Took in a Pregnant Stray

Hi!  This is my first post here and I'd love some advice.  And, I apologize, I tend to write long winded posts.  The first few paragraphs are mainly background and not essential.

For a little background, I am a 23 year old student living with my boyfriend in a two bedroom townhome in Rochester, NY.  He works tech support from home.  Money is tight because I am a student, but I wouldn't say we are struggling in any way.  I have two cats already, a 3 year old girl, Zoe, and an almost 2 year old boy, Wash (both named after the show Firefly).  Wash is an absolute sweetheart and would get along with anything that is nice to him (he is scared of everything though).  Zoe did get very hissy when we got Wash, especially since he probably smelled like tons of cats from the shelter, and she even hissed at him for a bit when we brought him back from the vet recently, but she got over it quickly enough and they get along.

Last weekend we noticed a cat outside, and she quickly came up to us after a few loud meows and started rubbing against our legs, kneading the ground the whole time, and even gave us some headbutts.  She can't be a year old - I am guessing around 7 months but I really have on clue.  I got her some food and water, and from then on whenever I saw her she would just sit with me until I left.  I ended up sitting outside with her for hours each night because she seemed so happy to have company and it broke my heart to leave her out - she would wait in front of the door all night.  We thought she was spayed because she didn't have much hair on her tummy and I remember Zoe took a very long time to grow her hair back after.  I did notice she had big puffy nipples but I didn't think about it much, or more I was in denial.  We were hoping she was someone's pet, but the neighbors say they've seen her around for about a month eating out of the trash.  We took her Tuesday to the vet to check for a chip, which she doesn't have, and we asked if she was fixed and he said no, and it hit me she was pregnant.  It was a free visit to just check for a chip so we couldn't ask much, but he agreed she was probably pregnant and now I don't see how she can't be.  I don't know how far along she is.  Her belly puffs out to the sides and her nipples are big, and I may be able to feel some kittens moving around but that could just be her, I can't tell.

We called one no kill shelter but they won't have room for a pregnant cat/kittens for a couple months.  The other shelter where we got our cats is a great shelter and they adopt out tons of animal, but they do euthanize cats that are not adoptable.  The person we talked to said he would be able to tell right away if they would euthanize her, which I highly doubt because she is very friendly.  They got back to us yesterday saying they have space, but she already trusts me and I have grown rather attached.  The carrier really freaked her out when we took her to the vet (I ended up letting her sit with me when my boyfriend drove), and I'd hate to think she is going to be stuck in a small space.  I really did not want another cat - 2 is perfect and technically we aren't allowed to have more than 2 per the lease, though luckily they don't care much about the animal rules here and tons of people break it with dogs more than 30lbs - but now that she is here I'd miss her if she was gone.  Also, though I am scared and it probably isn't the best situation, I would love to have kittens in the house. My boyfriend is a little more apprehensive but he is also a cat person and would love the kittens too.  He is worried I will be devastated if something happen to one of them, and that I will get too attached, and he also is stressed because it isn't exactly a small commitment.  While he does work at home, he had to stay in front of his computer so he can't exactly watch them all the time, and I will be in class again at the end of August and my school is known for being very stressful.

Anyway, I couldn't stand leaving her outside anymore so I brought her in yesterday and now she is in my basement.  It is unfinished but there isn't too much she can get in to.  I set up a couple of big boxes around a rug, and got her a nice bed and some good kitten food.  She gets a little flustered when she hears my cats running around above her.  Wash likes to talk to himself in the kitchen where it echos, and when he does that she will grumble a bit but keep on purring and rubbing me.  I have a vet appointment Tuesday to make sure she doesn't have anything she can give my cats.  If she doesn't I'd love to let her upstairs since I hate her stuck in the basement (and sitting down there all the time isn't that fun for me), but I really worry about her getting along with my cats and I don't know if it is a good idea to put her through that right now.  But, I also can't keep kittens in an unfinished basement, so I really need to make them all get along.  My cats will go crazy being locked out of a room so I can't keep her in the bedroom or the office, and nothing else is closed off (they weren't allowed in the basement anyway).  I know Wash will be fine with her, but I don't know if she will be okay with him and I know Zoe will not be happy.  When we got Wash, we tried to keep them separated (one of us had to sleep in the living room since Zoe didn't like us all in a room without her) to get used to each other slowly, but that wasn't working so we ended up just opening the doors to see what would happen.  She got angry for a bit but she got over it that day.  Wash was just a kitten and was very clam and friendly, and I doubt the new girl will be the same so I have no clue what will happen.  I do not want any fighting - I tend to be overly protective and that would freak me out.

I also worry about how my cats will deal with kittens.  I think Wash will be great.  He likes to clean Zoe, to her dismay, and is generally just a sweetheart.  I can't imagine Zoe actually hurting anything; she is normally more annoyed than aggressive, but I really don't know.  Probably a bigger issue is how mommy will deal with my cats around her kittens.  Obviously I would watch them when together, but there are just so many unknowns and I could not deal with anyone getting hurt.  We have a decent walk in closet in the bedroom which I could easily make a kitten pen, but again, I can't keep my cats out of the room because they will scratch at the door until I let them in.

That is basically it.  Any wisdom would be great!   Thanks for reading and sorry about the novel.

Quick summery:  I took in a friendly pregnant stray that is now staying in my not so cozy basement.  I already have two cats that don't like being locked out of rooms in a two bedroom apartment, and don't know if I should let her up to introduce them.  I don't want to leave her in the basement, and can't leave future kittens in the basement.  What is the best way to deal with this for all involved?

 First of all, let me say thank you for saving this girl! Her and her babies now have a chance at a good life because of you

Once she has the kittens, she may be aggressive towards your other cats because she may see them as a threat. I was in your exact situation back in april, except I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and have 1 other cat. She got my bedroom, and my other cat has run of the rest of the apartment. She was very hormonal and unpredictable while pregnant, and even though she was usually very sweet, she would turn aggressive at the drop of the hat. I still have not introduced her to my cat because I only got her spayed last week, and allthough she has calmed down considerably, I want to make sure she has healed and all the hormones are out of her system before I introduce her to my other cat. I actually ended up putting a peice of cardboard taped to the front of the doorway(low enough for me to step over, but tall enough that the cats cant see over it) to avoid them slipping out the bedroom door behind me. The kittens are 10 weeks old now and they are a handfull! I have them in my walk-in closet, because I have to keep them separated from mom until her suture heals. I let them out at meal time for supervised playtime with mom.

In this type of situation, it is much better to take your time when it comes to introductions. My cat learned pretty quickly that he is just not allowed to go into the bedroom anymore.  If you have to, you can keep her in a large dog crate w/ the kittens. The ones that have enough room for bed, litterbox, food and water. She will be nursing the kittens most of the day anyway so keeping her confined like that is not a big deal. You want to be sure of the safety of your cats though... momma cats are not something you want to take a chance with. They are tough cookies!! Good luck and keep us posted

Thank you!  It is good to know others have gone through something similar.  You are right, I am just naive and want everyone to be a happy family but I know it doesn't exactly work like that.  Wash is like a puppy and just wants a new friend.  She is so docile right now that I have high hopes but I know it probably isn't worth the risks.  When I first started giving her attention she would walk up to everyone, even a neighbor walking her small dog. My other neighbors have a big dog but that didn't go as well since he is pretty aggressive (they normally have a house with a big yard that is getting renovated so he isn't used to the small space) and after a few seconds of sniffing he went nuts and she ran (she was scared of their door when she realized that is where is comes from). 

My cats are so spoiled, they are used to getting everything they want and I am used to giving them all of my attention.  They are always in the same room with us and I'd feel horrible keeping them out, especially our bedroom, but that does seem to be the best place for the kittens because of the walk in closet.  I could even take off the door and put a gate on it and I'd feel better being close by at night.  The cardboard idea is great - I'll definitely do that.
 

Is it a good idea to get her spayed as soon as possible after having the kittens?  I certainly will at some point, but my boy is fixed (and he is pathetic, watching try to hump Zoe is hilarious - she turns him down and then he will just sit there and cry, poor boy - I think he would fail at mating in the wild) and I will keep her inside so I don't have to worry about her getting pregnant again.

Edit for some pictures (sorry the first one is blurry):

She is a cutie! Wash sounds similar to my cat Banjo. He just wants to be everyone's friend and wouldnt know how to defend himself at all, he is a big baby. 

You want to wait until the kittens are weaned before getting her spayed. You will also have to talk to your vet to see what they are comfortable with. The shelter that I foster for will not spay unless the mom's milk is completely dried up, but my vet said it didn't matter and she could work around the milk sacs. I still seperated the kittens from mom for about a week and a half prior to the surgery anyway just to be safe. I would have waited a little longer but my momma cat went into heat and she just seemed miserable. So I just wanted to get it over with. It is somewhat of a pain now though, because I have to keep them seperated while she heals and the kittens cry and she hears their cries and wants to be with them all the time. They still spend time together, I just have to be there to stop them if they try to nurse. So just one more week for me and the babies will be ready to find homes and I will be able to introduce momma to my other cat. It has been a long three months, taking care of 2 cats and 4 kittens is a lot of work, but I would do it again in a heart beat. And you will have to be very careful if she goes into heat once the babies are older.... she will do ANYTHING to escape to find a mate, and you do not want her sneaking outside and getting pregnant again!

Thank you, that is so helpful!  It is going to be very hard keeping my cats out of the bedroom for so long.  My baby likes to say good night and wake me up in the morning.  I guess I will have to deal, it will probably upset me more than him.  Today he was sitting outside the basement door and she went up the stairs to investigate.  There is about an inch gap between the floor and the door (yay cheap construction) and after calmly keeping his distance for a bit he put his nose against the gap and she hissed and swiped under the door (he was completely fine).  She is so clam and gentle around people, I hope she doesn't change to much after she has kittens.  I hope I don't have to worry about getting her spayed until after her kittens are fully weaned, but I guess time will tell with how she is in heat.

I am having a hard time guessing how far along she is.  I think I feel some movement in her belly, but it could just be her.  She is also so young which has me a bit worried, but she seems strong and mature.  She doesn't seem to want to play at all, she just walks back and forth rubbing against us and laying down next to us.  She enjoys the company so much and hates when I leave her alone.  She really loves when I gently rub her belly.  She also loves it when I sing to her .  She isn't eating a ton like she did when I first gave her food last weekend, but she is still eating.  I just got her good kitten food so I hope she has time to build her babies up big an strong.  I am so nervous and excited and the same time!
 

I would take her for a quick vet check and worming, and for flea treatment if necessary.  However the vet won't be able to do more than vaguely guess when her kittens are due.  I would also get her scanned for a chip - you never know.

You are in the US, I am in the UK and the commonest wormer from vets here (Milbemax) is unfortunatly not available in the US - it deals with tapeworms and roundworms and is safe for pregnant and lactacting cats.  I believe you can get it from Canada via Internet, but you must know how much she weighs as the dose is weight dependant.  It's a tiny pill.

Beyond that, look after mum and she will look after the kittens.  Do make sure you know what to do if she has problems delivering in the middle of the night - she probably will be fine, but not having the details to hand if you are in a panic will make it 10x worse. 

You will also need to change bedding after she has given birth, and fairly often thereafter, so make sure you have enough of that.

She has a full vet appointment Tuesday and I got her checked for a chip last week.  I'll be much happier after the vet appointment so I can bring her upstairs - she loves company.

I am a little worried she is sick.. I can't properly explain it but she just has that look in her eyes and she almost seems to be asking for help.  Whenever I am with her, she will just sit quietly and purr lightly and she just seems very tired.  I don't think she would ever leave my side if she could.  She never wants to play at all, though before I took her in she did catch a bug and when I first brought her down to the basement she climbed up the wall (there is some insulation under a plastic sheet on the walls) to check out every corner.  I am hoping that is just the pregnancy or partly just the way she is.  I am one to worry about everything.

I wish I knew how far along she is.  I think I feel them in there but it is hard to tell.  I am so scared it will be sooner than I think.  I have a nice area in the basement set up and she has multiple boxes to choose from, and I do sit with her for hours each day, but I'd feel so much better with her comfy up here.

I would have her in the bedroom if possible in case she has her kittens overnight, you really need to be present to make sure all goes ok. Make sure the babies are delivered properly, breathing and that all placentas are delivered. 

I wouldn't be introducing her to your cats for quite some time, leave her in peace while pregnant and let her raise the kittens for 6-8 weeks first.

We were able to get our vet appointment moved to today and she is healthy.  I am so happy.  She doesn't even seem to have any fleas, which my vet seemed not to believe.  My vet suggested just leaving her in the basement and that she was fine down there, but I am sick of sitting on a cheap rug on a concrete floor with her for hours so I moved her to the bedroom.  I hope Wash isn't too upset.  He was trying to say "hi" through the door and she was a little hissy but not that bad.  When Zoe came up though they both started hissing at each other, and my boyfriend says Zoe was hissy at Wash after too.  I hope they can get along in the future; I'd hate to loose her but my babies have to come first.

The vet also says to expect kittens within 10 days.  She is ridiculously sweet, affectionate, and chill now.  She is always purring and just loves to sit with me petting her and feeling her belly.  Are the odds good that she will stay sweet and be okay with me around her babies?  I worry about her changing completely after giving birth and not wanting me around anymore.

Oh, and my vet says she is 1-1.5 years.  I am surprised because she looks so young, but it makes me feel much better about her having the kittens.

Kaylee (which we finally named her) seems like she might be going into labor.  It is hard to tell if she is acting differently since I haven't had her long, but she started meowing intermittently and she went right into the box we have set up.  She is always out with us when we are in the room and only went in the box before right after we set it up, and her meows sound kind of screechy and like she is in a bit of pain.  I was taking a nap with her and she woke me up meowing and walked to her box once she knew I was awake.  The babies have been getting pretty big in there and they are really easy to feel so I think this may be it but I am not sure.  I'm so nervous!  I wish I knew what she wanted me to do.  I will sit here with her until I can get a good idea if she is actually in labor or not.
 

Edit: I am pretty sure I just saw some contractions!!

Keep us updated! Good luck to you and Kaylee!

Thank you!

Kaylee pooped in her kittening box.  How should I clean the area without upsetting her?  We took it out but should I change the towel?  I assume that would just be stressful for her?

Edit: We have the first kitten!!!!!!!! That was so fast! She is doing so well.  It is moving around but I don't hear squeaking yet.

And another!  The first one is wiggling all around but the second one is only moving a little.

It is so difficult not to get more involved.  So far we only have the two; I can't tell if there are more.

She seems to be grumbling when the kittens squeak. Is that normal?

I think only one placenta came out.  The other might have while I wasn't watching but I don't think so.  I am trying to leave her be but it is hard!  I am assuming she still has one or two to go.  I hope I didn't disturb her too much and delay anything - I just can't stop looking at them!  They are amazing .  I know she likes company and she always loved when I rubbed her belly so hopefully she doesn't mind me hanging around.
 

The grumbling at the kittens is normal.

Do keep a close watch for the placentas, she'll need a vet visit asap if one is retained. 

I just pinch the sac off the face to make sure they are breathing properly and leave the rest up to mum. There's no reason to do anything more than that unless the mum isn't do it.

Once they are all dried off I weigh them and disinfect their cords. Then leave mum to bond in a nice covered pen.

Thanks!  I just looked again and there is a third nursing.  She didn't even make a peep for that one.  I think there is a chance this is the last one.  Mommy seems to be doing a great job.  My vet says just leave her be to do her thing.  I have been trying not to bother her while still keeping on eye on her but now I am worried I missed the placenta since I've only actually seen the first one come out.  She didn't seem to love me constantly looking in.  How would I know if one didn't come out?  I'm so paranoid and obviously don't want anything to happen to her - it's only been a couple weeks since I found her but I already love her so much.

What should I look for to make sure they are breathing properly?  They seem to be doing great but obviously I don't really know what I am doing (I have been doing tons of googling).  I've heard a few squeaks (that first squeak was the best thing I've even heard ) and they are all nursing now.

Oh, and I was wondering when I should change out the blanket she is on for a new one.

Congratulations! 

If it seems they are all nursing then they are breathing fine (or else they wouldn't be able to nurse). 

If you don't already have one make sure you get a small scale (kitchen ones work really well) that measures in ounces or grams. Make sure you weigh each baby around the same time everyday to make sure they are gaining weight. I take my scale and put it right in front of Mom so she can see exactly what I am doing. It is normal for her to panic and try to snatch the baby back at first, just be as quick as you can. I get the weight and put them right back. For the first week or so that is the only handling I do, other than shifting them around so I can change the bedding. I do go and sit and give a lot of attention to the Momma though. It lets her know I am there for HER and not to take her babies. Slowly she will start to let you know that she is comfortable with you touching them. 

I know you have moved her into your bedroom which I think was the right choice. Like you, I am a student and have a one bedroom apartment with one resident cat so separation is a problem I am very familiar with. My solution is that I use an extra large wire dog pen. It's big enough to fit a litterbox, food and water bowls, a comfy bed area and room for Mom to move around. I line the bottom with towels so it's all soft and cover the majority of it with a sheet (I leave a small space at the bottom so she gets fresh air circulation) so it's like a big den and she has lots of privacy. During the day Mom has free reign of the bedroom and my resident cat has the rest of the apartment. I only close her and the babies in there when I sleep so my cat can still sleep with me. It's a good way to let them assimilate to each other safely, and for Mom cat to know the other cats aren't a threat to her and vice versa. Since she has already had her kittens she may keep trying to den move, but den moves are common anyway. I let her take her babies where she wants and just move them back at night. If she keeps going to one spot during the day I move them for her in the morning. Really the first few weeks the Mom doesn't leave her babies much so caging them at night is not that traumatic. Once they are a bit older and start rompin it becomes more difficult and I usually stop caging. But, enough time has passed that my cat knows the foster is there and that it doesn't diminish her importance and the foster knows my cat is there and isn't a threat. 

If you do decide to try and integrate them I would wait until the babies are 8-10 weeks and relatively independent. What I do is have someone hold the foster and I hold my cat. Then, take turns placing them face to butt so they can smell each other without seeing each other. I always do this in a room separate from the kittens so her maternal instincts don't kick in. Once they get used to that then you can slowly start letting them in the room together. I use the same technique to introduce my cat to the kittens, and frankly she does a better job adapting to them (I think because she knows she's the Alpha). It also seems to help the later Mom introduction because She can smell my cat on them and knows they are safe. 

Really, fostering a Queen and kittens is a big game or trial and error. All the cats will let you know what works and what doesn't and you just have to accommodate each as best you can. Nobody will be happy 100% of the time, but you are doing an amazing thing so hang in there! Just keep telling your babies how much they are helping and that you love them and they will understand. 

Keep us posted on if she has anymore and don't hesitate to ask questions if you need to! 

Thank you so much, that is really useful advice!  She squeezed out the door the other day and my boy was there and she jump at him and tried to attack without warning so now I am very nervous to have them together.  My poor boy doesn't even know how to defend himself; he just runs and hides.  Everyone was okay but it freaked me out.  Zoe was down stairs and they ran down and I've never seen her puff up so much - she was like a blow fish.  Wash likes to "sing" and she really doesn't like even hearing him so I don't have much hope of her being comfortable with him as long as there are babies to protect.  We have a nice big walk in closet which will be easy to close off and has plenty of room for beds, a litter box, etc.  I will see if she is okay with him in the bedroom with that closed off, but I am sure he will be very curious and I don't want to stress her out.  I also worry about Zoe who hates new cat smells, but she is less curious and more independent and may not even bother seeing what is going on in the first place.  When would be a good time to start all that?  I really don't want to stress Kaylee out.  At least she does really trust me.  She was even happy to have me pet her while nursing.

Edit for a few pictures.  Sorry the quality sucks, I didn't want to upset them with bright lights.

I prefer grams for weighing kittens - the weight gain per day is less than an ounce so with grams there are no decimal points to fiddle with.  I also use Excel to record the weights and I get it to calculate the gain for me, which should normally be 10g per day or more.  Weigh them at about the same time each day.  For interest I also took weekly photos of my last set of fosters on the scales:

http://shunracats.wordpress.com/jasmine/

This is the first time I've done that and I was staggered to see how they grew!

I would keep mum well away from all other cats right now.  She is clearly very protective.

Yes it sounds like your closet serves the same purpose so that's awesome you have that to use and can close her off in there.

I don't know that there is ever a good time to start even a smell integration- it's always going to be stressful so you just have to go with your gut. Certainly a few hours after labor is not the best idea, but if she is comfortable with you and her surroundings over the next few days then maybe close her in the closet and let them in the room supervised. Some swatting under the door and hissing is normal in my experience, they have to go through that to learn that they are safe and separated. My first foster was here for 4 weeks before she went into labor so she was pretty used to the setup and my cat sulking around at night. For a few others that I brought home that had already had their kittens I gave them 2-3 days to adjust to the new surroundings before letting my girl in (but still caged them at night so they would be comfortable with the idea). Use your intuition. Again, it's all trial and error this is just what has worked for me. Keep talking to all three of them and explain what is happening and reassure them that it is okay. Even if they don't understand your words (and who knows if they do or not) when we say things out loud it subconsciously changes our body language. They will pick up on your reassuring vibes and be calmer overall. 

Another tip if your cats are food motivated is to give them treats when they go by the door. They will start to associate the new cat smells with something positive like eating. It's harder to do on Momma's end- you could try putting her food bowls by the door but you risk her then being fearful of eating. I would probably leave her setup as is and trust that since she was a stray she has had contact with other cats and knows how to cope with it. Trust that she is grateful to have a warm bed, yummy food, and a loving person to give her attention!

So are there 3 kittens total? They are adorable! 

We spotted a 4th one before going to sleep .  Two gray tabbies like her, and the other two look similar but much darker.  One might be solid black but I can't tell yet.  My boyfriend saw the last one and said the placenta was huge.  He also thinks he felt another one still in her belly last night, but that could just be her insides .  What would be some signs if she retained a placenta?  Would it be obvious something was wrong?  I put some food under her face and she seemed happy to eat and she seems to be doing great.

I won't try to do any sort of integrating until mommy and kittens are are 100% and they've had time to grow a bit.  She probably already recognizes my kitties' smells but she just doesn't seem to like seeing other cats around.  She was perfectly friendly to one of my neighbors' dogs before I took her in, but I guess cats are another story.  Wash was going absolutely nuts running around the house and being affectionate right when she started going into labor so I wonder if he knew something was up.  Or maybe he could smell me changing her kitten food and was jealous because he is on diet food right now.  That's probably it... I can't even mix it with normal food because they will eat out the normal food and leave the diet stuff behind.

When can I tell the sex?  And how do I do that (unless it is obvious)?

I have a very precise gram scale but it only goes up to 500 grams (it's for resin casting, not drugs!), but it is pretty small.  I guess I would be better off with a kitchen scale so they fit on it for more than a few weeks.  And we always wanted to have a kitchen scale anyway. 

Those photos are great!  I will be taking as many pictures as possible.  Do I have to worry about flash?  I assume it wouldn't be good for kittens just opening their eyes.

Thanks for your help everyone!  It is so nice having such a great resource.  Now I just need to hope that everything else goes well and that we can find great homes for these little guys come October.  I am already attached to these little things; they are so wonderful!  I wish I could keep them all but that is way too many kitties for me.  I am so proud of Kaylee for doing such a great job.