Mark says: I live at an apartment complex in Alaska and a couple of years ago the manager and I realized that there was a feral female cat that had a litter of kittens behind the complex. We decided to try and capture her and the two surviving kittens before winter and have them fixed. We never have been able to catch her but we did catch the two kittens, one of which I still have and named Cali. The momma kitty has two litters a year, although the winter batch rarely survives. Last winter she had this litter featured on the Daily Kitten today, an orange male and three grey females. They hung out on that stump together and would come out on the sidewalk to eat if big brother thought it safe. The orange male is with the manager now along with this winter's lone survivor. We can't find homes for them all every year and people are being very unresponsible about their pets and it's becoming too much for us to deal with. We now have three generations of the same mother's kittens and she has just given birth again. They are amazing cats but will not be around anyone but the two of us. We would love to catch the momma and have her spayed but she is extremely smart.
All Photos Courtesy of and ©: Mark Hoover

Comments and LOLs:
W -
Pretty kittens. Are you using a Havahart trap to catch the momma with? That kind may work. You may need what is called a "drop trap". Google it and plenty of stuff comes up.
CarolB57 -
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CarolB57
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What a beautiful kitten- and his Momcat & siblings also. So good of you to try to catch and spay the Mom. Thank you for the story and good luck! :)
CarolB57 -
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CarolB57
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Innocent victims of someone's uncaring attitude about cats... Please spay ALL outdoor pets!
amycats -
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amycats
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Beautiful-looking kitties! Good luck with your efforts to catch the mommy!
MomcatSooma -
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MomcatSooma
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I adore this little guy's cattitude! They are all just darling and your photos are amazing..
MissyofMissylandia -
MissyofMissylandia
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Beautiful cats, but a sad background story. It is a fight with the windmills, I would be devastated having to accept the inability to help.
wokkawokka -
wokkawokka
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What little sweeties! They need a home with lots of warm snuggles to carry them through those Alaskan winters
elly -
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elly
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Thank you for trying to help these critters, they are so sweet.
Lor -
Lor
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Adorable kitties... I hear ya on the situation you are in; it's exactly how I'm sitting... A feral Mommmy kitty from the neighborhood that continues having kitties... I so hope you catch her and help solve the problem in the neighborhood. Best of luck!
mma -
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mma
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Oh my gosh, wonderful photos Mark; it must be heartbreaking at times keeping an eye on these beauties and not being able to do all you wish. Very glad one of them has a home with you; thanks for sharing.
mrskitton -
mrskitton
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What beautiful kittens....i hope you can catch her and get her fixed soon! I hate to see kittens die due to irresponsibility.
jessabelle -
Bait a live trap with lots of really stinky cat food. I worked at an animal shelter and this trick rarely failed even with really wise, street smart ferals.
Betsy Foster Breen -
Beautiful kittens, beautiful photography, sad story. As the first poster mentioned above, there are all kinds of traps available but one of the best is the Havahart which around here can be found at places like Home Depot. Bait it with the smelliest cat-loving food you can find like fresh fish or KFC (canned doesn't have the far-reaching odor that fresh does). Good luck in catching the momma cat. Sounds like the tom cat(s) needs to be caught as well! :-)
cpneale -
cpneale
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what beautiful babies!! Good luck trying to catch the momma cat! Never give up!
Snowysmom -
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Snowysmom
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These are beautiful kittens, and I applaud you for your efforts to catch the mother. Do you have a "Hav-a-Heart" trap? It's usually the best method for catching ferals.
misscriss -
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No fooling around with this one...
Ulichka4 -
Ulichka4
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oh my god, such beautiful photography and kittens! such a sad story... I hope you get a chance to read these helpful comments and spend a day catching the smart kitty to prevent any further kitten birth/loss :(
docsquid -
docsquid
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Such beautiful kittens, such a hard start in life, such a heart-rending story too.
Natthecat -
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Natthecat
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I can not add much to what has already been said, for example by @docsquid. But this is the heartbreaking reason behind the TNR programs. In the meantime, can you set up a winter shelter for these kitties--even a doghouse (unused) or a box lined with blankets or straw to shelter the babies and Momma through the winter chill? Away from people of course. My best wishes to you in finding a solution.
Natthecat -
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Perhaps this is Momma. Gorgeous but tough-looking, not a people pleaser!
Shirley -
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Beautiful! Thank you for the help you are giving. Please don't give up in catching the mother cat. Let us all know how it goes.
Jim Maney -
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My last kitty looked like this. Love all the Fall colors in the first image.
kibblegirl -
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kibblegirl
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Life on the outside is so difficult for these tiny ferals. I am so glad that you could help some of them. We had a problem like this at my development and we caught the momma, but they let one of the girl catties escape and now she is pregnant and the whole cycle starts over again. Catties need to be spayed or neutered as soon as their new family can get it done. People are so often the cause of this dilema. I know, I am preaching to the choir on this subject as all of us at Good Morning Kitten know the right way to take care of our kittens.





Kathy223 -
Kathy223
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If you decide to use the Have-A-Heart trap, don't set it at night. Morning feeding time is better because they can't be in the trap overnight in the cold weather. We were in a similar situation several years ago. It was difficult, but we finally caught the mother cat and had her spayed. We found homes for the kittens and we still have the Mama - she wont come inside but we have a little house lined with styrofoam and filled with straw. I also put a bed with a couple of snuggle pads out there in the really cold weather. I put it in a storage bin so it won't get wet. I would love to have her come inside but she won't so I do the best I can for her.
Girl Cat -
I was feraland my mom tried to catch all four ofus (my mom was a tiny orange girl) but I was the only one she could grab. I amspayed and I love these folks for trying sohard with these kittehs - keep trying - they iz bootiful.
Girl Cat's mom -
Tuna juice is really a good one. And Girl Cat was socialized in about a week - no idea why - but she loved being inside. Sad to this day I didn't get her mom and brothers. If you have animal welfare groups ask them for help. Or friends. People as nice as you must have friends as nice as you.
Girl Cat's Mom -
Try Alaskaspca.org or google pet orgs for addresses and help. It's there - ask for it. and best of luck.
Schollian -
Schollian
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A live animal trap will work. You can usually borrow one from the local animal shelter and all you really have to do is set it up put some food in it and check it in the morning to see if mamma cat is in.
Smooch -
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Smooch
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Such beautiful colours! I do hope you managed to trap the mother cat at some stage and get her neutered. It is so sad that kittens are unwanted because people aren't responsible enough for the adult cats. You at least care, and do what you can, but it would be great to stop the cycle. Good luck!
Lisa K. -
Kudos to you for doing your best!! We have a similar situation here in Michigan near my mom's office. It's so sad and all we can do is feed them b/c they are impossible to catch. We have called rescue groups, but no one is willing to help. Moreover the humane society will just kill them. So, we feed them and fortunately it seems the mom can't seem to have any further litters. These are beautiful pictures. If everyone would just spay and neuter and adopt from a shelter we would be in a better situation.
BirmanMama -
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BirmanMama
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Oh yes, I remember these lovely babies. Their colors are so vibrant, and the kittens look so healthy and happy. Fabulous photos and fabulous what you try to do for them. Everyone else gave great advice; I'm sure you are trying them all.
itigger2 -
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itigger2
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This is a beautiful picture
Symeezgurl -
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Symeezgurl
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Somehow someway, these really look related to Pallas Cats of Central Asia. I never knew they existed, but there are one or two sites on the web about them. They are great survivors. I love the fluffy coats and their beautiful amber eyes. I hope things work out well for the crew. P.S. your photography is excellent, you have a real eye and a gift for catching a rare moment. Good luck,and savor those wildcats!



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