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Pregnant Stray
About a month ago, I took in a pregnant stray that has been in my
neighborhood for a couple of years. I was getting tired of her having babies, so I decided to take her in so she can give birth in my home. I gave her a flea bath on the first night and now a month later she is still doing well. Her stomach has gotten bigger and I think that she will give birth any day now. I have gotten a carboard box, turned it upside down for privacy, with some old blankets and put it in a corner hoping she will give birth in there. I have a few questions: 1. I think she has been a stray all her life, and when she was out on the street I fed her often so she knew me before I took her in. She lets me rub her head but won't let me touch the rest of her body, especially her stomach. She just stays under my bed and comes out to eat, use the bathroom and whenever she feels like allowing me to pet her. But if she sees me coming, she runs. How long will it take for her to stop running away from me? She should know that I don't want to hurt her by now, right? 2. When she has the babies, I am guessing that they will be urinating/pooping right there with her in the bedding. What are your suggestions for making this as hassle free as possible? Do they have anything on the market for newborn kittens to relieve themselves in?(I looked but couldn't find anything) 3. Once the kittens are weaned, I plan to take mother and kittens to the vet to be fixed, shots, tested for diseases and all that good stuff. Are there any agencies that will help offset the costs for all these cats? Thanks in advance for your help, Peggy |
#2
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Pregnant Stray
About a month ago, I took in a pregnant stray that has been in my neighborhood for a couple of years. I was getting tired of her having babies, so I decided to take her in so she can give birth in my home. I gave her a flea bath on the first night and now a month later she is still doing well. Her stomach has gotten bigger and I think that she will give birth any day now. I have gotten a carboard box, turned it upside down for privacy, with some old blankets and put it in a corner hoping she will give birth in there. I have a few questions: 1. I think she has been a stray all her life, and when she was out on the street I fed her often so she knew me before I took her in. She lets me rub her head but won't let me touch the rest of her body, especially her stomach. She just stays under my bed and comes out to eat, use the bathroom and whenever she feels like allowing me to pet her. But if she sees me coming, she runs. How long will it take for her to stop running away from me? She should know that I don't want to hurt her by now, right? 2. When she has the babies, I am guessing that they will be urinating/pooping right there with her in the bedding. What are your suggestions for making this as hassle free as possible? Do they have anything on the market for newborn kittens to relieve themselves in?(I looked but couldn't find anything) 3. Once the kittens are weaned, I plan to take mother and kittens to the vet to be fixed, shots, tested for diseases and all that good stuff. Are there any agencies that will help offset the costs for all these cats? Thanks in advance for your help, Peggy I took Kitty in when she was about 4 and pregnant. Found homes for babies, had her spayed and she became a house cat and my baby. She went out for a while then wanted out less and less until she did not go out at all. She is now about 16 and is still very timid and nervous. Whenever she hears a noise she a strange noise she hides. She lets me pets her and pick her up for short periods but it is when she wants it!! If I reach for her any other time she takes off. But she is my favorites out of the four. She pretty much stay in my bedroom and as soon as she sees me go bed she is there and sleeps with me all night. If I turn my back towards her she comes and sets right behind me until I turn over facing her again then she lays down and goes back to sleep. As for having the kittens have go thought about a covered litter box for her to have them in?? Just put a blanket in it for a bed then if they do make a mess of any type it will be in the container and not get on the floor. I use covered litter boxes for beds and hide-a-ways for mine. I do not use them for litter boxes so there is no confusion. My Furbabies http://members.aol.com/larrystark/ |
#3
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Pregnant Stray
Thanks, I will consider that.
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#4
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Pregnant Stray
In ups.com,
Peggy Fair purred: About a month ago, I took in a pregnant stray that has been in my neighborhood for a couple of years. I was getting tired of her having babies, so I decided to take her in so she can give birth in my home. I gave her a flea bath on the first night and now a month later she is still doing well. Her stomach has gotten bigger and I think that she will give birth any day now. I have gotten a carboard box, turned it upside down for privacy, with some old blankets and put it in a corner hoping she will give birth in there. I have a few questions: Bless you for taking in this Mama Kitty! 1. I think she has been a stray all her life, and when she was out on the street I fed her often so she knew me before I took her in. She lets me rub her head but won't let me touch the rest of her body, especially her stomach. She just stays under my bed and comes out to eat, use the bathroom and whenever she feels like allowing me to pet her. But if she sees me coming, she runs. How long will it take for her to stop running away from me? She should know that I don't want to hurt her by now, right? It all depends on the cat and her age. If she's older and has always lived on the street, she may never become used to being loved and cared for. It's part of her insitnct ofr survival - anyone and anything can hurt you at any time. If she's young, she may get over this and come to trust you, but it may take time, and then she may be fearful of anything "new" in the house, be it a visitor or a piece of furniture, for the rest of her life. 2. When she has the babies, I am guessing that they will be urinating/pooping right there with her in the bedding. What are your suggestions for making this as hassle free as possible? Do they have anything on the market for newborn kittens to relieve themselves in?(I looked but couldn't find anything) Newborn kittens do not urinate or defecate unless stimulated to do so by their mother cat (or human surrogate). Stimulation comes in the form of Momma licking their behinds (or in the case of a human surrogate, gently rubbing their nether regions with a soft cloth or tissue), so that when they do eliminate, she ingests it and there is no waste left to attract predators (yes, cats, although predators, can become prey themselves, especially helpless newborn kittens). When they get older, say 2-4 weeks of age, they will start going on their own - you will need to provide them with a litterbox that they can get into (they are still toddlers at this point, and not coordiated enough to be able to get into the deeper litterboxes). Make sure that any litterbox that they can use is filled with clay (non-clumping) litter (or shredded paper, anything but clumping litter) as any clumping litter will be ingested by them as they clean themselves (they start to do that at about a week old - merely imitation of Mamma), and may solidify in their gut, causing death (just think of it like eating cement). 3. Once the kittens are weaned, I plan to take mother and kittens to the vet to be fixed, shots, tested for diseases and all that good stuff. Are there any agencies that will help offset the costs for all these cats? Some area humane agencies (Humane Association, Humane Society, Society for the Protection of Animals, or even the local animal shelter itself) will offer finacial assitance for the lower income. Where I live, there is a Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP for short), and also a medical assitance fund for those who need help when their pet is injured or very ill, and they can't afford it. You will have to check with your municapilty. Kittens can have their first official vist to the vet at 4 weeks of age, but they are still too small to be tested for the nasties at this point, nor will they be given any shots, but they will probably be given worming medicine to ensure that they have no intestinal parasites. Mamma can accompany them for this visit, and will probably get her shots as well as a wormer. Thanks in advance for your help, Peggy |
#5
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Pregnant Stray
Thanks for taking this girl in.
The jury is out on her ultimate personality until after she's had her kittens and been spayed. She could come around or could stay shy. It largely depends on what she's been though in her life and nobody knows that and she's not telling. I've seen it go both ways. Give her some time after she has her babies and gets spayed and see what happens. Momma will clean up after her babies the first few weeks. There will be a bit of a mess when she's delivering so put down old towels or bedding. It's also normal for her to have a blood tinged discharge for the first week or so. She will clean up most of that too but you will probably see some staining of the bedding. Have a litter box, food and water in the room where she has the kittens. When the kits are around 4 weeks old or so she will show them how to use the box. Start feeding momma kitten food now. She needs the extra calories. I always give my pregnant mommas canned kitten food as well. The kittens will start eating the wet food when they are 4 - 6 weeks old following mom's example. As for the spay, do a web search for low cost spay/neuter and you should find some sites where you can get low cost spay vouchers. One that you can try is spay & save. They have a link on their page listing the vets who accept the vouchers and how much they charge. You'll have to check with the individual vets for actual costs because some require additional services (blood work and/or an exam) to be rendered at regular fees to qualify for the low cost spay. Bummer, I know. Also call around to SPCAs in your area and ask if they know where you can get discounted services or vouchers for the same. Some are more likely to be willing to work with stray cats than others so you might want to try contacting a local rescue group to pick their brains and get any suggestions they might be able to offer. They are usually very willing to pass on information. They might be able to help you find homes for the kittens as well. Good luck with your little family W "Peggy Fair" wrote in message ups.com... About a month ago, I took in a pregnant stray that has been in my neighborhood for a couple of years. I was getting tired of her having babies, so I decided to take her in so she can give birth in my home. I gave her a flea bath on the first night and now a month later she is still doing well. Her stomach has gotten bigger and I think that she will give birth any day now. I have gotten a carboard box, turned it upside down for privacy, with some old blankets and put it in a corner hoping she will give birth in there. I have a few questions: 1. I think she has been a stray all her life, and when she was out on the street I fed her often so she knew me before I took her in. She lets me rub her head but won't let me touch the rest of her body, especially her stomach. She just stays under my bed and comes out to eat, use the bathroom and whenever she feels like allowing me to pet her. But if she sees me coming, she runs. How long will it take for her to stop running away from me? She should know that I don't want to hurt her by now, right? 2. When she has the babies, I am guessing that they will be urinating/pooping right there with her in the bedding. What are your suggestions for making this as hassle free as possible? Do they have anything on the market for newborn kittens to relieve themselves in?(I looked but couldn't find anything) 3. Once the kittens are weaned, I plan to take mother and kittens to the vet to be fixed, shots, tested for diseases and all that good stuff. Are there any agencies that will help offset the costs for all these cats? Thanks in advance for your help, Peggy |
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