I know a lot of people take in pregnant strays and I wanted to post this for information purposes:
I had a pregnant stray show up on my doorstep several months ago. She was great with my kids and dog, so we decided to keep her. Shortly after she delivered the kittens, she started becoming increasingly aggressive. She would randomly attack my dog and kids (totally unprovoked) by jumping on them and biting and scratching them. We started to think that we would not be able to keep her because she was so aggressive. I shared my concerns with others on this forum and found that many people had similar problems with strays they had taken in. My husband and I decided that we would find her a new home once the kittens were weaned.
Well, our kittens are now 9 weeks old, and mama cat back to being as sweet and loving as she could be.
In retrospect, I realize she was probably at her moody hormonal peak (runs in the family....I was pretty moody postpartum too
), and she probably saw my kids and dog as potential predators. She was just doing what her instincts told her to do to protect her kittens. And as a cat living outside with only her wits to keep her alive, she had grown accustomed to relying on her instincts to survive.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this just in case anyone else has taken in a pregnant stray. Don't make any long term decisions about a cat's personality based on how she behaves when pregnant or protecting kittens. I am glad we stuck it out with our lovely kitty and she now has a permanent home with us.
I had a pregnant stray show up on my doorstep several months ago. She was great with my kids and dog, so we decided to keep her. Shortly after she delivered the kittens, she started becoming increasingly aggressive. She would randomly attack my dog and kids (totally unprovoked) by jumping on them and biting and scratching them. We started to think that we would not be able to keep her because she was so aggressive. I shared my concerns with others on this forum and found that many people had similar problems with strays they had taken in. My husband and I decided that we would find her a new home once the kittens were weaned.
Well, our kittens are now 9 weeks old, and mama cat back to being as sweet and loving as she could be.
In retrospect, I realize she was probably at her moody hormonal peak (runs in the family....I was pretty moody postpartum too
Anyway, I just wanted to share this just in case anyone else has taken in a pregnant stray. Don't make any long term decisions about a cat's personality based on how she behaves when pregnant or protecting kittens. I am glad we stuck it out with our lovely kitty and she now has a permanent home with us.
