Kittens on Posted State Property

Probably a hopeless case, but I thought I'd run it past you guys. I
live next to a freeway. There's about a half-acre of landscaped area
- a "green belt" they call it -- bushes, hedges, trees, etc leading
to an embankment up to the freeway. This area is the property of the
highway dept and is behind a serious 8 ft fence with spiked wire on
the top of it. The other day sitting out on my porch I noticed a cat
poking around over there in the bushes. Soon I could vaguely make out
other movement from a distance. So I got out my binoculars. Sure
enough, under an old wooden enclosure, which I think once contained
some controls for sprinklers, a cat has had 4 (I think) kittens. They
are totally out of my reach -- behind the tall fence, and it's a
posted area anyway, state property, no trespassing.

The kittens are out and walking around, the mother is still nursing
them but they are definitely not newborns. I recognize the mother, I
have seen her occasionally coming up on my patio in the middle of the
night and drinking water (she sets off my motion-detector!) There's
obviously a hole somewhere in the fence, but its a pretty well-
maintained fence from my side of it at least.

So what to do? I can't get even close to them myself, though I could
obviously feed the mom when she comes over and even put some food thru
the fence. If I report them to the highway dept, I'm afraid they'll
just come in and kill them or take them to the shelter to be killed, I
guess. This green belt area along the freeway proceeds for a few
miles in one direction so they have room to roam in that direction.

Anybody got any suggestions?
Thanks

catinthehat wrote in news:f2ece4d3-4cb0-4e24-
:

the fence. If I report them to the highway dept, I'm afraid they'll
just come in and kill them or take them to the shelter to be killed, I
guess. This green belt area along the freeway proceeds for a few

Akkkkkkkkk! Freeways and kittens don't go together well.

Call Animal Control. They will indeed take them to the shelter, hopefully
to be adopted. If the mother is feral it is unlikely she is adoptable. If
the kittens are given human companionship before four weeks they will be
highly adoptable and find a home, which definitely beats being run over
while trying to cross the freeway. If the kittens are already running
around, your window of time to get them to an adoption center is closing
rapidly so you need to make a decision now.

"catinthehat" wrote in message
...
Probably a hopeless case, but I thought I'd run it past you guys. I
live next to a freeway. There's about a half-acre of landscaped area
- a "green belt" they call it -- bushes, hedges, trees, etc leading
to an embankment up to the freeway. This area is the property of the
highway dept and is behind a serious 8 ft fence with spiked wire on
the top of it. The other day sitting out on my porch I noticed a cat
poking around over there in the bushes. Soon I could vaguely make out
other movement from a distance. So I got out my binoculars. Sure
enough, under an old wooden enclosure, which I think once contained
some controls for sprinklers, a cat has had 4 (I think) kittens. They
are totally out of my reach -- behind the tall fence, and it's a
posted area anyway, state property, no trespassing.

The kittens are out and walking around, the mother is still nursing
them but they are definitely not newborns. I recognize the mother, I
have seen her occasionally coming up on my patio in the middle of the
night and drinking water (she sets off my motion-detector!) There's
obviously a hole somewhere in the fence, but its a pretty well-
maintained fence from my side of it at least.

So what to do? I can't get even close to them myself, though I could
obviously feed the mom when she comes over and even put some food thru
the fence. If I report them to the highway dept, I'm afraid they'll
just come in and kill them or take them to the shelter to be killed, I
guess. This green belt area along the freeway proceeds for a few
miles in one direction so they have room to roam in that direction.

Anybody got any suggestions?
Thanks

Shelters are already filling up with kittens- and its only March. Many
shelters are killing kittens by the litter. Whatever you do, *don't call
animal control*.

If you don't have experience trapping cats, do a online search for animal
rescue groups in your area. If you let me know your area, I'll try to help
you find a group that can help you.

Phil

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:05:27 GMT from Phil P. :
Shelters are already filling up with kittens- and its only March. Many
shelters are killing kittens by the litter. Whatever you do, *don't call
animal control*.

That statement is overbroad. Some shelters kill, some don't.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Phil is absolutely correct. Live trap the cats and then decide where
they should go. Animal Control will most likely destroy them.

Why take that chance?

The kittens are out and walking around, the mother is still nursing
them but they are definitely not newborns. *I recognize the mother, I
have seen her occasionally coming up on my patio in the middle of the
night and drinking water (she sets off my motion-detector!) *There's
obviously a hole somewhere in the fence, but its a pretty well-
maintained fence from my side of it at least.

This is actually a good thing. Since there is a way out, and mom is
showing up on your patio, your best option is to start feeding her,
twice a day, on a schedule. If she knows there's a regular food
source, she will eventually bring the kittens with her, and the fence
will become a non issue. Make sure to keep the feeding times about 12
hours apart, twice a day, with the evening feeding being close to
dusk. Once they are all there and eating regularly, get some raccoon-
sized live traps, tie the doors open, and start feeding them in the
traps. Gradually move the food from the front to the back of the traps
over several days. Once they are eating in the traps, untie the
doors, set them, and you should be able to trap them all. I would not
try to do this with one trap. If you can get one for each animal and
get this done in one night, that would be better. Also, at the meal
before you trap them, give them just a tiny bit of food so they are
very hungry and will be more likely to get into the traps quickly when
you do set them. I have a friend who did this with a mother and four
wild kittens and she was able to get them all at pretty much the same
time doing it this way. You should let your vet know in advance about
this and bring the cats straight to the vet while still in the traps
to get checked out. (Make sure to cover the traps with a sheet or
towel after you catch them, so they don't freak out or hurt
themselves.)

Since the kittens are young, they should be fairly easy to socialize
and find homes for. Mom may be another story. At best, she'll be a
sweetheart and easy to find a home for. At the very least you could
spay her, release her, and continue to feed her. I know this sounds
like a lot of work, especially taking in four feral kittens, but the
fact is that most rescues, especially at this time of year, are
already full and unable to take on this amount of responsibility. You
would be doing a great thing and I think you would find it very
rewarding, even though it might take some time and financial
obligations. Thanks for worrying about this little family. If you
decide to do this and need some experienced help, let me know and I
can hook you up with some people who work in the field and have done
this many times. Good luck.

"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:05:27 GMT from Phil P. :
Shelters are already filling up with kittens- and its only March. Many
shelters are killing kittens by the litter. Whatever you do, *don't call
animal control*.

That statement is overbroad. Some shelters kill, some don't.


The OP mentioned calling the highway dept. Who do you think they would call?

"Rene S." wrote in message
...

Once they are eating in the traps, untie the
doors, set them, and you should be able to trap them all. I would not
try to do this with one trap. If you can get one for each animal and
get this done in one night, that would be better.

If you're using a live trap to trap kittens, use only a gravity trap like
Tru-Catch, not a spring-loaded trap like Tomahawk Kittens tend to follow
each other into traps- which means the lead kitten could trigger the trap
causing the trap door to slam down on the second or third kitten entering
the trap. Spring-loaded traps generate enough force to break a kitten's back
or neck.

The best way to use a live trap for trapping kittens is not to engage the
trip plate- prop the door open with a stick attached to a long string and
pull the string after the kittens are safely inside.

The best trap- especially for kittens- is a drop trap. They're very easy to
make.
http://maxshouse.com/Equipment/droptrap_camo.jpg

Phil

One point to make here. If the mother is feral or there are other cats
around ask if they have a trap, neuter return program. Most of the time
shelters will euthanize feral cats but TNR can save them if the city is
agreeable and subscribes to that type of program.


"RowwwHissssPurr" wrote in message
...
catinthehat wrote in news:f2ece4d3-4cb0-4e24-
:

the fence. If I report them to the highway dept, I'm afraid they'll
just come in and kill them or take them to the shelter to be killed, I
guess. This green belt area along the freeway proceeds for a few

Akkkkkkkkk! Freeways and kittens don't go together well.

Call Animal Control. They will indeed take them to the shelter, hopefully
to be adopted. If the mother is feral it is unlikely she is adoptable. If
the kittens are given human companionship before four weeks they will be
highly adoptable and find a home, which definitely beats being run over
while trying to cross the freeway. If the kittens are already running
around, your window of time to get them to an adoption center is closing
rapidly so you need to make a decision now.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:08:31 GMT from Phil P. :

"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:05:27 GMT from Phil P. :
Shelters are already filling up with kittens- and its only
March. Many shelters are killing kittens by the litter.
Whatever you do, *don't call animal control*.

That statement is overbroad. Some shelters kill, some don't.

The OP mentioned calling the highway dept. Who do you think they
would call?

Probably the SPCA, which in Tompkins County runs a no-kill shelter
and has for years.

As I said, your statement was overbroad.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...