OK, so I am a sucker for a cute face! A very young cat found me and was obviously very hungry. I, naturally, started to feed her and we instantly bonded. She is about a year old and probably got out during her first heat and was met by one of our many ferrel cats.
She is so pretty and so loving and so pregnant! We made her a little house out of a dog kennel, old towels and a private space on our front porch. I won't take her inside because I don't know what she could have been exposed to, plus my dogs would eat her!
The kids are just thrilled and have spent most of their time sitting with her and feeling her tummy. I am taking her to our vet tomorrow to be checked but I expect she will have her babies soon. I just read some articles on cat births and have decided that I probably can not watch. I hope she will use the place we have provided!
Any advice? Anyone had a mamma cat have kittens ?
Posts: 1376 | Location: West Florida | Registered: March 12, 2004
I had my daughter bring her to the vet to make sure she is healthy and see how far along they think she may be.
Well, she just called me and this went from a $30 office visit to $65 for x ray and who knows what for a fecal exam.
I feel like I am doing the right thing for this cute little girl and her babies, but the " cha ching " at the end of the visit gives me a bit of a knot in my stomach.
Posts: 1376 | Location: West Florida | Registered: March 12, 2004
She won't want to have you near the babies right away, so she may or may not use a space you fixed for her. Usually cat births are pretty uneventful. She will be extra hungry when she's nursing the babies, and after a few days might be willing to have you peek at them. Their eyes won't open for a couple of weeks. Once they are walking around they are a lot of fun.
----------- Jen
Posts: 2868 | Location: Ohio | Registered: March 11, 2004
I got my kitty from a shelter when she was not-quite a year old and had already had a litter. The vet or vet tech can probably tell you everything you have questions about.
I don't know if it's something you'd be interested in, but some vets will do discounted or free "fixing" on feral cats; at any rate, if you think she likes your place well enough to hang around a while, it might be worth asking about. There are so many un-adopted kittens (from feral cats and those who just don't care or know enough about animals)...urgh, this topic makes me cry. My kitty went into heat about 4 months (I believe) after she had the litter (1 month after I adopted her), so...yeah. It's fast.
Anyway...cats tend to stay close to where they're fed, but will still hunt. So if you've ever had a mice problem, if you continue to feed the sweet girl, you probably never will again. You may find the occasional "gift" on your doorstep, too. Fair warning!
If you ever decide to bring her inside...then I might have some useful advice about cats & dogs sharing an indoor space
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
OK, so I am a sucker for a cute face! A very young cat found me and was obviously very hungry. I, naturally, started to feed her and we instantly bonded. She is about a year old and probably got out during her first heat and was met by one of our many ferrel cats.
