‘Wicked Smart’ Stray Cat Hides Her Kittens From Rescuer, but She Has a Plan

A woman from Florida spent years trying to catch a feral cat roaming the neighborhood. Three litters later, she finally managed to take her and the kittens to safety—all thanks to a piece of fried chicken.

In a post shared on TikTok earlier in November under the username @steelcitydawn, the poster, Dawn, can be seen handing the feline a piece of boneless fried chicken, which the cat immediately takes to her babies.

“Giving the neighborhood feral something she can carry, to see where she has her kittens hid,” read layover text in the clip, while the cat comes back about five more times to get food for the kittens.

Dawn told Newsweek that Momma Cat (which is how they call her), was born into a feral colony three years ago, and for the past two years at least, the poster has been working on earning her trust by feeding her twice daily.

“This is the 2nd year we have failed to trap this cat. She’s wicked smart. Two of her kittens, Einstein & Hawking, from last year, are house cats & live safe inside with me. Once I get her kittens trapped, Momma Cat will join them, living the life of a house cat, never to be hungry or struggle outside again,” read the caption.

Dawn added that Momma Cat is incredibly trap smart and in those two years they’ve tried to catch her she’s successfully had and raised three litters of kittens, which she usually hides away, moving them non-stop to keep safe from predators.

“Once I found the property she had the kittens on in this video, I reached out to the homeowner, who denied me access. He threatened to shoot the cats if he saw them, so it was a horrible time for me.

“I continued calling her from his property every time I saw him leave & feeding her until she moved the kittens to property I could access.”

Most recently, with the hurricane, Dawn finally managed to successfully trap Momma Cat and the kittens, and take them to a safe place before the storm hit.

“Last year’s kittens, Einstein and Hawking, both live indoors with me. Everyone was vetted and the kittens all found indoor homes. Momma and Simba were just too feral and did not thrive indoors, so were released onto my property. Both are doing well, no more kittens. Just lots of food and shelter,” she added.

Approaching a feral cat is a process that takes time and patience. While these cats are not necessarily dangerous but they may become defensive when they feel threatened, according to Georgia-based veterinarian Dr. Jess Kirk in an article posted on Vet Explains Pets.

She says it’s very important to give feral cats space and avoid approaching them too closely to avoid getting a negative reaction. It is not easy to domesticate a feral cat, hence why Momma Cat had to be re-released, but with time they can learn to trust humans and become more socialized.

There are an estimated 50 to 70 million feral cats in the U.S. alone, and unfortunately, many of them are likely to be carrying diseases that can easily be transmitted to our domestic cats.

In an article medically reviewed by Dr. Luqman Javed, Catster says that the most common disease that feral cats can have include feline herpes viral conjunctivitis; feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV); feline leukemia virus; feline infectious peritonitis; and cat scratch fever. They are also likely to carry parasites.

The video quickly went viral on social media receiving over 2.4 million views and 212,800 likes on the platform.

One user, KatLovesPlants, commented: “I admire your patience, dedication and determination toward taking care of this mama. Earning trust from a wild cat is no joke!”

StacysMom said: “The way she stopped and looked back at you, like, Excuse me, are you following me?!”

Jujo added: “She’s a good mama, you’re a good person!”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.