Pregnant Stray/feral Cat

[AJCatLady]

Hello everyone! Recently a stray/feral cat showed up at my house and I took her in. She would come and go during the day and I kept her in at night. I have an appointment this month to have her spayed, but as of last week, I'm pretty sure she's pregnant. Her belly suddenly was big and round, it's firm. Her nipples are bigger. She's eating twice as much kibble as she used to. I won't abort so we'll be having kittens sometime soon.

How much should I be feeding her each day? She's just a kitten herself, about 9 months. I've been free-feeding kibble and then 1/2 a 3oz can of food twice a day since she came in. Is that enough for a pregnant kitten? She was getting wildlife as well, but I no longer let her outside now that she's pregnant so she doesn't get that anymore.

Also, what kinds of things should I have on hand? I have a box to make into a nest, extra fleece blankets, KMR, and bottles.

 

[talkingpeanut]

You're doing great! What kind of kmr did you get? You should get some needleless syringes as well. Kittens with a mom don't like to take a bottle. Also, get a small scale to weigh the kittens daily.

You can feed additional wet food if you'd like. It's recommended to feed kitten dry and wet food for extra nutrition.

Mom does need to stay 100% inside until the kittens are weaned and she is spayed.

Have you treated for fleas and worms?

 

[AJCatLady]

Yes I'm keeping her inside, though she is very unhappy about that haha

I have applied Frontline and given worm meds. No shots because I read that can hurt the kittens. She will get them before/when she gets spayed after kittens are 8? weeks old.

 

[AJCatLady]

Oh and it's PetAg KMR

 

[AJCatLady]

Pictures of Preggo Mama! Her name is Maizie.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, it's 8 weeks.

You'll want to take her collar off when she has the kittens. They can get caught up in it while climbing around mom and injure a leg or paw.

 

[AJCatLady]

So how much food is too much for a pregnant cat? She would literally eat 4+ 3oz cans of food plus a bowl of kibble every day if I gave it to her! That was the last 2 days and she would still ask for can food between meals!

 

[Sarthur2]

This is not an unusual amount of food for a pregnant cat. They have voracious appetites while pregnant and nursing.

 

[mazie]

When my "Mazie" was pregnant and nursing, it was not uncommon for her to have (request) 5 cans of wet food per day, and of course the kibble available to her 24/7.

 

[AJCatLady]

Thank you I just wanted to make sure she wasn't being overfed! She escaped yesterday by pulling aside the accordion slats on the window AC and when she returned she had a rabbit in her mouth! I took that as a sign I wasn't providing her enough food for her liking! And yes, she is now contained in the bathroom to prevent any future escapes.

 

[mazie]

Oh my, I'm glad you have her securely indoors now.

 

[Sarthur2]

Goodness! Now you know she needs more food!

 

[ashade1]

Thank you for taking this stray momma in and caring for her! Sounds like you are doing all of the right things right now!

 

[AJCatLady]

Maizie finally had her babies yesterday morning between 12am-2:30am. 4 boys and 2 girls! I missed the entire event due to the fact that I'm deaf, but at 2:30am my dog set off the baby monitor (which vibrates my bed) by barking. I got up and assumed he had a potty emergency. Took him outside but he wouldn't leave the porch. Came back in and realized Maizie wasn't glued to the door in hopes of escaping for an adventure as she always does when I open it. I started looking for her and found her in my closet in my suitcase, with 6 new members of the family! I had noticed some odd behavior earlier in the evening and thought she may be getting close, but when it reached midnight with no sign of her settling down to birth, I figured it wasn't quite time yet. I guess Maizie was waiting for dark and quiet, and probably also for Milo (my dog) to be crated. Maizie and all of the babies are doing well! Maizie ate some wet food I held on a plate for her while her babies continued nursing. She watched me like a hawk when I moved her babies to a "nesting box" and again when I put their ribbons on (Though she promptly took them off of them afterwards haha) and sexed them. I have a video baby monitor on them so I can check on them any time without disturbing them. Maizie comes out almost every time I open the front or back door wanting outside, and may decide to rest on the cool kitchen floor for a short time, but she goes right back to her babies fairly quickly. For a stray cat who doesn't care for other cats at all, she sure is proving to be a fantastic Mama Cat All 6 babies are nursing fantastically and sleeping good.

I created an Instagram to upload pictures and videos of them in one place. Feel free to visit to see more pictures and a video of Maizie and her babies!
Mama Maizie Cat (@mamamaiziecat) • Instagram photos and videos

 

[Sarthur2]

Congratulations! They are beautiful!

Ribbons are not safe on their necks now anyway.

 

[AJCatLady]

Question: Can I dose Maizie with her Frontline while she's nursing? She had a dose before I found out she was pregnant. I want to make sure it's safe first. My dog somehow picked up fleas even though he's on Frontline as well, which is why I'm asking if I can dose her.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, you can dose her.