Advice Regarding a Pregnant Stray

Hey everyone,

Recently a pregnant stray started to come around our (my GF and I) place. She's all black and I'm guessing that she's a Bombay as I had one growing up as a kid. I'm not sure how far along she is but she is definitely pregnant. I'm guessing she's about halfway or a little past halfway there (4-5 weeks). Unfortunately while the manager at our place is pretty lenient about letting us feed any strays that come by there's no way he'd be ok with us taking care of an entire litter, not to mention I'm almost positive that my GF and I wouldn't even have the time necessary to care for her and her litter all day. I've been desperately looking around in an attempt to find cat shelters and tried putting up an ad on craigslist as she's a wonderful cat but there is simply no way she'd get the proper care needed from my GF and I. So far my only options if I can't find a home for her are to take her to our local Humane Society (San Gabriel, CA) or leave her to give birth here somewhere. She doesn't always hang around at our place (other folks here feed her) and I know that pregnant cats are supposed to be on a special diet (although she's been a bit fussy and doesn't really eat from us). I simply don't know what to do. Do you folks have any recommendations? If anyone in the area is interested in taking a look at her I'd be more than happy to show her to someone capable of giving her a good home.

This is a picture of her.



We named her Uhura, yes, after the character from Star Trek. She's pretty tiny (don't let the picture fool you) and I'm guessing that she may have been the runt of the litter. Unfortunately if I can't find a home for her within the next week or so, then I'll probably end up taking her down to the Humane Society.

1. You write you cant take care of her all day. But you dont need. Leave her alone with her kittens, if there arent any big complications.
All she really needs is a safe place, food and water, somebody who changes the sand-litter... Of course, playing with the kittens now and then is also useful. But you DONT need be there all the time!

2. Funny the manager thinks it is OK to give the strays food. As it is one of the "better" ways to get more strays. Giving them food AND adopt or neuter - is the trick and what is really needy. (Ie giving them food if they are neutered is OK)
Him reluctant for letting you taking her in. I suppose he doesnt want you to have 6 cats, he prob thinks it is what is probably going to happen.But it is usually much easier to find homes for kittens, especielly if they were born home, than for adult strays. The kittens are thus a temporary problem.
So what he would permit you is to take ONE cat. And the only real risk if you do kept Ahura, or not find a home for her. And as I understand, 1 cat is no problem with him?


My suggestion is you talk again - and again with the manager. Friendly.
Saying the kittens are a temporal problem which is easy to solve. You yourself are planning to keep only one - Ahura. And I think you do have good chances. He apparently IS somewhat friendly and no bad person. Many people dont even allows feeding of the hungry.
If he accepts - take phase 2 of the talking - talk him into encouraging TNR (look it up). Ie neutering or adopting the strays in the neigbourhood. This way, his problems as the manager would be lesser still.

3. You tell, there are also others giving her food. Try to talk with them too. Perhaps someone of them do have a solution? Is the manager the same for you all? Try to get you all feeders to talk with this manager. "together are we strong". A group of "concerned citizens" is stronger than some alone "cat lady".


Good luck!


ps. Welcome to the Forums!

The biggest reason that I'm looking to do something for her is that it seems like some of the folks who are feeding her enjoy having her around but aren't willing to do what it necessary to get her the proper care that she needs or assist with the litter when she delivers. She actually eats from others or at least I'm guessing she does as she refused to eat from us. The only reason that she started coming to us recently was because over the past week and a half we've had some ridiculously rainy/wet/cold weather out here in Cali and she was left outside and ended up crying out on the stairs so I let her in. I've already talked to our manager and explained to him that we could try taking care of the litter for 6-8 weeks, get the Mother spayed and immunized and then put the kittens up for adoption but he wasn't too keen on the idea.

On a side note, the reason that I decided to hold off on taking her to the local shelter is,

1. The roof there collapsed during the recent rain and it was on the news.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktl...,6335604.story

Ridiculous.

2. On the day that I had actually planned to take her down, I couldn't find her.

I'm still planning on talking to our manager again but nothing is guaranteed. With her coming around more frequently as of late my GF and I discovered that she really is a great cat and we'd love to keep her if we could.

First of all, welcome to TCS! And thank you for wanting to help this kitty!

Stefan, is of course, right about everything.

I just want to add a very controversial idea, that can stir up a lot of emotion, but it's one that needs to be discussed. Mid-term spays can be done. A vet will charge more for it because it is more complicated. It is something that rescuers usually do, because there are so many unwanted cats and kittens as it is. Mom will recover just fine. But it is a moral decision, and one that is very personal. But it is a decision that no one here will judge you - one way or the other.

But you need to know it is a possibility. Especially if you want to keep the mom but aren't sure you have time to socialize the kittens or if you are not confident in your ability to find homes for them all.



But there really isn't much that needs to be done for a mom giving birth. She'll generally take care of them. Some moms, if it's their first litter, need a little help getting nursing going. And the kittens really need to be kept with her until they're at least 10 weeks old (actually 12, but they'll be OK if adopted out a couple of weeks earlier). Earlier than that, and they really haven't learned all of their "cat manners" and often do not make good pets.

It is also difficult, as some kittens do have problems, they go down hill quickly, and having kitties die on you is heartbreaking. But it happens. If there is a runt in the litter, mom may not take care of it, giving you a hard choice - to either do your best, or let nature take its course.

Whatever you decide to do, we're here for help!

I notice you have two locations listed... where is this one? There are some great TNR groups out there, or low-cost spay/neuter programs if you're willing to spend a little time trapping. I'm happy to help search in the appropriate area to see if there's any help from that angle.

Would you keep her if you could? One option is to contact rescues and tell them that you found a pregnant stray and will foster her and the kittens and if no one wants the mother cat you would be willing to keep her. (since so many people would rather have a kitten than an adult cat).

The only "special" food she needs right now is a decent kitten food.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Would you keep her if you could? One option is to contact rescues and tell them that you found a pregnant stray and will foster her and the kittens and if no one wants the mother cat you would be willing to keep her. (since so many people would rather have a kitten than an adult cat).

The only "special" food she needs right now is a decent kitten food.

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We'd definitely keep her if we could. I've spoken to a few shelters but unfortunately, the only one which will take her is the humane society since the other shelters in the area only accept cats if they are your own domestic pet (they don't accept strays).

Originally Posted by LDG

First of all, welcome to TCS! And thank you for wanting to help this kitty!

Stefan, is of course, right about everything.

I just want to add a very controversial idea, that can stir up a lot of emotion, but it's one that needs to be discussed. Mid-term spays can be done. A vet will charge more for it because it is more complicated. It is something that rescuers usually do, because there are so many unwanted cats and kittens as it is. Mom will recover just fine. But it is a moral decision, and one that is very personal. But it is a decision that no one here will judge you - one way or the other.

But you need to know it is a possibility. Especially if you want to keep the mom but aren't sure you have time to socialize the kittens or if you are not confident in your ability to find homes for them all.

But there really isn't much that needs to be done for a mom giving birth. She'll generally take care of them. Some moms, if it's their first litter, need a little help getting nursing going. And the kittens really need to be kept with her until they're at least 10 weeks old (actually 12, but they'll be OK if adopted out a couple of weeks earlier). Earlier than that, and they really haven't learned all of their "cat manners" and often do not make good pets.

It is also difficult, as some kittens do have problems, they go down hill quickly, and having kitties die on you is heartbreaking. But it happens. If there is a runt in the litter, mom may not take care of it, giving you a hard choice - to either do your best, or let nature take its course.

Whatever you decide to do, we're here for help!

I notice you have two locations listed... where is this one? There are some great TNR groups out there, or low-cost spay/neuter programs if you're willing to spend a little time trapping. I'm happy to help search in the appropriate area to see if there's any help from that angle.

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I've actually called a few places about mid-term spaying. One place said they wouldn't do it. I need to call another place back after New Years. To me I definitely thought of it as an option since my main concern is for the mother and knowing what condition the shelter is in, there's no guarantee the kittens would find homes. At this point my greatest concern is the survival of the mother and we'd definitely be willing and easily able to get her spayed and immunized. I'll try calling the other vet's office back tomorrow or on Tuesday when they're open.

Oh and sorry for the confusion on my location. Right now I'm in Azusa, CA. I just listed Honolulu, HI since I fly home every now and again to visit family and my folks have a crap ton (A CRAP TON) of pets at their place. Four dogs, plus one found just last night during New Years. Apparently my Mom's friend found her roaming the streets when folks were setting off fireworks and my parents took her to the humane society, however she didn't have a microchip so if no one claims her, looks like they'll have five dogs. Beyond the dogs they have two cats, three rabbits, a bird and a turtle. It'd be much easier to find homes for the litter if I were back in Hawaii, not to mention my folks could watch the mother as she approaches her delivery date. Up here it's been a different story as far as finding homes are concerned.

Look in to the midterm spaying, I too took in a pregnant stray from the streets, and thought about this option for her but did not decide to go that route, once I felt the babies moving in her belly.

I am thankful now that I decided to let her have her babies. All found great homes and now that the mother has passed I am blessing to have one of her kittens that I kept.

Having a litter of kittens with a mother is no different as far as work and attention that any other cat, they need fresh food and water and a clean litter pan.

Now try taking care of a little of 5 without a mother, thats a whirlwind experience and also one of the biggest blessings of my life!!

Good luck

Leslie

I'd call around to various vets then, in areas with a lot of strays and ferals, it's (sadly) actually a pretty common procedure.

I do think you should have a chat with the manager - and not just about this kitty. It's really not OK to feed cats unless they're in a program where they're actively being spayed and neutered. It just helps more of them multiply if they're being fed but not sterilized.

You may want to search Petfinder http://www.petfinder.com to check for groups in your area that may help. Even though most won't be listed as TNR groups, it's worth contacting them by phone or e-mail to ask if they know of people or groups to whom they might refer you. It's also worth asking around at local vets. All of the ones around here know to take contact info from someone enquiring. and call us so we can contact them.

You can also try networking through the No More Homeless Pets Campaign forums at Best Friends: http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehom...ts/thenetwork/ (The "Go Local" stuff) ... and for other info, this is a good resource: http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehom...sourcelibrary/

It's also worth filling in the form to have the "Feral Friends" list sent to you from Alley Cat Allies: http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=355

Originally Posted by bruddahmanmatt

We'd definitely keep her if we could. I've spoken to a few shelters but unfortunately, the only one which will take her is the humane society since the other shelters in the area only accept cats if they are your own domestic pet (they don't accept strays).

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I suspect you and Strange Wings are talking about two different sub-variations.

YOU are talking about finding a shelter which is ready to take her in. And this is not easy - most shelters are usually full. Money are an issue, but their REAL difficulty are always places.
Another difficulty is they usually dont have time nor resources for fostering - thus - they dont like semiferales to foster, typically taking in only friendly cats.

Strange Wings talks about another variation here: YOU are taking in her and doing the fostering if any is necessary, but with cooperation with a shelter. If you find someone who accepts such cooperation. And this may be easier.

So the place will be with you - no problem for them. Their part will be to help you with vets costs, including the spaying which is to come (or at the very least, they send you to a good and cheap vet they do cooperate with). They help you some with advices. And they help you find homes for the kittens.
THIS solutions do works sometimes, as places is their most tight issue. Not good will, and not always money.
They dont either risk to foster a semiferal - another tight point for most of them.

Good luck!

I didn't get the idea that this cat is a semi-feral, just a stray. Semi-ferals don't approach humans and walk into a home so I'd say this girl is just a stray. Maybe one that hasn't had much contact with humans lately but if she have had human contact before, which seems to be the case, she will come around quickly. Many of my fosters were like that.

To the OP, check if there are any TNR (Trap Neuter Return) organizations in your area. (Try this onehttp://www.feralcat.com/ or this one http://www.projectpurr.org/ ) They will know where to take her for a spay. As uncomfortable as it is I really think that is the best option for everyone involved, including the kittens to be. Since this is a black cat chances are good that the kittens will be black and sadly black kittens are not that easy to place. I have one who I've had since she was a few days old and she's now a year and a half and has not been adopted.

If there is any way you can avoid the shelter please do. Even if this cat is a sweet, cute girl the fact is that black cats are very, very hard to place and she may end up spending over a year in a cage if she's not euthanized. Unfortunately I don't think she's a Bombay. Bombays are pretty rare in the US and you don't see many purebred cats at all on the street. Most likely she's a "regular" black domestic shorthair. As such her chances for being adopted from a shelter are slim.
I'd put some more pressure on the landlord. Make her realize how bad the options are and promise that you will take care of any possible damages (there shouldn't be any). Could you offer a pet deposit to make the landlord feel more secure?

As have been mentioned there really isn't that much work involved with caring for a mom and kittens, if she has them. You can take care of mom and she takes care of the kittens. You don't have to be home much at all. You just have to put out food and water, clean the litter box and do some cleaning of her living area once in a while. That's about it.

If you can get the kittens aborted but can't find a home for the mom the best option may be to let her back out and not take her to a shelter. As long as she has someone to care for her outside she would do fine. Maybe you could bring her back to Hawaii next time you go and present your parents with a present

I really hope you can convince the landlord. That is her absolute best bet. I have found that landlords will be open to letting you have pets if you guarantee them that you will make sure that there are no damages when you move. After all fear of possible damages is the reason why they don't allow pets. Speak to her concience. Make clear to her that if the cat has to go to a shelter she could die.

Also keep in mind that there are also rescue groups that you can contact. Most of them are full so it's a long shot but you may get lucky. Here is a list of rescues and shelters in your area: http://www.petfinder.com/awo/index.c...2C+ca&keyword=

Good luck and thanks for caring

Lots of replies here. I apologize for not responding to everyone here but rest assured that I have read everyone's post. I have taken some of your suggestions under advisement and will keep you folks apprised.

And yes, as Ziggy'smom has pointed out, she is definitely NOT a feral cat. Again, as I stated in my OP, I believe that someone simply abandoned her, either because she got pregnant or they abandoned her and then she was impregnated when she was roaming the streets.

And special thanks to Ziggy'smom. That link was VERY helpful in putting me in touch with some folks. Haven't found a solution yet but I'm at least headed in the right direction.

try www.meoowzresq.com (I think that's the site. they are also on Facebook)

do not say that you have a feral, say abandoned pet, or something like that. if you can make a contribution, like say that you'll pay to spay Uhuru, that would probably help. They are located in the O.C. and hold adoption clinics every weekend. They post on Craig's List and Facebook and do a pretty good job of marketing. They have a fairly good network of fosters although they are always looking for more.

Good luck.

Just wanted to let everyone know that we found Uhura a foster home for her litter and that my GF and I will be getting her back in about eight weeks. Found a site that does pet placement and they'll be looking to find homes for the kittens.

http://www.catsatthestudios.com/

The folks taking her in picked her up last night and short of having a bit of difficulty getting her from one carrier to another, everything went smoothly. Just wanted to thank those of you who provided various links and search tools. Really helped me to even find these folks in the first place. w00t

wow thanks for this update! very glad to hear this happy ending. once they're old enough i'm sure the kittens will get adopted quickly.

Originally Posted by bruddahmanmatt

Just wanted to let everyone know that we found Uhura a foster home for her litter and that my GF and I will be getting her back in about eight weeks. Found a site that does pet placement and they'll be looking to find homes for the kittens.

http://www.catsatthestudios.com/

The folks taking her in picked her up last night and short of having a bit of difficulty getting her from one carrier to another, everything went smoothly. Just wanted to thank those of you who provided various links and search tools. Really helped me to even find these folks in the first place. w00t

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Has she had her kittens? Or are you talking about a foster home for her potential litter?

It sounds like a foster home for her while she gives birth and weans them.

I don't know how soon she'll give birth, but it really is best for her to stay with them for a full 12 weeks. Just a bug in your ear on that one, many people in rescue do adopt them out at 8 - 10 weeks.

GREAT job - I'm so glad this all came together for you -and for Uhura!!!!!!!!!!!!!!