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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
Last Friday neighbor kids came to tell me they'd found a cat. She's a
gorgeous tortoiseshell, looks to be about a year old, I think. We left her out, with food and water, for a couple of days, to see if she'd go home, but she didn't. So Sunday I took her in. I have her in a large crate, to keep her separate from my two males. I suspect that the two males would get used to her, they've already stopped hissing at her, and she's stopped hissing at them. Pi, who is always afraid of everything, has actually managed to go into the kitchen where the crate is, although he won't go anywhere near it if she's awake. My problem is that I know *nothing* about kitten births. I'm fairly sure she's pregnant, as she's getting thicker about the midsection. I'm taking her to the Humane Society on Friday to find out for sure. So in general, I guess I'm looking for some advice on how to proceed. I can turn her in as a stray to the Humane Society, and they'll place her and whatever kittens she has if they can. After the kittens are weaned, I might even be able to get her back. I *think* I can introduce her properly to the other two, slowly. Things looks promising with regard to that. The other option is to keep her and try to place the kittens myself. This is a real problem, as I don't really know a lot of people and I'd want to make sure the kittens are neutered, but I couldn't afford to do that myself. So I guess I'm looking for some general advice and information. For instance, what should I look for to be able to tell when she goes into labor? I'd want to keep her in the crate at that time. (Right now, I shut up the boys in a bedroom and let her out to roam around a bit, a couple of times a day.) Will she try to hide? There are a couple of places I wouldn't be able to reach if she decided to hide there. Is there anything a human has to do during delivery, or does the momma cat take care of everything herself? Am I biting off more than I can chew? I have bad knees and it's all I can do to reach into the crate to remove the litter box to scoop it. I'm home quite a lot in the summer, so I can be there if she needs me, I think. How many kittens are usually in a litter? Sorry if this all sounds higgledy-piggledy, but I'm really out of my depth. Thanks for reading, Chak -- I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-evaluate your life. --Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes |
#2
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
The Other Guy wrote in
: On Thu, 4 Jul 2013 05:23:53 +0000 (UTC), Chak wrote: My problem is that I know *nothing* about kitten births. That's OK, SHE will know what to do. In most cases, no human intervention is necessary OR even wanted. If she's due, just give her a safe spot, make sure the enclosure has a soft and warm and dry interior, AND has sides high enough to make sure the kittens can't get out til they are old enough. After the birth, Momcat will need good nourishment and water, and she'll take care of the kittens almost all the time. IF she doesn't appear to be taking care of them, then you'll need to take action, and get the kits to a rescue with experience with newborn kittens. Few Momcats are like that, but it's a possibility IF you do keep her for the birth, don't bother the kits until they're 3-5 days old, but DO handle them at that point (before their eyes are open) to get them used to human touch so they don't go feral. To reply by email, lose the Ks... Okay, thanks. I looked online for information but it's all either aimed at children or trying to sell me something. Chak -- I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-evaluate your life. --Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes |
#3
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
Judith Latham wrote in
: First I'd like to thank you for taking care of her. I couldn't have done anything else. She's beautiful, very sweet and loving. I don't know anything about cats giving birth or looking after them but I think that when you take her to The Humane Society if you explain the situation I'm sure they will give you advice on the best thing to do. They may suggest that if you keep her and the kittens until they are ready for new homes they could help with the re-homing. I think that they would be happy for you to adopt the mother even if she went to them to have the kittens. Good idea. Good luck. Thanks, I'll probably need it. Chak -- I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-evaluate your life. --Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes |
#4
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
Chak wrote in
: .... a long story about a stray cat. Just an update: I took the cat to the vet clinic Tuesday morning, I told them I didn't know if she was pregnant, and I didn't even know if she'd already been spayed. They said to wait while they shaved her belly to look for a scar. She had a scar, she's not pregnant, and... she was chipped. I have to say I was both a little relieved and quite crestfallen at the same time. When I called the chip company (Avid? I'm not sure of the name now. I do miss my memory sometimes. When I remember to.) Anyway, the chip company said that no one had ever registered the chip, but they shipped it to Animal Control Chicago. So Animal Control spayed her and chipped her and someone adopted her, but the person who adopted her never bothered to register the chip. (It is a one-time cost of $20, paid to the chip company.) I've been trying to get more information about the adopter, but so far Animal Control hasn't returned my calls. I suspect she's mine, and I'm glad. I'm also glad there are no kittens. Mostly. Anyway, thanks for your help. Chak -- I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-evaluate your life. --Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes |
#5
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
On 7/10/2013 11:27 PM, Chak wrote:
Chak wrote in : ... a long story about a stray cat. Just an update: I took the cat to the vet clinic Tuesday morning, I told them I didn't know if she was pregnant, and I didn't even know if she'd already been spayed. They said to wait while they shaved her belly to look for a scar. She had a scar, she's not pregnant, and... she was chipped. I have to say I was both a little relieved and quite crestfallen at the same time. When I called the chip company (Avid? I'm not sure of the name now. I do miss my memory sometimes. When I remember to.) Anyway, the chip company said that no one had ever registered the chip, but they shipped it to Animal Control Chicago. So Animal Control spayed her and chipped her and someone adopted her, but the person who adopted her never bothered to register the chip. (It is a one-time cost of $20, paid to the chip company.) I've been trying to get more information about the adopter, but so far Animal Control hasn't returned my calls. I suspect she's mine, and I'm glad. I'm also glad there are no kittens. Mostly. Anyway, thanks for your help. Chak I'm glad she's not pregnant. I don't understand why they didn't register the chip. But hey, you have a lovely new cat! Congratulations! Jill |
#6
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
"Chak" wrote in message ... Chak wrote in : .... a long story about a stray cat. Just an update: I took the cat to the vet clinic Tuesday morning, I told them I didn't know if she was pregnant, and I didn't even know if she'd already been spayed. They said to wait while they shaved her belly to look for a scar. She had a scar, she's not pregnant, and... she was chipped. I have to say I was both a little relieved and quite crestfallen at the same time. When I called the chip company (Avid? I'm not sure of the name now. I do miss my memory sometimes. When I remember to.) Anyway, the chip company said that no one had ever registered the chip, but they shipped it to Animal Control Chicago. So Animal Control spayed her and chipped her and someone adopted her, but the person who adopted her never bothered to register the chip. (It is a one-time cost of $20, paid to the chip company.) I've been trying to get more information about the adopter, but so far Animal Control hasn't returned my calls. I suspect she's mine, and I'm glad. I'm also glad there are no kittens. Mostly. Anyway, thanks for your help. Chak ------------------------------------------------------------------- yay! How far are you from Chicago? |
#7
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
On 7/11/2013 3:50 PM, Judith Latham wrote:
In article , Chak wrote: Chak wrote in : ... a long story about a stray cat. Just an update: I took the cat to the vet clinic Tuesday morning, I told them I didn't know if she was pregnant, and I didn't even know if she'd already been spayed. They said to wait while they shaved her belly to look for a scar. She had a scar, she's not pregnant, and... she was chipped. I have to say I was both a little relieved and quite crestfallen at the same time. When I called the chip company (Avid? I'm not sure of the name now. I do miss my memory sometimes. When I remember to.) Anyway, the chip company said that no one had ever registered the chip, but they shipped it to Animal Control Chicago. So Animal Control spayed her and chipped her and someone adopted her, but the person who adopted her never bothered to register the chip. (It is a one-time cost of $20, paid to the chip company.) I've been trying to get more information about the adopter, but so far Animal Control hasn't returned my calls. I suspect she's mine, and I'm glad. I'm also glad there are no kittens. Mostly. Anyway, thanks for your help. Chak It looks like you've got yourself a new fur friend. It's good news that she's not pregnant. I can't understand why her previous owners didn't register the chip but there we have it... they didn't and now she's found you. She's a lucky cat. Judith Since the chip was never registered Animal Control probably can't tell Chak anything. I'm hopeful he's glad he has a new kitty. Jill |
#8
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
On 7/11/2013 5:20 PM, Judith Latham wrote:
In article , Chak wrote: Chak wrote in : ... a long story about a stray cat. Just an update: I took the cat to the vet clinic Tuesday morning, I told them I didn't know if she was pregnant, and I didn't even know if she'd already been spayed. They said to wait while they shaved her belly to look for a scar. She had a scar, she's not pregnant, and... she was chipped. I have to say I was both a little relieved and quite crestfallen at the same time. When I called the chip company (Avid? I'm not sure of the name now. I do miss my memory sometimes. When I remember to.) Anyway, the chip company said that no one had ever registered the chip, but they shipped it to Animal Control Chicago. So Animal Control spayed her and chipped her and someone adopted her, but the person who adopted her never bothered to register the chip. (It is a one-time cost of $20, paid to the chip company.) I've been trying to get more information about the adopter, but so far Animal Control hasn't returned my calls. I suspect she's mine, and I'm glad. I'm also glad there are no kittens. Mostly. Anyway, thanks for your help. Chak It looks like you've got yourself a new fur friend. It's good news that she's not pregnant. I can't understand why her previous owners didn't register the chip but there we have it... they didn't and now she's found you. She's a lucky cat. Judith Sadly, it's not unusual for people to not look too hard for a missing cat. Or perhaps sometimes they do, and simply can't find it. I was so certain that my Sam, such a sweet-tempered cat and so clearly accustomed to living with humans, must have had someone looking for him that I didn't take his rescuers at their word and checked out the local lost cat resources myself. No one was looking for a young black tomcat. But it worked out well for me and Sam, and I'm sure it will for Chak and this cat. It's the loss of the original home! -- Cheryl |
#9
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
"Cheryl" wrote in message ... Sadly, it's not unusual for people to not look too hard for a missing cat. Or perhaps sometimes they do, and simply can't find it. I was so certain that my Sam, such a sweet-tempered cat and so clearly accustomed to living with humans, must have had someone looking for him that I didn't take his rescuers at their word and checked out the local lost cat resources myself. No one was looking for a young black tomcat. But it worked out well for me and Sam, and I'm sure it will for Chak and this cat. It's the loss of the original home! I was also sure that someone must have been looking for Boyfriend. I advertised him as found on a local radio station and put postcards in local shops but no-one ever claimed him. I know he had a previous home as he had an extremely posh collar on, but their loss, my gain. Whoever they were, they hadn't bothered to neuter him, so I guess he wandered too far in search of the girlies to find his way back. I'm glad he wasn't claimed. He's gentle, charming and totally wonderful. I just wish he wasn't quite so timid with visitors, he insists on going out if anyone comes. He even jumps up from a sound sleep if the phone rings and goes to the door but phone ringing is not an excuse to exit the house so I don't allow that. I do let him out if I have a visitor he doesn't know. He is not allowed to escape if it is June or Simon: although he never waits to find out who it is. Doorbell - head for the hills. Tweed |
#10
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Stray cat, possibly pregnant
jmcquown wrote in news:b47p9lF9su9U1
@mid.individual.net: I'm glad she's not pregnant. I don't understand why they didn't register the chip. But hey, you have a lovely new cat! Congratulations! I'm still waiting to find out if Animal Control can provide records. She's such a sweetheart, I can't understand why anybody would want to let her go. Chak -- I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-evaluate your life. --Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes |
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