Any advice on what to do with pregnant stray cat?

J

JJ1982

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A cat, no more than a kitten herself has turned up at my house for the last few days. She is heavily pregnant so I am guessing she is looking for a safe place to nest and have her babies.

My own tom cat is quite nice towards her (they arent his, he has had a shnip) and she is a pleasant if not skittish and nervous.

So my question is, does anyone have experience on what to do with a pregnant cat near her time, I am not going to ignore her and hope she goes away. Any advice would greatly help
 
I haven't direct experience but i'd suggest maybe putting a box with a few blankets etc in a quiet place like the corner of the shed so she can have a quiet place to nest. Maybe some dried food and water nearby too.
 
Ciaraella said:
I haven't direct experience but i'd suggest maybe putting a box with a few blankets etc in a quiet place like the corner of the shed so she can have a quiet place to nest. Maybe some dried food and water nearby too.
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+1

Our tabby had a litter of 5 very young but coped fine once she had box, blanket, food & water close by. Keep a respectful distance but be around and keep an eye on your tom around her & the kits immediately after in case of any friction ( or amorous notions on his part ) . She'll manage feeding and washing them fine. Don't handle the kits, she might drag them here there or even move to another spot after the birth, if so try move the accommodation/food to her new spot. Hope it goes well.

PS if you decide to accept her adoption of you as granny, a visit with her to the vet for a snip after might avoid future recurrences.
 
Graham_07 said:
+1

Our tabby had a litter of 5 very young but coped fine once she had box, blanket, food & water close by. Keep a respectful distance but be around and keep an eye on your tom around her & the kits immediately after in case of any friction ( or amorous notions on his part ) . She'll manage feeding and washing them fine. Don't handle the kits, she might drag them here there or even move to another spot after the birth, if so try move the accommodation/food to her new spot. Hope it goes well.

PS if you decide to accept her adoption of you as granny, a visit with her to the vet for a snip after might avoid future recurrences.
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Hello, i hope I double quoted both of you guys, thansk for the advice.

The tom is spayed, I think its why he is quite calm about her. I have tried to show her the shed in the very back of the garden but she is too nervous to go in there. I would adopt her, but obviously find homes for the kittens. How soon can I get her spayed after giving birth, will she go into heat very quickly and be caught out again?
 
yeah I love quite near a vet so ill pop in and ask. I know of one particular vet in the area who spays while they are pregnant, I am not sure what to feel about that. I have seen lots of dead cats and kitten on teh road but kitten abortion sounds ghastly
 
Depending on how far gone her pregnancy is, it may be possible to spay her now and terminate the pregnancy. Discuss with your vet to see if that would be possible - last thing you need is a litter of kittens to find homes for. I wouldn't worry about 'kitten abortion' - it's a cat, not a human at the end of the day.
 
If you'd prefer not to have the cat's pregnancy terminated, the best you can do is what you're doing right now - provide a place for her to give birth, and make sure she has some food and water. She may not use the place you've provided - I was in a similar situation a few years ago, and the cat gave birth elsewhere, then moved the kittens to the box we had set up outside. She moved the kittens a couple of times after that, but kept returning to our garden - sometimes, alas, with one less kitten.

Cats generally come into heat again about 4 weeks after giving birth, so it might be wise to have her spayed during that period.
 
The best thing you can do for the cat is get in touch with cats aid - .
They are a charity which home cats/kittlens and don't put cats down.
They will come and collect cat and have their own vet that will spay the cat.
No affiliation - just adopted a cat from them.
 
JJ1982 said:
I have tried to show her the shed in the very back of the garden but she is too nervous to go in there
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We have a skittish stray around our house and i've found the best thing to do is to provide nice food (i'm a soft touch so the chicken wings etc go out for the cats) and back off from her. I've found that if you don't try and approach or touch the cat they become more comfortable around you. If you keep leaving food around the area near the bed she'll gradually become more comfortable but unfortunately it might take a bit of time.
 
Ciaraella said:
We have a skittish stray around our house and i've found the best thing to do is to provide nice food (i'm a soft touch so the chicken wings etc go out for the cats) and back off from her. I've found that if you don't try and approach or touch the cat they become more comfortable around you. If you keep leaving food around the area near the bed she'll gradually become more comfortable but unfortunately it might take a bit of time.
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Chicken bones should NOT be given to cats and dogs. The bones splinter and get caught in their throat, and it is agonising for them. Just take off all the meat with your fingers.

Some years ago, Marian Finucane would have some chef on every Christmas telling us how to cook a turkey, and every year he would talk of giving the carcass to the dog. I called the show many times to tell them to correct him, but they never did.
 
Bluebells said:
Chicken bones should NOT be given to cats and dogs. The bones splinter and get caught in their throat, and it is agonising for them. Just take off all the meat with your fingers.

Some years ago, Marian Finucane would have some chef on every Christmas telling us how to cook a turkey, and every year he would talk of giving the carcass to the dog. I called the show many times to tell them to correct him, but they never did.
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+1. Every time I speak to the vet they mention this even though I confirm that I would never dream of giving either a cat or dog any form of chicken bone.
 
Personally I don't know if i believe the advice on chicken bones, at least in terms of cats and small dogs. I had a jack russell for 14 years, now have two terriers for the last six years and a load of stray cats around the area. I've always put out chicken bones for them and never had a problem. I think it's different for big dogs who eat their food much quicker and in big bites without chewing the way small dogs and cats do.
 
Ciaraella said:
Personally I don't know if i believe the advice on chicken bones, at least in terms of cats and small dogs. I had a jack russell for 14 years, now have two terriers for the last six years and a load of stray cats around the area. I've always put out chicken bones for them and never had a problem. I think it's different for big dogs who eat their food much quicker and in big bites without chewing the way small dogs and cats do.
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Its a problem for small dogs and cats too, the point is that the bones of chicken can splinter (which does not happen with the bones of non poultry). Its not only in the throat it can happen, it can happen further down the digestive system as well.

As for 'not believing it' - you can see it yourself with chicken bones, next time you have a well cooked chicken break a bone and you will see it actually splinters and there are shards - not like bones from other meats. After you have done this see if you believe it.

I would never give an animal of any size a chicken bone, the splinters can cause agony.

And with respect - how do you know if any stray cats have had problems with this? Theyre not likely to come back and tell you.
 
Sue Ellen said:
+1. Every time I speak to the vet they mention this even though I confirm that I would never dream of giving either a cat or dog any form of chicken bone.
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While I wouldn't disagree with this, many cats don't seem to have too much bother with little bird bones.
 
Ciaraella said:
Personally I don't know if i believe the advice on chicken bones, at least in terms of cats and small dogs. I had a jack russell for 14 years, now have two terriers for the last six years and a load of stray cats around the area. I've always put out chicken bones for them and never had a problem. I think it's different for big dogs who eat their food much quicker and in big bites without chewing the way small dogs and cats do.
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It is many decades since I saw my dog running in a frenzy, howling in pain with a chicken bone stuck in throat, yet the memory of it still makes me shudder. I beg you not to feed anymore of these bones. If you could see the misery they can cause, you would never do it.
 
JJ1982 said:
yeah I love quite near a vet
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Really? Does he/she mind or are you very discreet? :D

BTW, I abhor cats so I won't give my predictably negative and watery suggestion to the OP's question in case it may cause offence or distress. Neutering sounds like a good idea though. ;)
 
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