Stray cat, pregnant and with a stuck collar

summerazura · Sep 13, 2016

Hi all, new here. Hoping I'm posting this in the right area because I could use some help.

So long story short this young small stray showed up in my backyard who I immediately started feeding. Very skittish but she had a flea collar around her neck so either she slipped out or was booted out. A few weeks after she showed up I noticed her collar was stuck behind her left front leg and tried for at least a week to earn her trust enough to try and catch her to at least get that thing off. I finally grabbed her one night but she slipped and my cat (a stray I took in last year) ran out and chased her right out of the yard. She eventually came back but is more skittish than ever, still has that collar stuck on her and now she's most definitely pregnant. She may be a month along pregnancy wise, still comes to my yard for food but I don't know if I'll be able to catch her again.

My mom had the idea of cleaning out the shed and putting all sorts of blankets down in hopes that she might nest there. She seems to sleep somewhere around the corner during the day and I'm afraid she might have her kittens in someone's yard who might not tolerate having a stray. Our local rescues are all full (and difficult to get answers from based on my past experience) and animal control isn't taking in any cats that aren't sick or injured. Is there anything I can do to help make my yard more inviting that she might stay during the day, as a start? She's been in the shed a couple times, it's quiet during the day and right now we don't use the backyard too much except to let the dog out. I'd also like to get that collar off but I don't know what to try with her being so super wary of me now. Any suggestions would be super helpful.

sprin · Sep 13, 2016

Honestly, I think you'll just have to build up her trust. Not an easy process at all. The blankets and food are a good idea. You could also try putting out boxes or other types of small covered areas with blankets at the bottom. Maybe you could try standing closer and closer to the food every time you feed her to get her more desensitized to your presence. Eventually you'll get close enough, then you can probably just snip the collar off with scissors.

StefanZ · Sep 13, 2016

SummerAzura said:
Hi all, new here. Hoping I'm posting this in the right area because I could use some help.

So long story short this young small stray showed up in my backyard who I immediately started feeding. Very skittish but she had a flea collar around her neck so either she slipped out or was booted out. A few weeks after she showed up I noticed her collar was stuck behind her left front leg and tried for at least a week to earn her trust enough to try and catch her to at least get that thing off. I finally grabbed her one night but she slipped and my cat (a stray I took in last year) ran out and chased her right out of the yard. She eventually came back but is more skittish than ever, still has that collar stuck on her and now she's most definitely pregnant. She may be a month along pregnancy wise, still comes to my yard for food but I don't know if I'll be able to catch her again.

My mom had the idea of cleaning out the shed and putting all sorts of blankets down in hopes that she might nest there. She seems to sleep somewhere around the corner during the day and I'm afraid she might have her kittens in someone's yard who might not tolerate having a stray. Our local rescues are all full (and difficult to get answers from based on my past experience) and animal control isn't taking in any cats that aren't sick or injured. Is there anything I can do to help make my yard more inviting that she might stay during the day, as a start? She's been in the shed a couple times, it's quiet during the day and right now we don't use the backyard too much except to let the dog out. I'd also like to get that collar off but I don't know what to try with her being so super wary of me now. Any suggestions would be super helpful.

Catching a shy, vary cat isnt easy. Also, if you DO manage, it may easily become a Catch as Catch Can, ie a sort of wrestling... She will probably get even more scared of you this way....

So best is if you use a trap, a human trap of the type Havahart or similiar. You can probably lend one from this shelter or Animal control. Make just sure you clean it off, so it wont smell fear.

You can also try and rig up a carrier as a trap. Begin with giving her food in a carrier, or at last, immediately near that carrier.

IF you try to catch her barehand, throw a towel on her, and immobilize her this way.

continuing in a cuople of minutes

StefanZ · Sep 13, 2016

Catching her gives you advantage you can take her to a vet for a check up and deworming. - Do you have access to a vet used to work with shy cats?

IS it an option for you to take her inside, so her kittens will be raised inside? The exact scenario we will discuss later - but usually it works nicely with shy high pregs.

Your plan of preparing this shed is OK if you dont manage with anything else, as having her inside.

But the plan of hoping she will want to stay permanently on your yard has faults - as you mentioned, you let your dog out there, and your resident, the stray you adopted, did chase her off...

She would surely stay, if they were friendly, or at least neutral, but with two potentially hostile residents, she cant take the yard as her permanent staying place...

On the other side; as your cats is an ex-stray, he has surely immunity system above average, and it means you dont need to overdo the quarantine, if you manage to take her inside... Cats with weak immunity system dont survive long on their own, so they dong gets strays, they perish inside a few weeks.....

Im very glad your and your mom wants to help her. It will also enrich your lives - even if ti gives quite a few difficiulties too...

Please continue to report and come with new questions.

Good luck!

StefanZ · Sep 13, 2016

ps. IF take her by the thowing on towel and wrap her up - do train it some beforehand, perhaps even on your resident cat.... Because you will get just one easy chance, the next try will be much more difficult.

jennyr · Sep 14, 2016

A trap is going to be by far the easiest and least stressful way to get her. Most vets will have one they will lend, or the humane society. Anything else you try will likely fail and make things worse. Then you can take her to the vet for a checkup in the trap.

Sarthur2 · Sep 14, 2016

S summerazura

I agree with using a humane trap. Begin feeding her in it for a couple of days before setting the door to close. Then take her in the trap to the vet to remove the collar and treat her for worms and fleas, which she surely has.

Bringing her to live inside after that would then be safest and healthiest for mom and future kittens. She will probably be grateful.

Most Humane Societies will rent a trap for a refundable deposit. As Stefan said, wash it clean with a bleach & water solution to get rid of germs and other animal smells.

Please keep us posted on how this goes! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

summerazura · Sep 30, 2016

Just an update, we've been feeding her nightly but all of our attempts to trap her so far have not worked. She is incredibly wary of just about everything but I've gotten her to warm up to me sitting somewhat close to her again while she eats. I have noticed her coming to the yard earlier in the day which she never did before, and I've seen her in the yard a few times curled up near the shed and last night she was in the garden. I almost had her last night, I was able to coax her into the house and would have had her if the neighbour's cat hadn't come by to see what the fuss was about. I'm going to try again tonight if she comes by. This is a picture from a couple of days ago:

mama2.jpg

summerazura
Sep 30, 2016

I'm wondering if anyone could tell me how I'd be able to tell if she'd just given birth. She looks like she could give birth any day now and I don't want to bring her in if she has kittens somewhere. How quickly does the belly shrink after kittens have been born? Also is there anything more I can feed her to help her out? I've been worried whether she'll be able to nurse properly and was planning on running out to get KMR and a bottle kit. I figure if I don't use them I could donate them to a rescue.

Sarthur2 · Oct 1, 2016

S summerazura

Bless her heart. She sounds hungry and needy. She also sounds ready to give birth, and looks big in the picture.

Bellies shrink quickly from the butterball look to the more saggy, thinner look after birthing, and you can see that the mammaries are full.

Feed her as close to your door as possible, possibly even just inside the door. It sounds like she is beginning to trust you.

Continue feeding wet food and kitten chow, and go ahead and get the KMR, bottle, and tiny syringe (1-2 mL) to have on hand. Like you said, it will not go to waste.

I hope you can get her in your home today or tonight! Thank you for your efforts on her behalf!

summerazura · Oct 1, 2016

Another update.

She didn't come by last night (that we know of) but she came by today. Thin, saggy belly, I would guess last night she had her kittens. There was no point trying to get her into the house without them, they're definitely not in my backyard that I can tell. I have no idea how well she's managing to nurse. I tried following her and saw her hop through a hole in the fence in my front yard that goes into a neighbour's backyard so I ran around to try and find her again. She was hanging out under one of their cars and ran back into their yard when she saw me. So I don't know if that means maybe her kittens are in that yard or she's giving me the run-around. She didn't immediately leave my front yard when I followed her, she sat several feet away before finally hopping through the fence. My mother's going to help me look around tomorrow and see if we have better luck in the daylight. I'm really hoping they're not too far, I live in a residential neighbourhood and she seems reluctant to be out too much. I have my office all cleaned up and ready for her and babies, she won't be bothered by my grumpy boy or the dog or the chinchillas. Wish me luck.

Sarthur2 · Oct 2, 2016

I really hope you find the litter!

Stray cat, pregnant and with a stuck collar

summerazura

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sprin

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StefanZ

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StefanZ

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StefanZ

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jennyr

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Sarthur2

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summerazura

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mama2.jpg

Sarthur2

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summerazura

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Sarthur2

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