So a few weeks ago, we noticed two tiny kittens lounging around near the pool in the courtyard of our condo complex. After investigating the mystery kittens, we realized they were living underneath the condo across the courtyard, accessed through a crawlspace vent. I spent about two weeks trying to get them to warm up to me – after all, how can they resist scrumptious packets of stinky tuna and whitefish cat food!? No luck though, the best I could do was get them to poke their little kitten heads out of the vent and give me a defiant little kitten hiss if I got too close.
Since other cats in the area had started harassing the mama and two kittens, this past weekend I decided to try out a cat trap you can rent from the local SPCA. I opened a fresh can of tuna and put a small amount into a bowl as bait, placed the trap near the vent opening, and went inside to wait. About 30 minutes later I heard a metallic snap – the first tiny kitten was in the trap! As I approached, I noticed the other kitten standing on top of the cage looking curiously at the kitten inside. Soon as they saw me, they all bolted for the vent opening – including the kitten in the trap. The kitten freaked out as I carried it to its new temporary home in the guest bathroom. Feeling much more confident in the abilities of the trap, I loaded up more tuna and set it back out by the vent. About another 30 minutes yielded a surprise: mama cat and her other kitten! I brought them inside to join the first kitten and enjoy a fine dinner of smelly wet cat food. For being frightened, feral cats they are extremely good-natured. Besides cowering in the corner and the occasional kitten hiss, none of them have attempted to bite or claw me.
The next day I decided to go check out the area again, and there was a third kitten! Up until this point I’d only ever seen two, so I was quite surprised to discover there was yet another mystery kitten. I loaded the trap again, and in about 30 more minutes we had kitten number three. (The humane traps work quite well, in case anyone was wondering!)
The next step is to take them all to the vet to get the mama cat spayed and a general wellness check for all of them. After that, I’ll be finding homes for as many as I can. They’ve come a long way in three days, and have started to explore and check out their surroundings. Just last night (at about 4AM no less) the little poop-factories discovered that ceramic toilet bolt coverlets make excellent noisy toys.
A friend today told me I’m crazy for catching them. Maybe they’re right - it’s a huge responsibility I just put on myself. However, with three purring kittens sitting on my lap, it feels like all is right in the world. If you’re a pet owner, PLEASE be responsible and make sure your pets are spayed or neutered. Kittens are probably _the_ cutest thing on the entire planet, but too many of them is a bad thing!
KITTENS!
