Ferrel mom just had kittens

sicily

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We have befriended a ferrel cat and she had babies today. She came to eat and was extra affectionate, but crawled up to my daughters face and swatted at her twice. She has never acted aggressive at all, my daughter is her person. We wanted her to have the kittens in the house. She comes in everyday to eat and hang out. We don't know where the kittens and we have male ferrell in the neighborhood and we are afraid will find them.
 

talkingpeanut

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Are you absolutely sure she had the kittens?  Is it possible that her belly has just dropped?

Thank you for caring!
 

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We have befriended a ferrel cat and she had babies today. She came to eat and was extra affectionate, but crawled up to my daughters face and swatted at her twice. She has never acted aggressive at all, my daughter is her person. We wanted her to have the kittens in the house. She comes in everyday to eat and hang out. We don't know where the kittens and we have male ferrell in the neighborhood and we are afraid will find them.
Did she swatted just with the paw?  As they usually do teaching lessons to their friends?  Or did she had claws out - which is of course much more serious.

Anyways, my guess is she had some contraction / aftercontraction at that time.  When in pains, they dont have the same patience as otherwise.    So I hope this wasnt any big problem.

You can try and follow after her, talking sweetly.  With a little luck, she may led you to her kittens.   collect them in a carrier or a basket, and again, with a little luck she will follow after you home.

Have her room and nest prepared in advance.  If everything goes as you hope, it will be just to install them. And be sure she has time and peace to land and be calm there.

Lets hope she has just dropped, as  TalkingPeanut suggests.  If so, take her in NOW.
 
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sicily

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Did she swatted just with the paw?  As they usually do teaching lessons to their friends?  Or did she had claws out - which is of course much more serious.

Anyways, my guess is she had some contraction / aftercontraction at that time.  When in pains, they dont have the same patience as otherwise.    So I hope this wasnt any big problem.

You can try and follow after her, talking sweetly.  With a little luck, she may led you to her kittens.   collect them in a carrier or a basket, and again, with a little luck she will follow after you home.
Have her room and nest prepared in advance.  If everything goes as you hope, it will be just to install them. And be sure she has time and peace to land and be calm there.

Lets hope she has just dropped, as  TalkingPeanut suggests.  If so, take her in NOW.
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I did not know that she could have just dropped. We will check that out today. We will also try following her. Thank you
 

handsome kitty

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If you have a smart phone you can google newborn kitten sounds and play it near her.  If she has had the kittens she should go check on them and lead you to them.
 
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sicily

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She came for breakfast, and hung out for about 15-20 minutes. I don't think she would have left while I was with her. We are going to post someone upstairs this evening when we call her for dinner to watch where she comes from. We will try the kitten noises also. She was herself today.
 

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Did she appear to still be pregnant? Check to see if her nipples look nursed on. Try to follow her. I would leave food out for her even if you don't see her. She needs to eat.
 
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sicily

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We found the kittens yesterday! It was over 110° here, Sicily was overheating and distraught. While trying to help her we heard the kittens. They were in a black dump trailer full of yard trimmings. We could hear them but could not find them. It took a while and they were so hot that we were afraid they wouldn't make it. They did and Sicily came inside and is nursing! We have them in a bathroom. Sicily first panicked a little and tried to pick them up and get outside until we closed them in the bathroom. She let's my daughter in and she can Pet her while she is nursing and she let's her touch the kittens. Today she is a little stressed. She could be stir crazy locked in the bathroom or we have a litter box but it does not look like she has used it.
Do you think we should let her go in and out of the bathroom? Does she need to be able to go outside? We do not want her to take the kittens it is still hot.
 

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Yay! If you have all the kittens inside now, it would be great if you could keep mom and babies 100% inside now.
 

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Do you have a spare room to put her in with the kittens? That might help alleviate mom's stress from being closed in the bathroom. I would not let mom outside at all. She may disappear completely. Let us know how she continues to do! So glad you found the kittens!
 
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sicily

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So far so good. We did let her out, we left the door open and the door to the bathroom. So she could hang out with us or go outside. She did both, she appreciated having the doors open. She stayed outside in our yard for about a hour and a half, and came back to nurse. We have her in the bathroom with a night light for the night. The babies look much better today. Sicily did not attempt to move them today. She seems much more relaxed and content! The tom came this evening and she ate dinner with him, when she was finished she trotted inside the house. We are going to trap him while we have her staying inside. We have been feeding them both for some time, he is not as tame. We have tried to trap him with no success.

 
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talkingpeanut

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Is there any way you can keep her 100% inside now? She can get pregnant again at any time. It just seems too risky.
 

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S sicily

What are you planning to do with the tom once you trap him?

You are fortunate that the mom cat returned. Eventually, when she goes into heat, she will disappear and you'll need to feed the kittens yourself.

This will probably happen in about 2 weeks, so you should pick up some powdered PetAg KMR (kitten formula) and a kitten bottle as well as a needleless syringe so you will be able to feed the kittens.
 
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sicily

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So far so good. We did let her out, we left the door open and the door to the bathroom. So she could hang out with us or go outside. She did both, she appreciated having the doors open. She stayed outside in our yard for about a hour and a half, and came back to nurse. We have her in the bathroom with a night light for the night. The babies look much better today
 

Sarthur2

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I read what you did in your post #13. She will still disappear when she goes into heat.

Do you plan to neuter the tom cat, then release him?
 
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sicily

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We are going to have the tom, Stuart neutered and hope he stays around. We have been feeding him for some time.
 

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Good on you for finding the kittens! They're really adorable. I truly hope you keep mom inside, all it takes is one accident with a car and the kittens will no longer have the queen.
 

Sarthur2

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If you're feeding him, he'll likely stick around after he's neutered. Do you have an appointment yet for him?
 
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sicily

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We have a no kill shelter that takes ferrell cats anytime during the week. I have spoke with them several times. Our problem with traping him is he knows the trap. A couples months ago our trap had been triggered and had Stuart's hair on the trap door. It looked like it may have closed on him. We have tried to feed him in a large dog crate, he chooses not to eat. Any suggestions?
 
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