Young Pregnant stray

TingaTinga

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Now i dont know if this cat is a stray yet but its been turning up in my garden for 2 days now. I havent fed it or fussed it or paid any attention to it except from a distance cos if its not a stray i didnt want to encourage someone elses cat to keep coming to mine.
However how long should i leave before determining it doesnt have a home and needs care as i believe it may be pregnant?
Id guessimate the age to be between 8-10 months basing that on how our own cats look in comparison. I could be completely off the mark though.
Thanks
 

Sarthur2

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Oh dear! She probably is pregnant and hungry. Is there no collar or tags? You could have a vet scan for a chip. Is she clean? Some strays appear unkempt. You could ask neighbors and put up flyers. I would feed her anyway.
 
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TingaTinga

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No theres no collar/tag. Ive asked the immediate neighbours if shes any of theirs or have seen who she may belong to but no-one has seen hee before. I havent gotten too close to her cos i didnt want to encourage her if she has a home but from what ive seen she looks in good condition. Doesnt seem too skittish but i havent attempted to get too close yet. Im worried that if she really is a stray she needs care if shes pregnant. To be inside at an absolute minimum at least. I'll leave some food out for her just in case. If it comes to it and i need to take her in what should i do with regards to our other cats?? I dont want to stress her if shes pregnant and i dont know if shes carrying any infections/diseases/parasites that she could pass onto ours.
 

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If you bring her in, you should put her in a separate room or large kennel if possible, until she can be vet checked. If your cats are up to date on vaccines there is low risk.

Pregnant cats should not be vaccinated, but they can be treated for fleas, worms, and parasites.

An x-ray would show how many kittens she may be carrying and an approximate gestational age.
 
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TingaTinga

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Yes our cats are all up to date with vaccines, worming/flea etc. Ok well i'll leave her a dish of food and see what happens. She may have just been a bit lost and found her way back now. Will just keep an eye out for her
 
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TingaTinga

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I know its a bit of "how long is a piece of string" but if u can see a belly (assuming its not just an obese cat) how far along could it be? There is a definite belly showing but not massive. Ive seen pretty fat cats looking similar
 

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Can you post a picture? Cats begin to show around the fifth week.
 
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TingaTinga

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Yes im going to try and get a pic if she comes back
 
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TingaTinga

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Ok so i set up a kind of bed/den/comfortable space in our shed/outbuilding with an old sun lounger mattress, blankets etc and kept the door propped open. She was lounging in there in the sun yesterday so i zoomed in from above as best i could without disturbing her. Pregnant or fat do you reckon??
 

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Sarthur2

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Most likely pregnant. She seems to have adopted you! Let us know how things go. :lovecat2:
 
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TingaTinga

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She seems in very good condition so i fear someone is missing her terribly 😥😥 i'll make sure she has shelter and food for timebeing but wont encourage her anymore than that for a couple of weeks. After which time i'll assume shes ours🤷‍♀️
 
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TingaTinga

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Shes still here on and off so i took her to vet just to check for chip and to see if pregnant. Well, no chip and very pregnant. He reckons 7.5 weeks and could feel 4 heads minimum so expect 4 plus. She was pretty easy to handle and get into a carrier so shes def just a lost little cat. He also said cats are generally very easy when it comes to giving birth but to watch if she strains while contracting for 15mins and no kitten appears to call and she may need an oxytocin jab. He reckons her to be about 8-9 months old and said as shes young herself she may not be interested in the kittens so if thats the case call the vets and the nurses here will show me what to do and give me everything i need. Im beyond shocked that we're going to be having kittens full stop let alone in potentially 1.5 weeks 😬😬😬😬
 

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It sounds like you have a terrific vet!

Is she living inside full time now? She should be.
 
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TingaTinga

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Well shes inside of sorts. Shes in my son's "man cave" in the garden. Its fully insulated and comfortable. My son sometimes sleeps in there during spring/summer. Its got a sofabed, fridge, tiny kitchenette with sink etc so shes well sheltered and comfortable. I dont know how she and our other 3 would get on and i dont want to stress her during pregnancy
 

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You would be amazed at how many cats' owners seem to just lose the cat when she gets pregnant.

You can check to see if anyone has put up lost cat flyers or on neighborhood social media. I find it better to wait until someone puts a lost cat notice up before putting up a found one, but you can do it either way.

What we did when we found the dog, the big dog, was send flyers to all the nearby vets in case their clients were missing a dog, the local feed/seed store, the pet supply stores, and the grocery.
 
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We're in england and even though the vet said if the kittens cant/wont feed fron mum to ring and they'll sort out some milk replacement (at a cost obv) id feel more comfortable having some in already. These are 3 i can easily get. Which one is best? I can get kmr but its imported and therefore much more costly and will take longer to arrive.
 

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TingaTinga

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So i went to sit with her a while just to see how she'd react to my presence (in case i need to intervene in an emergency) she was quite happy being stroked. She let me touch her belly too which im surprised about but only when shes basically knocked out sleeping lol i felt the tinniest of flutters a few times but nothing like other people have described or what ive seen on youtube when u can see the belly rippling. It was such tiny flutters it felt like bubbles popping or even gas/digestion movement. Is it concerning to barely feel anything at about 8.5 weeks??
 
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TingaTinga

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I thought this too. Vet said he could feel 4 heads and to prepare for 4 plus kittens which is why i got concerned tonight as 4 or more isnt a small litter is it?
 
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