Some of you may remember that we saved a young kitten from death by hand rearing it, getting up every couple of hours to feed it by a pippet, chucking antibiotics down him etc and we called him Lucky. He's now grown quite a lot, is very playful and has amazed the vet as he only gave him a 20% chance of living!

Anyway, on Wednesday I was putting a horse out in the field and glanced over to where the straw is, and I thought I saw a cat. I thought it was a bit off because as soon as we get to the horses the cats circle out feet wanting food! Anyway, I put the horse out and went back to the stable and found 2 kittens there!

Im not sure how long they've been there but they have their eyes open and Ive been told that that means they are about 2 weeks old. They very steadily and wobbily take a few steps but hardly any at all so is this estimate about right?

Kitten anyone? :D

I've just had exactly the same thing - we found 3 mewing kittens in the field shelter and one feral cat who legged it!

Ours had eyes open, walking about - vet estimated 5 weeks. We've got them on solids now and kitty milk and are in the process of rehoming.

You need to try and catch the mum. Ring the Cats Protection League - they are brilliant. They will/should come out and trap her.

If they are walking they are at least 3 weeks old. If they are still wobbly when walking, they are likely not MORE than 3 weeks, so pretty certain they are 3 weeks. :)

Why do they need to catch the mum? She's not our cat but belongs to the farm I think. I dont mind ringing them but dont want to tread on my farmer's toes by doing things with his cat. He doesnt know about the kittens yet! :D

Cos otherwise she'll keep producing kittens - she's probably pregnant again now already. I don't care who's cat it is who is having kittens at mine - I want it to stop, and if they can't look after their cat then tough :)

I think I'll just mention it to the farm owner first before calling anyone. :)

Probably best too :) Around here the farmers don't like to get their cats neutered, they say they don't hunt as well afterwards :rolleyes:

What do they do with the kittens then?

Hi

I got a kitten from a farm last week. The farmers wife homes some of them but keeps some back to. She says they keep down the vermin and with natural wastage the numbers dont get to bad. she tries to home the males as they fight and kill the kittens. She isnt in it for the money as she gave me the kitten for nothing. Dont agree with her ways of doing things but seems to work for her.

Wendy

Keep them or give them away, over the years we've had a few farm kittens.

The best hunters are spayed females!   So that knocks that argument into a cocked hat!  All male cats are there to do is procreate, that's why they fight so much.  It's to reign supreme and mate the most females.   Look at lion prides in the wild, who does the most hunting?  Not the lazy males.

Spayed females will substitute their families for what kittens they would've had, so they bring the kill back home.

Ah! - but if the farmers neutered their female cats they wouldn't have such a ready supply of replacements :(

I'm sure the CPL would still have several 100 unwanted cats & kittens each year for the farmers to chose from!!!!!  :rolleyes:

>I'm sure the CPL would still have several 100 unwanted cats & kittens each year for the farmers to chose from!!!!!

Well said!

Feral unspayed/un-neutered cats drive me mad! What a hard life they have too :(

Just as with dogs,there are far too many unwanted cats out there to be letting them breed willy nilly..

I agree 100%. Which is why the cat that comes here will be caught and neutered and I don't care who it belongs to!

Can you imagine a dog owner being allowed to let their dogs have puppies everywhere leaving someone else to pick up the vets bills?!

Ahhh 'tis true, but would they want to pay for them?

:( Went to check on the kittens on Friday morning and they had gone :(

I can only assume that mum didnt like us checking on her and them and has moved them on to pastures new. There was no sign of a struggle or anything like that and mum keeps disappearing off somewhere (not sure where) so we'll just have to wait and see when they get a bit older!

>I'm sure the CPL would still have several 100 unwanted cats & kittens each year for the farmers to chose from!!!!!

I'm sure you're right :(  but they would have to pay for a kitten/cat from one of these, whereas at the moment they get them 'free'   Personally I can't see any farmer paying for a cat (not round here anyway ;) )

I knew a cat breeder who lived in a rural setting and she had an agreement with her vet that he'd neuter any cat she brought in at cost.   She was always finding cats hanging around because of her stud cats (in outside cattery) and females (kept in house) and rather than have accidental litters she found it more effective.   She never worried about the cats' owners either, if they couldn't/wouldn't keep their kitten confined/neuter after it reached 5/6 months then - tough! :D :D

I'm sure many of them didn't realise.  Though I suppose the shaving on a female would give the game away.

But then you have to assume that the people who do not care enough to have them done may not notice a shaved side. ;)

With the Farm cats your probably right.

So Carla what colour are your kittens then? and are you planning on keeping, one maybetwo or three?:rolleyes: 

No, I am not a cat person :D  Got a black and white tom, a tortoisehell female and a grey and white female :)

Always loved cats, but like them to be free range ans so living here they would get killed on the road.

If they've never been out - what they don't know they don't miss.   Most pedigree cat breeders won't sell to homes other than indoor and with air rifle wounds, cars, vicious dogs and a whole host of cat related diseases, it's eminently sensible.

Yes but it would mean living in fort knocks.  I have the back door open day and night for the dogs, not to mention windows.

Just wouldn't be compatible with keeping cats.  Where to feed them where the dogs couldn't eat the food?

I absolutely adore cats and my Mum had a houseful of them when I was growing up.  Alas, i developed a serious allergy to them during my teenage years so can't have one of my own :( but if I could, I'd have a British Shorthair (or two) ;)

My cat Cleo is 24 now and still going out and about she would hate to be cooped up but she is used to being out and about.

Can't help with the window/door business :) but feeding is easy -just do it behind a child gate. Even most adult cats can squeeze THROUGH the bars if they don't want to jump over (like my one eyed cat won't for instance). :)

Feeding is the oen thing that bugs me about caats.  with dogs it's simple you put food in a sish once a day and in a minute it has goena dn you wash the dish up, cats want a bit then they dodn't then they want feeding later, and you end up throwing food out as they won't eat it if it has been down any time.

LOL you've never met my cats !!!! Fed twice a day and believe me, the food DOES get eaten -not in ten seconds flat like the dogs, but oh the dish is empty most of the day alright. :)

Have to give me your secret as my Dad's wifes mog is a nighmare, don't suppose she is ever really hungry as she hunts.

The secret is to always have several cats. :D A single one knows there is no one else that could steal their food -they don't seem to count dogs. :)

Thought as much.

My Tula used to stay at Dad's when he was away so his wife wouldn't be alone in their house as it is rather lonely half acre backing onto farmland.

Now unusually she was one not fussed about food.  Anna would put her days ration in her bowl and leave her to eat it when ready.

but if the cat came in she would run over and place her head over her bowl of kibble, any dog or human could have her food and she didn't care, but not a cat :D

Zelli eats far more now Jack is on the scene.  

As for open windows and doors, I'm sure Zooplus do safety netting and stuff for opening windows, either that you make a cat run for them to get out in safety.

Yeah but I want them to go out :D  Just not safe here.

Why want cats to run round freely unsupervised but not dogs? ;) No difference!

Well you can't really walk cats in the way you can dogs.  The compensation for restricted freedom is that we provide the exercise and change of scene for our dogs.

I would consider it cruel to keep dogs purely in their own home, without any outside change of scene and exercise.

Both cats and dogs naturally need this, as both are by nature hunters with large territories.

Yes I know some dogs rarely leave their owners premises, but then I think that is cruel.

But cats don't run like dogs do when walked, nor do they like new places -they have a small territory they like to stick to that's natural. Hence an enclosed run is ideal. :) Also dogs when walked and meeting other dogs do not spread fatal disease that cannot be vaccinated against -cats DO. It's been said that as many as 80 % of outdoor cats are infected.

Well most of the cats I know are pretty long lived and healthy as long as they avoid getting run over.

But why risk letting them get killed or badly injured & in horrific pain if they get run over?   Some people deliberately speed up if they see a cat crossing the road.   Likewise little oiks and their airguns, cats are perfect moving targets for them.     If your garden is fully fenced and enclosed to stop your cat getting out that is in no way cruel, they can still enjoy fresh air, a bit of bird watching and snoozing in the sun.   But if they've never been out they know no difference.

You wouldn't leave your gate open for your pet rabbit/guinea pig etc. to get out, would you?

I'm going to order these: http://www.cataire.co.uk/cataire.htm
and we'll be making a new run soon, that is what I really miss from the old house.(The ONLY thing!!) We had patio doors and the lawn outside there was one fully enclosed run where the cats and little dogs could come and go as they pleased, and it was like having an extra room. Have no patio door now but am working on finding a solution!

Good news!!! Me and my sister heard a noise in the barn and when we investigated it was one of the missing kittens that had got stuck behind a feed bucket! When we moved the bucket he/she darted across the yard back to the safety of their presumed home! Im so chuffed that they are still alive!!! (Well we know one of them are!) and now we know roughly where mum's been keeping them!!