how to tell if pregnant or ..

[twinka]

I have caught my second feral cat from outside. A week or so ago i saw her and noticed that she looked like she was carrying so I decided to get her in before the kits were born outside. I just got her, and she looks tubby, but how can I tell that she has not already given birth and the kits are there somewhere. She seemed rather calm when i brought her in (perhaps a little in shock?) but now she is trying to climb the walls (literally). Is there signs I should look for that will help me figure it out??
thanks.

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by Twinka

I have caught my second feral cat from outside. A week or so ago i saw her and noticed that she looked like she was carrying so I decided to get her in before the kits were born outside. I just got her, and she looks tubby, but how can I tell that she has not already given birth and the kits are there somewhere. She seemed rather calm when i brought her in (perhaps a little in shock?) but now she is trying to climb the walls (literally). Is there signs I should look for that will help me figure it out??
thanks.

The only way to tell if she has given birth recently is to look for milk production.

Katie

 

[twinka]

she seems clear of milk, and her nipples do not seem obvious yet. From my reading I am guessing she is probably around 6-7 weeks along. I noticed her a week and a half ago and she was already fairly plump.
Thanks. I will keep checking on her and see if I notice anything else. She is a tad shy of us, but I am hoping we can get her to accept our presence.

 

[missymotus]

A round belly can also be caused by worms. Are you planning on taking her to the vet?

 

[twinka]

I am going to try but she is going to be a bit hard to catch right now.I am hoping i can get a stool and bring that in for them to check at the very least. Hopefully by sometime next week she will be a little more accepting of us. She seems much less "feral" than the last one we caught.

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by Twinka

I am going to try but she is going to be a bit hard to catch right now.I am hoping i can get a stool and bring that in for them to check at the very least. Hopefully by sometime next week she will be a little more accepting of us. She seems much less "feral" than the last one we caught.

Twinka...best thing to do is to use a humane trap (you can usually borrow one from your local humane society). Put her food inside and hopefully she will walk right in. Given that she is much more feral than the last cat you helped...you will probably want to confine her (lots of people who work with pregnant ferals swear by using a wire dog crate) within your house. She will need to be confined to a room where she cannot accidentally get out again. Time is of the essense since cats can become pregnant again as early as a week after giving birth. Good Luck,

Katie

 

[momof3rugratz]

Please update us on the pregnant ferral you caught.

 

[twinka]

so far so good. She is still very shy of us, but she is eating very well and using the litterbox. She has gotten considerably larger in the past week, probably due to the kittens and the increased access to good (kitten) food, so I am thinking she may be due in the next two weeks. I am hoping to move her into a secluded part of the house before she gives birth (into a large dog crate as suggested) but right now she seems pretty content in the garage, so we are trying not to stress her out too much. The garage has never been used for a car (we just had it put on a few months ago and have been using it mostly for storage) so it is fairly safe for her,and there are some nice cozy spots for her.

 

[momof3rugratz]

Cool I am so glad. You will have to let us know when she has the babies. Good luck.

 

[kluchetta]

Once the kittens come, they need to be in a pretty warm room - warmer than we're used to even. I don't know if a garage will be warm enough.

 

[twinka]

yes, that is why I want to move her eventually. Right now I am torn between keeping her relaxed and moving her. You see, in the house I have three cats and two GSDs so I want to make sure we have a good confined space for her that will be secluded from the daily racket. Since I think we have a week or so, I think I am going to lure her into the back room sometime this weekend/next week. However, if I start to see her nesting or anything like that we will move her into a warmer spot pronto.

 

[momof3rugratz]

Originally Posted by Twinka

yes, that is why I want to move her eventually. Right now I am torn between keeping her relaxed and moving her. You see, in the house I have three cats and two GSDs so I want to make sure we have a good confined space for her that will be secluded from the daily racket. Since I think we have a week or so, I think I am going to lure her into the back room sometime this weekend/next week. However, if I start to see her nesting or anything like that we will move her into a warmer spot pronto.

Ok if it fails maybe you can gets some heating pads or make the rice heaters. I know you will do what you can.

 

[twinka]

we are building her a little home and getting her used to it. I also bought some kmr just in case, and i read that it was good for the mother as well. She loves it! and the really great news is that yesterday she came out when i was out there on her own! She has been out of her "spot" but usually I catch her out. this time she came out even though she knew I was there. I was so impressed.
Perhaps there is some hope for her!
Still cannot tell how long yet. I keep thinking she is getting close, but then nothing happens. From reading the posts, I can tell I am just in a waiting game right now. But we are pretty much prepared!
thanks for all the advice!

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by Twinka

we are building her a little home and getting her used to it. I also bought some kmr just in case, and i read that it was good for the mother as well. She loves it! and the really great news is that yesterday she came out when i was out there on her own! She has been out of her "spot" but usually I catch her out. this time she came out even though she knew I was there. I was so impressed.
Perhaps there is some hope for her!
Still cannot tell how long yet. I keep thinking she is getting close, but then nothing happens. From reading the posts, I can tell I am just in a waiting game right now. But we are pretty much prepared!
thanks for all the advice!

Is this an outdoor home or one inside??

Katie

 

[twinka]

inside the garage. not ideal, but we considered the options and decided she would be more relaxed out there. We have a heater in the garage, and a heat lamp for the area we built. She is pretty comfy out there. I also gong to make her some rice heaters just in case, but for now the garage is actually as warm as the house, and her area is even warmer.
I saw her pretty well today and her abdomen was HUGE. I thought, being young and on her own, that we we have a nice small litter to find homes for, but now I am not so sure. I guess we will see when we see.

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by Twinka

inside the garage. not ideal, but we considered the options and decided she would be more relaxed out there. We have a heater in the garage, and a heat lamp for the area we built. She is pretty comfy out there. I also gong to make her some rice heaters just in case, but for now the garage is actually as warm as the house, and her area is even warmer.
I saw her pretty well today and her abdomen was HUGE. I thought, being young and on her own, that we we have a nice small litter to find homes for, but now I am not so sure. I guess we will see when we see.

Just make sure she cannot get back outdoors from the garage....we certainly want her to be fixed after the kittens are weaned. The only concern I have is when the kittens are older that they will end up in places of the garage that aren't safe.

Katie

 

[twinka]

that is why we built an enclosed area in the garage. It is slightly larger than a dog crate and is in the area she has claimed. It should keep both the kittens and mom safe.

 

[momof3rugratz]

Originally Posted by Twinka

inside the garage. not ideal, but we considered the options and decided she would be more relaxed out there. We have a heater in the garage, and a heat lamp for the area we built. She is pretty comfy out there. I also gong to make her some rice heaters just in case, but for now the garage is actually as warm as the house, and her area is even warmer.
I saw her pretty well today and her abdomen was HUGE. I thought, being young and on her own, that we we have a nice small litter to find homes for, but now I am not so sure. I guess we will see when we see.

My Aunt turned her whole garage in to a car house and left a little space for the laundry to go. I love it. Even closed off with another door and the garage door has a bolt on it. She even has carpet and insulation. In ca that is plenty because it never gets too cold.

Been this was at least 25 years that I know of.

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by Twinka

that is why we built an enclosed area in the garage. It is slightly larger than a dog crate and is in the area she has claimed. It should keep both the kittens and mom safe.

Oh...I'm glad to read it will be enclosed...because those kittens will be climbing it

.

Katie

 

[twinka]

omi! she is finally nesting !!! and she decided to go in the spot we made for her!