How old do you think this pregnant stray is?

[Willowy]

Your other choice is to call around and see if another vet will neuter earlier. If the males are neutered the female kittens can’t get pregnant and can wait until 5 months.

I agree with this, OR, call your vet and explain that you're keeping the entire litter and you don't want any accidents, and ask if they'd be willing to do either the boys or the girls earlier (usually the boys but who knows what your vet will say). Sometimes vets will tell you their preference, but will do it sooner if you have a good reason for it.

Yikes, yes, a nursing mama and older kittens will eat you out of house and home! Things should settle down a bit now, though. . .until the kittens are about 8 months old, then you'll wonder how they can eat that much, lol.

 

[Kareywood]

I will call my vet and see if they can get either the boys or the girls in for neuter/spay at about 3 and a half or 4 months. I know our local spay neuter clinic does them at 12 weeks but they are super backed up right now. Will call them too. Definitely have enough kittens as is! Will also be sure to keep a very close eye on mom too! we have never allowed our cats to go outside except on a leash and harness or in a cat tent. So far she does not seem interested in going outside.

 

[Kareywood]

My kittens just turned 8 weeks old yesterday. All are doing well. I took them to the vet for their first shots and deworming Yesterday. they are all a little over 2 pounds. they are sooo cute! i will be having mom spayed on 8/12 and all 4 kittens altered in late September and early October. Whew! Lots of vet visits and bills…

 

[Sarthur2]

None of it is cheap, but thank you so much for doing everything right! They are SO adorable!

 

[Kareywood]

So, mama cat is still nursing the kittens once in a while. She hardly spends much time with them during the day (per her own wishes) but I keep her in the same room with them at night. Should I start keeping mom away from the kittens at night? Time to finish the weaning process? Or let them sort it out on their own! thanks!

 

[Sarthur2]

Let them sort it out on their own. Mom will let her kittens know when she is done nursing!

 

[Kareywood]

My litter of 4 kittens from a stray cat is now 11 and a half weeks old. They weigh between 3 and 3 and a half pounds. All are active and playful and soooo fun to watch. They have had their first set of vaccines and go back next week for boosters. They will be spayed/neutered around 4 months of age. Mom Nyxie was spayed today and did well. We have decided to keep mama cat and all 4 kittens : Bella, Meep, Xander, and Rafa.

thanks to everyone who responded to my numerous questions over the last 3 months. I had Zero experience with cat pregnancy, nursing, newborn kittens, weaning, etc…without this site, things would have been much more difficult. Special shout out and thank you to Sarthur2, who gave me great advice, responded timely, and calmed my fears on many occasions!

 

[MackerelTabbyStripes]

What a lucky mama kitty!!

I'm so glad they all came to your house, they are beautiful and clearly loved.

 

[Sarthur2]

Aww, I am so happy you are keeping the whole family. I just love this story and the photos! Everything feels “right”! The kittens (and dog) are beautiful!

Congratulations, and so pleased I was able to help when you needed it. Blessings going forward!

Kareywood

 

[Kareywood]

My litter from a stray cat is now 13.5 weeks old. Mama cat was spayed a couple weeks ago and i kept her separated from the kittens for about 8 days while she recuperated. Since then they’ve been reunited. The kittens are back to nursing again!

how long does it take for her milk to dry up? Also, mama cat almost always lets them nurse-she only rarely walks away from them or pushes them off her. Is it ok that they are still nursing?

all 4 kittens now weigh just over 4 pounds and continue to gain weight steadily. I give them canned kitten food twice a day (enough that they don’t quite finish it all each time) and I free feed kitten kibble as well.

mama cat only weighs 6.2 pounds herself (and she is a good weight-not too big or too thin) so the babies are almost as big as she is and they look like a pack of zombie cats devouring her when they nurse!

mama cat is separated from her kittens all night long and on and off during the day (we have the kittens in their own room right now, behind a screen door so mama and kittens can always see and smell each other)

 

[Sarthur2]

It’s fine if they still nurse mom. She will let them know when she is done nursing. Her milk will dry up slowly, and at some point the kittens may be suckling just for comfort. My cat nursed her kittens for months and months, and I agree it looks odd to see big kittens nursing.

 

[Natalusky29]

Hi. My dog found a kitten in our fenced in yard on April 11th. Please see her pic below. How old do you think she was? She weighed 5.6 pounds. Thanks!

She is something between 5-6 months,a kitten being a mom

 

[Willowy]

Haha, I found a pregnant stray and kept one of her sons, and she let him nurse until he was nearly a year old. . .she was tiny, 6 pounds at her heaviest, and he was a hulking huge boy, around 15 pounds, not overweight. So that was really funny to see. But yeah, she'll cut them off when she's tired of it.

 

[Kareywood]

Thanks for the replies! Mom Nyxie is still pretty patient when the kittens try to nurse so I’ll just let them be! Nyxie was just a baby herself when she gave birth but she’s been a good mom

 

[Kareywood]

All 4 kittens have now been spayed/neutered, as has mom. It’s been a struggle keeping them calm and quiet for the first week after surgery! All had no complications from being altered and continue to grow and play!

 

[moretoebeansplease]

I just read this whole thread for the first time and I love this family’s story so much. I am so glad everyone is doing well.

We took in a Mama and her four babies last autumn and we couldn’t get spay/neuter appointments for them all until spring (thank you COVID! ) and she nursed them for that whole time. All of them were happy with the arrangement

 

[Kareywood]

My 4 kittens are now 6 months old. They’re busy and so fun to watch and mom Nyxie is a love bug! Happy holidays!

 

[Kareywood]

Just a little update! Mama Nyxie and all 4 of her kittens are still doing great. Although they are no longer kittens as they will turn 2 years old next week! I can’t believe we ever thought about placing the kittens for adoption-we love them all so much!

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you so much for posting this happy little family!