Indoor/Outdoor Pregnant Kitty Help

Kitten_Mama

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We took the final kitty (we have 4, one a rescue kitty who's mama abandoned him at 5 weeks old last Thanksgiving week - moved the litter and never came back for him) to get spayed today and found out that she is pregnant. Yikes! Needless to say, she didn't get spayed as planned.

The problem here is that we're down to one limited income while I am still fighting for disability (stroke two years ago, been fighting for this ever since). Ugh!

Keeping her strictly indoors is not an option as I have mobility problems and she bolts outside as soon as I try to leave the house. We cannot contain her in a room, either, for the same reasons. We've tried and it's resulted in a few falls these past few weeks while trying to keep her indoors before her spay appointment.

I know her and the babies will need somewhere safe and warm (planning on setting up a nesting den both inside and in a safe place outside) until the babies can regulate their own body temperatures. But due to financial problems, we cannot get her to a vet regularly outside of yearly checkups/vaccines for our fur family.

I'm not new to helping young abandoned kitties, but newborn kittens and Queens are not in my area of confidence.

Any suggestions??? I'll take all the advice I can get!
 

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luda macka

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I think setting up two dens (one inside and one outside) is a good idea. Thankfully, if you're in the northern hemisphere, warmer weather is on the horizon as well so that should make some things easier. I would just try to keep a very close eye on her until she has those kittens.

Kitten Lady on YouTube has a lot of great resources on caring about cat mamas and their newborns, and even kitten mamas, I think! So definitely check that out. And I also think it wouldn't hurt to maybe look into some TNR groups for general advice, since you are dealing with a cat, who while isn't feral, does seem to be a rather free spirit and loves outside.

I wish you good luck! <3
 

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I honestly think spaying her now while she is in early pregnancy may be your best bet. With your mobility and financial concerns a litter will result in even bigger problems. That, or let her be fostered through a shelter for the pregnancy and take her back after she is spayed and her kittens re-homed by the rescue.

I realize that neither option is what you want, but I think both she and you would be better off knowing she and her kittens are 100% safe and cared for.
 
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Kitten_Mama

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I think setting up two dens (one inside and one outside) is a good idea. Thankfully, if you're in the northern hemisphere, warmer weather is on the horizon as well so that should make some things easier. I would just try to keep a very close eye on her until she has those kittens.

Kitten Lady on YouTube has a lot of great resources on caring about cat mamas and their newborns, and even kitten mamas, I think! So definitely check that out. And I also think it wouldn't hurt to maybe look into some TNR groups for general advice, since you are dealing with a cat, who while isn't feral, does seem to be a rather free spirit and loves outside.

I wish you good luck! <3

She's not feral. She's a little over a year old, and we've had her since she was 8 weeks old. She'll have a tablespoon of milk every morning with me when I have coffee (if she misses it, she'll literally pout until she gets a tiny amount of milk). She just never bonded with us, though she doesn't mind pets from me or my step son, and would prefer to be outside unless it's raining.


I honestly think spaying her now while she is in early pregnancy may be your best bet. With your mobility and financial concerns a litter will result in even bigger problems. That, or let her be fostered through a shelter for the pregnancy and take her back after she is spayed and her kittens re-homed by the rescue.

I realize that neither option is what you want, but I think both she and you would be better off knowing she and her kittens are 100% safe and cared for.
I was just talking to my partner about this as an option. I would hate to take her kittens away or force an abortion, but we're worried about the financial strain this will add. We didn't think about a shelter option, but I'll look in to it. I know our local humane society doesn't accept cats (I learned this when we found our youngest kitten last Thanksgiving. They flat out refused to take the kitten in or help via a foster until a home is found option).
 

luda macka

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I know she isn't a feral, I never said she was. Just that she seems to be rather adventurous and loves outside, considering you said you cannot keep her contained inside etc. Someone mentioned spaying her now regardless of her being pregnant and that is an option. It depends on how far along she is. If her pregnancy is still early, it's best to do it now rather than later!

Good luck :hearthrob:
 
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Kitten_Mama

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I know she isn't a feral, I never said she was. Just that she seems to be rather adventurous and loves outside, considering you said you cannot keep her contained inside etc. Someone mentioned spaying her now regardless of her being pregnant and that is an option. It depends on how far along she is. If her pregnancy is still early, it's best to do it now rather than later!

Good luck :hearthrob:
The spay clinic didn't tell us how far along she is... Or any information, either, other than "you know she's pregnant, right? We can't spay her without your approval." Queens aren't something I know a ton about, so I brought her home to talk to my partner about all of this.

He's suggesting either spaying her and forcing an abortion or rehoming her to a family that is familiar with handling pregnant kitties.

I'm concerned about the first option because we have zero information about how far along she might be. She's a little rounder than normal and I noticed this morning that her nipples are enlarged and you can noticably feel that specific change. From the reading I've done last night and this morning trying to gather more information, it's suggesting she's about a month along? At this point is it safe to spay her?

The other option of rehoming her is a painful one. She might not be super cuddly, but she's still one of my babies. And with kitten season already being underway, I don't know that finding someone who can take her is an option... And the stress of going to a new home might not be the best option for her at this point.

But if she has the kittens, we won't be able to vet them and ensure the care they'll need. Which will put the babies and possibly her at a disadvantage in that we won't be able to help if something goes wrong.

I'm planning on calling the spay clinic on Tuesday once they're open for the week to see if maybe they'll be able to tell me anything about of it's an option to spay her safely at this point. Since we weren't initially given any useful information about her visit yesterday.
 
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I wanted to give an update:

My mother in law is willing to help with anything we need to get Precious to term with her pregnancy. She apparently wants one of the babies as a surprise gift for my step son (who lives with her to help her out around the house when we're not there to help). She already has one queening box from when her previous cat has kittens about ten years ago and is willing to help us either build or get a second one to keep outside just in case.

She said that all she used when her cat had babies were fleece blankets that she changed out and washed daily, but she's adamant about making sure we have anything on hand that we might need since this will be Precious's first and only litter (she's planning on taking her to get spayed for us once the kittens are weaned).

Here's her list so far:
New fleece blankets
Kitten milk replacement formula
Kitten feeding bottles
Kitten chow (solid and wet)
Food grade diatomaceous earth for the yard
A new litter pan for her birthing area

Anything I need to have her add to the list?
 

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You’ll need tiny 1-2mL syringes. Tiny kittens with a mom will rarely take a bottle unless you have Miracle Nipples (order on Amazon) that most resemble mom’s nipples if you need to supplement. A pharmacy will usually give you the needleless syringes for free.

I’m still concerned about the outside part. Could your mother in law keep the family in her home?
 

Sarthur2

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Also add wet food - Fancy Feast classic pates are excellent, especially the chicken. First ingredient is meat. Purina kitten chow is good for dry. It’s tiny pieces.
 
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Kitten_Mama

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You’ll need tiny 1-2mL syringes. Tiny kittens with a mom will rarely take a bottle unless you have Miracle Nipples (order on Amazon) that most resemble mom’s nipples if you need to supplement. A pharmacy will usually give you the needleless syringes for free.

I’m still concerned about the outside part. Could your mother in law keep the family in her home?
I'll let her know about the syringes and miracle nipples. Thank you!

We're all concerned about her being outdoors, but we don't want to stress her by moving her in to my mother in laws house or keeping her contained in a room - which would essentially mean cutting her off from the family since we wouldn't be able to safely go in and out (I wouldn't, at least) without her bolting out.

However, my mother in law just dropped off her cleaned queening box for me to put in the spot Precious sleeps in the most here in the house - and I've moved her favorite kitty bed in to it to help her feel comfortable in it. She also brought a topless kennel that is set up around the box with several feet of room around it. Planning on keeping the kennel door open so she can adjust to it being there without feeling trapped. And she said that she was going to do the same setup outside near where Precious hangs out when she visits her when she's out. I've noticed today, though, that she's spending more and more time in the house napping and staying near the food bowls (which are kept with a little food in them at all times)... So I'm hoping she'll start staying inside more as she gets further along.

She's due for her topical flea meds on the first, but my mother in law is going to take her to the vet for a checkup while I'm dealing with a disability hearing in a few days. Since we'll be out in town anyhow. I told her to ask if we need to hold off on that or give it early or what needs to be done in that regard. I do keep lavender on hand for passional use, but it does help keep fleas at bay as well, so I can give her gentle, very damp wipe downs with a lavender brew if necessary. And she's also going to ask about the pumpkin seeds I usually put in their wet food once a week. I don't think those two will be an issue, but we'd all rather play it safe and ask the vet first.
 

Sarthur2

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She should still get her topical flea meds provided it is not Hartz brand. Your mother in law sounds like a very kind and generous person! I hope all this works out well!
 
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Kitten_Mama

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She should still get her topical flea meds provided it is not Hartz brand. Your mother in law sounds like a very kind and generous person! I hope all this works out well!
We've been using the advantage flea and tick drops. My mother in law is an awesome person, too! Even though she struggles with mobility issues herself, she was there every day when I was in the hospital after the stroke trying to keep me as upbeat as possible. And she has a soft spot like we do for animals. ❤
 
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Update:

We put Precious in a birthing pen this past Saturday. It's outside, but well protected from the elements. There's a small-ish fully enclosed area for her to have the kittens (including a few fleece blankets for warmth/moisture absorption and several more on hand to change out) that has a hole big enough for her to easily walk through (even with her pregnancy belly) that leads to an open area that contains her food, water, and litter box. This area has a solid floor metal meshing around it so she can see what's around her.
Up until this morning, she's upped her food consumption to about 2 cups of food a day (normally she might max out at 1 cup a day depending on how active she's been that day) and my partners mom and I have been taking shifts sitting with her and giving her loves (which is a new thing with her as she's normally very antisocial with everyone except me and our other cats). Today, she's barely touched her food and is pacing a lot more than normal. She's still as vocal as ever, though, which is something that hasn't changed. She's always been a vocal kitty even if she doesn't necessarily want pets.
Holly, our Maine Coon kitty who's six years old and fixed, has been staying out near Precious's pen. She's gone on a major mole killing spree the past two days, though. Since 6 am this morning, she's brought 8 to the kennel door.

Needless to say, we've had a lot of mole burials and I'm fully expecting an uprising from the mole population. 🤣

I've read that expecting kitties can stop eating a day or two before labor starts, but I'm not relying solely on that. Gonna continue keep watch over her in shifts. We were planning on not moving the kittens inside after their eyes are open if Precious will show it (we have a nesting box already ready for her, but didn't want to stress her unnecessarily with the other cats being nosey).
 
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They're arriving!

We checked her at 4 PM. She was still lovey and munching away on her food. My partners parents checked at 5:30 PM before they had to run to town for some errands and ended up giving her a small amount of food because her bowl was empty and she was asking for more. We just went to check on her again and she's had two kittens so far - both of which were a dark orange color, but I didn't reach in to touch them to see if they had any calico markings (which would make them female with the very rare chance of one being male). I let Precious sniff my hand and give her a few head scratches when she head booped my hands and then closed the door and left her alone.

But Yay!!!! They're here!!!!! Gonna go back out in an hour or so with a dry, clean blanket to replace her birthing one with and make sure she has food and water for the night, but we're going to leave them alone for the rest of the night so she has time to bond with the little ones and rest.

I'll check in tomorrow with a head count/coloration update.
 
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She's also doing good. No complications so far.
I just took her a clean blanket since it looks like rain is incoming in about thirty minutes or so.

Head count right now:
3 dark orange
1 black that could possibly be a mini me of Precious but I didn't dare try to get a closer look
And she was working on delivering another when we left.

She's licking them clean, cutting the umbilical cord, and eating/cleaning up the birthing remains like she should.

She's let me pet her, and is not showing any signs of distress, so we're going to stop hovering for the night and let her bond with her babies. ❤❤
 
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Precious had 4 babies. 😍😍😍😍

It looks like there's one that's going to have the same coloration as mama, which means it'll probably be female.

And from what I've read, most orange/blonde cats are male.

At what age will I be able to tell the sexes of the kittens?
 

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If the tom was orange, the orange babies could be female; if not, then definitely male. You may be able to tell from their genitals at this age.
The daddy is a very sweet orange kitty. And they all look the same to me right now, so I'll keep a check as they grow I guess.
 
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