First-time Feral Cat Help- Might Be A Mom?

[kittz0]

Hi, this is my very first post on this site, and I just want to start off and say that I am completely inexperienced with feral cats. Though I love cats and own two indoor cats, I don't have that much experience or knowledge about cats in general. I have fed a few feral/stray cats, but besides that, I have no prior experience.

So, a few days ago, I was at my school when I saw this scrawny little calico on campus, whom we temporarily named Banana. She was very friendly, she even followed me around for a bit and let me pet her. She looked to be no more than 1-2 years old. I felt her body and found that she was even more emaciated than she looked, which broke my heart. Her spine and tailbone were strongly protruding, and she was so thin that I could hold her body horizontally with one hand without needing to stretch my fingers out. She had some sort of cut underneath her left eye, which worsened and may be infected over the course of the three days I've seen her. I also noticed that when she stood up, she had a large sac-like fold of skin hanging down from her belly area, nearly touching the ground. The skin around her nipples was hairless, so I suspected that Banana may have had babies. I don't know much about mother cats, but I remember reading that mother cats lose hair around their nipples when they give birth? I also read that mother cats don't leave their kittens for long, which doesn't add up because Banana is often seen around campus especially right after school.

Lately, I've been bringing her dry cat food so she doesn't go hungry, and I can tell she's filling out a little bit more. I'm lost on what I can do to help. I really, really, really want to do something to help out Banana, but I feel that feeding her is not enough. I get very nervous thinking about what Banana is going through, whether or not she has baby kittens to care for, and how the scratch under her eye may be worsening. I'm filled with anxiety wondering whether or not she'll be at school tomorrow, and I pray that she won't be hurt by any cruel high schoolers passing by.

I'm asking for help here because I really want to help out this kitty, but I don't have the knowledge on what to do. I want to make sure she's okay, and maybe take her to a shelter considering she's incredibly friendly social.

Thank you so much for reading this far, any help is greatly appreciated! I want to do everything in my power to help out little Banana <3

 

[surya]

I would assume she may have kittens. Can you afford to take her to the vet? You would need to arrange in advance for the vet to look at her quickly so she won't be gone from the kittens too long. Watch her from a distance and you may be able to figure out where her kittens are. If you find the kittens would you be able to take her and her kittens into your home to keep them safe?

 

[theyremine]

Thank you for caring about Banana. I don't believe she is feral. Her behavior seems to more stray-like. You need to contact a no-kill rescue for help. Where are you located? There are members from all over the world and I'm sure someone can help point you in the right direction.

 

[kittz0]

I would assume she may have kittens. Can you afford to take her to the vet? You would need to arrange in advance for the vet to look at her quickly so she won't be gone from the kittens too long. Watch her from a distance and you may be able to figure out where her kittens are. If you find the kittens would you be able to take her and her kittens into your home to keep them safe?

Thank you so much for replying. I can probably afford a trip to the vet with help from my parents. If it comes to it, I can likely keep her and her kittens at my home. I have two indoor cats, but I can keep them separate. The problem is there wouldn’t be anyone at home to watch over her...

 

[kittz0]

Thank you for caring about Banana. I don't believe she is feral. Her behavior seems to more stray-like. You need to contact a no-kill rescue for help. Where are you located? There are members from all over the world and I'm sure someone can help point you in the right direction.

Thank you for your reply! I know of a few shelters nearby, but I don’t know of any rescue centers here in San Antonio. I know that some of the no-kill shelters here won’t take in ferals, but I can see if they’ll help with a friendly stray. My biggest concern is still whether or not she has baby kittens out somewhere.

 

[kittz0]

Day 2 Update: I got to school early to find Banana, and I did in fact see her. I fed her some wet food, which she liked very much. She was in a completely different part of campus, so I don’t know where she usually hangs out. I will check for her again later, but I have no sure way to find where she goes, where her kittens (if any) may be, or where she stays at night.

 

[surya]

I think I would try and locate the kittens first, unless her medical problems seem really urgent. When a cat is nursing kittens, they just need to be fed and time alone, so it's not a problem if you don't have a lot of time to spend with her. Kittens who are living outside often don't survive, so that's why it is best to bring them inside. And this way you can socialize them, so they don't become homeless feral cats. You have to watch her from a distance to see where she goes. You will have to observe her a little every day until you figure it out. If there are any nice people you know who work on campus, maybe they would help you watch her too. They are very good at hiding them to keep them safe. When you find the nest, leave them alone, don't go up to it and touch the kittens. If the mother feels the kittens are not safe she will move the nest. Go back with a container to put them in (if they are small babies and not running around). If they are bigger and running around you may have to trap them. And you will need to put the mom in a carrier to bring her to your house. Thank you for helping the kitty.

P.S. Feed her kitten food, it has a lot of calories and is good for a nursing mother cat.

 

[Willowy]

Feel her teats, if she'll let you, give them a squeeze. If she's nursing, there should be some wetness, either from the kittens' saliva or from milk leaking out. If she's entirely dry she may have lost the kittens.

 

[kittz0]

I think I would try and locate the kittens first, unless her medical problems seem really urgent. When a cat is nursing kittens, they just need to be fed and time alone, so it's not a problem if you don't have a lot of time to spend with her. Kittens who are living outside often don't survive, so that's why it is best to bring them inside. And this way you can socialize them, so they don't become homeless feral cats. You have to watch her from a distance to see where she goes. You will have to observe her a little every day until you figure it out. If there are any nice people you know who work on campus, maybe they would help you watch her too. They are very good at hiding them to keep them safe. When you find the nest, leave them alone, don't go up to it and touch the kittens. If the mother feels the kittens are not safe she will move the nest. Go back with a container to put them in (if they are small babies and not running around). If they are bigger and running around you may have to trap them. And you will need to put the mom in a carrier to bring her to your house. Thank you for helping the kitty.

P.S. Feed her kitten food, it has a lot of calories and is good for a nursing mother cat.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Unfortunately I was unable to find her again after feeding her earlier today. I will try to stop by over the weekend and look for her, maybe find her kittens. I might try playing kitten noises on my phone to see how she reacts. I have contacted some different animal shelters and I have only found one that will take in animals. Unfortunately, this particular shelter does euthanize animals, and they have a process for drop-offs that include emailing them first. I don't know how long they’ll take to respond to my email. I feel like I’m dealing with a Gordian knot here because shelters are unwilling to help, there aren’t any rescues nearby, and my parents aren’t particularly supportive of me wanting to help Banana. Anyway, thanks so much for your help!

 

[kittz0]

Feel her teats, if she'll let you, give them a squeeze. If she's nursing, there should be some wetness, either from the kittens' saliva or from milk leaking out. If she's entirely dry she may have lost the kittens.

I’ll definitely try to feel her, but I don’t know if she’ll let me. I’ll get back to you tomorrow to tell you how it goes (if I can find her tomorrow). I really hope she hasn’t lost her babies .

 

[surya]

Evenings and early morning is the best time to look for them. They usually have the kitten nest close to where they are being fed. That is a good tip about the wet nipples. I didn't know about that.

 

[theyremine]

An internet search shows two no kill rescues in your area: San Antonio Humane and Animal Defense. I understand that this is a busy time for rescues, but perhaps a volunteer from one of these rescues would help you find and trap Banana and her kittens if you offered to foster them.

 

[trudy1]

So any news on Banana and the kids, if any?

Just been reviewing threads and read this....hoping for good news

 

[kittz0]

So any news on Banana and the kids, if any?

Just been reviewing threads and read this....hoping for good news

Sorry for the super late reply. We ended up finding her on campus and taking her to the vet, where she got vaccines and treatments. She's currently on our backyard patio in a big cage where we can keep her separate from our other animals because she does have skin infections and mites, possibly feline scabies. We're treating her for her eye infection, which has gotten so much better! It looks like her eye is almost perfectly normal. She's eating and drinking very well, and any initial bloating we noticed has gone down considerably. We're planning on getting her spayed next week, and maybe keeping her for another week before finding someone to adopt her. Either someone else adopts her, or we might be able to keep her. It's all up to my mom, but I'm just glad that she's doing so well.