need kitten advice

[Brandi]

They should be treated. The eye infections can just get worse. They all need to be treated at the same time. i would suggest trying to get the mom first. To bad I am not there I have humain traps for this sort of thing. We help out at a no kill shelter. But getting the mom first is best then it is easier to get the kittens
If you try and get the kittens first the mom might take off and then you have to feed the babies. The babies will need a coarse of antibiotic's.And that will help if they have anything else as well. If they have a upper respitory infection (common in wild litter's) it really needs to be delt with soon or they will just get weak. Is there a no kill shelter some place near by that can help?
I hope this helps a bit. If i was there I would be helping you right now.

[mimitabby]

take all the kittens as soon as possible. they might be dead in two weeks. If the mother is tame, get her spayed as soon as possible. If she's wild, she's going to need to be trapped first. Once you have the mother, it's very easy to get the kittens. But every day you let them stay wild, the harder it will be to tame them. There are people who dedicate their lives to helping feral cats, there are probably some in your area. Start by calling a veterinarian.

So let's say you have the kittens now. It's best not to separate them until they are 8-16 weeks old. The older they are when you separate them, the better socialized they will be.
In the wild, cats stay with their siblings and mothers for months. Then they accept other cats better because they become socialized.
I hope you will take care of all these kitties.
Good luck.

[coyote]

Thanks for the advice mimtabby and brandi. I believe the Human Society has some human traps. They might be a great resource to finding cost effective treatment too (including spaying the mom).

I'm hoping I won't need too much luck. Anybody want a kitty? Just kidding, I can't count my kittens before they are caught.

[mimitabby]

I wish you a lot of luck, if you lived closer, i'd lend you a trap.
keep us posted on what happens. I did the same thing, but i didn't spy my kittens until they were about 12 weeks old and i didn't catch them until they were almost 16 weeks. They all had ringworm AND eye infections.

I still have one of them
this is when i first got her:


here she is all grown up:

[coyote]

She is a cutie. Does she ride the bike often?

[spokewench]

Coyote - I'd try to get them captured as soon as possible - with all the "coyotes" real ones and bobcats, etc. in Tucson, they might not last too long down there anyway. Most cats in Tucson don't last long unless they are housecats.

spoke

[farrellcollie]

Your area may also have some cat specific rescue groups who can help and who may help with foster homes for the kittens and the mother. St. Louis has a few of these and I would think your area might too.