My feeling is that the kittens, small as they are will protect themselves. A snake is nothing compared to other predators out there and your little kittens need to get 'street smart' very early. I wouldn't worry about the snake.

"A snake is nothing compared to other predators out there"

I will agree that a bullsnake is nothing compared to a coyote, or Owl, but the bullsnake is the largest most powerful reptile
outside of Florida, and Texas, and a large one would LOVE a kitten or two!

Just my 0.02

look people,your kittens are your pets,that means there are responsibilities that go with pets..keep your cats inside untill theyre able to fend for themselves..do not kill the snakes,even rattlesnake provide a huge service in nature,and theyre far more afraid of you then you are of them.and yes ,ive been working with and breeding crotalids for twenty some years..your more likely to get hit by lightening multiple times in a row,than to be bitten by a snake..99% or so of u.s. venomous snake bites occur when some nitwit is trying to kill or injure the animal...leave them be,and youll be fine.....

It sounds like the kittens need a little gentling and close proximity to people anyway. It will only get harder if they grow up wild and afraid of people. Is there any way you can catch them by hand, even if they put up a fuss? You could put them in a roomy cage or crate for now while you get them used to you on a screened porch or garage or house if you're willing. If you just can't catch them, then I would borrow a trap and advice from your local humane society or cat rescue. Traps have risks--can injure on occasion--but the risk is worth it versus letting them grow up wild.

Connie

seech some of these topics do attract the fanatics don't they? The woman asked about protecting feral kittens from a sanke and you thought it was helpful to advise her to bring it in the house or let the snake kill them. sometimes it is best to keep those types of opinions to yourself.
I am not understanding why some people get on the FARM forum.
farm newbie I really don't have any ideas how to answer your question as I am deathly afraid of snakes myself. I too have one lurking around my property and one neighbor tells me to chop it up with a hoe and the other neighbor tells me to let it be as it will control mice. I like the later since I could not get close enough to the snake to kill it (too scared). I guess my best thought is to give the kittens some super growth food so they will get big quick...but then again the mice may eat it and get bog too. LOL
I hate when a person asks a perfectly legitimate question and people use the question to show their fanatical side.
Good luck!
here is to all you kill the cat advisors:
Cats (Felis silvestris catus), known in ancient Egypt as the miw, played a large role in ancient Egyptian society. Beginning as a wild, untamed species, cats were useful for keeping down vermin populations in the Egyptians' crops and harvests; through exposure to humans, the cat population became domesticated over time and learned to coexist with the human population. The people inhabiting the area which would later become unified and known as Upper and Lower Egypt had a religion centering around the worship of animals, of which the cat became one.

Originally praised for its aid to humans in controlling vermin and its ability to fight and kill snakes (such as cobras), the domesticated cat slowly became a symbol of grace and poise. The goddess Mafdet, the deification of justice and execution, was a fierce lion-headed goddess. The cat goddess Bast (also known as Bastet) eventually replaced the cult of Mafdet, and Bast's image softened over time and she became the deity representing protection, fertility, and motherhood.
Feline reverence is not peculiar to Ancient Egyptian civilization. Muslim theology maintains that the prophet Muhammad once found a cat sleeping on the sleeve of his robe; instead of waking it, he cut the sleeve off so as not to disturb the animal. If held true by scholars, the story teaches caring and mercifulness to all animals, not only cats. This reverence can be found in ancient Indian texts, where records of cats involved with human society can be found in two ancient Indian great epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, circa 500 BCE. As the Hindu and Parsee religions respected all forms of life and were especially sympathetic towards cats, all good Hindus were expected to take care of at least one cat during their lives. By contrast, the Islamic culture generally regards dogs as ritually impure (unhygienic) animals. Christianity used to consider cats in league with the devil thanks to their aloof and independent nature, though this opinion was later dropped and cats are kept as rat catchers in many churches and monasteries throughout the world.

The information was copied from wikipedia. I could list a long list of things that are useful to the environment but a pest to humans but in answering the questions that people ask I try to stay on point. I did not think it was interesting that someone ask the group how to help perotect their kittens and was told to let the snake kill them. That was just plain mean!! And to say that cats do not belong in NA is offensive to everyone who owns cats. That to me is a fanatical stance and best kept to yourself. Farm_newbie posted a question to find help and no matter how justified you think that response was it was out of line.

I agree with you msjay2u. The op was about keeping kittens safe. I agree with Connie, where I live kittens can get caught by a hawk, owl, bob cat, coyote or fox. My cats are barn/house cats but they don't get to be let out until they are a year old. I have birds nesting all around my house and I have six cats. The birds know the cats are there and stay away from them. I have lost more cats to birds than birds to cats.

Thanks acorn. It just irks my last nerve when people do that. Hopefully farm newbie you have come up with a solution. I tried to look up bull nose snakes because I imagined it was a hideous creature that would make me move to the city if I saw it in my yard but thankfully I could not find information on it. I did learn that there are a lot of bull nose animals out there though. LOL. I hope you come up with a solution. Sorry for the side arguement.

I looked up the snakes again since I notice you said bull snake not bull nose snake. duhhh. and they are scary looking too. uggggh snakes really scare me!!
here is what I read on them:
The bad:
Bullsnakes, like most snakes, have varied ways of reacting to humans in the wild. Escape is their first line of defense, but if they feel cornered, they flatten their head and spread their jaws giving their head a diamond shape, puff their bodies up with air, and let out a hair raising hiss.
the good:
They can go into burrows, holes in the walls of barns, weave in between bails of hay, and go places dogs and cats cannot go. The smart farmers know this and are glad to see bullsnakes around their farm. The ignorant farmers waste their time killing these snakes, and waste their money buying trap after trap to eradicate a nuisance that the bullsnakes would have eradicated for free.

OMG GIVE IT UP!!

I read the 1st line of your post and posted the link at the bottom FROM WIKIPEDIA.

Stay on topic and this is not the topic!!

REMINDER: THE TOPIC HERE IS:

protecting kittens against snakes (bullsnakes to be exact)

NOT ANYTHING ABOUT CATS KILLING BIRDS OR WHATEVER YOUR THEORIES ARE!! uggggh

And just so you know I did not read anything past your first paragraph because I have NO interest.

THERE IS A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND THIS IS NOT THE THREAD. AGAIN.... YOU ARE OUT OF LINE!!

STAY ON TOPIC OR GO TO A FORUM ABOUT ERADICATING CATS IN THE USA.

And since you are such a source on Wikipedia then I guess you think I burnt the midnight oil writing that article just so I could counter your insulting remarks.

Pull-eeeze!

GET A LIFE!!!

BTW HOW ARE THE KITTENS DOING NEWBIE?

Here is a link that might be useful: wikipedia article smarty pants!

farm newbie - live trap should do the trick on helping to catch the kitty babies. I have used one before to capture a stray pregnant dog, that someone moved off and left. I had her spayed (while pregnant - the vet said she could not carry the puppies anyway because they were too large) and she now is a loving member of the household.

I have several cats that were ferel and adopted me. Over several years time, they have learned to trust me enough to allow me to get close enough to capture them to treat them for fleas and worms. But, all of those were adults when they showed up, not kittens. I also, keep a very adequate supply of dry cat food available for them so they do not have to kill to eat. And if the coons or possums get some, they must be hungry too.

I also agree with Connie and think that you need to catch them and handle them while they are young. A small bottle of liquid wormer should not be very expensive.

msjay2u - don't you just hate argumentative and negative people. I don't blame you, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of reading his garbage either. I believe he's the only idiot in this thread. Also, you can respond back on this if you want to, but don't bother, I'm not going to read any of your trash either.

By the way - MAN is the biggest predator on earth. He can be blamed for the total extinction and near extinction of many more species than any other creature on earth can.

p.s. forgot to add - I also have had them all spayed and neutered.

I just thought of something. Whenever I want a cat to go some where and they are being stubborn I always use a piece of yarn and tease them with that. they can not resist and will follow the yarn. Problem is after you get them where you want them how do you keep them there? also food always works.

I am waiting to find out how the cat situation is going. did she get them moved? did she save them? has she seen the snake again?

msmitoagain: I love garden web for all it is about... others helping others. I will be focusing on what I come here to do. read posts, laugh, seek advice, browse pictures, help when I can, and ask questions. I don't know how I got sucked into that mess!

Are you people in denial? How can you just dismiss the fact that outdoor cats are an extreme negative to our ecosystem?

Huh,well alot of trash talking people here I see...My comment was made in defense of the snakes,as most ignorant people kill them..Im not concerned about cats,as long as you dont abuse them its not my issue..I love how people come into these forums and act like theyre experts on herpetology....We still live in a semi free country,noone should ever "keep their opinions to themselves",and anyone suggesting it should get a boot in the ass....

My cat ate a bull snake is it OK for him to do that?