Stray Cat just had kittens. Questions

Ok @sarthur2  i weighed them a little early at 20 hours because I just couldn't wait.

Kitten 1 calico- 5.9 oz- .6 oz gain

Kitten 2 orange- 6.5 oz- .5 oz gain

So I guess that is pretty good. They have both gained over .4 oz  in about 20 hours.  These guys are a hoot to watch. They were fighting over the same nipple again this morning and I got a series of photos with my Nikon inspired by @Checkers  beautiful photos.


Oh no you don't sister, that nipple is mine!


No way. Find your own you big lug.


Ha Ha I flipped you. Now mamma is going to take care of you!


Ah mom not now, can't you see I was trying to steal my favorite nipple from my sister.


I'm not giving up that easy!


Success!! Girls rule and boys drool!


Complete Bliss.


Bellies full and time for a nap.

That is such a clever photo series!

I do hope they can each settle on a nipple and stop fighting over that one, since there are plenty for the two of them!

The weights are good. They are on track to double their weights in the first week, which is what is supposed to happen. And mama looks happy!

I love your photos and the captions.  Thanks for the laugh.

I hope so too @sarthur2  . Yesterday was the first time I noticed them fighting over that nipple. The calico had been using that one and the orange boy the first one on top or bottom under mamma's leg. I will say that little calico girl fought hard today, she was not giving up her nipple for anything. They did eventually settle down and he ended up one nipple down...lol...

I can see that I am not going to get much work done over the next 3 weeks. I am supposed to be tele-working from home, but I keep coming up with excuses to peek in on them. I am going to leave them alone now and concentrate on data entry.

Thank you @Handsome Kitty  . It was @Checkers  that inspired me to try for some better photos. Her shots of the kittens she had were just darling. I wanted reach through the screen and pet that cute Ginge girl.

checkers had us all mesmerized by her fantastic photos, and totally in love with her kittens!

I just brought Claire some more can food and scooped her litter. She comes to greet me as soon as I open the door now. After she finished chowing down on her food she came and got in my lap for some cuddles and petting. She is such a sweetie pie and I am so happy words can't describe. I think I was a little hurt before when she would only allow my son and husband to pet her. I couldn't figure out why she did not like me. It doesn't matter now and I will never no why, but she is a lover for sure.

She started scratching while I was petting her and I was worried that maybe the advantage hadn't killed all the fleas. I searched her over and didn't see any at all, and then I noticed she had scratched the scab off of her healing neck wound. I guess it was itching.  No blood and it looks like it is healing nicely, thank God. I  am going to ask my husband to build a cat tree for her and her kittens. He likes to build things and he always does a good job. Claire likes the house he built her, but I am already hatching a plan to see if maybe she can be an indoor cat. I will have to wait and see how things progress. After reading so much about how indoor cats live so much longer it almost seems unfair to put her back outside. I know she liked it out there, but is it worth it?

Do not put her back out. She needs to be indoor only.

I don't want to, but I will have to convince my husband. He loves animals, but he grew up in a different culture, he is from Peru. He told me stories from his youth and it was very different from here. They raised rabbits and chickens on the roof of their house for food. They kept a dog outside whose main job was to keep the cats away from the rabbits and chickens. They never let their animals in the house and that is just the way it was. I have rubbed off on him a lot and we have had 2 inside dogs in the 28 years we have been married, but have fed a few strays over the years. Claire is the first one to stick around, and that has managed to really get my husband deciding we should spay her and admit she is ours  .   So I give Claire all the credit in making my husband a friend to cats, I wouldn't call him a cat lover just yet, but there is hope 

Your story sounds so much like my own:

A stray cat decides to adopt you, has kittens in your home, your family member(s) don't like cats.

I hope it ends like mine and you are able to keep the babies. 

I would condition him without his knowing to love them and not want to let them go.

That's what I did with my mom, dad and brother! I would hold the kitten and show it to them and ask if they wanted to hold him, eventually they pet them, picked them up on their own and even pet them! They gave them nicknames and gave them head kisses. They loved them and don't mind them inside the house! Since our living conditions don't allow it, they are indoor/outdoor kitties who love to stay inside so the family doesn't like them jumping on furniture or the beds, but other than that they don't mind them.

That's a long way from people who wanted to shoo them away by letting the dog loose in our fenced property so they wouldn't come near the house or throw buckets of water at them

They grew accustomed to their presence and since I had to re-home 2 / 4 babies, I slyly mention how they are doing and they look to the side and say "It's good they have good homes. Do they still...?"   

He sounds as though he has been very accommodating about the whole situation really. Building the cat tree will get him more invested too! They'll have to stick around to use it!

Yes he has @sarthur2  . He really does have a big heart and I don't want to paint the wrong picture. It is just I know if I come right out and say Claire is not going back outside he would most likely say she is cat and should live outside...lol... I will be working on him though.... and the kittens will be helping...

Hello Jeapa507, thank you for posting the most heart-warming pictures of your cat and her kittens. I find myself in a similar position as I took in a trapped a feral calico only 10 days ago (sight unseen) and it was only when I got her home and let her out of the trap that I saw that she was very far along in her pregnancy.I have learned so much in a very short time since I found the Cat Site. I am so anxious and worried about "the cat with no name--yet" about to give birth in my rec room. I've been following the excellent advice and reading about the experiences of others and I must say finding your recent post and pictures  today has inspired me with confidence and the greatest anticipation of what is to come. Thanks for sharing and showing the way.

I can only envision the very best now.

Cheers

MagiksGirl said:

Your story sounds so much like my own:
A stray cat decides to adopt you, has kittens in your home, your family member(s) don't like cats.

I hope it ends like mine and you are able to keep the babies. 

Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing your story @magiksgirl. Claire will be staying and she will be spayed as soon as her kittens are 8 weeks or so old. I will just have to wait and see what happens with her kittens, but there is plenty of time for that.

I am happy your parents have let you keep your kittens. It sounds like you did a good job of changing their minds without being obvious.

old possum said:

Hello Jeapa507, thank you for posting the most heart-warming pictures of your cat and her kittens. I find myself in a similar position as I took in a trapped a feral calico only 10 days ago (sight unseen) and it was only when I got her home and let her out of the trap that I saw that she was very far along in her pregnancy.I have learned so much in a very short time since I found the Cat Site. I am so anxious and worried about "the cat with no name--yet" about to give birth in my rec room. I've been following the excellent advice and reading about the experiences of others and I must say finding your recent post and pictures  today has inspired me with confidence and the greatest anticipation of what is to come. Thanks for sharing and showing the way.
I can only envision the very best now.
Cheers

Click to expand...

Thank you O old possum I have learned everything I know from this site and the awesome members who have helped me.I should say that I don't know much, but Claire has made this so much easier being such a good mamma. I am glad that my thread has given you some confidence. Is the feral you are caring for friendly at all? I will have to find your thread and read up on your story. I hope your girl has an easy delivery.

I need some help with Claire's litter box. Tonight she pooped half way in the box and halfway out. She did this a couple of days ago also and I thought it was because the box had low sides. I bought a bigger box with 3 sides high and one lower for her to get into. Well you guessed it she pooped half in half out on the low side? For all I know this is the first time she has used a litter box, I just don't know. I do know that I need to solve this problem because the aroma coming from that room was awful and our bedroom is just down the hall. I purchased an enzyme cleaner to remove odors and I used that to clean up the carpet. I am using Tidy Cat clumping litter and I have been cleaning her box 2 times a day. Just my luck she did this right before my hubby went upstairs to get a shower and he popped in to check on her.

I got it all cleaned up and he sprayed some air freshener despite me thinking that might not be a good idea? The window is cracked just a little in there and the fan is on. I think the can food has given her a bit of loose smelly poop. It wasn't diareaha just real soft. She did try to cover what was out of the box by kicking a ton of litter out of the box mostly missing the poop..lol.. It made clean up harder though. Any help or suggestions.? I am reading all of the articles on litter box problems now.

It could be some of the food.  One of my cats had trouble w/Fancy feast the first few times I tried it and didn't quite make it to the box in time.  It would also explain the smell and texture.

Also, some cats hate to pee and poop in the same box.  Since you now have two maybe you should put both in the room and see what happens.  You can put puppy pads under the litter box so when she misses she won't get the carpet.

Oh @Jeapa507, what gorgeous photos of Claire and her kittens, and what a great commentary!  Loved your captions!  And I reckon you are pretty spot on with your interpretation of what the kitties were up to.

I'm so pleased to hear how Claire has 'adopted' you. She must be so pleased she has found such a wonderful, safe haven for herself and her babies.  Watching that total trust in you develop is so heart-warming.

I agree with @Handsome Kitty  about using 2 litter boxes. 

My very domesticated cat of 17+ years often had trouble getting his poop in the tray.  He was a big cat, and he'd stand in the litter tray but not realise his backside was on or over the edge! I bought him the biggest tray on the market, and most of the time he got it right after that.

I had two litter trays for my 3 foster kittens, and the trays were  on tiles or coated timber so it didn't matter so much.  I still put large sheets of paper around them to catch any spills, but if the tray has to be on carpet, I'd be putting sheets of plastic under and around the trays to catch any spills. 

You can buy cat-litter deodorant which is quite effective.  You'll find other posts in this forum on the topic very helpful. 

And terrific idea about getting your husband to build a cat tree. (Great point from @sarthur2  - hard to give away the kittens once you've put all that work into a cat tree for them! ) 

If your husband does make a cat tree, check on the best materials to use for covering the timber.  Some are great, and others not so good.  I bought a beautiful one once, covered in lounge fabric.  The cat wouldn't have anything to do with it.  He much preferred the old scruffy one covered in low-pile carpet. If you use carpet, make sure it doesn't have loops in the pile as they get their claws caught. Sisal rope is also recommended as an option. Check this forum for advice on this topic, as it's worth researching before he does the work.

Looking forward to more updates from your new furry family.

My husband has been real good about it all, and suggested I use our bathroom carpets to place under the litter box? He said we can buy new carpets later. I don't really think that is a good idea though because it would still be hard to clean up after. I think maybe a hard plastic mat would be better. I will look at the pet store tomorrow and see what I can find. He thinks I should buy one of those covered boxes? I really don't want to use the other box because it wasn't very deep and Claire was getting litter all over outside the box. She hated me trying to broom it up and was attacking the broom. I think the vacuumed would scare her so I wanted to avoid that. I am not sure the litter would be good for the vacume either. Maybe I will purchase another hooded or enclosed box and still use two. Any tips on a better clumping litter? I will look for the deodorant also. Thank you for the advice all.

Yes I am feeding her fancy feast handsome kitty that might be part of the problem, but the box is big and deep. I am going to try a few different things tomorrow. I will add a second box and maybe try a different litter. Thanks for the advice. Should I still keep up withe fancy feast?