fearful mother-to-be

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 18:44:17 -0400, "Snittens" ,
clicked their heels and said:

I understand where you are coming from. When I first got involved in
rescue, I felt sick about having a pregnant cat spayed and the kittens
aborted. Then I started to see just how many kittens are in need of homes.
I always thought "oh kittens are easy to adopt, there are enough homes to go
around." No there are NOT! And even though kittens can be easy enough to
place, it's all the work that is involved before they are old enough for
adoption (8 weeks by law, better at 12 weeks, IMO) that is the real strain
on shelters and rescues. Kittens get euthanized. I bet most people don't
realize that. They think "I'll take these cute and fuzzy kittens to the
shelter and they will all get homes!" Well, if they are under 8 weeks
and/or ill in any way, they may very well get put down.
Please rethink this. If you really want to save some kittens, go to your
local rescue and foster a litter that have already been born.

-Kelly


Thanks Kelly - this can't be emphasized enough. Shelters are overrun
with kittens (yeah one managed to snag me when I gave a tour, but
there's only so much of that you can do! ;-D). there aren't enough
homes. And for ferals even fewer. A sad reality. 25 years ago I
would have been shocked to hear that someone would abort kittens and
spay, but then reality set in.

--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

Janet B wrote:

With millions of perfectly nice and non feral cats needing homes,
bringing more little lives into the world doesn't make
sense to ME. If it does to you, have at it. I wish you luck.

I'm not bringing more little lives into the world. I've had all of my
cats neuitered before they could reproduce. The mother and father
brought these little lives into the world. They're in the world now,
in their mother's womb.

If I hadn't been told about these little lives, I wouldn't have become
involved, but once I was told that their lives were about to be taken,
I had no choice but to try to rescue them.

-cr

On 28 Jul 2005 15:26:17 -0700, "Calvin Rice"
wrote:

Please tell me what "2#" means. Just a translation is what I'm
asking.

-cr

I'm pulling for those kittens with you, Calvin. Don't let these dames
dissuade you with their rational arguments. Once the kittens are
born, they will swing into gear. You will get all the support you
want.

Charlie

On 28 Jul 2005 14:50:11 -0700, "Calvin Rice"
wrote:


That's the plan, but the mother-to-be, named Blackie, has been in
the bedroom where I'm keeping her at least until I get my garage
cleaned out, for six hours now, and all she has done is hide
under the furniture. I prepared a place in a closet for her
hopefully to have her kittens in, but she went there only once,
when we released her from the carrying cage at the door of the
closet.

I find it usually takes a week for a female to feel comfortable and
find a place to have her kittens. I'd leave her alone and she'll
probably be fine. They will postpone delivery until they do feel
safe.

I expected the cat to be very afraid, never having been in captivity
before, not even in a carrying box. I was aware from the start that
this is an extreme thing to do to the cat, but the helpless unwanted
kittens have no advocate but me, and I'm trying to do everything
I can to save them.

Thank goodness for people like you who care.

BarB

"Calvin Rice" wrote
I'm not bringing more little lives into the world. I've had all of my
cats neuitered before they could reproduce. The mother and father
brought these little lives into the world. They're in the world now,
in their mother's womb.

If I hadn't been told about these little lives, I wouldn't have become
involved, but once I was told that their lives were about to be taken,
I had no choice but to try to rescue them.

-cr


Well, sounds like your mind is made up. I hope you are prepared to be
scratched and bitten, dealing with the feral mother. Please contact a group
in your area that works with ferals. Try alleycatallies.org for help.
Seriously, if you don't know what you are doing, all you are going to end up
with is 4-6 feral kittens that will be impossible to place.

-Kelly

On 28 Jul 2005 15:49:52 -0700, "Calvin Rice" ,
clicked their heels and said:

They're in the world now,
in their mother's womb.

that's not in the world but if you believe it is go with your feelings
and best fo luck placing difficult kittens.


--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

Charlie Wilkes wrote:
Where do you live, anyway? Maybe I could take one of those kitties
off your hands. I almost got a second cat recently, but the deal fell
through, so I've got an opening.

In middle Georgia. The most recent kitten I got was from the
Oconee Regional Humane Society of Putnam and Greene
Counties, a good group of people, in my opinion.

If the kittens are born, I'll post a note about it here. But right now
I'm trying to help the mother-to-be accept her captivity and have
a healthy litter.

-cr

Kelly, if the mother has her kittens, I certainly will see them. The
cat is indoors, and will stay indoors, either in the bedroom or in
the garage. Six weeks after the litter is born, the owner of the
mother will come get her and have her spayed.

My question is how to see to it that the mother-to-be starts to
eat, drink water, and use the litter box in the bedrrom where
she is confined. My worry is that the mother-to-be will waste
away, or miscarry, or something, I know not what, because of the
trauma of being suddenly confined in a stranger's house.

If the kittens are actually born normally, I don't see why they will
be different from any other kittens. If this was happening outside,
yes, the kittens would become feral. That already has happened.
This will be the cat's second litter. But the first litter was born in
the wild, and remained half-wild. I say half-wild because all of
these cats have been underfoot around the person's house,
but hard to trap for neutering, although all had been trapped and
neutered, except Blackie.

Yes, I'm inexperienced, though I have four cats. That's why I'm
asking for advice on how to help the mother and save the litter.

=cr

On 28 Jul 2005 15:59:46 -0700, "Calvin Rice" ,
clicked their heels and said:

have
a healthy litter.

good luck on that one - the odds are against you.


--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

Kelly wrote:
Seriously, if you don't know what you are doing, all you are
going to end up with is 4-6 feral kittens that will be impossible
to place.

I don't understand why you say the kittens will be feral, since they
will
be born indoors if they are born, and will not go outdoors until after
the mother is taken away, after six weeks or so. I fully understand
that
the kittens would be feral if born in the wild.

-cr

My mind isn't made up, but I'm melodramatic enough to recognize
that these tiny living things have no one but me to work on their
behalf, and see them chasing each other around, sleeping on
top of each other, and evolving into personality-rich beings like
the other cats I know. If I don't help them, they vanish in darkness,
almost getting help, but then losing it.