get them fixed, get them vaccinated and return them to a colony where they are fed and cared for. Along with that, we need to be making sure we're fixing and vaccinating our own cats, we're not letting them outside to freely roam, we're giving them lots of play time so they aren't hunting native animals, we aren't dumping our pets into colonies when we don't want to care for them anymore. It isn't a perfect solution, but the best we can do with what we have is spay/neuter ferals, return them to cared for colony spaces, and do our best in the situations we're given. Even if mom is feral, this will be her last litter and you are able to socialize her babies, so that they can find homes indoors, even if mom will never be a housecat. When I am able to adopt a cat (soon, hopefully) I fully intend to find a cat who has behavioral issues, because I straight up have enough experience with them that I can work with that animal. But not everyone is me. And we shouldn't shame people for wanting a socialized, loving housepet instead of a complicated case.
Feral - never socialized Stray - socialized but homeless
Excellent post, btw
@@michellefarris3961 See, I'm just confused. TumTum seemed socialized at first...at least based off what little footage I saw. But, I guess there's that whole spectrum thing. ...Which just makes it even more confusing. Like, I have a mom (with babies) I just got to foster. It's been a week now, and she seems WAY worse than TumTum and she's NOT feral....
@@jke387 Do you have a dog?
Where in Canada do you reside? Shelters do not do well for ferals. They should not go to shelters. It is a death sentence for them. Lets get real, people.
I feel like, for this little family, this truly was the best possible situation. The babies were in such terrible condition when they were found, and it makes me wonder (this is JUST speculation, there is NO way to know for sure) if maybe Mama Tumtum initially abandoned them or was frightened away from them shortly after they were born. Being trapped and reunited may have given her the chance to get acquainted with the babies in a more controlled setting where the kittens got a chance to start nursing and get that oxytocin going. I appreciate so much that Kitten Lady explains that cat and human priorities and instincts are very different and mom cats like Tumtum shouldn't be judged by human standards. Also, yes, animal rescue work in the southern part of the United States is just. Yeah. Animal welfare down here is almost always the work of small groups and individuals that are usually working on incredibly strained or nonexistent space and resources.
If the mother abandoned the kittens then she wouldn’t nurse them prior to being reunited
IDK how old Mama Tumtum is, but very young cats (still kittens, really) can get pregnant & they sometimes don't have the instincts to look after the babies right away. The poor things don't understand what's happening & what they need to do.
Jayne Strange if the mother was to young to care for her kittens she wouldn’t have fed them after being reunited. And she is clearly a full grown cat who can care for her own kitten.
@@jaynestrange when they get separated from kittens for a day or two it takes a bit of time to accept the kittens again. The cat was lactating when at the vet, so it means she was feeding the kittens before. She didn't abandon them, but was caught in TNR program and than put back together with the kittens after she was spayed.
Something else to think about is how the kittens smell to her once they are reintroduce. Kittens had a bath and a flea treatment plus the smell of Hannah on them. We need to remember how finicky cats can be!
I took in adult "friendly" cat and it took me like between year and 2 to be able to touch her, and even now after few years of having her she sometimes run away from me. I don't know her past, but I fully agree with leaving adult feral cats where they are from, after spaying/neutering of course. Feral cats are so much better staying scared of humans, running away, keeps them more safe. It's better to socialize kittens to find them homes.
100% they've developed that instinctual fear for a reason, too many humans are actually a threat. Trusting community cats get poisoned so easily where I'm from it breaks my heart.
@@itskashkashi that's only a fraction of it. Feral cats are still poisoned, shot at, get run over, etc... happens all the time. Don't believe they're safe out there. They're not
I also think part of having a cat is respecting their boundaries (when it's safe to do so). I'm not talking about feral cats, but there are plenty of not feral cats who are never going to be cuddly, and that's fine too. It doesn't mean you can't bond with them. My own cat has a condition that is triggered when you touch near her spine, and like many cats, she doesn't like having her paws or tummy pet. So I only touch her head, unless necessary for her health or safety (like putting her in a carrier to see the vet, or trimming her claws). She's sprawled out on my tummy right now, and just tried to stick her paw in my neck. She's very cuddly, she just needs to trust you'll only touch her how she wants.
That mama is so beautiful! Look at those big eyes😍❤️
You can patent your spatula idea. You can call it the Kat Spat. It could be sould online to raise funds for the organizations you work with.
Catula
@@personne-fp6cr lol, good name. Shape the end of the handle like a cat, and people will buy it, even if they already have six spatulas in their kitchen. I would, if a good part of the profits went to animal shelters.
Also when Spayed/Neutered feral are returned to their colony they stop intact cats from moving in as readily. So it controls the population in several ways. And I love how it's addressed that all kittens are born feral. People always compare cats to dogs, and they are so different. Cat's are not domesticated the same way as dogs are. Most feral cats can not be tamed enough to be a pet! Meanwhile a lot of feral dogs can be tamed pretty reliably, again not all feral dogs can be, just a higher percent than feral cats. Dogs are dogs because of very specific genetic factors related to wolves, no other domestic animal is as well suited to human interaction as a dog. Cats are amazing and I love them to death, but they will not work with you the way a dog will. Excepting that makes it safer and smother for everyone involved.
Indeed. I am firmly of the belief that cats domesticated themselves by accident rather than humans deliberately taming them. Cats are one of the natural predators for the small mammalian pests that get into human food-stores, like mice and rats. They followed the prey, and when ancient humans realized they were helpful to have around they began to coexist with them. Over time regular interactions resulted in some cats becoming more friendly to the humans, and human attraction to things small, cute and friendly took things to the logical progression.
Accepting, not excepting.
Feral-never socialized to humans Stray-socialized but homeless
I've been trying to socialize some outdoor kittens that live at my grandparents house and while I can pet and even pick up their mothers and touch their toebeans and even purr, the kittens are too young to be away from their mother and I don't know if the mom will be good inside. I am 100% broke and it is only something I can do hands on one to two times a week due to them being 30 minutes away. Thankfully my grandparents have been feeding them but there is a high mortality rate. The 11 week old kitten I think is old enough to adopt out is still shy around humans unless you are playing with a toy and then she's pretty okay with me getting up in her face and rubbing on her. Is it okay to be looking for an adopter for her at this stage of socialization? I can't bring her home and work with her directly because I can't take on another cat. But I also don't want to traumatize her. Her mom is almost a year old and she's pretty friendly with me (she is little miss toebeans) but she's never lived indoors. I'd love to get her in a home too but I am afraid it will go badly. If any rescuers have some advice I'd appreciate it! I plan to call my local ASPCA today once business hours open but if I can get some advice here I'd apreciate it.
On the other hand they obliterate local endangered birds and rodents so you have to balance how many ferals there are vs how many at risk species are in the area. So feral colonies make sense in much of the US but would be irresponsible in vulnerable ecosystems like Hawaii or New Zealand or Australia
Strong, Sassy and Independent! I will remember this when I dress my hand wound.
lol ... occupational hazard
Great video. Very informative. I did have a feral mama that became an indoor kitty but it wasn’t planned ... had her spayed and ear clipped when the kittens were eight weeks and sent them off to their new homes but the mama kept looking for her babies so we left the door open so she could revisit where she weened her babies and eventually she slowly became a house kitty. Very unique though and she was a kitten that had kittens and was feral in our neighborhood.
Watching with my stray ginger friend who popped in for breakfast
"where do you think she's from? She's from down town Sandiego" I cracked up
we had a lot of TNR cats over the years on our barn, where they could live inside the stables or the hay and we never tried to befriend any of the cats but because of leaving them alone and just providing shelter and food and being chill, a lot of the times they warmed up and some even became cats who were very relaxed with us around but only two sought out pets and came inside. We have a big farmland and we volunteer to take in TNR cats that do not have a safe space to return to. We don't just collect feral cats by the way. But a friend of mine used to feed a feral cat on his balcony for a while hoping he could trap her for a spay when she gained a little trust, and only after maybe a week or so, he went outside with the food at the usual time and the cat was standing there in front of his door with four very young kittens! I've never had anything like that happen! The cat is still pretty feral but she loves this specific human and him alone. Even if years of forcing your cat to realise they won't be hurt by touch would maybe socialise some of them, all of those experiences are super stressful and since the cats do have a safe space on our farm, we do not put them through that.
Watching, again, because she was my favorite mama EVER. So pretty, FIERCE, & a noble spitfire. I love her so much! Hoping she’s safe, well, happy, & comfortable.
4 people are feral cats who just weren't socialised to appreciate cute and informative videos
26 feral cats now U-U sad boi moments
The number is going up. It's at 123 now ^^;
We had a feral mama and they love their babies they just don’t understand we love them too. The kittens all found lovely homes and the mom was spayed and released to her home.
ALittleBitAnxious That made me laugh. It’s a great idea
That's so cute momma kitty laying there, leg hiked up, nursing and keeping an eagle eye on you! Not missing a beat.👁
HELPFUL TIP: my cage setup includes putting the litter box inside of a cardboard box with the top and front cut away. This prevents the litter from scattering about and keeps it out of the food and water as well. 😺
Thanks for pointing out that the socialisation isn't always possible.
Feral - never socialized Stray - socialized but homeless
Look at Venezuela still haven't worked 😂
@@brendasanderson7538 🤣
You really have hit the jackpot with these videos with the perfect combination of cuteness, kindness, and science.
I had taken a foster mama who was feral, but had accepted another litter at the shelter as well as her own. Once I had gotten her home I noticed she wasn't wanting them to nurse, and in a short few hours was full on attacking them :(. Turns out she had developed mastitis and it was very painful for them to nurse, we treated her but she never accepted the babies back and continued to be aggressive. I ended up bottle feeding 9, 2-3 week old kittens and mom got adopted by a farmer :)
Did you spay the,m and momma
@@maryseman6316 Yes, it is our rescues policy that we spay and neuter all fosters before the go to their homes!
I'm a few days into fostering a feral cat and her kittens for my local humane society, and this is such valuable information! Thank you so much. Now off to fetch my spatula from the kitchen!
kitten lady : *posting* me : *clicks right away* KZhead : 5 minutes ago me : Wot?!
I love Tum Tum! She’s so spicy and protective of her den. What a good mom! But this is her last litter and she’s gonna have so many adventures in her colony and live her best life!
I just took in a “scared mom” with 2 (used to be 3 😢) babies. The last time I took a mom with that description she was feral as feral could be. Ms. Gray was refusing to feed the kittens in the shelter due to stress and one passed before anyone stepped up to foster them. Referred back to this video (as I always do with potentially feral mom cats) and got my kitten room set up for them. Got her home and I swear she is the sweetest girl ever. All she wants is love and pets, and as soon as she realized she was in a safe, quiet place, the babies started thriving! Thank you for making videos! Thank you for taking the time to impassion other people to foster. You inspired me to start fostering 3 years ago and whenever I’m at a loss I still come back to your videos for guidance. Thank you!
The spatula technique is the most adorable thing I've seen in a while!!
I had one of my farm cats spayed when her babies were weaning age - and then she fostered another foundling, and then she took on an entire abandoned litter about the time the foundling was weaning age. She was Super Mom, that cat was.
How wonderful!
Absolutely love the barn / working cat option this needs to be discussed at farmer's meetings and rural agriculture schools and the like. Trap, spay ,immunize , release where sensible to do so and employ them . We have many cats in shelters that could be keeping mice from crops in a barn . 🤔✌️❤️
Jeez Hannah you can tell that Momma tumtum isn't feral, she clearly wants to be an inside cat, you should foster her. (Total sarcasm to the people that think she's a sweet indoor baby)
what a great momma.... she's hilarious when she hisses though
Its beautiful how what she said about accepting all kinds of cat personality and giving them their space can apply to any living being actually, even humans.
Yes.
I can’t believe it. you are the only person, other then vets that are specialists in cats behavior, that knows RIGHT facts about feral cats, and about the window of socialization and a lot of other things... (sorry for english, I am not fluent)
Thanks for your commitment and love you give to these feral cats. You're an angel.
The spatula/fish slice, whilst an excellent idea, never fails to make me laugh 😂😂😂
Try taking a kitten from a feral momma without one! 🚑🚑🚑
Feral is fine. Repeat after me: Feral. Is. Fine.
Feral is fine
Yay you're on my team!
FERAL IS FINE! ❤
Feral. Is. Fine!
Karen: fERal BelOnG tO sTreEt
I love your videos and you’ve helped me learn so much over the passed year. As a foster mom to 3 litters just in 2020. We have managed to not only TN&R all the ferals in our hood. We also successfully rehabilitated and adopted out 3 litters of kittens. There were heartbreaks along the way, especially those caught in an early winter storm last year, found after the had just been weened from mama who was but a baby herself. Her 2 surviving litter mates Moose & Missy were rescued just in time and actually found there way inside our house after disappearing for 2 days. We though they had parishes in the snow after not seeing them for so long and a failed attempt to trap them. We found them in our back bedroom. The dynamic duo made it pasted all five of our domestics cats. It took weeks of patience and gained their trust, then starting all over after temporally loosing their trust after surgery day. They quickly fell back into their routine and found a beautiful young couple willing to take them both. We absolutely wanted to keep them together after loosing their mama (still living but feral) and litter mates. They are now thriving and so very loving in their forever home. We get updates from the parents and pictures of them loving life as indoor kitties. My owe youngest family member was another kitten who found us at 5 weeks old. She is my best friend and we have a bond that can never be broken. We’ve also had two litter of bottle babies abandoned by mama who were success stories also. By far a feral kittens already weaned and taught to fear humans were the biggest challenge but not impossible to save and domesticate. Your videos on that helped me tremendously and just wanted to thank you for sharing and educating us all on how to control a feral community. It can be done with a little patience and a lot of love. To all my fosters babies, I love you all and you will always have a place in my heart.. Keep up the good work KITTEN LADY 🐾💕
God bless this Lady!!
I started laughing at the "if she is staring at you and licking her lips" part
The parent cat is gorgeous, her bone structure is beautiful
yeah she looks like she belongs on a beauty magazine.
Love this channel from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for everything I learned today from you ❤️
You are a breath of fresh air. Thank you!!
"Kittens don't fall out of the sky you know!"
What about when it rains cats and dogs? ;)
justcogitating hmm, good point lol
@@justcogitating they will di-
The only way I've seen feral cats become socialized is through community volunteers who feed the cat colonies regularly, TNR and let the cat set the pace. You have to let the cat decide for themselves if they're open to socialization. And in many instances, they do show interest and/or trust in humans with time and regular interaction.
Feral - never socialized to humans Stray - socialized but homeless
And even if they never fully trust humans, that’s okay too. That is not a bad thing. Let the cat have its boundaries and stop acting like being feral is some kind of character flaw that needs to be corrected.
dear kitten lady , how can you stand all that cuteness ?
You are a fantastic teacher! And thank you for caring for all these kitties and their babies, and also for sharing your knowledge and experience for anyone also trying to help a Mommy Cat and her beautiful little babies!!! Thank you so very much!
This cat is a strong independent woman and she don't need no human messin everything up
Exactly. ^^
Well it seems like if the human didn't involve herself mama TumTum would have left her kittens behind.
Yep, she ain't got TIME for that! (A direct quote from a STRONG, INDEPENDANT lady from Detroit talking about their corrupt mayor back in the day and became a viral hit after she appeared on the news).
@@Pollicina_db have you seen cats mating? It's not always volunteery for the mama. Just like with humans
@@Pollicina_db TumTum didn't choose to leave her kittens behind, she was captured by humans. Of course those humans had her well-being in mind (she was captured to be neutered and vaccinated) but it's not like she volunteered to abandon her kittens. Any mother cat on the streets will leave her kittens frequently, because she needs to hunt constantly to keep the kittens fed. It doesn't mean she isn't coming back. She rejected the kittens when she was first reintroduced, but that is common in captured feral cats, and it's caused by the stress of said capture. While a cat on the street might reject her kittens if she is sick or stressed, in this case, it is likely that she rejected her kittens entirely because of human intervention. Some rescue groups recommend leaving feral mothers and their kittens on the street, and just providing them with food, water, and an insulated box for them to hide, because this minimizes the chance of them rejecting their kittens. The downside to this method is you can't monitor the kittens' weight and supplement their food intake - if the mother smells that the kittens have been handled, she will move them to a new hiding place. (Of course this wasn't possible in this case - the cat was already stressed by being captured by the TNR team, and the kittens needed immediate help.)
Just wanted to point out to those in the chat who might not have experience with kittens, that yes, kittens are born feral but oh my gosh, those little guys warm up fast. Two strays gave birth around our house in May, and we decided to foster them and the kittens due to some circumstances. We took them in at 4 weeks-ish, It took maybe two days to get those kittens crawling in our laps.
Cats are not BORN feral. A kitten born to a feral cat and immediately taken in and handled by humans is not feral. Kittens can be feral, but those kittens were not feral. They were handled and socialized with humans basically from birth. They didn’t have time to become feral, their eyes weren’t even open yet. They were born to a feral mother. There’s a difference.
@@parryyotter they are born with the same instincts that adult feral cats have, so saying they are feral is not completely wrong. But through socialization they can learn that people aren't all bad, unlike feral adults who won't be socialized unless they want to, which is very rare. Clarification: even kittens that are born to socialized moms will hiss at unfamiliar or really strong smells. they don't learn that from mom either, they can do that the minute they are born
As a family with several rescued cats and a few strays on care, we love your channel. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much for making this videos. I really enjoy all the information you give and the great labor you do for feral cats, the community and the bb's
"When you're good to Mama Mama's good to you!~"
Chicago
I saw a small kitten Andi didn't know where her mom was he was not feral I wanted to pick it up and take him home but my family said "no" and when I will grow up I will foster care cats and I will show my family that fostering cats is a nice thing
correction *Foster
My family didn't always agree either, so i cared for the mamas outside. Mom loved me bringing in the babies for cuddles, though... We wound up with a colony of great mousers, where half of them liked to cuddle and the other half ran from us... Got scratched a lot, though....
You shouldn’t take the kitten and foster it before finding what happened to the mom
your family probably didn't want you to take the baby from it's mom. This is one of those situations KL talked about in this video, where we imagine animals to be like humans. Mom cats have to leave their babies alone for hours at a time so they can hunt and feed themselves. They can't put their kittens in the car, drive to the grocery store, and push their babies in the cart while they shop for food. If the mom can't feed themselves, they can't feed their babies. You shouldn't take a kitten just because you think it is alone. The Mom will likely come back.
This is my dream, too.
Just watched this video because a feral left 3 babies under my stoop and she is REALLY ANGRY! Wonderful video and I'm very impressed with this young womans compassion for these innocent little creatures.
You, Ma'am... are a beautiful soul. Please dont ever change.
"are those your babies?" *babies all over her*
Note. Feral does not equal stray. Most city Strays have had human socialisation at some point and have been abandoned and betrayed. Strays can be rehomed and reintroduced to a new loving human and have a good life with their human. One of the things I notice often is how feral and stray seem to be treated by the public as the same thing - when its not.
Oh I remember this little family from a previous video!!! What a beautiful mommy cat! And such adorable babies! One of my cats came to us as a pregnant stray, but luckily she was game. A few months ago, a feral cat, that had been hanging around, had 7 babies!!! And she was, and still is, very feral! So luckily, we were able to get her and he babies into our garage to keep them safe and sheltered. And very well fed! Lol. This has allowed us to interact with them and get them used to people. Once they are completely weaned, we will get mother, and babies, spade and neutered AND vaccinated. 🙏🏼😘🐈👍🏼
We started feeding a stray feral about a year and an half ago. A beautiful long haired torti. After about 6 months she would let me pet her. Around Christmas time when it was terribly cold out I let her in the house. She has never left. We took her to the vet and she was chipped and spayed in the TNR program. So she was deemed feral and released. She’s not the normal feral because she is so loving. She is 9 years old and we just love her.💖🐈💞
How timely lol - I'm fostering 2 feral mothers and their combined 10 kittens. My own cats of course are NOT amused.
Ahha, I started following TumTum's story towards the beginning, and little did I know, that I would get a mom with kittens to foster, a few days later. Momcat is even meaner than TumTum though, and she's not feral.
I LOVE this video!! We had a community cat who was definitely feral. Over the years she did really warm up to us but it was all on HER terms. We just made sure she had what she needed (food water and a warm/safe place to stay in our garage) and her becoming friendly over time was just a bonus :)
I am so glad you took the time to explain to ppl that adult ferrel cats should not be forced to adapt to domestic life. And also, they aren't necessarily from the "wild," they're from neighborhoods where ppl feed them, they live in communities, under decks, Mobil homes, barns ECT. They don't have the need to be domesticated, however if they're sick it's great when organizations are capable of providing care to these cats so they don't spread illness & disease to other indoor/ outdoor cats. Also, they deserve just as much love - just from a distance. Trying to force a ferrel cat to be an indoor cat brings them undo stress and anxiety. Thanks cat lady ☺
Thank you Kitten Lady! You've been a wonderful resource! We have a feral momma and 4 kittens we've decided to take on and care for. We lucked out with a very sweet feral momma, she might end up being our outdoor barn cat! We'll be watching more videos of yours on momma and her baby's journey! We are just so happy we got lucky enough to care for these gems! Just wanted to say thank you for all you do!!! You're helping so many cats and kittens ❤️
The little kitten hissing at Andrew's toothpaste; I have found that every cat absolutely hates the smell of mint!
That's surprising sense catnip is part of the mint family
@@Julia-tz7yc it is! but I have mint chapstick that my cats all hated when I wore, and I have since tried other mint things. every cat and every type of mint I've ever tried, they all hated it
you look like a combination of Anna and Elsa , you look so cute.
So she's like a third sister who's in between
Probably because of the hair-
XxPaisley_PlayzxX yeah that’s what i meant
Great video..awesome attitude towards feral momma cats and allowing them their independence...in a very healthy way! Bravo!!
I like to tell you something young lady you are absolutely amazing and so thoughtful in all of the videos that you have sent us sent to us on KZhead land I appreciate all of your advice and you're just amazing you are a beautiful person inside and out and I thank you for being there God bless
You are so admirably pragmatic. I have never really thought about a lot of this stuff but you explain it in a very convincing way.
Feral - never socialized to humans Stray - socialized but homeless
There's something about feral cats that just hypnotizes me... I had a feral mom with her babies and ended up more attached to her than the kittens. Broke my heart when I had to return her :(
I feel the same way. Ferals are awesome, it is so interesting to watch them, because they behave more naturally than house cats do. Observing them is a bit like watching lions or tigers.
I always appreciate your advocacy for ferals. I took care of a colony in my last location and tnr-ed about 20 cats. I only adopted two of them. One we raised as a kitten who is pretty much a normal cat. The other one we adopted as an adult and will never be a "normal" cat but we still love her anyway. She immediately took easy to being inside, but she is just a flighty little thing and this will never change. People really need to stop thinking of adult ferals as something that needs to be saved and brought into a home. Most of them don't want a human home. That is just fine!
I keep coming back and watching your feral cat videos; there's something incredibly soothing about watching people work so gently with these little fuzzy balls of Angy Fur. Something something 'the comfort of angry as still lovable'.
The spatula makes me laugh. Good idea but funny all the same 😎😂
Especially as that spatula is often called a 'fish spatula' as its shape is useful for cooking fish, without breaking the fish into peices ...
Necessity breeds invention. If you have ever dealt with a pissy feral momma cat, you know better than to get your hands within reach of those claws and teeth. 🤣
I just realized the kittens' names are words from Lewis Carroll works. I'm glad mama can be with her babies, even if she doesn't entirely like the idea of being in your house.