UPDATE: I went to the Marie’s office today. They are going to contact an association who will contact me to trap and sterilise the mother the return her to where they found her. Not sure what to do about the kittens yet as they can’t be sterilised until they are between 8 and 10 months old. Will ask whoever contacts me and update when I have more information.
Bonsoir à tous. We have a feral cat and her four kittens living in an overgrown ditch at the bottom of our garden. I have been putting out food and water in the evening which they have eaten. If I try to go near any of them, they make a hasty exit into the ditch and only emerge when I have put the food down and moved right away from the area. My question is: what are the rules regarding this situation? My concern is that obviously the mother is going to keep having kittens as are any of the kittens who are female. Any information or advice will be very welcome.
I don’t know if this is something the SPA will help with but others will.
Where you live, is there an association that helps stray cats? Our aren’t normally feral, they’re abandoned by holidaymakers and others, but there’s a group of ladies who will trap cats and have them neutered, then try to rehome them.
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Thank you. I will try to ask around. 
@AngelaR has experience in this!
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I have no idea where you are but in the Dordogne Phoenix Rescue have some sort of a scheme to help but I am sure there are others elsewhere in France,
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Try these people they are very good….. and cover france
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Thank you for the link @JaneJones . I have messaged @MauraChambers1 with details of our experience plus some advice which may or may not be relevant!
For others reading this thread, I shall give a very brief summary of what we found in case it’s of use to anyone else.
- Our local Mairie has a scheme each year whereby they pay for feral cats in one area of the commune to be trapped and sterilised. Each year they cover a different area. (Not ours this year)
- When not using the traps themselves the Mairie was prepared to lend them to us.
- The appropriate charities such as SPA had limited schemes but were not available to us
- The local vets were prepared to offer a discounted rate to us if we wanted to bring in any animals we caught and would sterlise them as soon as they had a free slot, since they were feral.
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You have two separate problems to deal with, Maura. Catching all of them - and homing the kittens.
You do not say where you are; but there is a national scheme in France which covers the veterinary costs to neuter feral females - but not all Communes have joined it.
Your first point of contact is, therefore, to check with your Mairie. If they are on board with the scheme, the way it works is that local volunteers will bring out a trap, and catch all of them. A local vet will then neuter the females. The volunteers will then let the mum free where you found them; and let you look after the kittens. They will very quickly become tame and adorable - giving you time to to find homes for them (if you don’t decide to keep one or two yourself!) - the females will be ready-neutered.
Hope this proves fruitful - please let us know.
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For the time being, these are ‘chats errants’, which you are not allowed to feed. If they are taken in – and, most importantly, neutered – by an animal welfare organisation and/or the mairie, they will be classified as ‘chats libres’, which you will then be allowed to feed - if they do not find a foster home!
https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F38182
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Thank you for your advice 
Oh! I can’t possibly let the kittens starve 
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If you google ‘sauvetage des chats errantes’ (or similar) and the name of your nearest town you should get useful results. I’d feed them.
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Et bonjour a vous, MauraChambers1 - I contribute once every 3 years to SFN (although regularly read many contributions from others)…… reason = am too busy by far with very long-term restoration project in the Cher [where I/we used to be permanent residents], a wife sinking inexorably into dementia, the inevitable adverse complications of Brexit. 7 years ago, I watched from the top of scaffolding as “Boot” (as she was eventually named) slowly made her way with kittens across fields towards our isolated property. She eventually stayed, entirely feral, would bite but haunted the cold kitchen floor for obvious reasons and occasionally squat on my working boots for a little relief. Year followed year, always not far on my periodic return, 2 litters per year = a constant battle for her, frequently loosing kits to foxes and other predators (although she always fought like a tiger). I grew to love her dearly and 3 years ago my daughter who comes for the first and last weeks of my stay to help open, close & fortify the house (several burglaries etc) prevailed on me to arrange “sterilisation/neutering” for her and her latest litter of three via our local wonderful contacts (merci infiniment a toi, Marie-Noelle Coubret) = several bitten injuries, 76 miles of travel & a discounted 300€ later, they were all back, safe and sound. Boot, Marti, Mr Chief and Morphee now live “the life of Riley” (as my generation used to put it), invariably there to welcome us on arrival every 90/100 days or so, nourishing themselves more than sufficiently in the natural way while I am absent, because they retain much feral nature aided by the warm attention and food provided by “Kader”, our similarly periodic & wonderful neighbour when he comes down intermittently from Paris. They have all slowly changed, Boot has blossomed as she embraced her lost childhood, Marti is an absolute treasure and can be picked up briefly, Mr Chief is a priceless wonder who loves tummy tickling, warm fireside chairs and endless hunting, Morphee is the Alpha male, fat, mean-spirited but fearsome and an utter coward when on-site threats materialise. I can tell you much more [or perhaps my daughter can, with her several thousand “Barbarian Horde” [as she calls them] on-line constant postings. The whole experience has been a revelation, for them ……..and us, the best thing we could ever have done. I wish you well wherever you may be in the Hexagon.
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A fascinating post Bernard, but don’t stay away so long next time. 
How is your little feline family doing, Maura and have you found anyone to help?
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See my update on my original post Jennifer. The kittens are soo sweet and so funny. Just wish I could get near them!
Thank you, I didn’t spot the update there.
Maybe the association will give you some tips on how to get to know the kittens better.
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Salut, David… thank you for the prompt; “fascinating” also fits the daily ups & downs of the 4 little feline souls as they grace my days of toil when I’m “outre-Manche”; occasionally irritating and under-foot but always entrancing when 4 heads are busy with their bowls of grub… moments magiques lorsqu’on peut les caresser.
Take care/Prends soin de toi
B.
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