Pregnant Stray had Kittens in my Garage

Hi!  First, I want to say thank you!  I cannot express how much this site has helped me through the last 6 days.  

I am in my doctoral program and for peace and quiet do my school work on a wooden shelf in my garage, with my garage door open.  This cat (I was not sure if she was stray or not) had been hanging out on my driveway watching me at night.  Anytime I went to try to approach her she would run away in a hurry.  So we did this for a few weeks...she would watch while I worked and run away when I would close my garage.  Anyway about 2 weeks ago she decided it was time to come in and jumped in my husbands lap. 

Even though he is not a cat person she was way to cute to resist.  When she came to me I realized she was VERY pregnant and we could feel the kittens moving around.  I called the local cat rescue and they said she was too far along to "fix" though I wouldn't have had the heart to do that anyway with her so pregnant...and they could not take her and her kittens until they were 10 weeks old.  She was still very skittish and again I did not KNOW if she had an owner or not still so I did not want to lock her up or take her to animal control...she seems very healthy...very skittish around humans but sweet when she does open up.  

Everywhere I read said she would go somewhere and have kittens at her house or in a dark and deserted place...which is not my garage.  I have 3 HUGE dogs inside, 4 children, and motorcycles we take out on a regular basis.  Even still I made her a nest in the right hand corner of my garage just in CASE she didn't have anywhere else to go.  Well she jumped up on my wooden shelf where I was working one night and preceded to have kittens on my Statistics book! 

I started reading and researching and everything said to leave her alone.  I closed the garage door worried about other strays, put a bunch of boxes around the area she had decided to go and tried to leave the room..she howled like she was dying until I sat back down again.  She had 2 beautiful little kittens..and is an amazing mom.  I am worried though because the shelf is 3 feet off the floor and I know little to nothing other than "google" about cats and kittens.  I live in TN and they are in my 2 car garage...I bought a HUGE garage fan to circulate the air for her and they all seem happy...

I am really worried though about her "Hiding" the kittens, or the kittens getting big and mobile, I know they cannot stay this still for long.  I keep reading that everywhere and if she hides them in my garage it could be dangerous.  I have tried to "kitten proof" it as much as possible, but it is a garage.  I cannot bring them inside because I have the dogs and a kiddo that is very allergic to cats, and the rescue place cannot take them until they are 10 weeks old; because their homes are full.  

Am I being irresponsible keeping this momma and her babies in the garage?  One of my daughters is home schooled and sits with her and the babies all day while doing homework and I work out here at night so they are constantly monitored for signs of distress.

Tomorrow they will be 1 week old, full tummies, sleep in a small pile, and cry for only  split sec until mom is rushing to them.  I change their bedding every two days...My motorcycles are now here being stored i'm thinking for the next 8-10 weeks (even the hubby is entertaining me on that one) because I do not want to stress mom out by opening the garage, and it seems like it doesn't get hotter than about 80 in here even during the hottest part of the day because it is darker on this side of the house and the fan is going.  

***Mom will be spayed when the kittens are weaned*** and all adopted out since she is now the most spoiled "stray" I know and I couldn't imagine putting her on the street. 

Sorry so long but I thought a back story was in order so you know I am not some crazy person trying to raise kittens in a garage for fun.....Any advice...would be welcome....

Great story, and thank you for giving mom and kittens a home.

They should not be on the shelf any longer. It's not safe. See if mom would be content at ground level in a nesting box, or at least closer to the floor.

It doesn't sound too hot in the garage. It's great that you guys use the garage so the kitty has company.

Let us know when you have questions!

I have a 6 day old kitten that looks like she has something wrong with her back legs. I did not realize until now..I thought it was just because she was still delevoping but now after really watching her I know it's not normal.

I need to get her to the vet but the momma is a stray. She had the babies in my garage and will let me touch the babies but will she reject the kitten if I take the kitten away and bring her back? She has two kittens.

A amoreland0304

You do not need the vet. You need to gently put the kitten's legs behind it in the correct position several times daily, and gently massage the legs so they go where they should.

Tiny kittens bones are very soft and will easily grow in the correct way when guided.

You can also make splints using cardboard and sports tape to help the back legs grow into a straighter position behind the kitten. It's best to do these things starting now.

You'll be amazed at how quickly the kitten's legs will correct, so that he/she will be walking normally in a few weeks!

Keep me posted!

sarthur2 said:

A amoreland0304

You do not need the vet. You need to gently put the kitten's legs behind it in the correct position several times daily, and gently massage the legs so they go where they should.

Tiny kittens bones are very soft and will easily grow in the correct way when guided.

You can also make splints using cardboard and sports tape to help the back legs grow into a straighter position behind the kitten. It's best to do these things starting now.

You'll be amazed at how quickly the kitten's legs will correct, so that he/she will be walking normally in a few weeks!

Keep me posted!

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You are amazing!! I got this after I had already taken all three to the vet and she said the EXACT same thing as you. Momma and babies got an exam and all are doing well except for the legs.

We will be doing physical therapy and massages several times a day and if you have any information on how to put the splint together and on correctly we will do that too! I don't even want to imagine what it will feel like if she can't get them corrected :-( we are determined to do anything we need to! Thank you so much

momma did awesome at the vet and let them pet and live on her...babies weren't very happy but they slept most of the time

Should I do it now or wait another week to splint? My husband is a medic and has the splinting materials...

amoreland0304 said:

Should I do it now or wait another week to splint? My husband is a medic and has the splinting materials...

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The sooner the better!

The kitten's legs will need to be massaged to warm up the tendons before being put into the correct position.  It may take a few massages to get the leg into the correct position.  You don't want to injure the bone or tendons by rushing it.   I would make sure you can easily get the leg in place before splinting. 

Handsome Kitty said:

The kitten's legs will need to be massaged to warm up the tendons before being put into the correct position.  It may take a few massages to get the leg into the correct position.  You don't want to injure the bone or tendons by rushing it.   I would make sure you can easily get the leg in place before splinting. 

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Yes, definitely. I meant that they should start working with the kitten as soon as possible, and splint as soon as the legs are ready. Thank you for pointing this out!

Ok so do the physical therapy and massaging and when the legs will easily go into the position them splint it..

Yes.  Will you be able to remove the splint and massage the legs to keep the blood moving?  I am not  sure if this will be an issue or not. Your husband will probably know.

What a great story!

Some people in your position (dogs and allergies inside) have used a large dog crate to keep the kittens contained.  If you do this I recommend lining the bottom and up part of the sides with cardboard to keep the kittens from getting stuck in the grates.  You can block off part of the door so mom can come and go  You can even put a cardboard box inside and make a nest for mom and babies - be sure it is long enough for mom to stretch out for feeding.

Handsome Kitty said:

Yes.  Will you be able to remove the splint and massage the legs to keep the blood moving?  I am not  sure if this will be an issue or not. Your husband will probably know.

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Yes I asked him that lol he said we will need to take it off and do the massaging every 4-6 hours.

Hopefully we can get them flexed enough by week 2 to get her in them

Wonderful! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

Can you bring the family inside your home? Everything would be easier! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Momma really likes her place right now I'm hoping when they get a tad older she will let me move them...right now when I try to move them she just looks at me lets me and then while I'm still in there moves them back haha it's kinda cute, but when they start walking I will have to insist.

Inside wouldnt work because if she were to run out of the bedroom I'm not sure how the three big dogs would do with her. I don't want to introduce them until she has all of her shots updated. She got the rabies shot today but I still need to get her tested and her other shots when she is done nursing.

I'm getting the garage completely cleaned out on one side right now so I can kitten proof it for them and won't have to kennel them for 10 weeks. The rescue here won't take them until 10 weeks and they won't take the baby if her legs aren't corrected :-(

So I just tried that with my extra large dog crate I have and she let me move them just watching me and before I could even sit she loved them back with me watching her one by one. So I waited 30 min and did it again...she preceded to do it again.. I think she likes her place right now. Maybe when they are a tad older she will let me. When they start trying to stand I'll block off her area and move them with or without her permission. I just don't want her to move them somewhere not safe.

I forgot about your big dogs when I mentioned bringing them in the house. It does sound like mom likes her place for now. Good you are planning ahead and cleaning one side of the garage.

Let me know how the massaging and moving the legs behind the kittens goes. If you do all of this diligently, the legs should eventually be normal.

I messaged a link to you about tendons and leg straightening.

sarthur2 said:

I forgot about your big dogs when I mentioned bringing them in the house. It does sound like mom likes her place for now. Good you are planning ahead and cleaning one side of the garage.

Let me know how the massaging and moving the legs behind the kittens goes. If you do all of this diligently, the legs should eventually be normal.

I messaged a link to you about tendons and leg straightening.

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I got the link!

Thank you so much I cannot tell you how encouraging that was!

Momma cat was panting and breathing heavy in the garage...after reading the forums and researching it seems that this is not normal and means she is hot and the kittens can't control their body temperature. I moved them into my bedroom and made a nest in the closet. I closed the door only open a crack where mom can get out.

I'm gonna empty out the whole closet today and turn the kennel piece around so the opening is blocked by the wall (to keep the kittens from being able to get out when they start to walk...I'm worried though because if at ANY time my door is not shut all the way or momma runs out my three big dogs (2 boxers and a lab) will be the first interceptors. They are sweet but the breeds make them hyper and not "personal space" type of dogs. I'm actually not worried about momma too much she has all her claws and they are big weenies, but I don't want unnessusary harm on ANY of them.

Would it be bad if I closed the closet door when I was not home as well as my bedroom door (a double protector)? The closet is a 5x5 space. I don't want to stress out mom. I'm going to admit I've never liked the ideas of kennels or lockng animals in small places, but def understand the need in cases.