There is this Feral pregnant cat that I have been making friends with that i think might of been in labor today and I cant find her anywhere she likes to roam but she always comes back but today she was meowing at my other cat this morning but now shes has disappeared. I looked up symptoms of labor and calling ones one of them do you think she was doing that? IF she did go in labor is there a chance she might bring her kittens back to my house since I am her food provider? She is friendly so I dont think she is worried about me doing somthing to her kittens. She could be in my yard some where quiet but i dont know. What do you think she will do?
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Pregnant Cat
- Thread starter shadow79
- Start Date
I hope you can find mama and the kittens. If you find them, are you going to take mama and babies inside? If so, you might want to get mama cat fixed as soon as possible because she can get pregnant within just a couple days of giving birth. My brother's cat got pregnant less than a week after giving birth.
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- #3
well shes back and shes thin and hugry! lol I think they are close by. Now I have to find out where they are I hope they arent at a neighbors. If they are should I try and move them?
If you can trap the mom cat...then certainly you can bring in the kittens. But I would not bring in the kittens without first trapping mom. The reality is that she can get pregnant again within a couple of days of giving birth...so the goal should be to bring the entire family indoors and have the mom cat care for her kittens until she can be spayed. Then she can be returned outdoors.
Katie
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- #5
Well this was wierd she was staying with me for about an hour before she went to her kittens. I saw her going 1 house down and then going into a yard I am not sure if its my neighbors or theirs or if she is going down to another area. What should I do wait till she brings them to my house? will she do that? Also if she does get mated before the spaying is it ok to still get her spayed?
It could be weeks before she brings them to you....which is why I recommend that if you can find out where the nest is that you trap her and bring her and her kittens indoors. Also, yes, you can spay a pregnant cat.
Katie
If you think the kittens are in your neighbors yard you should ask them if you can go in their yard and look for them, otherwise the might think your "snooping around" and get a little mad. I hope you find them soon because I'm sure it's getting cold up in NY. I'm in IL and we've already had some nights where it was in the 40's. I would hate for the kittens to get sick, or worse, die!
One thing you need to know: if you go looking for the nest and do not take mom and the kittens at the time you find it, mom will very likely move the nest. It's really a tough call what to do. Unless you can see where she's got the kittens without having to go near it, you have a tough decision to make. If you trap mom, and the kittens are in the nest - great. But if you trap mom, and she's moved the kittens to a new nest that you don't know where it is - the kitties will die without mom.
If you wait for mom to start bringing the kittens around (which she will very likely do - especially as she's still coming by for food), you run the risk of losing any of the kittens to illness, or getting run over by a car or something. But she wouldn't be bringing them around for food for likely 3 - 4 weeks.
If you're able to find out where the nest is without mom knowing it, the best plan would be to trap mom and immediately get the kittens. To do this, you need to have a room/space already set up for them. They would have to be kept separated from any of your existing pets - without a vet visit, there's no way to know what diseases and/or parasites they've got.
While mom will likely take care of the kittens just fine in the room you set up for her in your home, a great info site is http://www.kitten-rescue.com/
The kitties can be spayed/neutered as young as 7 weeks old, though many vets won't do it. But they really ought to be spayed/neutered before being adopted out. I'd wait at least until the kittens are completely weaned before taking mom to be spayed. Ideally, they should stay with her for 12 weeks before being adopted out - but realistically it's easier to adopt them out while they're 8 - 10 weeks old - at the mind-bogglingly cute stage, lol!
But letting mom do all the work - feeding, cleaning and training them - is definitely easiest! Whether that's in your home (the safest) or while you care for them while they're still outside is something only you can determine.
A list of great resources that will be helpful to you is in this thread:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16045
And most importantly - please feel free to ask ANY questions! And please keep us posted!
Laurie
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- #9
She finally brung 1 to my house after an incident with another cat. SHe came running over to me being chased by somones cat with a collar. After a few mins I saw her checking my garage out and then she left and came back with 1!
Will she bring the others?
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- #10
there are actually three in the box i put in the garage incase she had them in there. She looks pretty content feeding them and sleeping. I think this might be the only survivors its been cold last week. So i dont know if she had more or not. Do cats try and cover their tracks by going back for the rest after or do you think thats it?
There might be more and she didn't manage to get them all with her. Cat's has to make that decission quite often. How long has it been? Do you have any idea where the original nest might of been?
If you have another cat you can take with you on the search you have more of a chanse to find any kittens left behind. Cats are good at finding other cats. How nice that she moved the rest to your garage. She must feel pretty safe with you.
If you have another cat you can take with you on the search you have more of a chanse to find any kittens left behind. Cats are good at finding other cats. How nice that she moved the rest to your garage. She must feel pretty safe with you.
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- #12
yeah she has been with me for a while now so she know I have a safe house
There are four kittens so far in the box. She must of took them all with her. I cant believe she actually was able to fit 4 in her mouth. I know that it is 3 doors down I am not sure where though in somones yard where dog is..I dont get why she would have them there. I saw her go up a drive way but she came out different side of the house so I am not really sure. It didnt take long maybe 1 minute. She doesnt seem to be concered about a missing kitten so maybe the 4 was it. If there is more do you think she will get them in the night. I dont think I am gonna be able to bring them into the house but I the garage is a safe spot its on my boat too in the box so I doub they will get hurt.
I would give her one more night....but I would highly encourage you to trap this mother cat and take her in to be spayed. Unfortunately she could already be pregnant again and the best thing you can do is to take her in to be spayed. Her kittens will still be able to nurse, but you will not need to worry about her having another litter in your neighborhood.Originally Posted by shadow79
yeah she has been with me for a while now so she know I have a safe houseThere are four kittens so far in the box. She must of took them all with her. I cant believe she actually was able to fit 4 in her mouth. I know that it is 3 doors down I am not sure where though in somones yard where dog is..I dont get why she would have them there. I saw her go up a drive way but she came out different side of the house so I am not really sure. It didnt take long maybe 1 minute. She doesnt seem to be concered about a missing kitten so maybe the 4 was it. If there is more do you think she will get them in the night. I dont think I am gonna be able to bring them into the house but I the garage is a safe spot its on my boat too in the box so I doub they will get hurt.
I would contact the Long Island cat project:
http://www.licp.org/
Katie
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- #14
thanks for the link TNR! So far the 4 kittens are still in the box with her so I guess there isnt anymore. When I get her spayed how long is it ok tobe away from the kittens?
Tell the vet that she is a nursing feral cat and ask that they use dissolving stitches and glue for her incision. If they can do a side spay, even better..but some vets stick to the traditional spay in the belly. She can be returned that evening to her little ones as long as you can monitor her incision. Oh...and make sure the vet ear tips her....that way, others in the neighborhood will know that she has been part of a TNR program.
Katie
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- #16
is it ok if i touch the kittens now? Since its only a week old I dont want to hurt them or get them sick. But i would really like to know their genders lol
I wouldn't risk it....not until they are older and not until mom has been fixed. The problem is that mom might end up rejecting her own kittens if they smell of you.
Katie
Also, if they're only a week old, it's very difficult (impossible for me) to tell what gender they are, but when they are old enough, check out this site: http://www.kitten-rescue.com/sexing_the_kitten.html and it should be able to help you.
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- #19
I was able to touch them this week!
She doesnt mind me petting them. I dont want to hold them yet because they cry when they get picked up so I am gonna wait till they are a few more weeks older! So far they are 3 boys 1 girl. The black/white one I am not sure of but I think its a male. The gray one I am 98% sure is a female. and the 2 brown/black/white tabbys are males. They already hiss and spit at me lol.
The kittens
The kittens
Shadow.....just remember to treat mom for a day at the vet for a spay. She has been a good mom but deserves to be litter free from this point forward.Originally Posted by shadow79
I was able to touch them this week!She doesnt mind me petting them. I dont want to hold them yet because they cry when they get picked up so I am gonna wait till they are a few more weeks older! So far they are 3 boys 1 girl. The black/white one I am not sure of but I think its a male. The gray one I am 98% sure is a female. and the 2 brown/black/white tabbys are males. They already hiss and spit at me lol.
The kittens
Katie
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