Please get the females spayed.
Dunnit with Jethro, but not with Hoot (we couldn't find her the day of ultrasounds or spay surgeries), and not with Marshall (she was pregnant)Please get the females spayed.
Not mama and baby. Mama was in for a wellness check with the ultrasound last Wednesday, thoughHi - I'm not an expert regarding newborns, however I wanted to ask if your mama and baby have seen a vet for a wellness checkup?
How about Susie if it's a girl? Then you can keep calling her Soos for short.But still, his name is Jesus, pronounced Hey-Zoos, Soos for short. Unless he ends up being a she... Emergency female name suggestions?
You should be weighing the kitten daily to make sure he's gaining and doing well - about 10g per day. Other than that, there's no real reason to handle him right now. Once he gets a little bigger and starts interacting with the world around him, at around 4 weeks, you can start socialising him. At that age it will only take about 10 minutes for him to get used to you, especially since he'll already be comfortable being handled from the weighing.So, first off, can I handle him or should I wait? If I should wait, how long? When he gets older, he's living with my grandma and her cat. I want him to be socialized and tame
He's already doubled in size from birth! He's doing great weight wiseHow about Susie if it's a girl? Then you can keep calling her Soos for short.
If you post a pic we can probably tell you if it's a boy or a girl tho.
You should be weighing the kitten daily to make sure he's gaining and doing well - about 10g per day. Other than that, there's no real reason to handle him right now. Once he gets a little bigger and starts interacting with the world around him, at around 4 weeks, you can start socialising him. At that age it will only take about 10 minutes for him to get used to you, especially since he'll already be comfortable being handled from the weighing.
If she's worried, it's probably because of my neighbor's dog, Neeko. They were at the barn one day. Neeko is super sweet, wouldn't ever try to hurt another animal. But the cats didn't seem as fond as he was. And poor boy, he doesn't wanna fight, so he's pinned against a wall, with Miss Mama Marshall letting all Hell break loose on this poor dog That was about a week before this, thoughBest is probably to be nice to Marshall the momma, and hope she will bring him back sooner than later..
You COULD try to follow her talking sweetly, and hope she will lead you to him... But probably, by any reason, she doesnt feel baby is secure at your place... She perhaps suspects somebody is planning to kill the baby?
This scenario is common with farmers, whom routinely drown infants... So a wise momma takes them away and hides elsewhere, and brings them back when they are 7-8 weeks. Adorable and no farmer will no longer have stomach to drown them...
Im not saying its so in your place, but the idea did sprung forward to my memory...
We talked about breeding. Nobody got bred, nobody is getting bred. No one was talking earlier about a cat moving her kitten somewhereI think it was discussed early on in your thread that unless the cats and kittens are contained in a room in the barn that this situation will go on and on.
The males have all been fixed, and I haven't seen the other unspayed female in a month or so. Neighbors haven't either. I've been looking for awhile now and can't find anythingK KittenBarn13 Having read through your thread it seems that you have several cats that live outdoors and in a barn, one who has been spayed recently, one who just gave birth and one that is still un-spayed, is that correct? As you said in your first post allowing these cats to breed unchecked will result in 30+ cats this year, then more every year after this. I'm sure you know how important it is to get all of the intact cats, males included, fixed as soon as possible.
The one mother cat who has a kitten has probably moved her kitten to a safer location. Cats regularly move their litters. This is to avoid infestations of fleas as well as to protect them from predators, who would be attracted to the smell of the nest. With you regularly going to check on her she probably decided she needed to move the kitten to a place you wouldn't be able to find him.
Unfortunately those of us who care for outdoor feral cats or barn cats don't have as much control over what happens to the cats as those that keep their cats indoors do. Your options are either to bring pregnant females and kittens indoors and care for them as pets, or to take a step back and accept that young kittens may disappear.
Either way, if you are providing the cats with a home and food you need to get them all fixed as soon as possible.
You can get the mother cat fixed now. Female cats come into heat soon after giving birth and she will be pregnant before her first kitten is weaned if she is outdoors where there are tom cats. She will continue to lactate even after being spayed. If your clinic will spay her and release her the same day try and get her fixed now. If they want to keep her overnight after a spay wait until six weeks after the kitten was born (even if you don't see him around any more) and then get her spayed. There is a slight risk that you might have to spay-abort, but that is preferable to her having another litter outdoors where they are at risk to predators and disease.
The male cats and the remaining female cat need to be fixed right away too. The cats don't know that your neighbour's dog is friendly. Years of evolution have taught them to be wary of dogs, with good reason, so please make sure any dogs near the barn are kept on a leash away from the cats
Good luck, I hope Soos turns up again.