,New to caring for a very pregnant cat who happens to be semi-feral

I'm a Super Mom.   I have lots of boxes since I moved here less than a year ago.  I've taken over my old family home after my mother passed away last year. I don't know if any of the boxes are wide enough and getting to them is an issue since they are in in an inaccessible (behind the heavy dresser) cupboard in the storage room. I'm going to try and put the dresser drawer under the chair where the fleece bed is. I don't know if it will fit but one of the top drawers might, but it is not as tall.

Hello, this is my first post here.  I am so thrilled with all the info I am learning from the site, but I'm truly grateful to have found this thread at this time.  I too am hosting a semi-feral female (she's tame to me as well as my neighbor, as we have been feeding her outside for over a year).  I brought her in the house when she looked like she'd swallowed a volleyball.  It's been about six weeks since, and she's now apparently carrying an NFL football sideways.  She's really firm so I'm thinking she'll have those babies very soon. I should add that this is at least Momma's third litter, and the first time we have intercepted her before she had them "in the wild."

So I am keenly following the Chaucer-Henryetta saga!  I have a spare bedroom that I use for storage.  It contains storage shelves and a table, as well as an old entertainment console that takes up half a wall.  This is the nursery.  I've got a good-size cardboard box, newspapers, towels, litterbox, comfy cat bed, food & water, all set to go.  She sleeps in there at night but has the run of the house all day.  It seems to me like she should already have had the kittens since she's been in the house well over a month.  How long is a normal cat pregnancy?  

I will get Momma fixed once the kittens are weaned.  I plan to let her go back to the yard (it's quiet, safe, has a big empty barn about fifty yards away where she lives and has raised the other kittens).  I will take these babies to a great no-kill shelter when they are old enough.  The big reason I brought Momma inside this time was to intercept her before she gave birth, because her past litters were feral and unsuitable for adoption by the time they were old enough.  

Please bear with me if I ask super-obvious questions or over-worry.  She's so big, I figure it should be any second now, but I've been thinking that for weeks.  Oh -- I also have four cats of my own!  So far there is harmony, but I have no idea how this is going to shake out as time goes on.

It's nearly 1 a.m., so I've got to check out for now.  Needless to say, I'll be keeping this page open!  God bless you Chaucer, I am inspired and hopeful of an outcome as great as yours and Henryetta's!  And thanks for sharing, everyone!

This makes my day, Kittyfolk! I'm pretty new here too and to know that this topic is helping someone else is wonderful! Thank you!

Although I'd only been feeding her since early December, Henryetta was pretty tame by the middle of February. It was me who was uncertain about trapping her and I was scared I'd get bitten or scratched. By early April, she considered herself mine and was running off other cats who came by. I'd like to think I would have trapped her before the kittens came but when I saw her kind of run-down and lying on the doormat, I knew I had to do something, and it was so easy. She didn't even make a fuss. While I was upset with the vet for giving her shots while pregnant, in a way I was glad she'd had the rabies one when I brought her home. I'm still a little uncomfortable with her because I don't know how she will react, but I'm slowly getting to where I trust her. I've even picked her up slightly to move her out of the way since she's had the kittens and she's been okay with it.

When I brought inside for the first time, after her two-day visit at the vet's, I put her in the laundry room. She and Chaucer "knew" each other from the glass and screen patio door and had "smelled" each other. The first time they met up on the second day in the house, things were fine until I stepped on her, she screeched and ran with him them getting excited and attacking her for a  few seconds. After that, she hissed and  growled at him and he did attack her once more, again for a few seconds when I stopped it, so I don't know if I can keep her if that continues to occur once I am able to bring her back in the house after she is spayed and recovered.

You are lucky to have a room in the house to use. I have two bedrooms but the guest room needs to remain that. The two bathrooms have sliding pocket doors which any determined cat can open. The storage room for me is okay but when the kittens get bigger and start exploring, I've got to find other options and am looking at those wire exercise pens for dogs or a general playpen for toddlers, but the wire openings on the pet pens can trap little heads and the mesh on the playpens can catch tiny claws so I'm not sure what to get. The storage room is large enough to handle a good-sized pet pen though. And then I'm worrying about the heat since I live in the South/Southwest.

There are no stupid questions. Take it from someone who started a thread about Henryetta pooping and urinating too much. I was a little embarrassed because the answers were obvious - eating and drinking a lot more for herself and the kittens.

She had the kittens around 63-64 days, but I had seen her mating one time and estimating the due-date was much easier.

Please keep posting here or start a topic about your kitty so I can follow it.

And again, thanks!

Momma is really close to giving birth!  The kittens are kicking and moving, and she is trying to isolate.  I have two nests for her in "her room," one is a big rectangular box about 42" x 18" x 15" tall, and the other is a long, lower, allegedly under-the-bed storage unit that has wheels.  You've probably seen that one in stores.  Both are outfitted with newspaper -- flat and torn up -- and a fleece throw for her comfort.  I'm pretty sure she'll have her babies in the next 24-36 hours!

What should I do when they start arriving??  I realize that Momma has had two prior litters (that I know of) without me, but I feel like I should do something.   Along with giving her a real name, that is!

I didn't do anything when they started arriving.  I went out to check on her as I do every night before I close up things. It was about 7:30 and I saw her with one kitten.  I left her alone, but got up at 3:45 AM and went to check on her. There were 5 kittens!  She had apparently cleaned them and everything else up. I discovered how well when I finally was able to remove the fleece blanket a week later. It took me that long because I was afraid to move the kittens. My guess is that Henryetta also had kittens before. She's around two.

My current problem is that she does not not want the kittens in a deeper box. She gave birth under a chair on a plain fleece blanket.  I eventually was able to exchange the fleece blanket for one of those cuddly, fleecy liners for dog or cat crates. I got the big one which was great with its rolled edges, but now the kittens at 11 days old are crawling around to edges and trying to go over. I needed to wash the new fleece liner because it, frankly, smelled a bit so I took the opportunity to introduce the deeper "box." I used books and raised the chair so I could put the deeper dresser drawer under there but she was agitated and a bit distressed about them in there and me moving them from a couple of places in order to do these things. I have now put them back under the chair in a lower dresser drawer that just had a thin towel in it. She got right in. I hope that I have not hurt the trust she has in me.   I've also put a fan in the storage room, which may bother her,  because it was stuffy and I can't open the window or use the screen door since the neighbor's cats are in my yard.  I suppose when the fleece liner is dry I will need to move them again to it under the chair and go back to putting towels around it and raising the edges with books.

Chaucer said:

I'm a Super Mom.

Click to expand...

YES - you certainly are and had NO OTHER CHOICE in the matter. :lol3: I see I wrote dad earlier. opps - I meant mom. There is another super dad in another thread.

Chaucer said:

I have now put them back under the chair in a lower dresser drawer that just had a thin towel in it. She got right in. I hope that I have not hurt the trust she has in me.   I've also put a fan in the storage room, which may bother her,  because it was stuffy and I can't open the window or use the screen door since the neighbor's cats are in my yard.  I suppose when the fleece liner is dry I will need to move them again to it under the chair and go back to putting towels around it and raising the edges with books.

Click to expand...

It always goes this way - we figure out way around things as we go. No matter what - you are doing everything right even if it is only your first time. Henryetta surely agrees and will go with the flow of whatever you decide. Mother knows best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :heart3:

I am going to have to bring Henryetta and the kittens into the house soon.  The kittens are over three weeks' old and are starting to play and explore.  I've raised their box a time or two to keep them in Henryetta will need to start teaching them to use the litter box and start weaning them in the next week or so..  The pen idea isn't going to work.  I've looked at pens and they all appear to be for outdoor use as exercise pens which require stakes in the ground to support them. I purchased a pet gate yesterday.  Since the bathroom doors are sliding pocket doors, I'll have to put the pet gate on the hallway side so I can slide open the door by reaching over the gate, but Chaucer can't open it.  Let's just hope this works.  My concern now is actually moving Henryetta and the kittens into the house. I hope I can get her in the carrier to move her. The kittens I can carry in the box, well dresser drawer, into the house. Once in the house, I'm going to have a very curious Chaucer and a very nervous Henryetta.  Keeping him in the other part of the house is no problem if they are in the bathroom, but at night, he'll be camped outside the bathroom door. Hopefully, he will settle down and get used to the guests in the guest bathroom.

The kittens are fat and happy, it seems. They will come to me when I sit next to the box and even try to climb out and onto my leg.  Hopefully, Henryetta will still love me after the kittens are gone. I'm amazed at how far she and I have come since early December when she ran if she saw me.

I have a question and didn't know whether to start a new thread or continue with this one, but I hope someone has an answer for me.

The kittens have become pretty active since they are 24 days old. They are able to get out of their deep box and explore the storage room, but the problem is about Henryetta, the mother.  I noticed today that she has a scratch across one of her nipples. I know she meowed quite loudly earlier today on a couple of occasions when the kittens were nursing and scrambling over her so I guess some sharp baby claws scratched her.  The scratch has blood on it. Is this something I should worry about or will she take care of it?  As far as me cleaning it up, she is a newly-tamed in the past few months, semi-feral cat so I'm a little uncomfortable about handling a sensitive area. I also know I can't put any medicine on it because the kittens are still nursing.

I can't answer this for you, but ,maybe someone else will be along who can. I agree with you not to put medicine on it. Can you handle her at all. If so, at least you could watch it to be sure it doesn't become festered looking.

Succesful semiferales are made of tough wood AND "good healing meat", being survivors.  so scratches and the like should heal easily.

Keep your eyes on it and hope for the best.    I think and hope.

@Chaucer

ps.   You could surely  rinse it off with somewhat saline water, ie profusely with a somewhat salty water at body temperature..

If you think she accepts.  But if it is necessary?  I think she will manage anyway.

I agree as well, she will clean it up herself, and likely due to the urgency kittens have at this spunky age

She will be fine

Thank you, everyone, for the answers.  I suppose she will heal up quickly and there may be other things like this once the kittens have teeth. From what I've read, their claws will start to retract at 4 weeks and that is just a few days away.
 

I'm a Nervous-Nelly since they have started climbing out of the box and are exploring the storage room.  I've tried to kitten-proof it with boxes, bricks and upside down buckets and pots, but it is, after all, a storage room and there may be some hidden dangers I haven't thought of. I've got sealed paint cans sitting out there, though. I'm considering moving them into the house and putting them in the guest bathroom with a card table blocking the entrance and then pulling the sliding door. I don't want Henryetta upset and nervous being in the house with her kittens with Chaucer roaming around outside the door meowing.

The kittens are now 4 weeks old today and have started using the litter box to tinkle  - hers and the small one I fixed for them. Magellan, the first born,  had a "first poop" this morning.   They are also eating solid food, but are still nursing, much to Henryetta's annoyance but I notice she lets them for a short while and then gets up.  The thing with the food is that while they will eat the kitten dry food and drink water, they want her adult wet food.  I've tried the wet kitten food but she eats it quickly because the amount is so small and they don't seem interested in it.  She eats a lot of the dry food kitten food which is what I've been feeding her ever since I brought in from the outside, but I've given her adult wet food along with it.

The kittens are five weeks old and little balls of fire. The problem is the mother now.  Since the kittens have started using the litter boxes - I have two- she has been pooping outside her box sometimes. I clean the box out daily but that doesn't seem to help. She wants a spotless litter box, I guess, and for her that means fresh litter every other day.  The kittens go from box-to-box to do their business so perhaps she wants a private one for herself or she doesn't like all the "extra" poop and urine in hers. I don't know, but if she wants to be my in-house cat, this going outside the box has to stop

.Any ideas why she has started to poop outside it? This pretty much started after the kittens arrived and became more active. Could it be she is approaching heat and she knows she can't leave the kittens?

You might try a high sided box for her that they are not able to go into.

It could very well be the fact that their poop is in there and she is having a hard time not stepping on it.

catwoman707 said:

 
You might try a high sided box for her that they are not able to go into.

It could very well be the fact that their poop is in there and she is having a hard time not stepping on it.

Click to expand...

I took the litter box outside and rinsed it out, as I do every week, and put fresh litter in. I just went out there and she'd pooped behind the box, like she'd backed the box but scratched in her box like she was covering it. I'd like to be able to keep her in the house with my resident cat after the kittens are taken to the no-kill shelter here for adoption, but I can't have her pooping outside her box in the house, and I would give her and Chaucer each separate boxes.

As an aside: She did not do this when she was in the house confined to the laundry room for 10 days prior to going to the storage room to have the kittens, nor did she do this but once or twice until the past couple of weeks since the kittens have been using the litter boxes and now she is doing it more frequently. I don't understand.

It could also be the need for a bigger box, or another box next to it.

catwoman707 said:

 
It could also be the need for a bigger box, or another box next to it.

Click to expand...

I have two boxes right together, but I'm thinking that I could raise hers so it would be easy for her but not as easy for the kittens.

On another subject, but still related to Henryetta and her kittens, I have started taking Chaucer, my resident neutered male to the screen door of the storage room to see Henryetta and the kittens. The two adults touch noses and sniff each other through the screen.  The five kittens stand there looking at him and occasionally climb on the screen. Chaucer just sniffs and stands there, with me holding him on the ground. Henryetta hasn't acted too upset about this. She hissed the first time I brought him to the door the other day, but since then, she's just sniffs his nose.  I wonder if she remembers him from the time she was in the house.

Sure, you could elevate one box so the kittens will wanna use the lower one, yet mom hops into the clean higher one so she has her own. That is, if this is the problem, but may very well be.

I don't know how long it's been, but cats in general have pretty darn good memories, and likely remembers him. As soon as she is spayed I don't see why they can be together.

Kinda off topic but I *think* Wallypops is the same age (or very close) as your 5 little ones.
Poor Wally tries to keep up with the "teenagers" (the teeens are 12/13 weeks and Mew is 14/15 weeks). They mother him. Its so cute.
He can fly up a chair or on to my bed like you wouldn't believe. Lol. So beware!