When Do Stray Kittens Leave Their Mother

Outdoor or stray moms sometimes scatter their kittens to avoid predation.

When do stray kittens leave their mother. If you ve ever come across a litter of stray or feral kittens mewing for comfort you probably understand the inclination to rescue them. Sometimes a kitten may refuse to eat or seem depressed for several days after leaving his mom. Many of these litters are either strays or ferals. A male will leave to claim his own territory and sow his seed.

Between the months of march and september every shelter in the region will be overrun with kittens both orphaned litters and those with a mother. When a stray does not have a mother. Once you re certain that the stray or strays in question do not have a mother you can take some steps towards helping it survive. Male feral cats will sometimes join together to defend a common territory.

During the first week of life mommy cat will leave her babies for only a few brief times each day. If the trap carrier containing the mother is placed against the side opening of the hospitalisation cage she will soon see smell and hear her kittens and will eagerly join them in the darkened section as soon as the adjacent sliding doors of the hospitalisation. The enduring relationship seems to be between a mother cat and both her male and female kittens. However the difference between a stray cat or a feral cat is that a stray cat is accustomed to people and a feral cat has.

Female feral cats will band together to raise their kittens and form colonies that add to their safety. It s best to monitor a nest for a couple of hours to see if she comes back. Neither one has a legal owner. Most experts agree that you should wait and watch mom is usually eating searching for a new nesting spot or in the process of moving her babies.

If the kittens are very young with their eyes still closed chances are mom is close by. Feral kittens that are from the same litter may remain together for a time but they face disease cars predators and. During their first few days of life not only are the kittens both blind and deaf but they are dependent on their mom to regulate their body temperatures for food and even for stimulation to be able to potty. The kittens however may have a little more trouble with the process.

If allowed the mom and her kittens will stay together. If the kittens seem well fed are in a safe place and fall asleep after crying for a short while mom is probably around. It is best if you keep her litter box food and water near her babies. Stray and feral kittens are an epidemic.