I have a young, very petite feral kitty I call Tina (very young) that I feed along with my other transients, who, if they decide to become regulars, I try to TNR. Most of the males that lurk around my yard and shed have been neutered over the past few years, and I have only had one female I've had spayed and released again, and I think she got run over on the road not long after.
Tina started off as what I refer to as one of my transients--I would maybe see her stop by and eat at my place every other day or so.
For some reason, she became a regular about December, when she started sleeping in a box on my porch and actually let me pet her, and pick her up. I was waiting to see if she hung around, and if so, I was going to take her to be spayed. That was when I noticed she was getting round. She is a tiny built kitty, very thin and long-legged, so she started showing really quickly. I suspect she is the sister of a little boy, Rufus, who I found a home for back in Sept 2015. She is probably a year old if she is his sister, I'm guessing this because they are similarly built and colored, and both of them have a small kink at the end of their tail.
Anyway, she disappeared about 2 weeks ago and didn't come by for a few days, after being a twice-a-day regular for handouts. She finally showed up skinny and starving, so I knew she had her babies. I watched her after she ate make her way across to the neighbor's shed, so I figured that's where she was holed up with them. The next couple of days she ate like a horse (I fed her lots and lots because I thought she was nursing) and would go back over there.
Now she is back at my house and spending a lot of time on the porch. I mean she lays out there for hours. I picked her up yesterday evening, and was shocked to see she had no milk, no fur missing from her belly, it's like she has no kittens nursing on her at all. What could have happened? I have heard of males killing kittens, but I have witnessed many of my transient males tagging small kittens around after them and actually caring for them! Could her kittens have died? Would it not be normal for her to have milk, swollen teats, and fur missing if she had 2-3 week old kittens? I'm just concerned. I want to take her to have her spayed, especially if her kittens are gone and there is the possibility she will come in heat again, but if she is feeding babies I don't want to whisk her off to have surgery and possibly be gone overnight leaving a bunch of helpless babies.
Suggestions please?
Tina started off as what I refer to as one of my transients--I would maybe see her stop by and eat at my place every other day or so.
For some reason, she became a regular about December, when she started sleeping in a box on my porch and actually let me pet her, and pick her up. I was waiting to see if she hung around, and if so, I was going to take her to be spayed. That was when I noticed she was getting round. She is a tiny built kitty, very thin and long-legged, so she started showing really quickly. I suspect she is the sister of a little boy, Rufus, who I found a home for back in Sept 2015. She is probably a year old if she is his sister, I'm guessing this because they are similarly built and colored, and both of them have a small kink at the end of their tail.
Anyway, she disappeared about 2 weeks ago and didn't come by for a few days, after being a twice-a-day regular for handouts. She finally showed up skinny and starving, so I knew she had her babies. I watched her after she ate make her way across to the neighbor's shed, so I figured that's where she was holed up with them. The next couple of days she ate like a horse (I fed her lots and lots because I thought she was nursing) and would go back over there.
Now she is back at my house and spending a lot of time on the porch. I mean she lays out there for hours. I picked her up yesterday evening, and was shocked to see she had no milk, no fur missing from her belly, it's like she has no kittens nursing on her at all. What could have happened? I have heard of males killing kittens, but I have witnessed many of my transient males tagging small kittens around after them and actually caring for them! Could her kittens have died? Would it not be normal for her to have milk, swollen teats, and fur missing if she had 2-3 week old kittens? I'm just concerned. I want to take her to have her spayed, especially if her kittens are gone and there is the possibility she will come in heat again, but if she is feeding babies I don't want to whisk her off to have surgery and possibly be gone overnight leaving a bunch of helpless babies.
Suggestions please?