Trying To Keep And Tame A Stray, Very Young, Pregnant Cat -need Advice

[Dianarose]

Hello, all!

- We have started taming a stray, pregnant cat (she looks around 5 or 6 months old - very young!) that is now comfortable coming into our house, playing with our indoor/outdoor cats, and letting us pet her (IF the house is quiet, etc...she is still very skittish). I don't know how long before she gives birth, but her swollen belly has been noticeable for about a week now. My "guess" is that she has 5 weeks to go.
- My 3 cats are indoor/outdoor with a cat door, and she has already learned how to use the cat door well.
- She is very loving to me, and starting to trust the kids, but freaks out when my husband comes in the house (his deep voice and loud steps throughout the house scare her) or with any unexpected noises- she immediately bolts back outside. Her "go-to" outside spot is under out back deck (NOT where I want her to have the kittens!)
- I successfully kept her in the house all night long last night by closing the cat door. But this morning - her, and my 3 other cats, were going nuts wanting their outside time. I finally relented, because it was stressing all the cats out.
So as of right now, she is coming in and out during the day in small bursts (

- Questions:
1. I want to take her to a vet for a check up and to make sure she doesn't have worms, etc. I don't see evidence of worms or fleas (I had given her Comfortis in her food a few weeks ago, before realizing she was pregnant. But she is probably due for a second treatment soon. We are watching our money, so I don't want unnecessary vet bills if I can avoid it...Plus, she will FREAK OUT if I try to put her into a carrier to take her, so I am stressing about it. Suggestions? Is a vet appt. necessary before she gives birth?

2. Should I keep her inside the house 24/7 beginning right now? Problems with this include her getting stressed out, MY cats being indoor/outdoor, and the stress for ALL of them (and us) keeping them inside for the next 5 weeks or so. This morning was an example of that, and I don't think we can manage that successfully.
Can I wait a couple weeks to keep her inside 24/7, while she gets comfortable staying in the house little by little, getting used to the sounds, my husband, etc? Or do you think it is imperative for her to be in the house 24/7 now??

3. I have begun making a "nesting area" in the spare room downstairs, and will make a few others in safe, quiet areas (like the closet and under the bed in the spare bedroom). Any other suggestions?
Thank you so much!

 

[StefanZ]

Can you have a room entirely for her? Where she could be locked in (later on togehter with the kittens) - and be her safe room?

 

[Dianarose]

Yes, the spare bedroom downstairs has its own bathroom, and that’s where I would love to set up her nesting areas and have begun to do so… Unfortunately she doesn’t have a big desire to go or stay in that room- she’s very social with my cats, and likes to be in the same room they are in. So I’m trying to get my cats to hang in the spare room to motivate her, but no progress on that yet.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I think she has less than a month to go. I would keep her 100% inside from now until she is spayed now. She does need to adjust, and it might as well be now.

Thank you for caring!

 

[Dianarose]

Yes, the spare bedroom downstairs has its own bathroom, and that’s where I would love to set up her nesting areas and have begun to do so… Unfortunately she doesn’t have a big desire to go or stay in that room- she’s very social with my cats, and likes to be in the same room they are in. So I’m trying to get my cats to hang in the spare room to motivate her, but no progress on that yet.

She can have the whole spare room (also my home office)

I think she has less than a month to go. I would keep her 100% inside from now until she is spayed now. She does need to adjust, and it might as well be now.

Thank you for caring!

Do you think I need to take her to the vet before kittens are born?

 

[ArchyCat]

I think it would be a good idea. She needs to dewormed, vaccinated, plus tested for all the various infectious diseases she might pass onto your cats and her kittens. And determine her probable due date.

Please make her an inside cat now, and feed her kitten chow and KMR from now until she weans her kittens.

Thank you for taking care of this cat. How fortunate for her to find you.

 

[talkingpeanut]

No vaccines while she is pregnant!

 

[Dianarose]

Feeling nervous- need feedback!! My pregnant kitten I believe is going into labor. It looks like amniotic fluid has come out about 5 minutes ago. She has not decided on a place to have the babies, I have about four different box nests set up in my guestroom, and she has not really shown interest in any of them. She likes sleeping under the bed on the floor, and only sometimes will sleep in the little box nest under the bed. Right now she is pacing a little bit, and just went under the bed, but I am not seeing her pant, or lick down there yet. Nor is she being vocal. How long after the release of the amniotic fluid should she be contracting? Reminder, she is a young stray mom, about 7 or 8 months old, first pregnancy.
Right now she is just laying down in the box, showing no signs of labor. But she definitely released amniotic fluid, it’s on the guest bed and the back of her bloomers are all wet. When should I be concerned about timing of labor?

 

[Dianarose]

help please- I posted on my previous thread from weeks ago, but haven’t seen any responses yet.

Young mama cat (7-8 months old)- she leaked out amniotic fluid about 30 min ago. No contractions. She is Sleeping on the bed now. I looked at her vulva and there is a thick brownish-red mucousy discharge.

Is this an emergency Vet situation? She is a stray I rescued and she will FREAK OUT if I put her in a carrier to take her somewhere-/ she’s only tame with me. I’m not sure what to do, if this is normal or not.

No signs of distress from her. I can feel a kitten moving while she rests. Shouldn’t she be going into labor by now after releasing amniotic fluid? Is the mucousy discharge a red flag?

 

[Dianarose]

I tried to get a picture of her vulva - this is the mucousy discharge.

 

[Dianarose]

So my google research tells me this may be the mucus plug released... but she is sleeping peacefully on the bed right now. When should I be concerned that she is not contracting?

 

[golondrina]

Dianarose I understand your worry and nervourness and hopefully all is well with your pregnant cat. But since this is a rescue kitten and you are not sure of the length of her pregnancy it would be advisable to have her seen by a vet to be sure that the mucus released corresponds to the right time announcing labor. That would also put your mind at ease and let you enjoy what should be a happy event. It is possible for labor to start in the next 24 hours. Please keep us informed of developments.

 

[StefanZ]

Mucus plug in theory comes hours before delivery. But in practice it may be more than a week.

If its amniotic waters its more touchy.
Still it may be hours to the delivery. Although I dont know the exact timetable.
I have seen different results so to speak.
Contact your vet if unsure...

D Dianarose

 

[Dianarose]

She just started having contractions. She settled in the box under the bed, and I'm in the room with her, with a camera under the bed so I can see her contractions without invading her space. (Out of all the comfy nests I made in the room, this is the bare-bones nest with no blankets, since she seemed to prefer the wood floor and bare boxes from the get-go). I've seen her have a few contractions, but nothing yet. How long before I need to worry? How long do contractions last before the first kitten emerges?

 

[Dianarose]

UPDATE: she just delivered her first kitten. It is mewing so I don't think it is finding her nipple to suckle! Do i intervene??

 

[Dianarose]

I don't know what to so - Mochi did NOT like me trying to move her baby to her nipples. The kitten is mewing and wandering aimlessly around Mochi while Mochi licks her. But when I moved her to her nipples, Mochi got very protective, and turned her and the baby a different angle. Now I can't see the baby. She's still mewing. If I intervene Mochi will get really mad. How long do I wait before trying to move the baby to her nipples? If she'll even let me?

 

[Dianarose]

Baby is still attached to the umbilical cord and placenta! Do I squeeze it off?? please help

 

[golondrina]

No Dianarose you must let mother cat deal with the umbilical cord and the placenta.
I am quoting here some information that I hope you will find useful:

"The kittens are born within their amniotic sacs, which the queen will remove. If she ignores the kitten and it is still in its sac, it will be up to you to carefully cut the sac and stimulate the kitten's breathing by rubbing it gently with a rough dry towel. It is a good practice to count the placentas to make sure all are expelled. If a placenta is retained, veterinary intervention is needed.


The mother cat will stimulate the kittens to breathe by washing them with her rough tongue. She will also sever the umbilical cord by chewing on it approximately one inch from the kitten's body. At this time, she may eat the placenta. The kittens will immediately gravitate toward a nipple, latch on, and nurse."

About 10 to 60 minutes may pass between births, but longer periods of time are not uncommon. If there is a delay of over two hours and you are sure there are remaining kittens, the queen should be examined by a veterinarian."

I am very happy for you that delivery is taking place. Please try to relax and trust mother cat to do the necessary. But do keep in touch and let us know how things are going on.

 

[Dianarose]

Thank you so much. She’s had four kittens, and I think that is it… She is resting well the kittens nurse, or try to nurse anyway. Two of them keep moving around a lot and are having a bit of a time trying to latch on properly.

At what point do I bring her food? I have a water bowl close to her, but wondering when I should offer her some wet food to eat? Do I bring it to her, or leave some near the water? At what point will she eat?

 

[golondrina]

Congratulations Dianarose and a hearty welcome to the baby kittens. I have the greatest admiration for your courage and determination to do the necessary for this cat mother and her kitties while you were so worried by your lack of experience. Bravo! and good continuation.

I am quoting some info regarding feeding the Cat mother:

"The next thing to do is to feed the mom! Bring some food and water to your queen and place them near her nest because she is unlikely to want to leave her kittens and go far from them to eat. Some queens do not want to eat immediately after giving birth. This is not a cause for concern at this point and just leave the food and water near her or remove it and offer them again to her a little later.
A new mother cat needs about three more times the energy requirement from food compared to a non-pregnant female. She must consume more food to be able to produce adequate milk for her kittens. As mentioned above, if your cat is not eating after giving birth, this is normal but appetite should return within the next 24 hours and it should gradually increase as the mother peaks toward milk production. When a cat is not eating more than 24 hours after giving birth then this is a sign that there is something wrong especially when it is coupled with fever and lack of interest in taking care of her kittens."

Hope the above helps. I am looking forward to some pics.