Greetings !
On Jan 30th we met a "kitten" that my mom had been feeding for about a week outside of her Wisconsin shop. They had cut a hole in a styrofoam cooler, put a towel inside, and set it out in a semi-fenced in area so she could be more protected from the cold if she desired. They said it took her a couple of days to go in there and she wasn't overly friendly, but that they were feeding her.
Well, my 4 yr old son and I were introduced to her. She seemed to sort of take to him while still remaining cautiously aloof. Later in the day, we walked down the sidewalk and were getting into our car when she came out and started meowing loudly at us. Husband walked over, picked her up, she jumped down but didn't run. He picked her up again and she seemed okay. He said she wasn't likely to live out there as she was skin and bones. So, after serious consideration, we put her in the car and took her home. She spent the 1 1/2 hour drive riding in my son's lap.
Since we weren't a cat family, we bought some IAMs Kitten food, FF canned sea foods, and other necessities at the grocery store (it was too late for a pet store) on the way home.
Well, we took her to the vet two days later to see if she was healthy and to get her spayed. Found out she was healthy, no Leukemia/AIDs, worms, mites, or anything. She only weighed 3 1/2 pounds. We thought based on her size that she was about 8 months old - vet aged her at 1 1-1/2 years based on her plaque. Said she was also 6 wks pregnant with at least 5 kittens.
She also warned us that they may not be born alive or could have issues due to her malnutrition. The vet said that she would prefer not to spay her since she was that far along. A bit bewildered and quite saddened by the little thing's plight, we pledged to care for her and get her and her kittens "fixed" at the appropriate time.
So, here we are at what should be week 9. We've been giving her as much love, attention, food, and care as we can. She's now up to 5.2 pounds, she still seems quite "lean" and doesn't look pregnant to us, although her belly is a little bigger now that she's not starving. She's extremely loving and likes to be brushed, rubbed, and held. She rests alot and is just recently started to get more playful and vocal (oddly, the only meowing anyone had heard from her for weeks was when she chased us down). Her nipples haven't seemed to enlarge any. My husband thought he felt something move a week ago, but isn't sure.
I've read through everything I can find on the net and don't know now if she is going to deliver this week - how could she be that far along and still be so thin? Do we just wait a couple of more weeks and - if no kitties - get a new appt with the vet? Can she "reabsorb" if she was that far along? We've seen no signs of anything amiss around the house.
I've really learned alot from reading through the articles on this forum. Thanks for your helpful advice.
On Jan 30th we met a "kitten" that my mom had been feeding for about a week outside of her Wisconsin shop. They had cut a hole in a styrofoam cooler, put a towel inside, and set it out in a semi-fenced in area so she could be more protected from the cold if she desired. They said it took her a couple of days to go in there and she wasn't overly friendly, but that they were feeding her.
Well, my 4 yr old son and I were introduced to her. She seemed to sort of take to him while still remaining cautiously aloof. Later in the day, we walked down the sidewalk and were getting into our car when she came out and started meowing loudly at us. Husband walked over, picked her up, she jumped down but didn't run. He picked her up again and she seemed okay. He said she wasn't likely to live out there as she was skin and bones. So, after serious consideration, we put her in the car and took her home. She spent the 1 1/2 hour drive riding in my son's lap.
Since we weren't a cat family, we bought some IAMs Kitten food, FF canned sea foods, and other necessities at the grocery store (it was too late for a pet store) on the way home.
Well, we took her to the vet two days later to see if she was healthy and to get her spayed. Found out she was healthy, no Leukemia/AIDs, worms, mites, or anything. She only weighed 3 1/2 pounds. We thought based on her size that she was about 8 months old - vet aged her at 1 1-1/2 years based on her plaque. Said she was also 6 wks pregnant with at least 5 kittens.
So, here we are at what should be week 9. We've been giving her as much love, attention, food, and care as we can. She's now up to 5.2 pounds, she still seems quite "lean" and doesn't look pregnant to us, although her belly is a little bigger now that she's not starving. She's extremely loving and likes to be brushed, rubbed, and held. She rests alot and is just recently started to get more playful and vocal (oddly, the only meowing anyone had heard from her for weeks was when she chased us down). Her nipples haven't seemed to enlarge any. My husband thought he felt something move a week ago, but isn't sure.
I've read through everything I can find on the net and don't know now if she is going to deliver this week - how could she be that far along and still be so thin? Do we just wait a couple of more weeks and - if no kitties - get a new appt with the vet? Can she "reabsorb" if she was that far along? We've seen no signs of anything amiss around the house.
I've really learned alot from reading through the articles on this forum. Thanks for your helpful advice.
