I have a tiny kitten in front of me that I can scoop up right now. So tiny she can only wobble walk a little bit. I found kitten and mom after hearing hissing and chased off 2 grown cats who were attacking both. Mom stayed for a while and then hopped the fence and left the kitten. Idk if she knows how to move the kitten, it’s in a secluded area behind my shed but unsafe from other adults.

Idk what to do. I don’t think I’ll get another chance to take in the kitten although idk anything about taking care of it and don’t have the means. Doesn’t it need mom’s milk? Mom will miss the kitten if she comes back. Will she come back? She seems to care about the kitten bc she was protecting it from 2 grown cats. Not sure if anything I do will do more harm than good. Do I just stand guard until mom comes back? Bc idk if I can do that I need to go soon. I’m worried about the kitten. It’s barely bigger than my hand.

Mom is a first time mom. She was only a kitten herself last year.

EDIT: when should I start to worry the mom isn’t coming back? how long can the kitten go without milk/can be left alone? It’s been over 3 hours. I ordered KMR it’s on its way. I’m getting concerned.

Is anyone from the South Bay Area able to take in a kitten? I cannot keep any other animals in the house due to specific medical circumstances.

Edit 2: two more identical kittens appeared.

Edit 3: I saw the mother on the fence near them again and left immediately to give her space and encourage her to come back.
I didn’t have time to try giving them food because the mother was there. I feel better short term knowing the mother likely has not abandoned them, but long term idk what to do. I hope to make the backyard comfortable for them, try to line up a foster for them and then trap. I can’t trap them without lining up a place for them to live. I’m also not confident they’re over 5 weeks, they are tiny. Their heads are smaller than my palms and I have small palms.

Edit/update 20:59:

A GINORMOUS RACOON CAME. Mother has been watching over them, but she let the giant racoon come so close to the Ken’s and didn’t do anting until I scared it away. I was giving them space and planned to let them be bc the mother came back and has been somewhat tending to the kittens but I have not witnessed nursing (she may have when I wasn’t looking). I set up a ring camera to monitor them. Those kittens have been resting in the insulated box with the mother coming and going at intervals for the whole day. My ring camera alerted me and I saw a huge raccoon with beady white eyes and bushy tail in the night vision ring camera. Ran outside and scared it off. It was so close to the kittens. How did the mom let it get so close. Now idk if I should try to get kittens inside somewhere regardless of the mom having not abandoned them or what. I cannot have them in our house for medical reasons and none of the shelters or people I called are willing to take the kitten in. so I’m not really sure what to do.

A few weeks ago I spotted a feral cat with a broken arm. It re-appeared after a week & we decided to start feeding it to try and trap it (picture 1). We didn’t see it for a couple weeks, until I spotted it randomly in our complex and decided to try and trap it. I was able to trap it and bring it to MedVet, who works with animal control in our area.

They transferred it to the animal control shelter & we just received a call today saying that they’d need to amputate the arm, but they can’t let it back into the street because it’s chance of survival is very slim and risky. So they’re giving us the option to take on its care or have it euthanized. They would give us to her as is, so the rest of the care & costs would be up to us.

They said the cat is VERY feral and that if we want to take the risk taming it that it’d be a loooong process & we’d have to keep it away from our other animals (2 cats & 1 small dog). Not just a long taming process, but a long healing process from her amputation & repository issues she has. They also weren’t able to test her for FIP/FIV because of how feral she is.

We are trying to decide what the best course of action is for all parties involved. We have to let them know by tomorrow morning. Has anyone had experience taming very feral cats? Any advice is appreciated.

My wife found this little pad of butter (I’m calling him Butters) on the side of the road. He’s very affectionate, but in need of help. As am I. He’s a young boy, he’s quite thin and has a very cloudy eye. Also sneezes and coughs a bit. But he hasn’t stopped loudly purring at us since he came inside. Currently I have a corgi and an adult cat. The old lady cat is not a fan of an additional feline being present, and the corgi wants to chase him nonstop. I have him isolated in a bathroom for now so he can’t get hurt by the other two or spread anything. My mother in law is posting pics on Facebook to see if anyone lost a cat, since he is very affectionate. Like INSANELY affectionate. Claw up to your face and aggressively front your entire being into it affectionate. I just don’t know what to do from here, I’d love to keep the sweet little guy but I don’t want to upset the balance of my current pets. I also don’t know where to go to get him looked at, but I can find that on my own. I’m in north/central Maryland if that helps

I have a street cat (she’s very friendly) who gave birthed at our house 2 weeks ago. I found these other kittens today around the neighborhood because they were meowing loudly. I waited and came back later to see if maybe they were getting fed by their mother somewhere. I was horrified cause I saw the white one suckling the orange one till it’s face starting to looked a little messed up.

I thought of the options on what to do and I just can’t think of a way to help these guys. Some reasons:

1. I’m allergic to cats so I can’t raise them myself
2. My country doesn’t have any facilities or people willing to help street cats (they are mostly seen as pests).
3. I could try to bring them to my nursing cat but I’m afraid they might be sick and get the other kittens sick. Also, my mother is barely allowing this mother cat and its kittens to stay as it is.

What should I do? Is it okay if I don’t do anything?

Update 1:

I decided to bring them to mama cat and she instantly took them in. They were ravenous for milk and ran toward her (happy to see they have energy). They were very warm although much lighter than my other kittens. They seem to have as much energy as the other kittens now.

I can’t do some of what you guys suggested:

1. I work 8 hours and have to sleep well for work too. So I can’t bottle feed them or quarantine them. Trusting in mama cat’s ability to care for them is the best I can do.

2. I live in Kuwait and I tried looking for people to take in these kittens to now avail. I’ve actually started looking 2 weeks ago when mama cat first brought her kittens.

3.I don’t know how to add photos to an existing post. Would love to share an update pic.

Saw a post like this but the photo was deleted so I couldn’t compare! Help!! Rescued her in January, she didn’t have a distended stomach when I brought her inside!

I have been feeding and caring for these two stray cats for about a year now. They are both female, spayed, and strictly outside. I am no longer to care for them due to unforseen life event, it really hurt me to let them go. I am asking fo rany foster that can help them to find a forever home. They are very attached to each other, so I would love for them to be adopted together. Thankyou very much

I’m fostering a mom cat with young kittens (their eyes just opened and thyre 11 days old), and I’m feeling really overwhelmed and unsure if this is something I should continue.

Today, I was standing near the kennel (not touching the kittens at all), and the mom cat suddenly lunged at me, jumped up, and scratched my leg hard enough to break skin. Even through my baggy sweatpants. There was no warning hiss or swat first, just straight to attack. This is the 4th time she has attacked but the first time she made it through clothes. Also the kennel is always open she has access to the room that has food, water, litterbox, scratching post tower thing.

The rescue I’m working with described her as “sweet,” and when I’ve asked for help or said I’m unsure what I’m doing, I mostly get reassurance like “you’re doing great,” but not much actual guidance. She also has fleas and they want me to put topical medicine on her.

I understand that maternal aggression can be normal, but this felt intense and honestly kind of scary. I don’t feel confident managing her safely right now, especially if she’s going to attack without warning.

And I've been told several times I need to socialize the kittens but I have no idea how when the mom growls and hisses and swats and has even tried to bite me.

For those with fostering experience:

• Is this level of aggression typical for a mom cat?
• Should I be handling this differently?
• At what point is it reasonable to ask for a different placement?
• Any tips for safely managing a situation like this?

I want to help, but I also don’t want to get hurt again or make things worse for the cat/kittens.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Ive flared this as urgent because the rescue is having an adoption fair today and im hoping ill be able to talk to someone today.

It's me again... the apartment complex closed all the crumbling crawlspaces. Over 100 of them.

Like usual, the complex doesn't check the crawlspaces for animals at all before sealing them. They just lock them up. Any wildlife in them will die and it seems purposeful. And telling them about it has never really been fruitful. They're not going to check every crawlspace to satisfy a crazy person like me.

I barely slept the past few days. Yet I continued to walk and walk, trying to calm and gather myself to do the job to open them myself. I walked for at least 8 hours each day. More than twice the hours or sleep.

I got the pictured out of there by making a gap. I heard her meows only up close. But I suspected she was in that space, and she was. Horrifyingly, 2 of them still missing. Pictured's sister, now pregnant again because I failed to catch, is one of them.

I just opened more crawlspaces today at 4am. And then the cops came looking around and I ran to my door when I type this3. I hope there are no legal consequences for myself. I can't even hope to deal with them, when at the moment I'm going to have a psychotic breakdown living in this hellish place any longer, being reminded of the lovely cats I failed.

I tried my best to make a quick shelter with what I could... is there anything more I can do? I can't bring them in due to dad's severe allergies. It's double-boxed, paper bags inside, elevated, cloth over the outside.

They don't look injured from what I can tell, but they're distressed. It's 25 degrees with a low of 13. I just hope this is enough and they'll be okay.

I already know how to take care of a baby cat who’s been left by his mother, but to make sure I want everyone to tell me what to be careful about, what are some common mistakes and tips.
He’s in a box with a hot water bottle to warm him up, I’m waiting for my sister to come home with the formula. Do you have good videos that explain bottle feeding a kitten? I know how to, but I’m always scared of doing it wrong, so I want to check to feel more secure (if that makes sense?).
He’s very young, he was left with his brother (who had died) I hope it’s not too late. Let me know guys, I already wanna thank whoever wants to help 🤍🤍

Feral cat I have been feeding for 3 years brought me her kitten the other day. He is eating solid food. It’s getting cold where I live and I don’t want him outside. Can I bring him in? Or would I lose her trust.

Hi guys, one of my cats is hurt really bad and I am looking for any advice to trap her. I have been trying all week, 14 hours sitting outside with both a box trap and a drop trap. She will not go near either one. She was just TNR’d in January so she knows the trap and is on extra high alert because she is hurt so bad. I have tried tuna and cat food as bait, I wish I could try KFC but we don’t have one here. She’s been hurt like this for over a month (she disappeared after it first happened) and I am getting really scared.

She is slow moving at this point but won’t let me get very close. They live underneath this building and she only comes out to eat for a few minutes each morning and then hunkers down all day. I have access to the basement but I have never been down there and am nervous to scare her too much and have her go seek a new hiding place… at least I know where she is here. But at this point I’m considering going under there and trying to nab her in a blanket. I am really at a loss here, I just want to help her. To make matters worse a he is NOT friendly at all, I have scars lol. Any ideas???

ETA I have tried withholding food AND trap training. She will not go near the trap AT ALL propped open or not. She didn’t eat for 5 days and still wouldn’t take the tuna.

UPDATE thanks yall the rotisserie chicken got her closer to the trap than she’s been so far, definitely making progress. She booped the trap with her nose then dipped 😑 I am gonna leave the trap propped open and keep trying

Justice the tomcat is secured in the trap, covered with blankets, with the trapdoor ziptied shut. He is going to the vet in the morning!

the issue was he could reach both paws fully through the gap around the plate trapdoor while it was shut so for that I have a cardboard shield so if he panics he can't do any harm.

will show pictures of him tomorrow when he joins the neutered club.💞

This is Peachy cat, a feral or stray that has been around the area for a long while. The second photo is from April, but he's gotten a lot worse since then. We were able to trap him, but none of the shelters around will take him! The one shelter in town said they would only take him if he could be picked up and held, but they don't have a vet on staff. He was getting pretty close, but ran after a bit. I don't think he's aggressive at all.

It's about to be a long Labor Day weekend, so I'm not sure what to do in the meantime besides try to get him used to us. He needs care very soon or might need to be put down. He's got flies swarming and can barely eat, so he probably has dental abscesses or other severe issues. We are currently taking care of many cats, inside ones and outside strays. We've had a rough summer to say the least. If you have any suggestions, I'm open to them. Thanks

Hi everyone, I found a very sick stray cat outside my home and I’m trying my best to help him, but I don’t have the money for a vet right now. I’ve been feeding him and giving him water, and he is eating and drinking on his own, but he looks rough very skinny, crusty face, possible respiratory infection, fleas, and maybe ear issues.

Today I gently cleaned his face using warm water and saline/contact solution, just dabbing since the crusts seem scabby and I didn’t want to hurt him. I also wiped his nose and put a little saline eye solution in his eyes to help them open. I’m trying to keep him warm and comfortable with blankets and a little shelter outside.

I’m trying to figure out what else I can safely do at home until I can find a rescue or low-cost clinic. If anyone has advice or resources, especially in my area, I would appreciate it so much. I just want to give this little guy a fighting chance. I also have two cats in my home so I can’t bring him inside unfortunately.

Any tips, medical advice, or rescue recommendations would help. Thank you. 🙏

How do you stop feeding the cats without feeling so guilty and horrible. I’ve been feeding colony cats for 4 years now and I have gotten so deep into debt. I just separated from my boyfriend of 9+ years, due to domestic violence. I’m trying to find a second job hoping I can manage without him. I have no food in the house for myself but all I’m worried about is my babies cold and hungry. I know it is in my best interest to stop caring for them. I just can’t imagine what will happen to them.

UPDATE!

I posted on here about 2 days ago. In short, there’s a cat that was dumped at my apartment complex that I’ve been suspecting is pregnant.

I just caught her. I wasn’t able to get a good look at her before she hunkered down in a lil cardboard box in a pen I set up for her. How can I double check that she is indeed pregnant? Can someone please give me advice? I’m a 21 year old college student and feel a little under equipped.

Hi. I’m a teen living in North Carolina, around Iredell County, and we caught a cat instead of the raccoon we were trying to cage to protect our chickens.

I’m asking: What do you think is best?

I suggested to my mom that we TNR, but she told me something along the lines of “the population isn’t an issue.” (I told her that’s not the whole point of TNR, but she didn’t seem to want to listen.) It’s been in our backyard for a few months now and taunts our dogs regularly, leading to many attempts to dig out, so my sister has asked that whatever happens we do not release it back anywhere near here.

We think that this cat is feral because it growls when anybody gets anywhere near it and tried to throw itself against the cage to get away when we got near, but it isn’t hissing or swatting unless we get really close, and it was honestly just very quiet and wary when I was sitting near the cage we trapped it in once movement stopped. I’m thinking there’s a potential chance it’s not quite as feral as we initially assumed, but unsure.

What I would want to do in an ideal world is try to rehabilitate this cat — I have no issue spending weeks to months for that outcome — but that’s seeming to be a difficult option, for three main reasons:

1.) The only open room in the house is the garage. We just finished brooding some chicks and so I turned the brooder into a makeshift safe space with food and water and a tarp over to keep the cat in, but it still seems really unideal.
2.) My dad does not want another indoor cat, and even if I WAS to somehow get this cat to a point where it feels safe enough to approach for food and water, I don’t feel comfortable “owning” an outdoor cat with no aims to bring it indoors eventually.
3.) My sister is EXTREMELY bad with animal boundaries (messes with both my cats regularly, and says “they’re just animals, it doesn’t matter” when I ask her to stop) and I worry she’ll try to overstep and try “helping” when all she ends up doing is stressing the cat out more and making it difficult if not impossible to properly socialize it.

CURRENTLY: Cat is in a large modified chick brooder with a top and door with litterbox, food, water, and a tarp-covered cage in the garage.

I’m thinking of pitching that I get a job (as summer is starting) and start a routine so that I can pay off any vet bills and make sure the litterbox is no issue. This MIGHT work to fix the whole dad issue, but i’m not 100% sure. I also don’t know if that’s the best option. I don’t know if there’s foster or adoption for feral(?) cats around here (which would likely be my #1 option if so), and I don’t know if it would be more moral to just beg my mom to TNR.

(Flaired for "urgent" because the decision has to be made by tomorrow, but I don’t know if that’s the wrong flair so apologies if so.)

my neighborhood is overrun with feral cats. i have TNRed 15-20 at this point. we feed in limited amounts, outside of our yard.

today, the worst thing i could have imagined happened. a cat jumped into our fenced yard and our dog got to the cat. i will spare the details, but the cat did not make it. we are traumatized by this situation.

this is no longer a safe situation for these cats, who have been in my neighborhood and around my house since before we moved in. we cannot keep attracting them even near to our house if there is a chance one will jump into our yard.

i need advice on what to do. whether the colony can be moved, or if we gradually stop feeding will the cats move on? i don't want the cats to die in any scenario, but it is not safe for them around my house. it breaks my heart, i have become attached to a few of them, but i cannot let their lives be at risk like this.

please help.

edit: thank you all for your generous responses and for your empathy. i will update when we land on how we’re moving forward. sending you all very much love.

Mr grumpy had a ruptured abscess on his face (next slide) for months about a month or two ago. I treated it with antibiotics I gave him 7 days worth I put it in his food. He was fine for weeks after seemed healed to me. Today my neighbor caught him looking like this. I am devastated I don't know what to do he will not let me trap him. That's why I had to put antibiotics in his food. Is this because the antibiotics didn't fully heal him and now he has an infection resistant to antibiotics?? I really don't know what to do for him at this point . I'd take him to the vet in a heart beat

Edit: I gave him 10 days of antibiotics not 7 if that matters

UPDATE:

White kitten has been safely trapped and secured! Ironically no thanks to anything other than taking it old school and connecting with neighbors!! I posted on Next Door and a neighbor 3 streets over messaged me. After I had eyes on it I knew I’d catch that kitten 😂

Thanks everyone for your trips and encouragement!!
_____________________________________________

I need some advice and tips for trying to trap one last kitten. Kitten is estimated around 5 weeks.

I’ll preface that I am a semi-experienced trapper. I’ve done around ~15-20 adults and rescued 3-4 litters. I foster as well. I’m connected to a TNR agency that has helped me so so much in this journey. I have texted my coordinated about this a lot and tried to do everything she’s recommended.

On Friday 5/22 we saw a mom and two kittens in our front yard in the landscaping/bushes. Immediately jumped into action to see how friendly they were. We gave them food and they seemed friendlyish (picture 1). Mom was definitely giving more stray/abandoned than truly feral. I don’t know why I hesitated trapping Friday night. I regret it. On Saturday 5/23 morning I caught one of the kittens (a black one - 2nd pic). I almost caught the white one but it escaped. It was pouring down rain and a big storm was coming. So the rest of Saturday was a wash. Sunday 5/24 I set the trap again and caught mom in the morning. There is one more kitten (a white one) still out there that I have been trying to bait.

I have done everything I can think of. Baited the trap with different kinds of food (wet food, tuna, sardines). I have the traps covered with mom’s blanket and the siblings blanket for scent. I have played cat mom sounds intermittently. I have taken mom in her cage into the yard to try calling for it. I have walked my neighbors yards, spoken to them, told them to keep an eye out. I feel like I have done everything under the sun.

As of today 5/25 at 8pm there is still no kitten. I would really like to try and socialize mom. She has let us pet her while eating and she has decompressed a lot. She is not aggressive. I could get her TNR’d on Wednesday 5/27 and then release to be with baby but my worry is that she will not get trapped again and then a second life is out the door for her. Im sure some people who read this might find that silly or ridiculous but I can foster her. I also have a back up appointment for spay on 6/1 in case I wanted to hold her longer (my clinic is amazing!). My coordinated suggested I keep mom for socializing and try using the sibling as bait. So I will try that.

So genuinely I don’t know what else to do or what the next best steps are. What else can I do to find white baby? I know trapping is emotionally taxing and I’m feeling it more than ever with this one. I would really like to try and foster mom if possible and not release her (post spay). Thank you for any and all advice!

i’m thinking maybe i could build a cat house by my door and put the food in there? any other ideas? i’ve been feeding these cats for years now, i cant just stop feeding them…

We have been feeding this cat for over a year, they are so sweet and friendly and loved to be pet. A couple months ago she started getting small patches ok her head, but she came so intermittently that we didn’t pay too much attention to it. Last week the cat came and her patch was a lot bigger, and today, she can barely open her eyes. It is very sad to to see😔 my sister and I are going to try to take her to the vet if we can trap her.

She was spayed and microchipped on 2/5/26 we just got her today 2/14/26. We thought she had urinated in the cage on the way to our house. But picked her up and saw clear liquid leaking from this hole. So we picked her up again to take this picture. Is she going to be okay she’s just 4 months old

I’ve finally managed to trap this feral after spotting him a few weeks ago with awful skin above both eyes. I have to wait until the morning to take him to the vet. Is there anything I can do now to help him? I TNR street cats and rehome them if they’re tame enough, but I’ve no experience with a fully grown feral. Any advice appreciated 🙏