Should I bring the stray to vet?

[traveil]

There is a new cat which appeared recently near my block and it looks pregnant. Should I bring it to the vet to have it checked and then release back to where I found it so that I can make decisions on whichever outcome? Yes the ear is not tipped I am certain it is not spayed yet. I do have a cat at home originally so I feel if I brought home the cat she will get stressed. What should I exactly do? I have attached a photo which my family says it’s pregnant. May I know is there is a possibility it’s a male as it looks like a tortoiseshell cat but in grey lol.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm pretty sure you're looking at a pregnant queen. She just doesn't look like simply a "chonk," to me. So IF you can safely get her to a vet, I'd suggest doing so. Is there somewhere outside your home where you could set up a safe haven for her?

 

[Norachan]

Yes, she does look pregnant. Is she friendly enough for you to touch? Do you think you can get her into a carrier?

Cats that give birth outside have a really tough time. Most kittens die from disease, traffic accidents or are taken by predators. If you want to help her at all the best thing you can do is bring her indoors and give her a safe place to raise her kittens. This would mean you would be responsible for rehoming the kittens, as well getting them vaccinated and getting the mother spayed when she's weaned her babies.

Do you think your family would agree to you doing that?

 

[traveil]

Yes, she does look pregnant. Is she friendly enough for you to touch? Do you think you can get her into a carrier?

Cats that give birth outside have a really tough time. Most kittens die from disease, traffic accidents or are taken by predators. If you want to help her at all the best thing you can do is bring her indoors and give her a safe place to raise her kittens. This would mean you would be responsible for rehoming the kittens, as well getting them vaccinated and getting the mother spayed when she's weaned her babies.

Do you think your family would agree to you doing that?

She is very friendly and let me touch her several times. If I really brought her home how should I deal with my original cat? Will she get stressed?

 

[Norachan]

She is very friendly and let me touch her several times. If I really brought her home how should I deal with my original cat? Will she get stressed?

You will need to keep her away from your resident cat, at least until the kittens are weaned and the mother has been spayed. Pregnant cats are pumped full of hormones, so trying to introduce them to new cats won't work. She'll see any strange animals as a threat.

Do you have a spare room? A bathroom or even a closet would work. Or do you have a garage you could set up a crate for her in?

She won't need a lot of space, just somewhere quiet and safe. Check out some of Kitten Lady's videos on YouTube, she has lots of good ones


Catman Chris does lots of rescue too. He has some good set-ups for his fosters in his garage.

Cat Man Chris

Thank you so much for caring for this cat, you're going to make the world of difference to her and her kittens.

 

[traveil]

You will need to keep her away from your resident cat, at least until the kittens are weaned and the mother has been spayed. Pregnant cats are pumped full of hormones, so trying to introduce them to new cats won't work. She'll see any strange animals as a threat.

Do you have a spare room? A bathroom or even a closet would work. Or do you have a garage you could set up a crate for her in?

She won't need a lot of space, just somewhere quiet and safe. Check out some of Kitten Lady's videos on YouTube, she has lots of good ones


Catman Chris does lots of rescue too. He has some good set-ups for his fosters in his garage.

Cat Man Chris

Thank you so much for caring for this cat, you're going to make the world of difference to her and her kittens.

Okay..that is assuming she is pregnant..if she is not pregnant is it cruel thing to put her back to where I picked her from? I’m planning to get her spayed before returning.

 

[Norachan]

No, it wouldn't be cruel. Obviously the best thing for any cat would be to have a proper home, but if you already have as many pets as you can afford then getting her spayed and releasing her is the next best thing.

You could ask shelters in your area if they have room for another cat, but most shelters are already full and the waiting list for new homes for the animals they have is often years long.

It is also possible to spay-abort now. Of course no one wants to do that, but if shelters are full and you don't want the responsibility of caring for and rehoming a litter of kittens that is an option. In my opinion it's better to spay-abort than allow a cat to have kittens outside, because kittens can suffer quite horribly out there. Plus any survivors add to the feral cat population.

Everything You Need To Know About TNR (trap-neuter-release) - TheCatSite

 

[traveil]

No, it wouldn't be cruel. Obviously the best thing for any cat would be to have a proper home, but if you already have as many pets as you can afford then getting her spayed and releasing her is the next best thing.

You could ask shelters in your area if they have room for another cat, but most shelters are already full and the waiting list for new homes for the animals they have is often years long.

It is also possible to spay-abort now. Of course no one wants to do that, but if shelters are full and you don't want the responsibility of caring for and rehoming a litter of kittens that is an option. In my opinion it's better to spay-abort than allow a cat to have kittens outside, because kittens can suffer quite horribly out there. Plus any survivors add the feral cat population.

Everything You Need To Know About TNR (trap-neuter-release) - TheCatSite

I am thinking if it’s really pregnant I will keep it and let it give birth in one corner of my house, safe from the dangers outside, away from my resident cat. Probably after the kittens have weaned off, I will give them all away to potential screened adopters as I am not keen on spay-abort as I find it is very cruel.. If during that period I formed a bond with mama cat, I will keep it (of course I will get it spayed). Most importantly it is provided that my resident cat is ok with it.

My resident cat is spayed, FELv negative, also a stray which I brought home about 4 years ago from the streets. She is roughly about 12 Years Old now. I mainly I do not want to stress my senior cat with a new cat.

And if it’s really not pregnant, I will get it spayed and release back.

Anyways thanks for all the advices, I will try to capture her when she appears.

 

[Norachan]

Good luck. Please keep us updated on how everything goes

 

[traveil]

Good luck. Please keep us updated on how everything goes

I brought her home but my resident cat wasn’t pleased at all. I proceeded to watch Jackson Galaxy’s introduction video and he mentioned they should not even see each other at all until they are comfortable which is my first mistake. But how do I undo this meeting when my doors are made of glass? Lol.. The grey one is the stray one which hissed at my resident cat which is the brown one. And yes my resident cat is growling at her too and hissed at us when we tried to stop making them look at each other. Is this normal and what should be done better? This is my first time having to introduce a new stray cat to another and it kinda stresses me. Everything the stray uses are items that my resident used before, so it does have my original cat scent lingering around. The stray also used my resident cat’s litter box which I did not have time to change.

Btw, they actually look alike except having different shades of color.

 

[Margot Lane]

If you are worried about them seeing each other is there any way of putting up cardboard or a blanket w tape? Has mom got comfy blankets, maybe a cardboard box, kitten milk, litter box? Moms need to feel safe & comfortable.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yep, even a sheet thumb-tacked across the door will do it.

 

[traveil]

Hello all, I have covered the glass door with pieces of A4 paper and my resident cat still senses the cat at the other door and hisses+growls which I stopped her from doing so. By the way, I went to the vet and have her checked. She’s indeed pregnant and expected to deliver in 2-3 weeks time. She will be having 3 kittens. She’s also FeLV negative phew! I will be setting up her delivery room soon too once I have the free time to head over to the pet supplies shop and will be buying her nursing cat food for her safe delivery. As I mentioned earlier, she is generally friendly and does not scratch me at all. Estimated 2-3 years old according to vet. What else should be done for her to feel more comfortable?

 

[Norachan]

She's so pretty! I'm glad she's safely indoors now.

I suggest you have a look at our Pregnant Cat and Kitten articles so you know what to expect.

Pregnant Cats And Kittens Articles

Most importantly, get some KMR and either feeding bottles for kittens or syringes in case you need to supplement any of the kittens. Do you have kitchen scales? It's a good idea to keep track of the kittens weight to make sure they are gaining every day. Give her a choice of nesting boxes in her room. Some cats are happy with a cardboard box covered with a blanket. If you have an old fleece sweatshirt that you don't mind donating to her that will make good bedding for newborn kittens. Old newspapers or those puppy pee pads are great for lining the boxes birthing boxes with.

Another thing that might help keep your cat and the new cat calm are Feliway plug-ins.

FELIWAY® | Calming Pheromone Diffusers for Cats & Felines

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Don't worry overly much about a bit of hissing and growling, as it is your resident cat just expressing her opinion, and regardless of what some experts say, it is normal. It should abate with time. Sometimes, a good bit of time.

You seem to be doing everything just right, but Norachan brings up a good point. This girl has not had an easy pregnancy, so do be prepared to supplement feedings, if necessary. Cats are survivors, and she will probably be fine, but better safe than sorry!

 

[traveil]

Hello all, after days of settling down she is much more calmer than before - at least she doesn’t try to jump and escape and lesser meowing. I have been quite busy myself trying to settle my studies and the cats waking me up at 5am every morning and getting less than 4 hours of sleep daily worrying about them both. I was initially so scared they are both stressed at each other but now my resident cat is starting to accept the mama cat. I mean acceptance as in totally ignoring and not even bothered about going in the kitchen but she still does stare through the kitchen and stayed throughout the time whenever I was inside feeding mama cat. (There is 2 doors to get through mama cat btw) I am not so sure this is good or bad but we shall see. During the weekends, I will bring mama cat out around the house for a supervised walk without my resident cat around. Mama cat is actually showing signs of diarrhoea but she still have some solid poo, I will observe her and hope she recovers from it. I am not sure whether if it’s her first pregnancy and am not sure whether she will do a good job being a mom.. Definitely preparing a playpen, weighing scale/syringes for the newborns, peepads/newspapers, tons of towels and what else? I am so worried for her as it is my first time helping a cat deliver too. Btw, I tried to play with her using some cat toys but she doesn’t seem to be interested - is this normal?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If the diarrhea persists, have her checked. There are all sorts of things that can cause it, and some of those can be passed on to her kittens. It is quite normal for a cat who has been on its own not to know what a toy is. They have to learn, and that can take time. She just doesn't know...yet.

 

[catmoon]

I know you're considering putting her back outside after she has kittens, but since she's friendly you could always adopt her out. An odd number of kittens is great because everyone can be adopted in pairs. When I took in my pregnant stray she had 5 kittens. Mama went to a home with one of her babies and the other 4 were adopted in pairs.

I found great homes within my own social circle because I didn't want to overwhelm my local rescue. But if cost is an issue and you don't know anyone who wants cats or you would 100% trust to take good care of them, you could always look for rescues (not shelters) in your area.

You seem to be doing everything right! Just be prepared for some maternal aggression toward your resident cat once those kittens are born.