Have you ever heard about feral cats? These cats have very little or no interaction with human beings and cannot be easily tamed. However, the kittens of the feral cat are less rigid in their behavior and can be domesticated. The knowledge of “how often do feral cats move their kittens” is important because it will give you insight into whether a feral kitten is abandoned.
Feral cats are known for moving their kittens from one place to another because they are super conscious about the protection of their kittens and remain in search of the safest place for them. They consider humans, animals, and other natural elements as their enemies and relocate very often. Another very common reason feral cats relocate their kittens is that they readily want to bring their kittens to the place where they find better and easy access to plenty of food and water.
If you are a pet lover and want to keep pets in your home, you should know when feral cats will move its kittens and how you can pick up the little kittens and keep them as adorable, cute, human-friendly pets.
How Often Do Feral Cats Move Their Kittens?
Feral cats usually move their kittens at least once a week.
The reason feral cats move their kittens so frequently is to leave unfavorable conditions. A feral cat will move their kittens whenever they anticipate a threat is nearby. In the wild, this happens quite frequently.
Why Do Feral Cats Move Their Kittens?
After extensive research, we have found some common reasons why feral cats move their kittens. The exact frequency of the relocation depends on the factors given below. The main reasons feral cats move their kittens are:
- If a cat finds that she is living in a place where there is noise that disturbs her kittens.
- Shortage of food and water.
- The kittens are at greater risk of being affected by external elements.
- Humans and other animals try to catch or see her kittens.
- The place is dirty or smelly.
- Unfavorable weather conditions. For example, too hot or too cold temperatures.
- There is presence of predators
When Should I Take the Kitten of a Feral Cat?
To domesticate the kittens of the feral cats, you should pick up the ones whose ages are not greater than 8 weeks. Four weeks to eight weeks is their natural weaning period and you can easily socialize them. Though they feed on their mother’s milk at this age, you can also change their eating habits by giving them other foods and milk replacement.
The weaning period is the perfect time to tame the kittens because, during this time, they learn new things, and their bodies also develop.
Do Feral Cats Reject The Kittens Touched By Humans?
If a feral cat observes that a human has touched its kittens, it does not abandon them. Instead, it immediately relocates and moves them to a safer place. It is only a rumor that feral kittens will reject or abandon their kittens that are touched by humans.
The Bottom Line
The frequency of moving feral kittens depends on what kind of conditions persuade the feral cat to move her kittens. If the conditions are suitable in terms of safety and food provision, it may stay longer at a place without moving the kittens so often.
