My neighbour's cat is pregnant

This is Molly, my neighbour's cat. She's kinda thin, and heavily pregnant. I talked with my neighbour last night and explained to him that there is a rescue organisation that can take the kittens when Molly has her kittens, and they can also rehome the kittens from her previous litter. I also explained that there are vets that offer reduced rates or payment plans for female desexing. I even offered to put it on my account at my vet and pay for half of it. I just want Molly to have a better quality of life. Three pregnancies by the age of 2 is no way for a cat to live.

My block of flats has a communal laundry that no one uses, to my knowledge, so I put a large cardboard box in the laundry on its side with a couple of old towels in it, and sprayed some feliway in it. I also put down a bowl of my cats' biscuits and  some water. I know you're not supposed to feed other people's cats, but it would be better for this cat if she gave birth somewhere where neighbour and I (the neighbour in the flat next to me is willing to help) can access Molly and kittens and make sure that they're healthy, fed and safe.

Have I done the right thing?

It's sweet of you to do that and be so caring. Molly looks a bit rough around the edges, and very sad.

What is your neighbor's response to your offers? It would be ideal if she would let you bring Molly inside for the pregnancy and kittens, and until she is properly spayed. It is not safe at the laundry for the kittens. They all need shelter, and Molly needs feeding more.

They didn't like the idea of me taking her in, this was the best compromise I could think of. I'd like to take Molly off their hands, but it's the next door neighbour's kid's cat and he thinks they're taking appropriate care of their cat. I couldn't convince them otherwise.

Oh dear! This is sad. Well, that's all you can do for now then. Will you feed her and check on her each day? She really needs wet food in addition to the dry food.

Perhaps they will allow you to get her spayed eventually, and to help find proper homes for the coming kittens.

You are wonderful! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

I usually don't have wet food for my girls, but I'll pick some up. I'm going out to the laundry and checking it several times a day. Molly came to my door at 8am this morning just to say hi, before she went on about her day. Hopefully, she'll pop in later. When she has the kittens, I'll bring her in if she gives birth in the laundry. I've got a spare feliway diffuser, so I put that down while I take Molly and her kittens in, so that my girls don't get too upset. I can't keep Molly or the kittens though, my council only allows you to own two cats at one time.

You would think the council would have a few words about letting unaltered cats roam and add to the unwanted animal population. Especially since they limit you to 2. 

Thank you for taking real care of Molly. And the coming kittens.

Yes I am wondering if you can't just report your neighbor to the counsel? You said in your first post the family still has the kittens from her previous litter- surely that brings them to more than 2.  Tell the counsel what is going on, they may be willing to intervene.

tulosai said:

 
Yes I am wondering if you can't just report your neighbor to the counsel? You said in your first post the family still has the kittens from her previous litter- surely that brings them to more than 2.  Tell the counsel what is going on, they may be willing to intervene.

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This might be the best solution.  Pending a decision, you are doing the best you can for this little girl and her impending family.  Perhaps a mention to the counsel that spaying after the kittens are born would be a good move in keeping the cat numbers under control?  They might actually require that the cat be spayed.

How is your little charge, Molly, doing? I hope she is well and eating her food properly. I think you are doing a wonderful thing. I know it is hard when it is your neighbors who are producing a problem they refuse to see. Keep us posted. We are supporting you no matter what! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I haven't seen Molly today, it's quite hot though, it's 38 degrees today (100 degrees F), so she might actually be at her house. The biscuits I put out yesterday were eaten when I checked this morning. I'm going to put some more down when I feed my girls tonight.

If I see her this afternoon, I'll check on her. The suggestion about calling the council might be a good one. I feel bad about it, but I don't know what else to do. :/

kurayami said:

I haven't seen Molly today, it's quite hot though, it's 38 degrees today (100 degrees F), so she might actually be at her house. The biscuits I put out yesterday were eaten when I checked this morning. I'm going to put some more down when I feed my girls tonight.

If I see her this afternoon, I'll check on her. The suggestion about calling the council might be a good one. I feel bad about it, but I don't know what else to do. :/

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As bad as you feel for it they will continue to add to the cat population and unwanted kittens.

I went over to the neighbour's house again today and talked to the young girl who owns Molly. The girl is only 15 and I figured knows little about the resources available to help her with her cat issues. I explained to her that she has to keep Molly inside now that she's at the end of her pregnancy. I explained that she needs to keep Molly inside with the newborn kittens and after 7 or 8 weeks, the kittens will be old enough for Molly to be separated from them a little while, so that Molly can have her desexing and microchipping done. I wrote her a note detailing good local vets that will let you pay off an account, and a local rescue organisation will take in the kittens from the previous litter and the kittens from the next one.

Hopefully, she will avail herself of the resources I've given her. I also gave her a spray bottle of feliway to help the cats feel calmer.

That is very kind of you to do. Did you see Molly while you were there? Do you think Molly is getting enough to eat? How did the girl react to the conversation? I'm sure it is tough for her as she is a minor without resources, and would likely need her parents' support to do these things.

Thank you for caring and choosing to get involved. Please let us know if/when you see Molly again! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I saw Molly while I was there, she was at my flat and just followed me next door to her house. I talked to the girl about appropriate care for Molly during the rest of her pregnancy. The girl was very receptive to my conversation, and she thanked me for giving her the information. She genuinely seems to want the best for her cat, so all I can do is wait and see what happens.

That's great. Hopefully Molly is being well fed and will have her babies inside their home. You are to be commended for helping. Please keep us updated as to what happens.

Molly's owners haven't been keeping her inside, so she ended up having her kittens in the box I set up in the communal laundry and lined with towels. She's had 6 kittens, all are alive. I've been told that I shouldn't move them for a few days. I can look after them for the next 10 days, after that I'm away for a few days, do alternative arrangements will have to be made.

I'm obviously checking on Molly regularly and keeping her feed, do so hopefully things will go well. Fox anyone have any advice for me about dealing with the kittens and their mum?

Oh, goodness! Thankfully Molly used the box you set up. It's wonderful that you are seeing to her and feeding her properly. When were the kittens born?

Is it warm enough in this laundry? Is the box large enough for Molly to stretch out for nursing, as well as to accommodate 6 kittens?

Is the family who owns her doing anything for her?

Thank you so much for caring!

This is Molly with her kittens, I brought her and the kittens inside, and put them in my bathroom. I wanted to bring them inside so its safer. My cats are mighty curious about the squeaking kittens, but they can't get in. I live on the east coast of Australia, and it's going to 41 degrees on Tuesday, I was feeling scared that the kittens wouldn't survive a hot day like that.

Aside from keeping Molly well fed, and changing the bedding in the box regularly, i don't know what else to do.

Advice?

Molly and the kiitens look so sweet! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

I was going to suggest that you bring her inside, and I'm so glad you did! Bless you!

You are actually doing what needs to be done - food, water, and litter box, along with clean bedding. Nursing queens eat lots!

How are the six kittens doing? Are they all thriving?

Sometimes in a big litter there can be a runt or two who get pushed off the nipples by the others. If this happens, see that they get extra time on the nipples when the others are sleeping. The best way to know if the kittens are gaining weight is to weigh them daily on a kitchen scale. Each kitten should gain from 6-10 grams daily.

Are your other cats terribly upset? They do need to stay away though. Nursing moms are very protective of their babies.

If Molly has fleas she'll need a dose of a topical flea treatment like Advantage II. It will also kill any fleas on the babies, as fleas can quickly cause anemia in newborns.

Again, thanks so much for bringing Molly and the babies inside. It's where they need to be. Hopefully this will be her final litter. It does not sound as though her owners much care about her welfare.

I've been feeding Molly double of what my girls eat (she is getting 1 sachet of wet food and a 1/4 cup of biscuits twice a day - my girls just get the biscuits), and the kittens seem okay, I'll weigh them later and keep track of weight to make sure they're okay.

The girl who owns her wants to keep one kitten and rehouse two of them. I'm going to talk to her today about how she needs to desex not just Molly, but the kittens from the last litter and any kittens that she takes from this litter. She surely doesn't want to end up with 3 pregnant cats.

I'll let her know that if she doesn't desex them, I'm going to have to call the council, because three or four cats that are left in tact will continuously breed and will continue to contribute to the unwanted animal population.