Help!!

[elizabethrose]

Hi, firstly I apologize if I'm a bit clueless at using the site as well as at knowing how to be a kitty midwife but this is the first time i have used a forum or a thread or anything so please excuse me if I'm doing things wrong!! 

As a brief introduction, I'm lizzy and I'm a crazy cat lady! I was never able to have cats growing up as both my parents are allergic to them! But in my first job after leaving home i came across a mummy cat that had been knocked down dead and her three little kittens that were trying to take shelter in some outbuildings of the care home i worked at. I immediately knew i had to help and i spent hours rounding up the kittens and took them home where I cared for them and found them all new homes once they were old enough! Since then I've been cat mad and over the years i have rescued and adopted cats and currently have four lovely kittys that get on well and all is good. This reputation of taking in cats has become known and some friends this weekend asked me to please take their cat in as she has gotten accidentally pregnant and is waddling around they think due to give birth any day and they cant cope with her and the kittens, as they have a house full of young boys and a huge bouncy dog and her husband dislikes cats to begin with..... So anyway i of course said yes and now I feel a bit like, yes I'm more than happy to have her and help her give birth and bring her kittens up until they are old enough to re home... but i do feel a bit like help I've never done this and i need help/support! 

So yes, sorry about the huge essay behind my question but is there anyone here that can help and support me throughout this time as my experience with cats is limited when it comes to pregnant queens and birth etc!

Hope to hear back soon,

Lizzy xx

 

[di and bob]

You are at the perfect site for help! It is very early in the AM here at this time so be patient and your questions will be answered by experts. There are many here who will help with any thing you need, and you can click on their name to PM (personal message) them too if you have an emergency, or a question that needs answered right away. I am just someone like you who has loved and raised cats for over fifty years, one thing for sure is that most mama cats come through fine, but it is so nice to have someone near if something goes wrong. I think you need to first learn what is 'normal' in birthing, and there are several who can answer that better then me, most of my 'mams' are feral and I don't see them give birth. Right now I'm sure she needs a private, safe, calm place to be, your other cats would surely frighten her. After she gives birth she will be very protective so no introductions then either. I'm sure the others will be very curious, it's going to be an upset to their routines! welcome to the site, and all the luck, keep us updated on how things are going! You are her angel here on earth, bless you for helping her!

PS in the meantime, click on Pregnant Cats and Kitten Care and look through past questions and answers, there is a lot of valuable advise there.  

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, you have now come to the right place.  Please read our articles, some of the old treads,  and come with your questions...  

In a little longer perspective, please talk the owners into spaying of this your protegé.  

 

[elizabethrose]

Thank you, I've had a bit of a read through and feel a bit better for doing so. I just wish I knew exactly when she is due you know to the week. Her nipples are large but not pink or swollen, she's eating lots of small amounts, I can definitely feel the kittens moving occasionally when I lay my hand on her tummy and she does nothing but sleep or eat and is very clingy and likes to be where I am. I will add some pictures although it's hard to get a picture that shows just how round she is! Xx

 

[elizabethrose]

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• elizabethrose
• Mar 23, 2017

 

[elizabethrose]

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• elizabethrose
• Mar 23, 2017

 

[elizabethrose]

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• elizabethrose
• Mar 23, 2017

 

[elizabethrose]

Sorry there's so many I sent them from my phone and couldn't see an option to send more than one at one time. If anyone has a rough idea from those pics and the fact i can feel the kittens kicking about at times...

Its just i work part time and with her being so young and this being her first litter and her being so clingy I don't want her to have to through it alone if I can help it!

 

[di and bob]

StefanZ is the real expert, very patient and knowledgable. Ask him anything you want to know, very good pictures by the way!  Looks like 4-5 kittens to me, and I pray she delivers safely. Thank goodnes she found you to take care of her!

 

[elizabethrose]

thank you Gosh four or five bless her! well i will see what StefanZ says then too. Only other concern i really have is she isn't drinking or if she is its minuscule amounts! From what I'm told she has been a mainly outdoor cat living in and out of the local sheds rather than being in her previous owners house. but before they handed her over she had been spending the majority of her time indoors sleeping. So perhaps she has been used to rain water? All my other cats drink lots of tap water but i haven't seen her drink once! Shall i try finding her some rain water? or is there something else i can give her for fluids like kitten/ cat milk?

I'm scared to let her out in case as shes new here she wonders off and has her kittens somewhere and i cant find her/ them. What would you suggest?

Thanks :-) x

 

[StefanZ]

If she gets mainly wet food, she wont drink much.  But how to entice to drink more?   Water fountains are often very effective, of the Drinkwell type - there are also other brands.

If not several dishes with water  around the house...  Different material, and at least one with stale water.  As you say, cats used to be outside are used to stale water and may even prefer it.

Running water from water fauced(?) in kitchen or bathroom, are sometimes liked by some cats.

Goats milk is excellent.  Better than any treat milk for cats, and doesnt cost more.  Raw goats milk has often an edge in many situations, but processed in cartoon, bottled or powdered is good to.    Take a full fat variation, ie minimum 2.8%.

If in a pinch, you can use it for the kittens too.

If she wants her belly rub, do it.  It helps her.

Has she dropped as yet?  Ie suddenly seems not full so big as she was?   This happens usually one- two days before delivery.

 

[elizabethrose]

Ok, thank you. So i had a bowl on my outside table that had once been used as an ash tray  for guests in the summer but was left clean on the table over winter and as it rained yesterday it was full of water. I brought it in and she has drank quite a bit so that obviously worked, phew! thanks for the tip about goats milk i didn't know you could give that to cats. One of my cats is totally lactose intolerant, or so i thought, as when he has finished a bit of milk out of one of my children's cereal bowls he has had an upset tummy! Do you think he would also be ok with goats milk? Good to know that's good for kittens too! So if hopefully not but if for whatever reason she wont/ cant feed her kittens or one of them or whatever is goats milk ok to fully replace her milk?

Its hard to say if she has dropped or not, we got her Sunday just gone and the picture i posted where she was sniffing at a food packet on the kitchen floor was then and the ones where she is stepping off my table i posted first are her today. I think it is possible that she looks smaller but i couldn't be 100% She seems so fed up and grumpy almost like shes sighing a lot and finds it hard to get comfortable. I feel so sorry for her and Im trying to do my best for her but she hates my other cats and I'm keeping them as separate as i can but occasional she will scoot out of the door when i open it and come face to face and she soon lets them know she is top cat in that situation and they run, fast!

I tried the belly rubbing and I'm lucky to have a hand left ha-ha! so maybe ill leave that for now and follow her lead as she was happy enough for me to lay my hand on the side of her belly earlier when i could feel them moving! i am keeping her in the lounge and I've built her a really private under table bed behind the upturned coffee table in a box filled with blankets and she has food and water and a litter tray close by. But my other two younger cats are so desperate to have a nosy i feel sorry for them being shut out but i don't want to stress Molly or her unborn kittens out!

 

[StefanZ]

 
Ok, thank you. So i had a bowl on my outside table that had once been used as an ash tray  for guests in the summer but was left clean on the table over winter and as it rained yesterday it was full of water. I brought it in and she has drank quite a bit so that obviously worked, phew! thanks for the tip about goats milk i didn't know you could give that to cats. One of my cats is totally lactose intolerant, or so i thought, as when he has finished a bit of milk out of one of my children's cereal bowls he has had an upset tummy! Do you think he would also be ok with goats milk? Good to know that's good for kittens too! So if hopefully not but if for whatever reason she wont/ cant feed her kittens or one of them or whatever is goats milk ok to fully replace her milk?

Its hard to say if she has dropped or not, we got her Sunday just gone and the picture i posted where she was sniffing at a food packet on the kitchen floor was then and the ones where she is stepping off my table i posted first are her today. I think it is possible that she looks smaller but i couldn't be 100% She seems so fed up and grumpy almost like shes sighing a lot and finds it hard to get comfortable. I feel so sorry for her and Im trying to do my best for her but she hates my other cats and I'm keeping them as separate as i can but occasional she will scoot out of the door when i open it and come face to face and she soon lets them know she is top cat in that situation and they run, fast!

I tried the belly rubbing and I'm lucky to have a hand left ha-ha! so maybe ill leave that for now and follow her lead as she was happy enough for me to lay my hand on the side of her belly earlier when i could feel them moving! i am keeping her in the lounge and I've built her a really private under table bed behind the upturned coffee table in a box filled with blankets and she has food and water and a litter tray close by. But my other two younger cats are so desperate to have a nosy i feel sorry for them being shut out but i don't want to stress Molly or her unborn kittens out!

Yes, its worth a try.  Cats manage goats milk much better than cow milk  (often true for humans too).  Of course, if he is verry sensible it perhaps wont work - goats does contains some lactose too.  Still, goats milk is much safer - and better noruishment.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Originally Posted by elizabethrose  
thank you Gosh four or five bless her! well i will see what StefanZ says then too. Only other concern i really have is she isn't drinking or if she is its minuscule amounts! From what I'm told she has been a mainly outdoor cat living in and out of the local sheds rather than being in her previous owners house. but before they handed her over she had been spending the majority of her time indoors sleeping. So perhaps she has been used to rain water? All my other cats drink lots of tap water but i haven't seen her drink once! Shall i try finding her some rain water? or is there something else i can give her for fluids like kitten/ cat milk?

I'm scared to let her out in case as shes new here she wonders off and has her kittens somewhere and i cant find her/ them. What would you suggest?

Thanks :-) x

Please do keep her 100% inside.  Have you adopted her, or will she be going back to her original owner?  Thank you for helping her!

What are you feeding her?  Cats get most of their fluids from food.

 

[elizabethrose]

I have adopted her yes but i have a feeling they might ask for her back but it was on a permanent basis that i accepted her so i don't think they can really. I already have 4 cats and two children so i really think that five may be too many. Especially if she continues to be so moody with my other cats! But we will see how we get on, either way neither her kittens or herself are going to any home that is not a good one! i was thinking that perhaps when they are old enough i will give them to the cats protection association as they will chip, vaccinate and neuter/spay them before only passing them on to a family that pays £50 pound for them and has a good home for them to go to. But as shes been through enough and is due fairly soon (i think) I will keep her here, see her through her pregnancy as smoothly as I can and give her kittens a good start in life!

She eats wet food only at the moment a few biscuits mixed in occasionally but she seems to prefer it without.

 

[Willowy]

If the previous owners want her back (AFTER she's spayed! Perhaps the cat society can help you find a low-cost clinic), that may be best. She's already accustomed to their neighborhood and family, so it would be better for them to have her back rather than get a new kitten who isn't used to their lifestyle and isn't spayed. But if they don't want a cat at all, yes, do find her a nice new home.

 

[Sarthur2]

Her disposition will improve after she is spayed down the road. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[elizabethrose]

Hi, I have noticed her belly has gone hard a few times this evening it's looked a tighter shape and when I felt it it was hard! Do you think these are Braxton Hicks like what we get? Or the start of the real deal?

 

[Sarthur2]

It's difficult to say. If it's real you will notice a pattern. If it's pre-labor it does not usually continue.

 

[lozzenga]

My girl looks about the same size and still has 17 days to go