Please help...I think this stray is Pregnant - UPDATE

stelladora99 · Oct 12, 2009

mY NEIGHBOR CAME RUNNING OVER TO MY HOUSE AND ASKED IF THE CAT HAD HER KITTENS YET. i SAID i DON'T THINK SHE DID, AND SHE SAID "OH YES SHE DID!!!!" tHEY WERE UNDER HER SHED AND WALKING AROUND. I AM SOOOO CONFUSED BUT GLAD THEY ARE ALL TOGETHER NOW!

She rejected them at first, growling and hissing at them, but I brought a kitten over to see if I could get her to nurse. I held princess down and reassured her and then she started grooming the kitten so I brought the rest of them over. Now they are doing really well together whoohooo!!!

How old do you think they are?

skimble · Oct 12, 2009

Amazing that the kittens seem to be doing so well. So glad they were found.

This site could be very helpful. I believe it tells how to estimate age.

www.kitten-rescue.com

They are all beautiful!!

StefanZ · Oct 12, 2009

They are pretty grey too, so they should be hers.

The amazing is they seems to be OK, so they must have got help from someone.

All end well, so who is complaining??

Congrats!

ps. You do have good pictures of the kittens. So you do have a good camera somewhere? Please send us some good pictures of her too.
Nothing says mixed kittens of a grey mixed breed will be grey too: they probably dont will be.
Thus, she MAY be purebred although of pet quality, and not impossible - the kittens too...
Lets analyse this again in the breeders forum....

kscatlady · Oct 12, 2009

Originally Posted by P&R

You're pretty much looking for hard/labored breathing/heavy panting. As far as contractions her belly will tighten up, you can feel it or probably even see it.

Here's a video I found on youtube that might help, there are plenty of other video's on there of cats in labor =0)

I hope that guy ended up getting Bootsy spayed.

kluchetta · Oct 13, 2009

Wow, those kittens are several weeks old, I think! And boy are they cute!

stelladora99 · Oct 13, 2009

They are going to be handfuls lol! They starting using the litterbox already and are eating the tiny baby kitten food from royal C. They are also drinking water from a bowl along with nursing. They are still skittish around us but mama has no problem with us being around them. Anything I should no about socializing them properly? Thanks!

meminikitty · Oct 13, 2009

This doesn't seem possible to me...

I've had kittens before... they don't open their eyes and ears until 2 weeks... these kittens look at least 3 weeks old. They just look too big and too alert. Especially walking around--newborn kittens can't do that... I'm confused... :/

Either when you brought Princess in, she either had the kittens before and someone took care of them...

or she had a false pregnancy and your neighbor just found these kittens (which explains why Princess hissed, because they're not hers, grey is a common color)

or Princess is still pregnant and these aren't hers..

It's just plain impossible for them to be this big already. These kittens are not newborns.

On Oct. 9 you said her tummy felt empty. Well, then if she gave birth on that day, her kittens should only be 4 days old (blind, deaf, and totally dependent).

Did anyone else catch this?

NEWBORN KITTENS: http://www.rarozsia.com/images/d%20l...%20kittens.JPG

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2008/04/0409WMNDcats.jpg

3-4 week old kittens: http://www.mjollnir-cats.co.uk/Uploa...ek%20nash1.jpg

http://www.kitsucats.com/images/DSCN1739-1_edited-1.jpg

stelladora99 · Oct 13, 2009

I know they aren't newborns, that's for sure! I had princess for 5 days thinking she was pregnant but she must have been engorged and she had to have had the kittens a few weeks ago but I didn't realize it. Since the kittens began nursing on her after we finally got them back together, her lumps are gone so I guess they were very swollen mammary glands?

stelladora99 · Oct 13, 2009

Originally Posted by meminikitty

This doesn't seem possible to me...

I've had kittens before... they don't open their eyes and ears until 2 weeks... these kittens look at least 3 weeks old. They just look too big and too alert. Especially walking around--newborn kittens can't do that... I'm confused... :/

Either when you brought Princess in, she either had the kittens before and someone took care of them...

or she had a false pregnancy and your neighbor just found these kittens (which explains why Princess hissed, because they're not hers, grey is a common color)

or Princess is still pregnant and these aren't hers..

It's just plain impossible for them to be this big already. These kittens are not newborns.

On Oct. 9 you said her tummy felt empty. Well, then if she gave birth on that day, her kittens should only be 4 days old (blind, deaf, and totally dependent).

Did anyone else catch this?

NEWBORN KITTENS: http://www.rarozsia.com/images/d%20l...%20kittens.JPG

http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2008/04/0409WMNDcats.jpg

3-4 week old kittens: http://www.mjollnir-cats.co.uk/Uploa...ek%20nash1.jpg

http://www.kitsucats.com/images/DSCN1739-1_edited-1.jpg

Yeah I thought the lumps that were spread out were kittens because remember when I said I never felt them move. They were prob the mammary glands. She started leaking milk and I wonder if she seemed "empty" because maybe she was drying up from being away from her kittens? I feel awful that I kept her from her kitties that long not knowing it. I was trying to help her

meminikitty · Oct 13, 2009

Originally Posted by stelladora99

I know they aren't newborns, that's for sure! I had princess for 5 days thinking she was pregnant but she must have been engorged and she had to have had the kittens a few weeks ago but I didn't realize it. Since the kittens began nursing on her after we finally got them back together, her lumps are gone so I guess they were very swollen mammary glands?

It could be that while she wasn't nursing, she got swollen? All I know that if these are her kittens, she gave birth before you found her, and somehow these kittens still survived... and for some reason while you kept her in the garage, she didn't care about her kittens because she would have gone frantic. Either way, it seems she is being a good mommy from the pics, and the kittens are very cute. I'm thinking now maybe she just got swollen (Ouch!) and she must have hissed because she hadn't seen them for awhile. Now that makes more sense! My only wonder is how these kittens survived while she was in the garage and they were outside.

meminikitty · Oct 13, 2009

Originally Posted by stelladora99

Yeah I thought the lumps that were spread out were kittens because remember when I said I never felt them move. They were prob the mammary glands. She started leaking milk and I wonder if she seemed "empty" because maybe she was drying up from being away from her kittens? I feel awful that I kept her from her kitties that long not knowing it. I was trying to help her

Don't feel awful! The kittens look pretty healthy!

And you have them in a nice spot to nurse and everything, better than being outside. I guess how the kittens made it will be a mystery... and why the mom didn't go frantic for them puzzles me... but she does look pretty young so perhaps her instincts weren't as strong... IDK

stelladora99 · Oct 13, 2009

I have no idea how they survived!!!! They look and act so healthy!! I don't ever think I'll figure it out but glad she is in mommy mode now. They are all gray but one has a white tip on it's tail lol

meminikitty · Oct 13, 2009

Originally Posted by stelladora99

I have no idea how they survived!!!! They look and act so healthy!! I don't ever think I'll figure it out but glad she is in mommy mode now. They are all gray but one has a white tip on it's tail lol

Do you know if they're boys or girls? There's 3 right?
Maybe someone bottle fed them lol or perhaps they were nursed by another cat (unlikely but hey, it might of happened). and then Princess smelled the other cat on them and freaked out. Then she remembered oh! These are MY babies! I remember now... haha

Glad they're healthy... they were obviously meant to be!

StefanZ · Oct 13, 2009

I agree Meminikitty. this is somewhat comfusing.

It COULD be two different litters of the same mother, unusual but not unique.

But it wouldnt explain how they are so well in shape after several days alone. So someone must have helped them.
Perhaps they were two females helping each other???

But whatever it is, for now it is only to "play with in that game". If she gives birth in next days, lets hope she can manage these two litters. If she doesnt give, it is an additional strong indication they are hers.

Them all three being gray to a gray ("blue") mother is a good indication they are hers... And as I already said a couple of times, possibly even fairly pure Russian blue or possibly Chartreux, I haven seen real good pictures of her.

stelladora99 · Oct 13, 2009

I keep trying to look at internet pics to try and sex them, but the kittens are so wiggly lol. I provide food and shelter, thank god she is taking care of them lol

I keep trying to take good pics of her but she likes to nurse them in my dark closet in the master bathroom.

StefanZ · Oct 13, 2009

What is the color of her eyes? ARE they lively green or only greenish?

Pictures often dont show the eye colour properly.

Her looks in these two latest pictures together with her kittens, she has definitely the looks of a russian blue. In fact, not pet quality, rather a quite decent quality. I have seen females perhaps not Best in Show but getting Excellents with no better looks.

The peculiar with this she is of the europaean type, perhaps even scandinavian. In USA the american type is far more common.

This is of course very preliminary as yet...

p&r · Oct 13, 2009

Oh wow! They look to be, maybe, about 4 weeks old. Looks like she may have just been swollen from not having them to feed for a few days. That's probably why she was looking around the garage the days you say she was. I'm glad they were reunited though =0) Here's a link that'll help you see the diff between the males and females

http://www.petplace.com/images-slide...3&imageIndex=0

Good luck with the babies!

meminikitty · Oct 13, 2009

Originally Posted by StefanZ

I agree Meminikitty. this is somewhat comfusing.

It COULD be two different litters of the same mother, unusual but not unique.

But it wouldnt explain how they are so well in shape after several days alone. So someone must have helped them.
Perhaps they were two females helping each other???

But whatever it is, for now it is only to "play with in that game". If she gives birth in next days, lets hope she can manage these two litters. If she doesnt give, it is an additional strong indication they are hers.

Them all three being gray to a gray ("blue") mother is a good indication they are hers... And as I already said a couple of times, possibly even fairly pure Russian blue or possibly Chartreux, I haven seen real good pictures of her.

That's what I was thinking, maybe there was another female? Its kind of lucky if that happened but I guess it could have.

Could a cat look pregnant if she is not nursing her kittens regularly? if not... she might be pregnant with another litter.
If these kittens are closer to 4 weeks, they could have survived without nursing, but they did look like they were in good shape..

stelladora99 · Oct 13, 2009

Actually her eyes seem green with amber or copper if that makes sense

calico2222 · Oct 13, 2009

Originally Posted by meminikitty

That's what I was thinking, maybe there was another female? Its kind of lucky if that happened but I guess it could have.

Could a cat look pregnant if she is not nursing her kittens regularly? if not... she might be pregnant with another litter.
If these kittens are closer to 4 weeks, they could have survived without nursing, but they did look like they were in good shape..

Actually, I've seen that happen with barn cats if one cats kittens all died shortly after giving birth. They will hear the cries of the hungry kittens and come in to help out, relieving them of some of their milk (which can cause problems if they have to dry up suddenly). They look to me to be around 4 weeks old, so Princess may have started the weaning process already, especially if they are showing an interest in kitten food. They do look exceptionally healthy for kittens born outside.

As for socializing, just spend as much time with them to get them used to humans. Their curiosity will get the better of them and they will feel comfortable with you in no time at all.

Please help...I think this stray is Pregnant - UPDATE

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