this stray is going to have babies

When I came home from school last week this beautiful fluffy cat came up to me. I live on a farm off a busy road so I assumed, just as my other cat, she was dumped off. I looked at her and said to her,"Would you like to come inside?" opening the door. To my suprise she walked right in. After she had eatin I noticed she was very big in the belly. At that moment I knew she was going to be a mommy. She lays around the house all day, loves to have her belly rubbed, and likes sleeping in dark places. She does not care for my other cat who is only about 9 months old, she was hissing at him but has stopped in the last few days. I have prepared a soft lining in a cardboard box for her but she refuses to lay in it. I have placed soft towels in all the areas she likes to lay but will not lay on them. I know she will need a place to have her babies but what im afraid of is she will feel threatened by my kitten. I have heard mommy cats will eat their babies, Will she eat her babies? How am I supposed to keep her happy till she has her babies? I failed to mention wherever she came from took very good care of her. Her claws have been clipped so they are dull, and she has no feas. I have asked my neighbors( though they are farther away out here in the country) if they lost a cat, they said no. Please give me some pointers.

Take her to the vet and get her a check-up and to confirm she is pregnant. Test her for FIV and FeLV. I'm not sure it pregnant cats can get their shots or not - but you should find out if she has them first(I think they can do that).

Post flyers and an ad in paper to see if anyone will claim the cat. Also post a flyer at the humane society. When someone calls to claim the cat, ask them for a specific characteristic of the cat (like what color nose, fur color) if posted in black&white. Ask if her claws were trimmed, if she is missing a canine - stuff like that. Make stuff up

If that cat is indeed someone's, they will follow up at the shelters. Also...I second having her checked by a vet. If she is indeed pregnant...you will need to decide if you want to raise the kittens and make sure they all find good homes...it's at least a 9 week commitment. Find out from the vet if they would be willing to help you find the kittens good homes...and remember that we do not need anymore "oops" births..so getting the kittens fixed is a must.

Katie

When she's close to giving birth, she'll use one of the places you've made for her as a nest. I've never heard of a mom cat eating her babies. Moving them to a new location that "feels" safer to them, yes, but eating them? No.

She really needs to see a vet before she has the babies. Any time you bring a cat inside from outside, it should not interact with your existing pet until it's seen a vet because of the possibility of passing on disease or pests. She really must be tested.

Cats are not at all like dogs and don't get along with each other right away. Cats are very territory oriented, and they need to be introduced both to new surroundings and to each other slowly. When we brought Spooky inside, she hissed and growled at the other cats for close to two months before becoming fast friends with them all. It's best to keep the new cat isolated in one room while getting them used to each other's smells - then letting them see each other - and then letting them actually meet each other for short, supervised periods of time. They'll sort things out when just lumped together in the same place, but one or both of them might get hurt along the way, which is why we always advise that introductions be made slowly.

For now, mom cat should be on kitten food - she needs the higher protein content.

But most importantly, she really needs to see a vet.

You're an angel for bringing in this cat, and hopefully helping find homes for the kittens. Please use an adoption agreement when placing them! Cats acquired for free without any commitment on the part of the person accepting it are far more likely to be dumped in the future than a cat someone had to pay for and had to agree to certain terms before being given the responsibility of caring for it.