Ok guys, I NEED HELP! I sent this email out today but have very limited cat contacts. If you know of any, please let me know!

Why me, I ask?


Crossposting appreciated!


The night before last I set a trap in hopes of catching some tiny kittens that I've seen roaming around here. My neighborhood is PLAGUED with ferals and we have no TNR program in place for them. Before long I had a kitten in the trap, but it was very obviously a 12-14 week old one, not the tiny ones I had seen. I brought her into the house and contacted a woman who fosters cats for us. She has a very small set-up with more than a handful of her own adult cats, so is only able to help with kittens. We had plans for her to take this kitten this weekend.

So, I took her to the vet this morning and had her Leuk and FIV tested. She was negative. We had her vaccinated and dewormed. Doc thought she was at most, 14 weeks old.

As we were putting her back into the carrier, the tech said, "Hey, she has enlarged nipples." So we pulled her back out and it was VERY obvious that she was not pregnant, but NURSING KITTENS! This cat is TINY! Doc came back in, checked her teeth and confirmed that yes, she was actually approximately 10 months old. We were all floored! Apparently she has been SO malnourished that this is about the size she is going to get!

Backtrack to last night. Around 11 pm I heard mewing. Hubby and I searched the yard, and came across a 4 week old kitten. We picked her up and brought her in, and I was at the grocery store at 11:30 in my pj's getting kitten milk replacer. Now that I've had the FIRST cat to the vet and we know she is nursing, there is no doubt in my mind that itty bitty kitten is her baby! So we've reunited them, and placed them in a carrier outside in the shade where they were found, HOPING that mama calls to her other babies and we can get however many there are.

I've got nowhere for mama to go! She's tiny like a kitten, but is actually a young adult! She's vetted (minus a spay at this point) and Leuk/FIV negative. She is feral, but has not hissed or struck at us. She is just absolutely petrified and cringes when being touched. I do believe she will be easily tamed. If ANYONE can take Mama cat with or without whatever babies we find, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I've got a houseful of dogs (7 of my own and 4 fosters) and 5 children under the age of 11. I simply do not have the time or resources to help Mama cat learn to trust people. My original foster has NO ROOM, time, or resources for an adult semi-feral cat. She's bottlefeeding 2 litters right now herself!

PLEASE HELP! I've attached a photo of Mama that I took with my cell phone. I don't have any of the 4 week old kitten yet.

You can get me by phone at 570-231-9927 or email shannon@straysave.com

What about WhoaDuckie--is that her name?

Awww! I too have a mini-kitty - but not due to malnourishment, she was a runty kitty from a runty feral mom and just plain didn't grow.

Awwww poor young mamma and her babies. I sure hope she calls in any other surviving kittens to get a drink. In this heat, without their mother's milk or other liquid to sustain them, they won't make it but a day or two at most.

I wish I was closer, Shannon. If nothing else I could set her up in my basement and at least let her raise her litter in quiet and peace. I sure hope you can find a cat rescue close to you that will take her and whatever kittens she has with her still. Poor thing deserves a break and a chance to be somebody's pampered kitty.

That could very well be the case with this one too. She is tiny and more than a little emaciated. She's eating kitten food and kitten milk like a champ, though, and is healthy otherwise.

I'm hoping so too, Jo. I set out some canned food and a dish of kitten milk right next to the carrier. I don't have a trap small enough at this point for a kitten - mine isn't touchy enough for such a small baby to set off. I've got a call into AC to see if she has one.

Hubby and I feel TERRIBLE that this cat that we thought was a kitten was taken away from her babies. At the same time, she is not spayed and I don't want to let her go again to have more kittens. It's a no-win situation unless I somehow catch whatever other kittens there are. I know for sure there is at least one more, a black and white one.

She's the foster I was referring to in the original plea. I am sure if worse comes to worst she might take Mama, but that will be in a few weeks at minimum. She's got 3 litters right now, 2 of which are being bottlefed and is just out of room. She lives with her parents, so all of her foster kittens are in her bedroom.

Poor momma!! I hope the other kittens come around soon!

We have a cat who is really tiny too. She was the runt of her litter, born almost a day after the rest! We think she must have been stuck or something, as her head kind of goes to the side funny, like she can't hold it right (though has gotten better as she gets older and now you can't tell) and she has almost no voice. We tried to find her a home, but couldn't find anyone and kept her. That's why her name is Kitty. lol.

Here's a pic of mama and baby. Diana (whoaduckie) is going to take them in 2 weeks if we haven't found rescue. Though my daughter REALLY wants to keep the baby

I've got them in a large varikennel now with Feline Pine litter, milk replacer, dry kitten food, water, and canned food. Mama is already picking up weight, and baby appears to be healthy and of decent weight. Cannot find the other kitten I've alerted everyone on my block, but at this point I can only hope that someone took him/her in.