Cat-sitting for pregnant cat

Hi all,

I'm currently cat-sitting my sister's pregnant cat whilst she (the sister) is on holiday. Her belly is really swollen and her nipples are noticeable, which I read means she's getting ready to deliver, so chances are she'll be giving birth at my house. This is far from the only litter she's had, because my sister is very bad at keeping her indoors for long enough after she's given birth to spay her. She gets out, she gets pregnant, the cycle begins again. She's only a small cat and I'm worried about the physical toll so many litters is taking on her. Obviously the best thing for the cat would be to spay her, and so what I'm hoping is that the cat and the kittens will stay with me until the cat can be spayed to prevent her getting pregnant again. What I need is some useful information about the dangers of moving kittens so soon after being born, to strengthen my argument that they should all stay with me for the first few weeks where I know the cat won't get out to become pregnant again. Is it just advisable to not move kittens so soon after being born, or is it a genuine danger to move them? (please say the latter!)

Any help/arguments much appreciated!

Paloogin said:

 
Hi all,

I'm currently cat-sitting my sister's pregnant cat whilst she (the sister) is on holiday. Her belly is really swollen and her nipples are noticeable, which I read means she's getting ready to deliver, so chances are she'll be giving birth at my house. This is far from the only litter she's had, because my sister is very bad at keeping her indoors for long enough after she's given birth to spay her. She gets out, she gets pregnant, the cycle begins again. She's only a small cat and I'm worried about the physical toll so many litters is taking on her. Obviously the best thing for the cat would be to spay her, and so what I'm hoping is that the cat and the kittens will stay with me until the cat can be spayed to prevent her getting pregnant again. What I need is some useful information about the dangers of moving kittens so soon after being born, to strengthen my argument that they should all stay with me for the first few weeks where I know the cat won't get out to become pregnant again. Is it just advisable to not move kittens so soon after being born, or is it a genuine danger to move them? (please say the latter!)

Any help/arguments much appreciated!

Click to expand...

Couldnt you just tell as it is, she NEEDS to be spayed, and its your duty to make sure of it.  And thus, you keep her and the kitten till its done.

Its your duty as her bro, as the caretaker for the moment - you get at least some responsibility.  Etc.

Tell even you got a vision of our Lord  / Virigin Mary - whatever you prefer, and got the commandment and quest to make sure she is spayed...

It may be touchy to tell the sis she is irresponsible.  The risk is she shunt off herself, get angry, etc...

So it may be better you take the "ridicule" on yourself .  YOU manage with it, and its no problem for you, as you KNOW you are doing the right thing - a true believer or just  a handy excuse.

Observe,  when I do talk about commandments from above, Im not mocking anybody.   Im myself religious.  Or at very least, I do behave and Im thinking like a religious person could.

But I do know, many persons arent religious.

If necessary, perhaps just do the spaying, even although the kittens still nurse.  Usually they can continue to nurse already the day after.

Of course, guard yourself and get home the gears:  KMR or goat milk, needleless syringe, a scale...

Good luck!

ps.  Make sure the mom gets first class nourishment, and also, added calcium.   Her calcium reserves must be very low...

Yes, she needs a diet of kitten chow and wet food. You can even add a beaten egg to her wet food daily and give her a dish of powdered KMR (kitten milk replacement) to drink daily as well to meet her need for calcium.

You could tell your sister that you think the kittens are not only too small too move - and they are very fragile - but that you wish to enjoy this litter yourself, and will spay her cat for her at no cost to her.

Either way, around 6 weeks when the kittens are weaning she can be spayed. She will continue to nurse for awhile. But she mustn't be let out before the spaying, of course.

Thanks so much for your help on this one everyone. As expected, she wants to take the cat and kittens back on Sunday, reasoning that her son misses the cat (when he can visit as much as he likes) and she'll be able to keep the cat indoors. I'm not convinced, based on the numerous examples previously where she was unable. I'm getting different information about how long it would take. Most websites say 8 weeks, above it says 6 weeks, this website  says 4 weeks and the vet that we saw on Monday (due to the cat not having passed the last birthing sac) said 2 weeks, which seems very quick. I'm thinking that a month would be the best option in terms of hitting a happy medium between allowing the kittens to feed properly and having the most chance of my sister agreeing to keep them with me. The idea of the cat and the kittens leaving makes me incredibly sad (not just because they're all so adorably cute I want to explode) but because I feel like I'd be sending the cat off to almost guaranteed medical complications. I know I'm being overly sensitive and dramatic because she's such a lovely cat, but it really bums me out.

Thanks again for all your help!

(Also, any further help, ideally a link to a website that states clearly "CATS SHOULD NEVER BE MOVED LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER GIVING BIRTH AS THEY MAY EXPLODE" or something equally cut and dry. Thanks!)

Just tell your sister that an advisor on this site said it is not good practice to move the mama or babies until they begin leaving the nest and transitioning to solids, which is around 4 to 5 weeks.

Hopefully if she insists on taking them you can visit frequently and have some say-say in their future. It's upsetting when your own sister won't listen to you.

I haven't found an article on this site.  Moving the mother cat and kittens before four weeks is not recommended.  they need to be in a quiet out of the way place while they are vulnerable.  They also need to be kept away from noisy children.

Maybe this article will help
[article="31379"]Pregnant Cat What To Prepare For The Birth  [/article]
Here is another one she should see
[article="0"]Spay And Neuter Your Cats  [/article]