Pregnant Feral cat

Hello all,
We take care of 4 ferals. Two of them come around everyday, and normal spend the day in either our backyard or my neghibors backyard. We're in the process of getting them fixed, however one of the females became pregnant before we could get her spayed. She's a very friendly cat, and enjoys being inside with us sometimes. As her due date approached we tried our best to keep her inside so we could keep a watch over her and the kittens. However, our efforts failed. She disappeared one noght and didn't return till the following night around 7:00 p.m. and didn't leave our porch till midnight. It was obvious by her size and feeling her tummy she had delvired her kittens. She was back again the next morning at 6:30 and stayed till noon or so, back around 4:00 p.m, again not leaving till 11:00 p.m. We've searched every where we could think of to find the kittens with no luck. I tried to follow her when she does leave the yard, but she just comes back in our yard when she notices me. Everything I've read says a mother cat will not leave her young except to eat, drink, and to do her busy. It also says the kittens need to be fed avery 2 to 3 hours, and they need to stay warm. When she comes around, all she does is cry (meows extremly loud and pathetic sounding), unless we are petting her. Has she abandoned her kittens or have they died and she is mounrning them. I've never had a cat, much less a pregnant one. Anyone with any advice one why she is crying so much when she comes around would be a great help. If she's abandoned her kittens, I want to get her spayed as soon as possible so we and she does not have to go through tis again. THANKS

Sorry you couldn't keep her in, but these things happen. I would just provide her with food (good quality dry kitten food and canned food) so she can keep providing for her kittens. I wouldn't pay much attention to her right now, she needs to be with her babies, just set up a schedule and make sure you have food at the same time, same place. She will soon set her inner clock to the schedule and appear at feeding times. Be sure and give her plenty of fresh water as well.


You may as well not even bother following her She has hid those kittens well, and what usually happens is if you become the source of good food for her, she will bring the kittens to you once they are old enough to be weaned. Again, pay little attention to her when she arrives, except to make sure she has food. The kittens are vulnerable when she is not there to protect them, so don't encourage her to stay. If she meows, just ignore her, let her eat, then take up the dish of wet food, leave dry out and go inside. She needs to be with her babies. She needs to eat about 5 times a day if you can manage that.

You can also feed her Kitten Glop

1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
1 12 oz can goat's milk
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
3 teaspoons clear karo syrup
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg (optional)

Boil water, mix in gelatin. Add other ingredients and mix with beater or blender. Serve warm