What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

luvmyfurbabys

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OK so I was walking down the street ...and there was a kitty , no collar no tags and bone thin ... she somehow found her way into my coat , and into my house * cough * .

While I was giving her the few weeks of adjustment in my bedroom ( which is large and has 2 rooms ) her nipples got huge she got a belly that moves.... I do believe we are pregnant.

We are feeding her extra but this is all new to me.... Help ... tips on the other cats , my kids , how much should we be feeding her .... all she seems to want is wet food but will settle for dry.

How do I know when its time? I've had 7 kids and I feel like an expectant father lol.
 

lyrajean

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Are you feednig her kitten food? She can use all the nutrition and extra calories it provides from pregnancy until the kittens are weaned off nursing.

Hopefully someone else will chime up soon, who has more experience with little ones and expectant moms than I. But you are a wonderful person for providing a safe maternity ward for this furbaby!
 

booktigger

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I would take her to a vet asap, she will probably have fleas and worms and only certain things can be used - they will also be able to give you an idea of how far gone she is. ~You also need to keep her completely isolated from your other cats, and somewhere quiet for her to settle with the babies.
 

breellablue

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I personally know that finding a pregnant stray can be a very exciting time and you are awesome for taking her into your home. Everyone loves kittens but you should also think if it's safe to continue a pregnancy. Sometimes it's best to abort them in cats who are young skinny street cats who may have serious health problems (Kidney issues are very common in malnourished street cats). You need to weigh your options very carefully. Are you prepared for the vet bills should something go wrong? can you afford to spay/neuter all the kittens? (which could be on average 5 cats) can you re home not just mom but kittens too?

I do wish you luck whichever route you choose.
 

proudmamiof4

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You have been given great advice, I will add I also think a vet visit is in order. I would also contact local no kill shelters to see if maybe they can assist you with vet bills and rehoming the Mama and the kittens. You are great to have taken her in! Good luck
 
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luvmyfurbabys

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She has no fleas , we have checked for worms she has her own food and litter in our 2 room bedroom. I didn't know she was pregnant when I found her , I didn't think Golly Gee what fun to have a stray pregnant cat , it became apparent after about 2 weeks ...... and I am Catholic now and will not abort a set of lives ( no more comments will be made on this subject from me ).

I have a few homes lined up , and will have the kittens vetted before they go to their forever homes.

The food we feed goes from kitten to senior cat its a local brand to New England.

We called the vet today and he said that , we are doing all we should and now all we can do is wait. He advised against shots ( except for Rabies ) at this time and deworming.

She appears to be a throw away , she knows how to use the litter box , and shows no sign of trying to get out .... we think she is a tossed cat from the recession ... which is become very common around here.

Thank you for your answers.
 

autumnblueangel

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I believe she should be allowed to have a mixture of both wet and dry food because if that's what she's most fond of at this point, she should be able to indulge to keep her feeling stress free and satiated.

She needs to be fed an always ready and available supply of wet & dry kitten food. Kitten food is higher in nutrients and is good for pregnant, lactating or recovering cats.

Lactating or Pregnant cats need to always have food when they want it. They need to always be stress free or as close to it as you can manage.

The reasoning for this, is that you don't want her to stress enough she abandons them, and also - the better health & if she's getting good nutrition, then the less chance her milk will dry up. This is always a huge risk with thin or underweight new mother cats - so it's best for her to be able to eat her fill.

All my older cats get fed Optimum dry food. I never feed them the wet stuff. They're all healthy and happy, however when S, M & K had their babies they were immediately switched to the best wet food as well as some dry food available (avoiding whiskers at all costs!) & when F (S's remaining baby) started wet food, she was on the best wet food as well.

I would stay clear of the cheap, generic store stuff. I was a fool, when M's first litter were born, and fed them Whiskers & Snappy Tom & Kitty Cat & I was made to regret taking the easy route.

By the time they were 6 months, they were severely underweight, no matter what they ate, and one of them nearly died because it would go in one end and out the other, until the vet gave me royal canin and I realized what was wrong.

Royal Canin is the BEST FOOD ever. It saved my cats life, however, failing being able to find it or afford it, Optimum is good as well. Feeding them good food will help them in the future.

She needs to be able to eat as much as she wants and gain weight. When the kittens are born, if she's relaxed, in a nice, dim & warm place with enough time to bond with her babies, she should do fine with them.

Keep the babies away from your other cats as their immune systems are still developing. Make sure you keep the blankets clean and sanitized.

When kittens are old enough, get them to have a general vet check, and I'm sure you'll find good homes for them all.

This cat is lucky to have found you, it's sad that she was cold and stick thin and such, but hopefully you can give her all the love and care she needs and help her deliver her babies healthy into the world so that they can find future loving homes.
 
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luvmyfurbabys

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The babies were born May 30th , there were only 3 , 1 male( orange Tabby) and 2 female ( one Black , one Calico like her Momma ).

I have homes for them all ... one person is taking 2 , she already has set up the appointment for them to be fixed and shots( at the 8 week mark ) ... and I trust her she is the person who cares for my disabled kids. She has wanted a kitten for as long as I have known her and is beside herself thrilled. Shes naming them Emmie and Max .

The other one I'm keeping ( I have a 15 room house , and I'm able to support the vet bills )

Her name will be Trinity because she is one of 3. I haven't decided between the black one of the calico one I want to get to know them first.

Izzy , the Mother cat , will be going to get fixed and shots ASAP , along with Trinity .... I named the Mother cat Izzy because my Bellah passed almost a year ago and she has the same sweet soul. Izzy is short for Isabella , plus I watch ( and read ) too much Twilight LOL .

Thank you for all the helpful comments ... to the one who though I should have aborted them ... see all have good homes ... there was no need to go to an extreme.
 

amyscrazy

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Congratulations on the babies! I hope momma and babies continue to do great. Do you have any pictures?
 

mews2much

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Thats great they all got great homes.
I still get to see my Cocos son because he went to my sister.
I kept the calico but I lost her at age 5 and my dad gave the other kitten to cosin it with out permission and he gave her away.
The agreement was she would come back to me if he could not keep her.
I would love to see pictures of the kittens.
I wish I had pictures of Cocos kittens but my old computer crashed years ago and the pictures were not backed up.
 

trillcat

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How great everything turned out so good!

Don't be to harsh on the poster who wrote about abortion, it is sometimes a necessity to save the life of Mom cat, all can be lost in some cases, mom and babies. She (or he) was just saying how it can be in a worst case scenario I am sure and meant no harm, though I cannot speak for someone else that is my take on that.
Trinity. I LOVE that being a HUGE Matrix fan!
And I agree with the others, pictures please!
 

samlovesba

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Originally Posted by luvmyfurbabys

plus I watch ( and read ) too much Twilight LOL .
I'm right there with ya

lol, I was going to change ellie's name to bella, then I realized Ellie could be short of Isabella.. lol
 

Willowy

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Yes, aborting the kittens sounds terrible, but killing them after they're born is worse, IMO. And that's what happens to a huge percentage of accidental kittens. So don't be too harsh on the person who suggested that, sometimes it's better that way. Even though I am completely against abortion in humans, the overpopulation situation with cats is grim, and sometimes there are hard choices to be made.

Glad it all worked out in this situation, though! Post pics!
 

mrblanche

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My guess is that fully 75% of all the kittens that come into our shelter end up being put to sleep when it's during kitten season. I cry for all of them.

I have fond memories of kittens around the house when I was growing up. One of the cruelest memories I have is when I learned that my grandfather routinely killed the excess kittens.

I went to visit our vet last week, who has two of our shelter kittens available for adoption. They wanted to cuddle and nuzzle my face. I just melted. The vet assistants think I'm crazy, I suspect.

Mike, the crazy cat guy.
 

addiebee

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

My guess is that fully 75% of all the kittens that come into our shelter end up being put to sleep when it's during kitten season. I cry for all of them.

I have fond memories of kittens around the house when I was growing up. One of the cruelest memories I have is when I learned that my grandfather routinely killed the excess kittens.

I went to visit our vet last week, who has two of our shelter kittens available for adoption. They wanted to cuddle and nuzzle my face. I just melted. The vet assistants think I'm crazy, I suspect.

Mike, the crazy cat guy.
Awww. You're not crazy.
 

threecatowner

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I'm glad all the babies have homes. I love happy endings!

PS: I'm Presbyterian - and I wouldn't abort them either!
 
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