So after a 2 month hiatus I picked up my newest foster, Adara, today and was floored when I saw her- she's just a baby herself! She's only about 6 pounds with her monster belly, and my guess is only 6-8 months old. It makes me so sad she has to be a Momma so young but at least she's off the streets and out of a cage. It's certainly not my first rodeo but I do have a few questions specific to her:
1. Has anyone ever had a Queen this young? Is there anything in particular I should watch out for during labor? My guess is because she is so young and small her labor may be a bit more challenging. She has the full on alien belly (I can see them kicking from across the room) so she's within that 2 week mark but who knows when specifically. Not too worried about that part, just worried if complications are more common when they are this young.
2. Her coat is medium length which I have no experience with. Again, doesn't matter but I'm just curious: does this mean she's more likely to have medium coated offspring? I had one litter of 6 (I took them in at 4 weeks) that were all short hair and except one rando that had long hair. I still swear the shelter threw him in with the bunch because he was around the same age!! Will I be able to tell coat length at birth, or does it take awhile to know?
3. Finally, I noticed her this afternoon biting at her fur when she was grooming herself. My cat does this every once in awhile (it's very dry here) but Adara was really going at it. Is this a way longer coated cats work mats out of their fur (she still has that kitten coat and I didn't notice any obvious mats) or possibly a sign of something else? We don't really have fleas here but I did run my fingers through the fur on her belly looking for black dots and didn't see anything. Thoughts?
Aside from these questions it has been a great transition. Adara is sweet as can be, purrs like crazy and loves attention. Because of her age she is a little more playful than other Queens I have had and was really enjoying a little wand toy time. Happy to share my pad with such a loveball for the next few months.
You can't tell how rotund she is in this picture but you can see how young and adorable she is! Oh, and the shelter staff (who have gotten all creative on me) said her name is Muslim for "one who catches birds." I googled it and the Irish interpretation is "virgin." Based on the status of her belly, I'm guessing she's Muslim......
1. Has anyone ever had a Queen this young? Is there anything in particular I should watch out for during labor? My guess is because she is so young and small her labor may be a bit more challenging. She has the full on alien belly (I can see them kicking from across the room) so she's within that 2 week mark but who knows when specifically. Not too worried about that part, just worried if complications are more common when they are this young.
2. Her coat is medium length which I have no experience with. Again, doesn't matter but I'm just curious: does this mean she's more likely to have medium coated offspring? I had one litter of 6 (I took them in at 4 weeks) that were all short hair and except one rando that had long hair. I still swear the shelter threw him in with the bunch because he was around the same age!! Will I be able to tell coat length at birth, or does it take awhile to know?
3. Finally, I noticed her this afternoon biting at her fur when she was grooming herself. My cat does this every once in awhile (it's very dry here) but Adara was really going at it. Is this a way longer coated cats work mats out of their fur (she still has that kitten coat and I didn't notice any obvious mats) or possibly a sign of something else? We don't really have fleas here but I did run my fingers through the fur on her belly looking for black dots and didn't see anything. Thoughts?
Aside from these questions it has been a great transition. Adara is sweet as can be, purrs like crazy and loves attention. Because of her age she is a little more playful than other Queens I have had and was really enjoying a little wand toy time. Happy to share my pad with such a loveball for the next few months.
You can't tell how rotund she is in this picture but you can see how young and adorable she is! Oh, and the shelter staff (who have gotten all creative on me) said her name is Muslim for "one who catches birds." I googled it and the Irish interpretation is "virgin." Based on the status of her belly, I'm guessing she's Muslim......