need advice on very pregnant, very feral young cat in my home

allresq

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Hi everyone:

I'm looking for advice on managing my latest project. A young feral cat turned up on my isolated, rural property. I put out food & water for about a week & when I got a good look at her, realized she was starving & pregnant. She was in such bad shape I think she was getting weak & passive. I caught her very easily in a trap 3 days ago & found she had a swollen foot to go with her swollen belly. I took her straight to the vet in the trap, but he decided on conservative, long-distance treatment because it would have been life-threatening for either her or the kittens to try to examine her. I'm giving her antibiotics in her food & the swollen foot looks much better.

I've got a 5x10' pen in the corner of the basement - best I can do in a house full of rescue pets. She has a carrier to hide in. She hisses & yowls at me when I come in, & is absolutely frantic to eat. Her body is gaunt except for the big belly. I'm feeding her 3 times a day & putting down treats every time I go into the pen, but she seems to be getting more hostile as she feels better. I'm being careful, & paying attention to her body language, but I think she will attack if I come too close. I'm trying to figure out how to manage for the next few months. I'm very concerned about socializing the kittens when she's so frightened & so hostile. I'd be grateful for ideas on how to reduce the stress on both of us. Most of all, I want the kittens to have every chance at good homes & I'm not sure how I can handle them if she's this hostile.

As a rescue person, I've always had spayed/neutered pets. Could her increasing aggression by related to impending labor or is she just extremely feral, trapped in my house & no longer feeling like she's going to starve to death? Do mother cats lose their minds right before giving birth? What is a good whelping setup in her pen? I'm an experienced pet owner & rescue person who has had feral cats before (some that became loving house pets & some that didn't), but this just seems like a perfect storm of challenge. Any advice from people who've been there would be appreciated.

Thank You!
 

StefanZ

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As a rescue person, I've always had spayed/neutered pets. Could her increasing aggression by related to impending labor or is she just extremely feral, trapped in my house & no longer feeling like she's going to starve to death?
Both are possible, and my guess it is doubling up here.   So I hope it will get better with time.

As "usually" even quite ferale do accept the situation and cooperate, once they had landed, realizing this is the best practical chance for their children. - In this cats are quite alike humans.

So what to do.  Feliway diffuser.  There are also other similiar preparates.

Play soft, relaxing music - classical harp music is most efficient, but almost any may do.

Do talk to her a lot in a friendly voice, and make a lot of friendly noises - "crooning".

Yawn when you are near.   Standing on all fours, strech yourself forwards and backwards - this is friendly greetings in cat world.

Good luck!
 

ondine

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Blessing on you for taking on this challenge.  I agree with Stefan - she's feeling better.  But if you follow protocol (cat protocol), she probably won't attack you.  After all, you are her source of food and she may not want to challenge that.

Protocols - speak softly, blink your eyes when you look at her (never stare, it's  threat to feral cats).  Avoid looking straight at her, just keep you face turned enough to see what you're doing but not confront her.

Also always move slowly and deliberately and speak to her while you do things.  "I'm just going to change your bedding, OK sweetie?"  Make sure you voice is even toned and modulated.  Don't raise or lower the pitch quickly - it can be disconcerting to them.  For instance, even when you ask a question, try not to raise you voice at the end.  The cat hears only the raised voice and it can spook them into thinking danger's near.

I second the Feliway.  Check into whether Rescue Remedy can be used in pregnant/nursing cats.  If its safe, use some of that, too.

Feed her kitten food - she needs the extra calories now.

For her nest - a low laundry basket or a tote on it's side.  Plenty of blankets (or straw if you'd prefer)  I'd have two prepared.  She can pick and it will make it easier for you to change the one she ends up using when the time comes.

And really? a 5' x 10" area for her alone?  It sounds like the Taj Mahal of rescues!

Keep us posted!
 
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allresq

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Thank you both, StefanZ and Ondine, for the advice and ideas! I had forgotten about Feliway. And my cats are so docile and happy, and speak such fluent human,  that I was rusty on the body language cues. We are managing and no one has gotten hurt. It's starting to seem like she's hissing and screaming at me for food - as though she doesn't know any better way to communicate with me. The noises that come out of that cat are really quite impressive! I have added some additional hiding places with bedding, and a small visitor's chair so I can sit quietly with her. I leave soft music on for her as well. I've added kitten food to the endless buffet. Just today, she has slowed down with the frantic eating, so either I've finally gotten enough calories in her, or something else is going on  - hopefully labor and not sickness. Thanks again for the helpful advice. I hope to be able to report back with good news. Honestly, this is a tough one! But with any luck, we'll have a happy ending.

Thanks so much!
 

ondine

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Thanks for the update!

If you have the time, sit in the room and read out loud to her.  It will get her used to your voice and your presence and help her understand you are not just there to provide food, although providing food will still be the most important thing to her, I'm sure.  ;)
 
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smokem

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Not my area.However.maybe she is really feeling lousy,and starving,and she is pregnant.

Feed her,and whats the suplement,Omega 3?She is just trying to protect her unborn and has been seriously

compromised nutritionally.Not time for snuggling.Now be a good human and get her as much good food as you can and give her lot

of space.Am I over the top here? I hope not. I hope you arent right and she isnt sick or something and its making her act crazy

cause she has offspring to protect.
 

msaimee

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Instead of just feeding her 3 times a day (I assume wet food?) leave out a bowl of dry food 24/7. She will feel less stressed if she realizes that food is always available to her. You can get a plastic pet food dispenser or just keep a large bowl filled. I agree that kitten chow would be best. I'm surprised the vet wouldn't examine her. Does this vet treat ferals? My neighbor recently took in a starving, pregnant stray cat. She didn't realize the cat was pregnant, however--she thought the bit of bleeding was due to the cat having a period. Then she found 4 dead kittens in her house a few weeks later. Good thing she was able to expel the dead kittens from her uterus or she would have gotten very ill. The cat had been very ill tempered, but after this she was MUCH happier and more active.  So much can go wrong when a malnourished cat is pregnant, which is why it's important for a vet to look at her. Are there any mobile vets in your area who could come to your house? I don't know what your financial resources are or if that's even possible for you, so it's just a suggestion.  
 
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allresq

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We have kittens, as of a couple of hours ago! Three kittens (I hope we are done). All are alive and nursing! Momma looks so exhausted it's frightening. I guess I trapped her just in time. Her little cat cave is a mess and I wish I could at least check her and the babies over to see if everything's ok, but that would be so stressful for her. I managed to slip quietly into her pen a little while ago with fresh food, water and litter but I wish I could do more. I hope I got enough good food into her in time to keep everyone alive. It looks like she cleaned up each kitten after birth but it has taken her a while. I hope she's got enough strength to get through this. Any suggestions on ways to help her and the babies, given that I can't handle her or them without causing her incredible stress, would be very welcome. I really appreciate the support of this group!
 

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Oh golly... how exciting! This is not at all my area but we'll see how the others can help @StefanZ @Ondine
 

StefanZ

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If that is THAT stressfull to give active help, you cant help much.   She is anyway way better off with you inside, food water sheltered,  than outside on her own resources.

I see she must be a ferale for real.  A semiferale would already land and accept your help, if given respectfully and carefully.

Prepare an extra nest, and let it be near so she sees it.   When she has gathered some strengh, she will hopefully move over the kittens.

Good luck!
 

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All good signs! Three are alive and she is letting them nurse. Keep the food coming to the Mom cat, she will need it. Great sign she ate the afterbirth lots of nutrients in it for Mom cat. Try and spend as much time as possible with the Mom cat so she gets used to seeing and hearing you but no hands yet near the kittens, very important that only the Mom cats scent is on them. You may be able to win her over with just your company and space you give the Mom cat. Nature has a way of taking care of things and sometimes, such as this case you just have to leave it up to Mother Nature. She is probably an old pro at giving birth. Good luck and keep us updated.
 

ondine

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Oh bless her heart - and yours! She will be tired for awhile; giving birth is hard work. I, too, hope she got enough food to help her recoup OK.

I wouldn't bother her too much for a few days at least. Provide her food, clean the potty, that's enough. The dirt doesn't bother them as much as it does us! And sometimes the activity of cleaning is just too much for them.

So glad everything is working out so far. Fingers crossed she comes around and realizes you are there to help her and her babies.
 
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allresq

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Whoops! FOUR kittens! All alive and nursing! After I posted, she gave birth to one more! She ate at some point this morning and peed in the litter box so I guess she has the strength to get up and walk a few feet. Of course she does everything when I'm not there! I go in quietly with food and she lets me peek at them from about 6 feet away, as long as I do it at an angle where she can't see my face. Even without eye contact, if she gets a look at me she starts a low, menacing growl and I back off. Yes, StefanZ, this cat is truly, completely feral. We live in a rural, isolated area next to a large national forest so she wouldn't have had much contact with people. And yes, Ondine, the mess is bothering me more than her so I will try to be patient. I'm headed out for supplies today and will make a second whelping box for her. Hopefully she'll move them so I can clean up the mess. Any recommendations on safe litter for the babies?
 

ondine

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Yes, she's probably doing a lot of things you don't know about. Once the babies are exploring, get non-clumping litter. Just like human kids, they will explore things with their mouths. Clumping litter will cause digestive upsets.
 
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allresq

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Kittens are 1 week old, big, fat & healthy! Mama cat is still ready to kill for them & I cannot get nearer than about 4 feet. I prepared 2 more nesting boxes but she won't move them out of the tiny cat playhouse where she gave birth. It's crowded in there, so she lies right in front of the box when she's not nursing & goes back in immediately when I show up. She hisses & growls at me still. I do not think she's bluffing about going after me, so I don't push it. She will let me sit quietly at the other end of the pen without comment. Not sure how I'm going to socialize the kittens when we have this hostile standoff, but I can let this go on for another week or two. I will be adopting the kittens out to carefully-screened adopters, but mama cat will be mine whether we both like it or not. Considering how incredibly feral she is, I would have thought about spaying & vaccinating her, then letting her go on my property & feeding her, but having her loose on the property already caused chaos with my dogs before I caught her, so she may have to learn to be an inside cat. I guess we'll cross that bridge after the kittens are weaned. Thanks, everyone, for the good advice!
 

ondine

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Wonderful update - thanks! It will probably be a challenge but your plans sound solid. Mom may never like being inside but she'll get used to it.

Once the kittens are adopted out (and you have a few dollars), you might consider a catio/enclosure for her. She can spend time outside without danger from the dogs and still have the benefits of the indoor life, if she chooses.

I have two semi-feral cats in an enclosure. It has a chicken coop where they have a potty and space to sleep on straw. Plus I have a smaller house where their fresh water is, other smaller houses where they hunker down in winter, several pallets and tables where they eat, a cedar cat tree and an outdoor sand pit. They live like kings and I don't worry about them running the neighborhood and getting into mischief.

Just a thought. You have a ways to go before you need to worry about the next step, though. Enjoy the kittens!
 
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blackcat416

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This is wonderful news. I think the growling and hissing is just a keep away from my babies. I believe the mother will come around once the babies are off her. My Sally was a 10 month old feral cat that had a litter when she was only 8 months. I took her home from the shelter with a heavy attitude but she came around after a month. Now after 8 years she is the most loving out of our 6 cats. Sometimes her feral side comes out but mostly she is a chubby loving black cat.
 
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