Hi everyone:
I'm looking for advice on managing my latest project. A young feral cat turned up on my isolated, rural property. I put out food & water for about a week & when I got a good look at her, realized she was starving & pregnant. She was in such bad shape I think she was getting weak & passive. I caught her very easily in a trap 3 days ago & found she had a swollen foot to go with her swollen belly. I took her straight to the vet in the trap, but he decided on conservative, long-distance treatment because it would have been life-threatening for either her or the kittens to try to examine her. I'm giving her antibiotics in her food & the swollen foot looks much better.
I've got a 5x10' pen in the corner of the basement - best I can do in a house full of rescue pets. She has a carrier to hide in. She hisses & yowls at me when I come in, & is absolutely frantic to eat. Her body is gaunt except for the big belly. I'm feeding her 3 times a day & putting down treats every time I go into the pen, but she seems to be getting more hostile as she feels better. I'm being careful, & paying attention to her body language, but I think she will attack if I come too close. I'm trying to figure out how to manage for the next few months. I'm very concerned about socializing the kittens when she's so frightened & so hostile. I'd be grateful for ideas on how to reduce the stress on both of us. Most of all, I want the kittens to have every chance at good homes & I'm not sure how I can handle them if she's this hostile.
As a rescue person, I've always had spayed/neutered pets. Could her increasing aggression by related to impending labor or is she just extremely feral, trapped in my house & no longer feeling like she's going to starve to death? Do mother cats lose their minds right before giving birth? What is a good whelping setup in her pen? I'm an experienced pet owner & rescue person who has had feral cats before (some that became loving house pets & some that didn't), but this just seems like a perfect storm of challenge. Any advice from people who've been there would be appreciated.
Thank You!
I'm looking for advice on managing my latest project. A young feral cat turned up on my isolated, rural property. I put out food & water for about a week & when I got a good look at her, realized she was starving & pregnant. She was in such bad shape I think she was getting weak & passive. I caught her very easily in a trap 3 days ago & found she had a swollen foot to go with her swollen belly. I took her straight to the vet in the trap, but he decided on conservative, long-distance treatment because it would have been life-threatening for either her or the kittens to try to examine her. I'm giving her antibiotics in her food & the swollen foot looks much better.
I've got a 5x10' pen in the corner of the basement - best I can do in a house full of rescue pets. She has a carrier to hide in. She hisses & yowls at me when I come in, & is absolutely frantic to eat. Her body is gaunt except for the big belly. I'm feeding her 3 times a day & putting down treats every time I go into the pen, but she seems to be getting more hostile as she feels better. I'm being careful, & paying attention to her body language, but I think she will attack if I come too close. I'm trying to figure out how to manage for the next few months. I'm very concerned about socializing the kittens when she's so frightened & so hostile. I'd be grateful for ideas on how to reduce the stress on both of us. Most of all, I want the kittens to have every chance at good homes & I'm not sure how I can handle them if she's this hostile.
As a rescue person, I've always had spayed/neutered pets. Could her increasing aggression by related to impending labor or is she just extremely feral, trapped in my house & no longer feeling like she's going to starve to death? Do mother cats lose their minds right before giving birth? What is a good whelping setup in her pen? I'm an experienced pet owner & rescue person who has had feral cats before (some that became loving house pets & some that didn't), but this just seems like a perfect storm of challenge. Any advice from people who've been there would be appreciated.
Thank You!