Feral kittens in forest??? (SUPER IMPORTANT)

Please help! My dad was driving me home (I'm not old enough to drive), and as we pulled onto our road four black kittens ran in front of us out of the forest. I immediately knew I needed to help them and told my dad that we had to save them. He told me we couldn't help them and had no where to put them and we'd probably make their lives worse by rescuing them. Again I demanded him to stop the truck, but he said no and drove on. I sobbed for fifteen minutes in the bathroom. I wish I had been brave enough to jump out of the truck and rescue them. I don't know what to do! What if they get eaten by coyotes or starve?!

That is how nature works. Critters eat other critters. Some critters don't eat other critters, and starve. Millions of years of this.

Well said just like how ball pythons eat rats to survive that's how the food chain works

Quote:

---

What if they get eaten by coyotes or starve?!

---

Let me preface this with the fact that I am an animal lover and I do like cat but I also believe in responsible pet ownership.

Feral cats are bad, kittens will grow and reproduce, creating more feral cats, they are invasive, killing native birds including endangered ones, potentially dangerous to human and other pets, capable of attacking dogs, children and people, carrying parasites and diseases....I could go own.

So what if they get eaten by a coyote? Well it would not be such a bad thing, cats have no place out there and it would just be the circle of life.

I know you are young and see then as young cute and cuddly animals and feel sorry for them but the reality is different.

Harsh world.
Some things you can fix, and walk away, and get on with your life.
Other things will turn your life upside down. You can't fix everything, and there is always another.

Your father could have let you take the dumped kittens, and you could have then dumped the same kittens at the local shelter, which likely already has too many kittens.

I've volunteered at two animal shelters. The reality of this constant inflow of lives...it is sobering.

We all have to pick our battles.
It's a jungle out there.

Cats are amazingly resilient animals -- even as kittens. Where I live, kittens are abandoned by people all the time. It drives me crazy because usually they are dropped off in my area. I now have 8 kitties that call me "the keeper of the sacred food dishes" in kitty language. They are, with two exceptions, all males and they have ALL been neutered. I wouldn't worry too much about the kitties. They have each other and that does mean a LOT in young cat survival.

Peace

Buy a few live traps and try to get them that way.It would be better if you could trap the mom first though. Then take them to a local animal shelter.

Usually feral kittens, unless very young (i.e. 3-4 weeks or younger), do not tame down very well or make good pets. They may learn to not fear people, but are seldom what you would call friendly cats. They can also carry disease, etc. As sad as it is, your Dad made the right call. Sometimes adults have to make tough decisions based on resources, money, and household situations. I'm sure you Dad did not want you to be upset, but he also probably knows that they would not make good pets and that they could carry diseases, etc.

I once helped my grandmother "clean up" after a dog had killed a feral cat's litter of kittens that were under her house. We ended up finding 2 that were still alive and kept them (the dog had killed 6 others). It ended up costing me close to $1,000 to treat the illnesses they had, neuter them, and get their entire series of kitten shots. I found them when they were between 3-4 weeks old which is basically the cutoff for being able to successfully tame them. At that age, they can't run, are almost ready to be weaned, and still have blue eyes. Despite all my care, they both still have chronic problems (I think FIV) including digestive issues, ear infections, and sinus issues (sneezing, coughing, etc.). Because of my experience, I advise caution when considering to adopt or rescue formally feral kittens / cats. I was very fortunate that everything worked out ok in my situation, but it still cost a ton of money and lots of time to work with them and again, from what you described, the kittens you saw were older and thus would not tame down well.

It's great that you want to help animals. If you feel that strongly, I'd look into local animal shelters or rescues and see if any have positions where you can volunteer your free time.

Alright, thank you everyone for your answers. I completely understood all your points.

@Deborah Thank you. Yes, I do see them as cute, I see ALL animals as cute, but it's not because I'm "young" (sophomore mind you), it's because I love all animals. Your response makes total sense though and it has helped me understand that some cats and dogs ARE wild and have to be treated as other wild animals.