New feral cat - is it Pauli or Paula. / It's Paula and we have kittens.

[cat_dad_dan]

Thanks everyone! Still 4, so I think the work is done. I will give Pauli some good food right now, she deserves it! I bought special mother/kitten food with extra calories for the first few months. Hopefully will give them a good start.

 

[cat_dad_dan]

Pauli and the kittens seem to be ok. No more new kittens came. They eat and drink a lot, I have made an improvised litter box with sand from outside (as she is a stray cat who is used to go outside). I ordered a more fancy one, but that one I will receive tomorrow. Also the special food should come tomorrow. I am curious how the night will go, I hope everything will go well! I read that I should only replace the blanket after 24 hours, so that during the first 24 hours they can be left alone undisturbed.

 

[Kwik]

Pauli and the kittens seem to be ok. No more new kittens came. They eat and drink a lot, I have made an improvised litter box with sand from outside (as she is a stray cat who is used to go outside). I ordered a more fancy one, but that one I will receive tomorrow. Also the special food should come tomorrow. I am curious how the night will go, I hope everything will go well! I read that I should only replace the blanket after 24 hours, so that during the first 24 hours they can be left alone undisturbed.

That's right---you've got it Cat Dad!
God Bless you,you're doing a really wonderful job!
You can gradually add litter ,a little every day as you clean out sand....I used dirt & sand with my feral when brought him in( last month) now its straight clumping litter and he digs forever,seems to like it

 

[fionasmom]

Kitten Lady
This site is also very helpful.

 

[iPappy]

She's such a pretty lil girl.....for starters an avg minimum 20" open litter box would be fine,2 is better.... get some "cat litter attractant" like ULTRA in case she doesn't know what it's for- show her with your hands how to dig tye litter ( copy cats,lol)

Put it not far from her nest but opposite side of her food and water sources....

The "digging" with your hands works surprisingly well. Put her paws in it and let her feel it, most cats will automatically catch on. When the kittens are old enough to eliminate on their own, they will "go where Mama goes" so making sure she understands the litter box thing will make working with the kittens so much easier.
C cat_dad_dan you are awesome for taking care of this cat AND her kittens, despite the huge surprise of having them all!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

WOW...I got here Iate, after aII of the excitement, but congratuIations, C cat_dad_dan ! And thank you for your Ioving care of a cat that someone thought was a "throw-away!" BTW...I'd have thought that she was a neutered maIe, as weII! UntiI I saw the nippIes, at Ieast!

 

[Norachan]

What a surprise! She had us all fooled.

I know this is all a bit much to take in at once C cat_dad_dan but if you have any questions we have loads of articles about new born kittens here.

Pregnant Cats And Kittens Articles

And we're all happy to answer any questions you might have. Please keep us updated! Thank you so much for taking care of Paula and her new family.

 

[cat_dad_dan]

Thanks everyone! Everything seems ok, they made it through the first night. Only I discovered that she had pooped (quite a lot!) Upstairs and not in the improvised litter box. The litter box is in the same room, should I maybe put it upstairs where she pooped?

 

[Norachan]

Thanks everyone! Everything seems ok, they made it through the first night. Only I discovered that she had pooped (quite a lot!) Upstairs and not in the improvised litter box. The litter box is in the same room, should I maybe put it upstairs where she pooped?

Yes, put the box in the place she pooped and put either a tiny bit of poop or a piece of tissue paper you used to clean up with in the box too. She just needs a tiny whiff of her scent in the box and she'll get the idea.

I use those puppy pee pads under my litter boxes as one of my boys is a bit old and his aim isn't so great.

If you need to clean up any accidents an enzyme cleaner will remove all trace of smell so the cat won't think that's the spot they're supposed to go.

Nature's Miracle is a good one, but most pet stores sell their own brand of enzyme cleaner.

 

[cat_dad_dan]

Thanks Norachan
I put some materials from outside in the box and put it upstairs. It is a bit rough in terms of sand, dirt and some wood chips. But that was the material I found outside where she usually goes.

She seems exhausted, too tired to get up and drink and eat. Though she ate some hours ago.

All in all quite a surreal experience yesterday. I thought Paul was dying, I would bring him to the vet for the first and last time. I go to the vet to pick up a carrier to be able to take him, when I come back I see a little one. My first thought was that Paul caught a rat. Because it was so out of context. But the next second it all clicked.

 

[Kwik]

May I also suggest to add a second litter box( in the spot downstairs you chose as well.... just as Norachan explained do the same for the downstairs box....remember that cats prefer to do their business away from food & water sources and might be too near the nest- they are meticulously clean and it seems they take no risk of contamination( so possibly for her kittens sake)

Just a suggestion so she does not have far to go and every cat should have ( plus 1 extra) litter boxes..

 

[cat_dad_dan]

Thanks Kwik I think the other box was too near, maybe 8 feet or so. I will receive a new one today, so I can use that one downstairs. And I will put it by the window from which she usually goes in and out.

 

[Kwik]

Thanks Kwik I think the other box was too near, maybe 8 feet or so. I will receive a new one today, so I can use that one downstairs. And I will put it by the window from which she usually goes in and out.

Perfect,even in front of it so she has to walk through it,that's how I start ferals to go into a box....then you can move it a few inches at a time... ferals are leary of stepping into a box,thats why the Cat Attract & Ultra litter attractants help as well Do be sure to put some litter in with your mixture of sand & dirt from outside so you can start putting less & less of that and more & more litter. It's very hard to clean dirt & sand without emptying it out so you have to always keep some of their scent until they start using it regularly .. hope that helps

Many people think cats just automatically go in litter boxes & training is very simple,once will do the trick ( yes indeed - with domestics & strays) Not ferals but I suspect your Mama girl is more like feral behavior in that she was let out to do her business- thst means they never go to the same place because they've got tons of places to go- so it's just a wee bit trickier to get the litter box training established.....this is also why I suggest more than one.... and they must be meticulously clean
My new feral,still at 45 days I'm cleaning his box 4 times a day,I hope to have a reliable & trustworthy litter box boy!

 

[cat_dad_dan]

Thanks! I will see how it goes. Meanwhile, Pauli doesn't seem to eat and drink as much as yesterday. I really have to put the food in her face and she will eat a little bit. Yesterday evening she was crazy for the wet food, she left the nest and came running to the kitchen, but now she is a bit more mellow. Well, I guess she could just be tired.

 

[Kwik]

No doubt she's exhausted,it's not uncommon for a Mama who just gave birth to be too tired to eat at first..I wouldn't worry the first couple of days ,we'll take one step at a time and you are quite attentive so we are here with you .
Keep us posted and keep both fresh wet & dry food available to her,a Mama cat can eat as much as they like-they need it
Don't be afraid to give her something really fatty,smelly like macheral,tuna or sardines if you want to entice her to the food dish.... but I wouldn't be concerned at tye moment,. Hey Daddy,us Mommies can tell you it's completely exhausting giving birth!I can't imagine 4 times in half a day!

 

[cat_dad_dan]

Thank you Kwik , it is nice to have backup, all of you have been very kind and supportive.
I put out some of the special mother/kitten food and from time to time I offer canned fish for cats. I noticed that the blanket is a little bit dirty, shall I change this later today when mother cat is out? Or leave it for a little longer? I guess I can just slowly move the kittens, take the blanket and put in a new one?

 

[Kwik]

Thank you Kwik , it is nice to have backup, all of you have been very kind and supportive.
I put out some of the special mother/kitten food and from time to time I offer canned fish for cats. I noticed that the blanket is a little bit dirty, shall I change this later today when mother cat is out? Or leave it for a little longer? I guess I can just slowly move the kittens, take the blanket and put in a new one?
View attachment 454776

I'd leave it a little longer-what is smelly to us is comforting to them- it's only been a day

They are precious

 

[iPappy]

Thank you Kwik , it is nice to have backup, all of you have been very kind and supportive.
I put out some of the special mother/kitten food and from time to time I offer canned fish for cats. I noticed that the blanket is a little bit dirty, shall I change this later today when mother cat is out? Or leave it for a little longer? I guess I can just slowly move the kittens, take the blanket and put in a new one?
View attachment 454776

When it comes time to move it, you can carefully roll up one side of the blanket so one side of their box is bare, tuck the new blanket in, gently transfer the kittens and remove the old, then spread the new one out. That photo is adorable. They look like happy little babies. (Also, you could line the box with newspaper to preserve the life of the box!)
Do you have a postage scale you can use to weigh them daily and keep track to make sure they're all gaining?

 

[cat_dad_dan]

Thanks iPappy , I will do that at the end of the day today.

The litter box remains an issue. I have put out 3 boxes.

1. Relatively nearby (8 feet), near a plant in the corner, a real litter box with wood pellets. And I now put a little bit of excrement on the pellets. She hasn't used it yet. Maybe more sand?

2. Upstairs in the place she pooped yesterday. She pooped here again and urinated. But behind where I put the litter box on the mat she used yesterday as well. I will take that mat away and just leave the box. But the material is still quite rough from outside, so maybe more usual litter box material?

3. Near the door, a box with mostly sand from outside. She used it, sand is also on the floor.
I don't smell anything though. I will try to put less sand here today, so she can get used to the litter box material.

So what do you think, do I switch them around or leave it as it is? Thank you!

 

[Kwik]

Thanks iPappy , I will do that at the end of the day today.

The litter box remains an issue. I have put out 3 boxes.

1. Relatively nearby (8 feet), near a plant in the corner, a real litter box with wood pellets. And I now put a little bit of excrement on the pellets. She hasn't used it yet. Maybe more sand?

2. Upstairs in the place she pooped yesterday. She pooped here again and urinated. But behind where I put the litter box on the mat she used yesterday as well. I will take that mat away and just leave the box. But the material is still quite rough from outside, so maybe more usual litter box material?

3. Near the door, a box with mostly sand from outside. She used it, sand is also on the floor.
I don't smell anything though. I will try to put less sand here today, so she can get used to the litter box material.

So what do you think, do I switch them around or leave it as it is? Thank you!

I've never had any success with pellets,it's a very unnatural feel for cats-easy enough to start a kitten off with that material or a seasoned litter trained domestic but the outdoor kitties.... ?
DrElsys makes a litter called Touch of Outdoors thst has those natural smells- excellent starter litter for ferals-I mix in half of dirt,grass,sand and whatever they were used to( take out big roots,stones etc).....

Low pans that are easy to step onto as well(:they are a pain for cleaning up because litter get everywhere- but it's temporary) Outside cats do not step INTO anything so it's strange for them

The more natural the texture the better ,that's why I prefer a soft clay clumping litter mixture with some DrElsies at first( not much dirt mix,)