I have a stray in the neighborhhood (it's a TSR neighborhood, so I'm watching this cat closely). I've gotten to the point where she will now allow me to pat/stroke her on the head and neck (starting from hissing if I got within three feet of her and taking swipes at me with her very sharp claws). She is very pregnant, classic symmetrical saddlebags look when walking away. She has the typical emaciation of end-stage pregnancy (the spine sticks out). But I'm thinking she should have birthed by now. Is there any medical condition that LOOKS just like pregnancy?
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A non-pregnant pregnant cat?
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If you are sure it is past the point where she wouldn't have had the kittens (let's say 14 days). It could be a miscarriage that didn't abort the fetuses ora tumor. If you can catch her a vet appointment would be a good idea just to rule out problems. Plus if she is pregnant and just hasn't had the kittens, if you can get her inside it would be best for the kittens too.
It could be just as Kieka says, which would explain her aggressive behavior. Are there any rescue groups who will help with her vet bills. It may require trapping but as time goes on, if she declines, she will lose her appetite and trapping will be more challenging. Please keep us updated!
Prayers & vibes that this turns out well
Prayers & vibes that this turns out well
Yes, pyometra is a uterine infection that can mimic pregnancy but is very dangerous and can be deadly if the uterus ruptures.
She sounds malnourished. Keep us posted.
She sounds malnourished. Keep us posted.
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Just to clarify. No, the cat was aggressive at first (as are many ferals), but over several weeks, I gained enough of her trust that she now allows me to pat her, so her aggression, if anything, is declining. I have not seen her in two days, so possibly she has gone to ground to deliver her kittens. I tried reaching out to the local shelters and they're all useless. They're always useless. Every time I rescue a cat, it's like a client intoning a list of deliverables when I try to get the shelter's help: "You need to get the kittens/cat spayed. The cat has to be checked by a vet. It needs all of its shots. If any of its bloodwork comes back abnormal, you'll need to follow up on that; we can't accept cats with bloodwork out of the norm. When that's done, submit all the paperwork and we'll let you know when we can take the cat/kittens in."
If they'd have given me some help, I would have lured her into the house by now and put her in a small room in the basement (with windows and a lockable door) so that she could give birth in safety and some degree of comfort. But I can't leave them there for two months or however long it takes to home them all. And I don't have any money for cat spaying or cat exams or cat shots, especially if she gives birth to seven or eight kittens (she looks huge, like one of those Jiffy-Pop pans).
If I see her again, I'll post an update in a few days.
If they'd have given me some help, I would have lured her into the house by now and put her in a small room in the basement (with windows and a lockable door) so that she could give birth in safety and some degree of comfort. But I can't leave them there for two months or however long it takes to home them all. And I don't have any money for cat spaying or cat exams or cat shots, especially if she gives birth to seven or eight kittens (she looks huge, like one of those Jiffy-Pop pans).
If I see her again, I'll post an update in a few days.
Thanks, please keep us posted!
Hopefully she’ll come back around for food soon. If she looks like she’s delivered, perhaps you can follow her to see where her kittens are.
Thank you for caring!
Thank you for caring!
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So today is day 4 since I saw the pregnant cat. I am assuming that she has delivered her kittens. When I see her again, I will follow her to her nest.
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- #9
Sorry ... this doesn't end happily.
So the cat showed up this morning, still pregnant as can be, and I was able to lure her into the house. I got her into the carrier after a lot of trouble--I still have the bloody scars on my left hand--and brought her to the vet to check for a microchip, just in case.
Shortly before getting to the vet, the cat started to pant. I figured she was just getting het up like cats do being stuck in a carrier. Or perhaps she's starting labor.
I get to the vet to have them scan the back of her neck for a microchip. The technician takes a look at the panting cat and calls for the doctor immediately. I mean, like a total of a one-half-second delay. And she isn't saying, "When you have a moment." She's saying in a controlled loud voice, "I need the doctor right now." They whisk the cat off to give her oxygen. I go back to the waiting room.
The vet comes back a few minutes later. The cat has cancer. All through the abdomen. I'm just shocked. I ask the vet if the cat's in pain. "Some." I ask if it's terminal. I don't remember his exact words, but it was something like, "Oh yes. There is no possibility in this case. This is end-stage." I ask how much longer the cat has. "Maybe a week."
So I tell him to put the cat to sleep.
It's not a happy ending. But the cat died humanely in a warm, safe place, not slowly, in agony, hiding under a porch or in a corner of a yard somewhere as it slowly starved.
It turns out "she" was actually a "he."
I'm adding some pictures of what the cat looked like because he shouldn't just be some undifferentiated cat. He has lovely white whiskers and very bright eyes. It was surprisingly difficult to sit next to a dying cat I barely knew and stroke his head and play with his ears and do the usual "who's a good kitty, you're a good kitty" thing while waiting for the sedative to take hold so the vet could then inject whatever drug finishes the job. I'm glad that at the end, if only for a few minutes, the poor little thing felt he was loved.
So the cat showed up this morning, still pregnant as can be, and I was able to lure her into the house. I got her into the carrier after a lot of trouble--I still have the bloody scars on my left hand--and brought her to the vet to check for a microchip, just in case.
Shortly before getting to the vet, the cat started to pant. I figured she was just getting het up like cats do being stuck in a carrier. Or perhaps she's starting labor.
I get to the vet to have them scan the back of her neck for a microchip. The technician takes a look at the panting cat and calls for the doctor immediately. I mean, like a total of a one-half-second delay. And she isn't saying, "When you have a moment." She's saying in a controlled loud voice, "I need the doctor right now." They whisk the cat off to give her oxygen. I go back to the waiting room.
The vet comes back a few minutes later. The cat has cancer. All through the abdomen. I'm just shocked. I ask the vet if the cat's in pain. "Some." I ask if it's terminal. I don't remember his exact words, but it was something like, "Oh yes. There is no possibility in this case. This is end-stage." I ask how much longer the cat has. "Maybe a week."
So I tell him to put the cat to sleep.
It's not a happy ending. But the cat died humanely in a warm, safe place, not slowly, in agony, hiding under a porch or in a corner of a yard somewhere as it slowly starved.
It turns out "she" was actually a "he."
I'm adding some pictures of what the cat looked like because he shouldn't just be some undifferentiated cat. He has lovely white whiskers and very bright eyes. It was surprisingly difficult to sit next to a dying cat I barely knew and stroke his head and play with his ears and do the usual "who's a good kitty, you're a good kitty" thing while waiting for the sedative to take hold so the vet could then inject whatever drug finishes the job. I'm glad that at the end, if only for a few minutes, the poor little thing felt he was loved.
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Thank you for helping him out and making sure he didn't suffer. Rest in peace little one.
I'm so sorry to hear this. Thank you for trying so hard to help this cat, I'm glad he was able to pass peacefully in the end.
We always lock the thread when a cat passes as a sign of respect, so I'll lock this one now. If you would like to start a thread in his memory please do so in our Crossing The Bridge forum.
Rest In Peace sweetheart, you will not be forgotten.
We always lock the thread when a cat passes as a sign of respect, so I'll lock this one now. If you would like to start a thread in his memory please do so in our Crossing The Bridge forum.
Rest In Peace sweetheart, you will not be forgotten.
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