Hello there. I have a situation and need some help/advice. My new neighbors got a kitty a couple months ago, that was rescued from a very abusive situation. Her owners kept her in a cage, and the husband of the owner was very abusive to the kitty. My neighbors took her in, but haven't been able to do very much with her. She has gotten out of their house numerous times, hiding for days at a time. my neighbor and I would see her various times of the day, but she would take off when the neighbor tried to catch her, or if she caught the kitty, the cat went ballistic and tore her up and ran off.
Being the patient cat loving person that i am, I would find the little girl kitty (Bella), and won her trust by sitting by wherever she was hiding and sweet talking her with treats, would get her to come out to me (first few times took me a half hour, with her coming near and running back,, growling the whole time, lol). I would catch her, calm her down, and take her back to my neighbors house, and all would be well until a couple days later she escapes again. The process will then start over. This has happened numerous times, and they gave her to another friend, that was supposed to take her home to her house, but the lady hasn't followed through on it.
Little Bella has come to trust me, and I no longer need to cajole her to come to me. A few weeks ago, I asked my neighbor how she was doing with Bella (I see Bella every day, outside. She even comes in right into my house now and eats my 2 other cats' food) My neighbor told me Bella is pregnant. The other lady is apparently not going to take Bella home, and i noticed that my neighbor now has a baby kitten that sits in their house by their back sliding door all the time. We live in an apartment complex right next to each other, so it's very obvious, please don't think i'm looking in windows lol. I tried to take Bella home about a week and a half ago, and my neighbor told me "Oh she's fine outside, just leave her." Bella hasn't been home in over a week and a half, they haven't asked about her (they usually ask me to catch her when she is missing because she won't go to them AT ALL) and I know she hasn't been home, because she has been in my apartment the whole time. She won't leave, lol. I'm upset because if she's outside, she will starve. They don't leave food out for her, and it seems like they have just abandoned her. The poor thing is probably around 7 months old, is a very small cat, and she is VERY pregnant! I don't know how far along she is, but i can see babies moving, she follows me every time I leave the room, the hair around her nipples is gone, and she only stands for about 3 minutes before she flops on her side, which is so big, she raises her leg to be comfy.
I have 2 rescue cats that I got a week before Christmas, and they were 8 weeks and 13 weeks old at the time. They are both fixed ( I made sure of that at 6 months old!), and they are very well behaved, but I am concerned about what cats might do to kittens? I have no idea about pregnant kitties, and I'm kinda mad at my neighbor for giving up on Bella. I would like to ask for any advice you all might have. I'm sorry this is so long, but i wanted everyone to know the whole background of Bella before asking questions. Here are some of my questions/concerns:
How far along is she?
Do I need to segregate her from my other kitties, when she has the babies, even if they are well mannered cats?
How long after the babies should i have her spayed?
I have read through your pregnancy forums, so I know some basics, but I'm kind of flying blind! My cats are still on kitten dry food until they are a year old, and I give them all a half a can of wet food every night, but do i need to give Bella Kitty milk replacement for added nutrients? My husband says we can keep her, and have her spayed after she has the babies. We will also take on the babies after she has them, until they are at least weened, and then possibly place them with good homes (don't worry, I am picky).
Any advice you can give would be great! Thank you so much.
Being the patient cat loving person that i am, I would find the little girl kitty (Bella), and won her trust by sitting by wherever she was hiding and sweet talking her with treats, would get her to come out to me (first few times took me a half hour, with her coming near and running back,, growling the whole time, lol). I would catch her, calm her down, and take her back to my neighbors house, and all would be well until a couple days later she escapes again. The process will then start over. This has happened numerous times, and they gave her to another friend, that was supposed to take her home to her house, but the lady hasn't followed through on it.
Little Bella has come to trust me, and I no longer need to cajole her to come to me. A few weeks ago, I asked my neighbor how she was doing with Bella (I see Bella every day, outside. She even comes in right into my house now and eats my 2 other cats' food) My neighbor told me Bella is pregnant. The other lady is apparently not going to take Bella home, and i noticed that my neighbor now has a baby kitten that sits in their house by their back sliding door all the time. We live in an apartment complex right next to each other, so it's very obvious, please don't think i'm looking in windows lol. I tried to take Bella home about a week and a half ago, and my neighbor told me "Oh she's fine outside, just leave her." Bella hasn't been home in over a week and a half, they haven't asked about her (they usually ask me to catch her when she is missing because she won't go to them AT ALL) and I know she hasn't been home, because she has been in my apartment the whole time. She won't leave, lol. I'm upset because if she's outside, she will starve. They don't leave food out for her, and it seems like they have just abandoned her. The poor thing is probably around 7 months old, is a very small cat, and she is VERY pregnant! I don't know how far along she is, but i can see babies moving, she follows me every time I leave the room, the hair around her nipples is gone, and she only stands for about 3 minutes before she flops on her side, which is so big, she raises her leg to be comfy.
I have 2 rescue cats that I got a week before Christmas, and they were 8 weeks and 13 weeks old at the time. They are both fixed ( I made sure of that at 6 months old!), and they are very well behaved, but I am concerned about what cats might do to kittens? I have no idea about pregnant kitties, and I'm kinda mad at my neighbor for giving up on Bella. I would like to ask for any advice you all might have. I'm sorry this is so long, but i wanted everyone to know the whole background of Bella before asking questions. Here are some of my questions/concerns:
How far along is she?
Do I need to segregate her from my other kitties, when she has the babies, even if they are well mannered cats?
How long after the babies should i have her spayed?
I have read through your pregnancy forums, so I know some basics, but I'm kind of flying blind! My cats are still on kitten dry food until they are a year old, and I give them all a half a can of wet food every night, but do i need to give Bella Kitty milk replacement for added nutrients? My husband says we can keep her, and have her spayed after she has the babies. We will also take on the babies after she has them, until they are at least weened, and then possibly place them with good homes (don't worry, I am picky).
Any advice you can give would be great! Thank you so much.
