Stray cat might be pregnant? Help?

Chibi-Miki13

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I have seen a cat around my house who will not let me close enough to touch them ( so could be a girl or boy I guess but I call it a her because it looks like it may be pregnant ) She comes to get food/ cries at us for food when we are outside so she knows us as food givers but we can't get too close. I feel this cat has a really large tummy! I am going to try to get a photo of the cat if I can but again she does not let me too close. I am not sure catching it would work or not It is getting really hot and I am worried for her even if she isn't pregnant. She is one of 3 cats I have seen around the house lately ( I have to give them food I am soft lol)

We do live near a couple barns. a field, and a pond so she should be fine when it comes to water and shade/shelter. I feed her when I see her around too. Is there any way to tell if she is pregnant without seeing her nipples? Any advice on what to do if anything?
 

Sarthur2

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She appears heavily pregnant. She is looking for food. Feed her as much as you can. She needs it. Perhaps if you set up a safe nesting place for her away from the elements she will have her kittens there. She needs spaying eventually and her kittens will need socializing and rehoming.
 

StefanZ

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Agree!
If having her inside is an option for you, please prepare also an inside place for her.
She knows she needs help now, for herself and her childs. In this situation it happens they voluntarily come and seek help. Even if shy otherwise.

IF you try and catch her; beware of wrestling catch as catch can. Use a trap / opened carrier; or at the very least, use a towel to throw over her and wrap her up... (train some beforehand). Wrapped up and with head covered, they tend to calm down and keep still. Also, you wont be scratched...
And so you release her in her prepared room, and leave her be a couple of hours so she can calm herself and notice its an OK place for her and her childs.
 
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Chibi-Miki13

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I am feeding her whenever I see her which is mostly at night. I think she finds shelter from the heat during the day then waits to hear us come home at night to beg. Sadly inside is not the most possible option because we have 3 cats inside already. The only place possible she could go inside is the bathroom and that would bother our cats. HOPEFULLY she has the kittens close enough that once they are mobile we can get them used to people. She is not TERRIFIED of humans (especially when we have food for her lol) we can't touch her but she comes rather close like an arm or two away. Maybe if we sit outside when she eats and talk to her etc she'd warm up to us more? If she gets more used to us it would be more likely she'd end up leading her cubs over to get food so we would be able to win them over.

Any advice on if we should feed her anything special. I gave her some tuna today with her dry food and she loved that.
 
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Chibi-Miki13

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So she went missing for a few days and finally cam back!

I have not found the kittens yet but bought some kitten food and wet food for mom
mama came back.jpg
 
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Chibi-Miki13

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I posted a bit ago about a stray that might be pregnant. Well she was and we found her and the kittens. She didn't come around as much for food so we decided to set her up in our bathroom. We live trapped her and gathered her 4 kittens ( who are.. less than 2 weeks old?) I wanted to be sure mom had enough to eat and they did't get hit. Mom seems settled now and I had a bit of a plan? Dry kitten food out at all times as well as water and litter. Wet cat food once or twice a day. I heard a raw egg was good once a day but I am not sure about that? Please if anyone has tips comment.

Mom is not totally feral, but she is protective ( she bit my husband when he got too close. It was his fault and he is fine) She knows us as food givers. So far today no issues, we made sure mom found the kittens and she has eaten but is usually in her nest which is good. We will not bother her nest and we will talk to them whenever we are in the bathroom. My plan is to find homes for all 4 kittens and get mom fixed. I will either find her a home or let her back outside where we will feed her.

Please tell me if I am on the right track or not. Any advice is welcome. I just want mom and babies happy and healthy.

Below are some images of our set up and the kittens. The cooler is where the nest is ( with an opening on the other side) To the right of what you can see is a towel holder ( the wood thing) and our shower/toilet/sink. I think she likes it? It seems like a nice enclosed but open area. The cooler gives her a 'safe' nest where we can't get to.

PS. a special thank you to our neighbors who told us we could go into their shed (or whatever you want to call it) whenever we wanted to so we could catch mom and babies
 

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Jcatbird

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Awwwww! Beautiful little ones! Bravo to you for saving them! You are literally saving lives.
It sounds like all is well set up. I probably would not give raw egg just because of salmonella but that’s me. KMR is a milk supplement that you can give. Mom cat needs plenty of extra nourishment that is in that and the babies will be able to drink it too. Goats milk can be useful too. The kitten food is an excellent idea. You really have everything going well! The cooler. Are the kittens inside that or behind it? I wasn’t sure. If inside just make sure there is plenty of air getting through the opening. Being insulated , it should help to maintain body temperature. Just keep watch on all and keep us updated. If you have any concerns or questions, TCS is certainly the place to ask.
Mom cat is doing well and I’m case you don’t know, ferals can be socialized for adoption in most cases. She seems a very good candidate for thatvif you are interested. Working with her as the kittens grow will make it much easier. Seeing you earn the trust of the babies and handling them will help her to gain trust. There is a process to follow if you are interested.
Thanks for the great photos! I hope you post more as they grow. They’ll change quickly over the next few weeks.
Also, please extend thanks to your neighbor! I wish all neighbors were that caring and kind.
You’re doing great! :clap2:
 

StefanZ

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You did exemplary, precisely along the best of manuals. I will probably write more later, now the missus wish my to take a stroll outside.
BUT I want you to know. :)

Yes, raw egg is good as long eggs in your area are free from salomonella. Although just egg yolk is better. Raw is best, but if you have problems with salomonella so let it be well boiled.
 

white shadow

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Hi Chibi-Miki13 !

It's so great that you have rescued this beautiful little family !

I wanted to warn you against the raw egg - then, just as I started to write, StefanZ StefanZ posted....so, now this becomes a little 'touchy'.

First, raw egg white should never be given to cats. Here's why not:
"It is important to cook egg whites until they are hard, because uncooked egg white contains something called avidin, which combines with biotin (one of the B-complex vitamins) to make it unavailable, and cats do need their B vitamins. Cooking the egg whites destroys the avidin...."​

The only other practical suggestion I could make is to put the wet food into a bowl....those cans have sharp edges and very small openings - the last thing you want is a mama cat with a cut tongue or sore lip !

Keep us posted on how they (and you guys) are doing.......we'll sure be watching !
.
 

StefanZ

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Hi Chibi-Miki13 !

It's so great that you have rescued this beautiful little family !

I wanted to warn you against the raw egg - then, just as I started to write, StefanZ StefanZ posted....so, now this becomes a little 'touchy'.

First, raw egg white should never be given to cats. Here's why not:
"It is important to cook egg whites until they are hard, because uncooked egg white contains something called avidin, which combines with biotin (one of the B-complex vitamins) to make it unavailable, and cats do need their B vitamins. Cooking the egg whites destroys the avidin...."​

The only other practical suggestion I could make is to put the wet food into a bowl....those cans have sharp edges and very small openings - the last thing you want is a mama cat with a cut tongue or sore lip !

Keep us posted on how they (and you guys) are doing.......we'll sure be watching !
.
Yes, that is correct you say. Tx!

So, while whole raw eggs are OK - because; 1. its what cats eats in nature if they can. 2. The good of yolk outbalances the disadvantage of raw egg white -

yes, its true, its the raw yolk which is really good and raw egg white less so. SO. Separate yolk from the white if the trouble is doable for you. Boil the white and give it separately if you wish; it does contains lotsa of proteins. After all, an old synonyme for proteins IS egg white... At least, in swedish and in polish.

You can also use this separated egg white in scrambled eggs for yourself, or for baking.


Sorry I was a little unclear above, I wrote in all haste before going out with the missus.
 
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Chibi-Miki13

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ok! I would rather be safe than sorry with the eggs. I have given her 1 or 2 when she was outside but I was already thinking of changing to bowls for the wet food so she can reach all of it!. I am glad it seems like a good idea to bring them inside because I was on the fence. (I felt guilty because " I want to see kittens so lets kidnap the family" I had to weigh if it may be best for the mom and babies or if it was just because I wanted new kittens in the house you know??) I have 3 inside cats ( that are not going to be allowed in that room) They will be a bit irritated but a month or so of being upset to possibly save lives is ok! I in no way mean to cause a debate. I am not judging either side I just want to help and a friend told me to try egg. Would cooked egg be good for mom? I am willing to boil eggs if she would eat them and they would help her. I need to look up KMR and see if it is anywhere close! I know cow milk is bad idk if I can get goat easily or not.

The kittens are inside the cooler ( I made to make sure a cat I have been feeding will have a warm place when needed it is like 6-7 inches each side?) I would take a pic but I don't want to irritate mom but I used a "how to make a cat house out of a cooler" kind of guide when we made it so it is a pretty large opening. Any tips for making these cats ready to be adopted are very welcome. I would keep them if I could but I live in an apartment and have no more room really. I am fully willing to work with them in any way I can because I would love all of them to get good homes. If nothing else I will make sure mom has no more. The bad thing is likely most, if not all of the litter is female. Calico are usually girls and I think 3 may have calico marks? I did not want to stress kittens too much to get the best images, but as they age I should be able to tell better. So I hope they all get fixed... If I could keep them long enough I would fix them but I can't...

Still open to literally anything that can help. Even if I do not use what you say please share what you know with me. With your help I hope to assure a better life for all of them =3
 

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Boiled eggs are ok. Safe both from salomonella and the egg white is boiled. If she eats. :)
Raw goats milk is costly but best. But other processed full fat goats milk are ok (I mean, do avoid funny diet variations with much reduced fat content). Some rescuers are happy with Meyenberg? powdered goats milk. This may be found in the baking shelf in many shops. Why I dont know, but our forumists tell this...

Re spaying... Spaying is usually done in USA at 8-10 weeks, when they are 2+pounds. You can charge the adopter with the costs. Its no money for the adopter, because spaying / neutering should be done anyway... Its one big trouble less for them.
If you need low cost clinic please write whch town you are in - some of us forumists are very good at finding these clinics...
 

Sarthur2

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Great job! Thank you for saving this family. Mom can definitely be spayed, vaccinated, and released as an outside cat that you feed.

I suggest that you give wet food 3-4 times a day as mom needs extra nutrition while nursing, and the kittens will go through lots of food once they begin weaning. My cats enjoy scrambled eggs and also boiled chicken shredded up. A sprinkle of salt can be added. You can order a can of powdered PetAg online and probably get it delivered quickly. It will help mom and kittens with calcium and taurine needs.

Enjoy the kittens and keep up the nice job! :)
 
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Chibi-Miki13

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I should be able to feed mom wet food more often than I had planned, I just got a case and I have half a case of wet food. I will keep dry kitten food at all times so if she wants it between wet food she can. If anyone has links to some of the milk etc I should look into on amazon or whatever that would he helpful as I want to get the right things! I am about to go look at local stores when I am out today! Is any kitten milk good for mom and babies?

As for getting the kittens fixed I know one place someone told me does free fixing ( where I plan to take mom) for people that live here. I have gotten my cats fixed there and they make you wait till they are like 6 months old. They also test for a couple things ( I forget what) and if they have those the cats are put to sleep, which is why this option is usually best used for stray/feral cats. I had checked in my town before for prices on getting cats fixed and never found any cheap or ones that let you get them fixed very young.


Does anyone happen to have discord? If so maybe I can add you and we can talk in there because it is instant instead of forms.
 

cataholic07

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Get mom fixed there and check our prices for others. Kittens can be fixed at 11 -12 weeks old generally, and should stay together until then anyways. Some vets will spay/neuter young, unfortunately not nearly enough. Makes me mad. Just have the new owners pay whatever you paid. Those kittens are cute enough that you can do it lol. You can do preadoptions essentially people pay to reserve the kitten.
 
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Chibi-Miki13

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we got some pet ag and mom had some! how much should we give her of that at a time? We now have a set up with an auto water bowl, a bowl for milk, a bowl for wet food and a bigger bowl that has dry kitten food. I think mom is already getting used to us, she comes out to see us when we feed her, excited for food. She only growls or hisses if she is startled or if she thinks we are too close etc but she stays in her little area with her kittens. One of them wondered out of the nest so I got to see it! I have high hopes for this little family because it has only been a day and I have noticed improvement!

and I would get the kittens fixed but as far as I know none around here fix that young.
 
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Chibi-Miki13

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So today I was in the bathroom and mom was acting calm ( at least seemed so to me) She wasn't growling or hissing, she just walked over to her food and sniffed it, then streched some. I stood still as she strolled over and bit my toe and ran off as she hissed. I thought she was doing well but clearly she is not lol. Any tips are welcome. We don't touch the nest area at all, I was a ways away from the nest, she didn't growl or hiss before she bit me so it was shocking to say the least. I am not giving up on her at it has only been a day, but I want to avoid being bit both for me and because I don't want her stressed.
 
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