Kittens - What to do?

[Ekona]

Apologies for the slightly obscure title, I really had no idea what to put. We've just discovered that we've got a litter of 4 kittens approx 4 weeks old plus feral mum floating around our industrial unit at work. Mum is very shy but looks healthy enough, and the four little ones seem very bright and enthusiastic about exploring their new surroundings. Not quite close enough to stroke yet, but it really won't be long.

I'm guessing they were born elsewhere and mum has moved them to their current location for whatever reason (lots of places to hide under the portacabins would be my guess, shade from the rain etc) but I'm a little unsure as what to do next. I'm a cat owner myself so am comfortable with the dos and don'ts of cats in general, but aside from picking the four little scamps up and taking them home myself what should I really be doing?

Trying to catch kittens + mum and take them to the local vet/RSPCA/CPL place?
Call the council?
Leave them be?


My gut instinct is the first option, if for no other reason than to get them all checked over and mum spayed, and then they can go from there. I guess the RSPCA would come and collect too, so another option possibly. Or am I missing the really obvious?


They're so cute, two little black ones and two ginger ones, mum is a dark tabby. Do want!

[Davel]

We have the same issue here.

Started off like that, and the tenants love & feed them.

Now up to nearer 30 on our Industrial Estate!

Mind you - hardly any rats or mice!

[chrisj_abz]

local CPL should take them, one local to me regularly advertise feral cats and kittens that they have caught and fostered so they are used to human contact again..

[Davel]

Just bear in mind that they will all be tested for Feline Aids and if they have it, even if not suffering at the moment, they will be put to sleep.

They threatened that for all of ours' and the tenants were up in arms about it.

[ali_kat]

Davel said:

Just bear in mind that they will all be tested for Feline Aids and if they have it, even if not suffering at the moment, they will be put to sleep.

They threatened that for all of ours' and the tenants were up in arms about it.

CPL rehome cats with FiV, but carefully & with medical treatment help.

[Steve Evil]

Our little ginger terror was found late last year on an industrial estate along with the rest of the litter and their dad, who tested positive for the disease and was rehomed, but the kittens were all clear. He doesn't seem to have suffered any for his entrance into the world and is the most affectionate little cat I've ever known.

[ali_kat]

Ekona said:

They're so cute, two little black ones and two ginger ones, mum is a dark tabby. Do want!

Have them then

You'll catch the kittens, Mum will be a little harder Although at 4 weeks they are a little young to be taken from Mum...

[Davel]

ali_kat said:

CPL rehome cats with FiV, but carefully & with medical treatment help.

When CPL came to site here, they said that they proposed to neuter all of the cats but first had to do a test for Feline Aids.

Any found with the condition would be put down.

They told me as Landlord and several of my Tenants who confirmed that they too had been told this by the CPL staff.

[Ekona]

ali_kat said:

Have them then

You'll catch the kittens, Mum will be a little harder Although at 4 weeks they are a little young to be taken from Mum...

Noooo, don't tempt me! The other half is coming up later just to see them, she's already desperate for one of the ginger ones. Shame my two are so clingy really, as otherwise I'd be tempted but there's no way they'll accept another cat.

Thanks for the advice all, I think I'll give it a couple of days to make sure they're not going to run off anywhere else and then give the local CPL a call.

[ali_kat]

I'm just checking policy with my local CPL, but I'm certain that they do not put down! Will be upset to be wrong, not for being wrong, that is why I am checking, but because that they would do that.

[Davel]

These ladies were from the Warrington / St Helens area and were really quite rude to us when we declined their offer to take them away from site and assess them all.

[ali_kat]

Thanks Dave

I'm considering volunteering with CPL, so this is quite a big issue for me.

I've just spoken with 'my' CPL and she confirmed that they only put down if advised to by a Vet. FiV cats can live long & happy lives (CPL insist they are kept as indoor cats to stop spread), it is not fatal to them.

Cats that have been vaccinated will test positive for the FIV antibody for the rest of their life, even though they are not infected. Therefore, testing of strays or adopted cats is inconclusive, since it is impossible to know whether or not they have been vaccinated in the past. For these reasons, a positive FIV antibody test by itself should never be used as a criteria to put a cat to sleep.

[Davel]

Sadly, it would seem that different areas have different stances.

Here we were told that if Feline Aids was diagnosed by the Vet, that they wouldn't be neutered just put down, which upset quite a few people on our site.

We're all very attached to them.

[gd49]

ali_kat said:

Thanks Dave
Cats that have been vaccinated will test positive for the FIV antibody for the rest of their life, even though they are not infected. Therefore, testing of strays or adopted cats is inconclusive, since it is impossible to know whether or not they have been vaccinated in the past. For these reasons, a positive FIV antibody test by itself should never be used as a criteria to put a cat to sleep.

There's no vaccine against FIV, think you might have FIV mixed up with FeLV, where false positive results can occur.

FIV positive cats can have long and healthy lives, but do need to be kept indoors to avoid infecting other cats. If a cat is truly feral and will not cope with an indoor lifestyle, euthanasia is probably kindest for an FIV positive cat.

[ali_kat]

A vaccine for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) was announced in March, 2002.

It however, double edged, as I stated above.

[ali_kat]

Davel said:

Sadly, it would seem that different areas have different stances.

Here we were told that if Feline Aids was diagnosed by the Vet, that they wouldn't be neutered just put down, which upset quite a few people on our site.

We're all very attached to them.

A Vet Nurse on the forum has just contradicted them there too

I have no idea now, but from what I have been reading today & told, they are re-homed by CPL.

[Davel]

Great!

Would they take 30 or so from here?

[bexVN]

ali_kat said:

A vaccine for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) was announced in March, 2002.

It however, double edged, as I stated above.

Ali as far as I know there is no vaccine in the uk for FIV only FeLV.

However charities have to make tough decisions, a semi feral kitten carrying FIV that will have to be an indoor cat is going to be hard to rehome. They will succumb to the illness sometimes at a very young age sometimes middle age varying from chronic. Illnesses that will be costly (and not insurable) to tumours. I can understand why some areas decide not to continue with kittens like this.

Edited by bexVN on Wednesday 26th September 22:11

[gd49]

ali_kat said:

A vaccine for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) was announced in March, 2002.

It however, double edged, as I stated above.

Not licenced or marketed in the UK, so very few cats (if any) will have been vaccinated in the UK, given the paperwork required to import it combined with the fact that its not very effective.

[ali_kat]

I'm not medical, so I'm bowing to better judgement

I've just been doing a lot of reading today of research from Glasgow University & Celia Hammond AT, which is where I've got my information from. Really interesting stuff