new cat prego

we found a stray cat outside our house like 4-5 weeks ago. she wasnt very big when we fuond her and now her tummy is very wide and circular and hard and you can see her nipples.... how do i know what to do ... do you think she is pregnant?

Hi actually this post can go into our feral forum since she is a stray- so let me move you real quick.

Now that you are moved, please tell us about this cat. Can you get close to her? If so, she needs to be inside away from the other intact males, as they can mate with her over and over, regardless of her condition and create a second pregnancy inside of her.

we brought her inside but she loves to break out... we were gone for a week and she managed to break out of the kitchen window (wooden and shut) shes been inside for awhile but shes gotton outside twice... I love her to death and she is the sweetest kitty kat you could meet. i have two other ones.. both female and fixed

and oh yeah.. we live in the woods and there is a community back away from us but you have to cross a creek. but we only see a few strays every now and then but she was just so sweet and hungry when we fed her and she stayed..

pic 1

pic 2

Does she appear to hear okay? If you can keep her in a dark and secure room that would be best, with a birthing box. I hope she doesn't already have kittens somewhere and just be trying to get to them? Do her nipples look like they have nursed on? You can keep her in a dimly lit room with plenty of hidey holes and food water and litter pan. You can play classical music really low to help her relax some.

By the looks of the photos she doesn't appear to be nursing. You should get her to a vet though and have her tested for the routine diseases. They probably won't worm her if she is pregnant, but it would be a good idea to have her checked out.

we dont have the money right now to take her to the vet. she was very skinny when we got her and now she isnt... like i said. we need to get out cats dipped i think cause hse brought a bunch of fleas in the house... i nkwo your not supposed to give a pregnant cat a flea bath but i did and just tried to to get sop much soap on her belly. i picked about thirty fleas off of her...she doesnt look like shes been nursing but her nipples are getting larger...and i tihnk i felt something move when i laid my hand on her belly an hour or so ago... her belly is so hard. my other cats a fat since they have been fixed but their tummys dont feel like that

i think i just felt one kick again.

What did you flea dip her in? Depending on what you used, it may have been toxic to the babies. You really need to come up with some money and get her seen by a vet. That would be the best thing for her. Most vets are really good about payment plans. Even ask if you can bring in homemade lunches for the staff or something in lieu of payment. But with a stray cat, a vet should be sought out.

it was just a flea bath. i picked most of the fleas off you know basically lather and rinse.. plus i t just says to repeat every couple of days...

Just be careful. If I were you, I would not use the stuff on her. Over the counter flea dips and flea treatments are not always safe for healthy cats, let alone a pregnant one. If you have to bathe her, do so in just a little bit of Dawn liquid soap and warm water. The water and the soap will stun the fleas, so then all you have to do is comb her out to get rid of them. Again, I would throw it out and NOT use it on her. You could harm her unborn kittens without meaning to.

Hi Desiresgrasp! It's so wonderful of you to try to help this cat!

Please take hissy's advice about not using store-bought flea and tick products. Many people have used store-bought flea collars or baths only to have their cats die. They are very dangerous to the health of ANY animal, let alone a pregnant one.

I hope you are keeping this new kitty separate from your pets. Until she sees a vet, there's no knowing what illness or parasite she can pass along to them. Do not let her interact with them until a vet gives her a clean bill of health.

We do sympathize about not having the money to see the Vet. It has happened to all of us who rescue cats. They often seem to come along at the most inconvenient of times. When the mom with kittens turned up in our yard and we decided to trap and have neutered all the feral (wild) and stray cats around here (so we wouldn't have to deal with any more kittens), we called a local vet, spoke to them about our problem, and made arrangements to pay over time. They were very sympathetic to our needs, and wanted to help prevent further unwanted pregnancies. We were able to get all the cats vaccinated as well purchase proper and safe medication for ridding the cats of parasites.

I think the phonecall or two to one or more local vets is worth the time. It certainly can't hurt to try!

I also sent you an e-mail, so don't be surprised if you see something from someone at TCS!

okay. i am definitely not going to do it to her again. i'll just use it on the other two. thanks. i thought about using some herbal essences . thwe babies are moving aroud now though. i can see them and feel them. its really cool. im loving this. i would love to help out at this no kill shelter around here but im not quite old enough. im 17... you have to be 18. i beleive

Please understand that human shampoos are not safe for cats either. If you have to bathe her three drops of DAWN will do the trick to stun the fleas. She can't be to feral if she lets you bathe her, you should check for lost cat ads in the local paper, someone could be missing her about now. Also you would do better to throw the flea dip away in the garbage and NOT use it on any of your cats.

Hi desiresgrasp! I think maybe you didn't see the whole message from either hissy or myself.

Store-bought flea baths or collars can kill your cat or any pet. They are not safe for ANY animal.

Please take hissy's advice - a shallow warm bath with three drops of DAWN dish detergent in it. Just three drops. Give the cats a quick bath in that, then use a flea comb to get the fleas out.

The DAWN dish detergent will not KILL the fleas, it will only stun them, so use the comb to get them off the cats. Shake the comb over the bath water, and throw it out when you're done! Start the process over for each cat.

Good luck!

the cat was straving when we found her and like ive said before.. there are like no cats in our area. there are some that hang out at the grocery store and i am sure could wonder to where i live. i dont think shes missing. it look ed like somene threw her out to me. maybe because she was pregnant.

Sadly, that happens.

Hello!

I agree with everyone else tonot use any flea bath. I work at an animal hospital, and I dont even want to tell you how many people come in with dying cats because of over the counter flea products. There are even lawsiuts against most of these companies.

You can purchase Advantage for your other cats. You can use Program for your pregnant cat. Both of these can be purchased online w/out a prescription. You can shop around for the best deal.

The CFA website has a lot of info about caring for pregnant cats. I would suggest that you read it. It will tell you what to expect when she has her kittens, and how to car for her and the babies. She should now be on a kitten food. Even if it's only Kitten Chow, she needs the extra protein and calories that it provides. You can also give her people food such as ricotta cheese, plain yougrt and evporated milk. Give her small amounts at first to make sure that her stomach can handle it. If she was living outside, I'm sure she'll do fine.

It sounds like she is about 7 weeks pregnant. That is about the time that you start to feel the babies moving. She should have them in about 2 weeks, but I would check her daily b/c she could be farther along.

Good luck and let us know when she has her babies!!!


http://www.cfainc.org/health/reproduction4.html


Elizabeth

okay. i will do that. definitely. my mom is all bitchy about it and like doesnt care. i mean shes mad cause the cat peed in places and got out while we were gone. she didnt listened to me and have someone come check in on her. i knew she would be likely to break out and such with no one here to keep her company. thats how she got those 40 fleas on her