Another Little Mother ): ...sigh... :(

Unwanted pets are being dumped in my vicinity lately. Last week it was a
nice young dog (a very strong, intact male) who I advertised on the radio
and ultimately had to turn over to animal control because I had no way to
keep him confined. And more unfamiliar dogs and cats have been roaming
around....

One of the cats is friendly, starving, and pregnant.

She's a shorthaired calico, probably not six months old yet and sooooooo
skinny, all bones and fur, with swollen teats and a lumpy little belly. I've
fed her a few times and she's started scoping out my carport for a birthing
den.

My inclination is to contact Carolyn Jordan from Bear Creek Rescue -
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MO318.html - who last year collected the
stubby-tailed mama and her babies from my carport, but I'm sure she is
overwhelmed and broke. I was never able to send her enough to cover vetting
all five of the kittens.

But maybe if I wait and see if Ms. Calico does indeed choose my place for
the birth, and then see how many kittens there are, and then ask RPCA
members to pledge $X total to the rescue lady (for spaying mama + #X babies,
shots, etc.), and tell her that $X has been pledged to support getting this
little family squared away, she might agree to take them.

Dave and I will both chip in what we can, of course, and I'd contact CJ with
the proposition once I knew there would be $X available. No way can we
adopt any more!!

What say you, RPCA - can we handle this mission together?

On May 31, 11:32*pm, "Pat" wrote:
Unwanted pets are being dumped in my vicinity lately. Last week it was a
nice young dog (a very strong, intact male) who I advertised on the radio
and ultimately had to turn over to animal control because I had no way to
keep him confined. And more unfamiliar dogs and cats have been roaming
around....

One of the cats is friendly, starving, and pregnant.

She's a shorthaired calico, probably not six months old yet and sooooooo
skinny, all bones and fur, with swollen teats and a lumpy little belly. I've
fed her a few times and she's started scoping out my carport for a birthing
den.

My inclination is to contact Carolyn Jordan from Bear Creek Rescue -http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MO318.html- who last year collected the
stubby-tailed mama and her babies from my carport, but I'm sure she is
overwhelmed and broke. I was never able to send her enough to cover vetting
all five of the kittens.

But maybe if I wait and see if Ms. Calico does indeed choose my place for
the birth, and then see how many kittens there are, and then ask RPCA
members to pledge $X total to the rescue lady (for spaying mama + #X babies,
shots, etc.), and tell her that $X has been pledged to support getting this
little family squared away, she might agree to take them.

Dave and I will both chip in what we can, of course, and I'd contact CJ with
the proposition once I knew there would be $X available. *No way can we
adopt any more!!

What say you, RPCA - can we handle this mission together?

Don't "wait and see." Call this lady ASAP and see if she can help you
arrange to get this kitty in to get spayed right away. The world does
not need more kittens and it sounds like there is a lack of good homes
in your area as it is. Spaying now is the kindest thing to do,
especially for what amounts to a kitten that is much too young to give
birth or be a mother. If she makes it through the birth, she may not
take care of the kittens at all (very common with cats that give birth
at a young age) and then the carer will have to feed these babies
around the clock for weeks. This is also not fair to burden anyone
with when there is a more humane alternative. I'll pledge $15 (paid
directly to the clinic) towards a spay right now if you can set it up
for Tuesday or Wednesday.

wrote

Don't "wait and see." Call this lady ASAP and see if she can help you
arrange to get this kitty in to get spayed right away.

I wouldn't need Carolyn's help to arrange an immediate spay if that was the
best course of action, but I don't believe it is. Kitty is quite close to
birthing, judging by how swollen her teats are (and sore, too - she growls
when you touch them, even very lightly), so a spay now would amount to a
late-term abortion, which is quite dangerous as well as detrimental to the
mother - in this case more so, I believe, than having the kittens would be.

Carolyn Jordan does find - or provide - forever homes for the animals she
takes in.

On Jun 1, 12:02*am, "Pat" wrote:
wrote

Don't "wait and see." Call this lady ASAP and see if she can help you
arrange to get this kitty in to get spayed right away.

I wouldn't need Carolyn's help to arrange an immediate spay if that was the
best course of action, but I don't believe it is. Kitty is quite close to
birthing, judging by how swollen her teats are (and sore, too - she growls
when you touch them, even very lightly), so a spay now would amount to a
late-term abortion, which is quite dangerous as well as detrimental to the
mother - in this case more so, I believe, than having the kittens would be.

Carolyn Jordan does find - or provide - forever homes for the animals she
takes in.

Take the cat in for an examination. The pain you describe is not
normal for a pregnant cat. As to spaying, I've seen it done up to a
week before birth and with proper anesthesia and aftercare the cats
have done just fine. Carolyn might find homes for the animals she
takes in, but for you to just assume she should take care of "your"
problem is unfair and selfiish. It's kitten season right now and there
are more kittens than there are homes. It's not right to burden
someone else with this.

"Pat" wrote in message
et...
Unwanted pets are being dumped in my vicinity lately. Last week it was a
nice young dog (a very strong, intact male) who I advertised on the radio
and ultimately had to turn over to animal control because I had no way to
keep him confined. And more unfamiliar dogs and cats have been roaming
around....

One of the cats is friendly, starving, and pregnant.

She's a shorthaired calico, probably not six months old yet and sooooooo
skinny, all bones and fur, with swollen teats and a lumpy little belly.
I've
fed her a few times and she's started scoping out my carport for a
birthing
den.

My inclination is to contact Carolyn Jordan from Bear Creek Rescue -
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MO318.html - who last year collected the
stubby-tailed mama and her babies from my carport, but I'm sure she is
overwhelmed and broke. I was never able to send her enough to cover
vetting
all five of the kittens.

But maybe if I wait and see if Ms. Calico does indeed choose my place for
the birth, and then see how many kittens there are, and then ask RPCA
members to pledge $X total to the rescue lady (for spaying mama + #X
babies,
shots, etc.), and tell her that $X has been pledged to support getting
this
little family squared away, she might agree to take them.

Dave and I will both chip in what we can, of course, and I'd contact CJ
with
the proposition once I knew there would be $X available. No way can we
adopt any more!!

What say you, RPCA - can we handle this mission together?



Pat,

This cat needs to be seen by a vet and evaluated. If she is in as bad a
shape as you describe, having these kittens could literally kill her. I am
also concerned about your description because its sounds like there could
be other problems, such as mastitis. A vet could tell you if it is safe for
the mother to be spayed at this stage in her pregnancy. Certainly, it is
not a good idea to permit a mother in that shape to nurse the kittens. They
could suck the life out of her, and she could pass disease on to them.
Therefore, the odds are very high that these kittens would have to be
hand-reared from birth, and that means someone would have to be available
for that task every 2 hours around the clock.

If I were in this situation, I would take this cat to the vet *today* and
ask his or her advice. If it is safe for the mother, I would immediately
arrange for a spay. We are already killing untold millions of cats and
kittens, and it isn't fair to bring still more into the world under these
circumstances.

I would be willing to send a small donation directly to the vet for a spay
if you will post the vet's information.

MaryL

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote

| If I were in this situation, I would take this cat to the vet *today*

She hasn't been around since last night. She's been coming around every
morning, so I think she may have already had the kittens.

wrote:
On May 31, 11:32 pm, "Pat" wrote:
Unwanted pets are being dumped in my vicinity lately. Last week it was a
nice young dog (a very strong, intact male) who I advertised on the radio
and ultimately had to turn over to animal control because I had no way to
keep him confined. And more unfamiliar dogs and cats have been roaming
around....

One of the cats is friendly, starving, and pregnant.

What say you, RPCA - can we handle this mission together?

Don't "wait and see." Call this lady ASAP and see if she can help you
arrange to get this kitty in to get spayed right away. The world does
not need more kittens and it sounds like there is a lack of good homes
in your area as it is. Spaying now is the kindest thing to do,
especially for what amounts to a kitten that is much too young to give
birth or be a mother. If she makes it through the birth, she may not
take care of the kittens at all (very common with cats that give birth
at a young age) and then the carer will have to feed these babies
around the clock for weeks. This is also not fair to burden anyone
with when there is a more humane alternative. I'll pledge $15 (paid
directly to the clinic) towards a spay right now if you can set it up
for Tuesday or Wednesday.

I don't imagine an abortion at that stage of pregnancy would be any
better for the health of a female cat than for that of a female human!
By all means let her have her kittens and nurse them until they are old
enough th be adopted out. (But keep her confined - it's sometimes
astonishing how quickly after giving birth a female cat can come in heat
again!) THEN make sure there will be no more pregnancies.

wrote:
On Jun 1, 12:02 am, "Pat" wrote:
wrote

Don't "wait and see." Call this lady ASAP and see if she can help you
arrange to get this kitty in to get spayed right away.
I wouldn't need Carolyn's help to arrange an immediate spay if that was the
best course of action, but I don't believe it is. Kitty is quite close to
birthing, judging by how swollen her teats are (and sore, too - she growls
when you touch them, even very lightly), so a spay now would amount to a
late-term abortion, which is quite dangerous as well as detrimental to the
mother - in this case more so, I believe, than having the kittens would be.

Carolyn Jordan does find - or provide - forever homes for the animals she
takes in.

Take the cat in for an examination. The pain you describe is not
normal for a pregnant cat. As to spaying, I've seen it done up to a
week before birth and with proper anesthesia and aftercare the cats
have done just fine.

How many late-term pregnant cats have YOU actually dealt with? You
sound singularly ignorant of the subject! (As to the sore nipples, I
imagine that varies as much among other mammals as it does among humans.)

On Jun 2, 2:08*pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:
wrote:
On Jun 1, 12:02 am, "Pat" wrote:
wrote

Don't "wait and see." Call this lady ASAP and see if she can help you
arrange to get this kitty in to get spayed right away.
I wouldn't need Carolyn's help to arrange an immediate spay if that was the
best course of action, but I don't believe it is. Kitty is quite close to
birthing, judging by how swollen her teats are (and sore, too - she growls
when you touch them, even very lightly), so a spay now would amount to a
late-term abortion, which is quite dangerous as well as detrimental to the
mother - in this case more so, I believe, than having the kittens would be.

Carolyn Jordan does find - or provide - forever homes for the animals she
takes in.

Take the cat in for an examination. The pain you describe is not
normal for a pregnant cat. As to spaying, I've seen it done up to a
week before birth and with proper anesthesia and aftercare the cats
have done just fine.

How many late-term pregnant cats have YOU actually dealt with? *

And you?

I work for a veterinarian and have been working in rescue for many
years. I am very familiar with late term spays and have done marathon
spay neuter clinics (the record was 47 cats in one day.) Unless you
do an xray, which is usually out of the question for a stray/feral cat
as most people in this situation have trapped them and are bringing
them just for fixing, all you can do is guess the status of a
pregnancy. It doesn't matter as there are no resources to care for
feral/stray mothers and their litters. They get spayed. The fetuses
are already asleep and are humanely euthanized (which is painless and
peaceful.) The cats are kept caged and monitored a few days, then
released.