Caring For A New Mother With No Kittens?

[tishxbelle]

i didn't know how else to title it, however i recently adopted my second cat into my home and they stated she was a stray who gave cats sometime before she arrived it seemed. she has been fixed, too, all very recently. the poor thing still has a swollen / enlarged tummy and nipples, i've never had a cat that's been pregnant or gone through it. i'm sure not having her kittens around alone would be hard, and now she has to adjust to life with a new cat in a new home (my cat is basically terrified of her, though she's been very calm and sweet with him). anyhow, i wanted to know if there were any tips for this or any idea of how long it may last or typically does so i can keep an eye on her? she was again, a stray, so i don't know all of the specifics and sadly neither did the humane society or the vet i took her to. but i think any bits of advice and to help her with comfort would be great.

and as an addition: any advice on making an existing cat comfortable with a new one would be great, too. (they are in separate rooms, have seen each other a couple times though, and there's a gate + screen on the door to keep them apart).

 

[moorspede]

She's eating ok? It's not clear from your post whether the Humane Society spayed her, if she was spayed less than 10 days ago she needs to be kept quiet, no strenuous activity.

Generally, when you introduced cats, you have the new one separated in a small room with litter, bedding, bowls and toys. It would allow her to get used to the noises and scents of the new house and to de- stress.

During that time you can do a scent exchange, it's basically rubbing a piece of cloth gently over the new cat, particularly over her cheeks. You then rub it on your resident cat and vice versa. It gets them used to each other's scent in a non- threatening way. You could also swap bedding.

There are a couple of ways you could go from here. Jackson Galaxy's method for introducing cats is to feed them on either side of a door or baby gate, you start with the bowls far apart and then gradually bring them together. The idea is that they start to associate the other cat with good things (food).

Another way is to swap sites, she goes out into the house and your resident cat goes where she has been living for awhile. This allows her to get to know the house (hopefully one room at a time) and leave her scent. If they react ok to this you could then try to introduce them face to face. You would play with them with an interactive toy, eg a wand toy or a laser pointer. The idea is that they would be too focused on the game to notice the other. You would then feed them treats and give them affection. Again, this would be allowing each to associate the other with good things.

Jackson Galaxy's vid is on youtube, it's called "The best way to introduce your two cats".

The other method is here:

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

Hissing is tolerable, you just don't want them chasing each other (unless it's a mutual game where they are chasing each other) or going at it, fur flying, biting and scratching.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Bless you for taking this new mama in.

This doesn't deal specifically with a new mother who no longer has her kittens, but it does deal with a cat new to a household, and refers to introducing new cats:

How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home

 

[Brian K]

I think the most important thing is to keep her in a safe separate location for a little while. (10 days or so) A decent sized bathroom made into a cozy cat nook. I'm actually doing this right now. Keep the bathroom fan on at first to drowned out any background noises so it becomes a soothing white noise so she can rest easy. You may want to put an alarm clock radio in there as well and tune it to something like talk radio. It's a way for her to hear human voices and get used to it so she won't be scared of televisions or people talking. Go into the bathroom and visit her every couple hours. Sit with her. Feed her but let her come to you to earn her trust. Leave some toys in there. Encourage her to play. Also, talk on the phone when you are in there. Again, it gets her used to your voice. If she begins thriving right away, open the bathroom door and let her venture out to the attached bedroom. Keep that door closed. As stated in a previous reply, you are slowly introducing them into our worlds of different scents, noises, etc. The advice above about introducing the cats is great advice. Just don't get discouraged and don't give up. My 2 cats HATED each other. I kept at it and they were best pals for the 3 years they were together before one of them passed away.

As far as her being a momma cat. They most certainly do grieve and have that motherly instinct to call for their babies or find them. But, that being said, within a week or so mother nature takes over and she will return to her normal behavior as if the kittens never existed. Seems kind of harsh, but it's not. It's the way it is. The kitties eventually would become their own little independent selves and have left anyway.

I think it's wonderful you are taking her in. The momma cat I'm having spayed next week knows I have her baby inside (I found it clinging to a storm drain pipe during a rainstorm and almost died) I can't give the baby back. It's a death sentence with rain expected this week I know she will take it back into the storm drain. Not her fault, when it's dry it seems like a safe place to be but within a seconds it turns into a flash flood zone and there is no way out. I was lucky and it was by chance I got her baby out. But I feel so bad for the momma cat. She's around my house 24x7 calling out for her babies. It's hard for me to take her to be spayed, but I KNOW it's the right thing to do and the only way to stop this terrible cycle before it starts all over again.

All the best. Keep us updated. The little precious orange cat in my photo is the baby I got from the drain 3 days ago