Pregnant (I think) kitty visiting my back yard

[jazzcat]

For the past couple of weeks a new kitty has been visiting my back yard. She's a young looking black and white tuxie and I've started calling her Izzy. Last week I noticed that her belly was looking little low and now today I'm pretty sure she is pregnant. If not she has some mean intestinal parasites. She runs every time I go out but will quickly return to eat the food I put out once I leave. She drinks from my low to the ground birdbaths frequently.

I'm worried about her and can't get close enough to check her out but I can tell she has no collar. There are a lot of outdoor cats in our neighborhood and now that I have no dog several visit my backyard frequently. We've had a lot of houses in the neighborhood sell this summer and she may just be with a new family but I can't tell.

Any suggestions of what I could do for her? If I had a covered back porch I would fix her a box for a bed and feeding station but my back deck is uncovered so I have no where to provide her shelter. I really pray she is someones and not a stray. I live in the middle of a large subdivision and we don't usually get strays around here.

[catmandu]

You might have to get a humane trap, to get her in so she can be seen by a Vet.
She will notcare for that at all, but if she is with Kitten then they have to be born where they are safe.
Good Luck with that Momma Cat.

[kb2yjx]

Absolutely see if a local humane society could lend you a hav a heart trap. I found using canned tuna is the way to a hungry cat's heart!!! Good luck!!

[BC_MoM]

Well, I hoping you good luck in catching her at least once just to check her over! I think a humane trap is the only way to try and attempt to catch her.

[Catty1]

If you want a 'house' for her, I have heard that large styrofoam coolers, turned upside down with a door cut in one end, work well.

Tuck in a couple of old towels or quilting, and have the food dishes outside.

I think she will appreciate the warmth, especially if she is expecting.

Good luck!

[jazzcat]

Thanks for you advice everyone. I was talking to my husband about her tonight and he thinks she belongs to someone in the neighborhood because she looks fed enough and healthy. He's probably right but it seems like she is always coming to my backyard to drink which makes me think they don't care for her very well (of course not if she's preggers). Poor little thing, I just want to help her.

[G535]

I'd cat nap her and have her spayed and rehomed, doesn't sound like the owners care too much if she's in other peoples' yards all the time.

[AbbyMom]

Thank you for taking care of her.

Pregnant kitties eat an enormous amount of food. They need massive amounts of protein.

For right now, if she is pregnant, giving her all the food she wants would be helpful for her nutrition. Otherwise, her body starts giving up its nutrition for the babies. :(

I've had no luck with outdoor shelters for feral kitties. For feeding, though, I lay a plastic litter box bucket on its side and put the food in there to protect it from the weather. The kitties don't have a problem eating from the bucket! :)

If you're interested in an outdoor shelter, see here:

http://indyferal.org/index.php?page=shelters

Good luck to you and the kitty.

[kimlovescats]

What a shame. :( I think I would have to try to befriend her and get her inside to have her babies. Good luck, Lori! ;)

[mruffruff]

If she is so obviously pregnant, she is probably due soon. I would trap her as soon as I could so she could have her babies inside. If she has them outside, you will have more un-fixed cats in your backyard. Then see that she is spayed as soon as possible.

If you can't keep her in your home, is there someone you know who can? Or a shelter that will not kill?

JMHO

[catlover4ever]

Lori, your little blackie story sounds just like Mystic's story...I too thought she was pregnant but it turns out she was and is just plump in the middle section. :rolleyes:

What I used for shelter in our old house (as I too did not have a covered area) was to go to Wal-Mart and I bought a small dog house to use for shelter, much to Mark's dismay, but I have ended up using them for more than one kitty that I have taken in. Now I have two being used, one for Tucker when she goes outside and one for Oliver.

I think Catty's idea of a styrofoam cooler with a door cut out would work just as well and it would not be as expensive. You could always cover the cooler with a large, warm blanket to keep drafts out, and for times when it's wet a small tarp to keep the water from getting in.

[Reachoutrescue]

I would definetly try to cat nap her and see if she is expecting or not. It may be the best thing for her honestly. If you get her, help her, and spay her, she will be a happier kit. I know you will do the right thing in whatever you decide.

[Lizzie]

This is a difficult one to call, to my mind. I have three cats that go outside and they will go from a freshly filled clean water bowl to the tarp over a wood stack in the garden in order to drink the debris filled rain water that collects on it. So, this cat may just have decided she prefers your water source to any other. Or, she may indeed have been abandoned and needs that water. I also have a couple of cats that come to me almost daily, begging for food and attention, though one of them can't be touched only talked to, and I know they belong to fairly near neighbors who give them plenty of food and attention. It seems that you will need to do what you are doing already, providing ongoing care in case she needs it and keeping her under close observation.

[jazzcat]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions everyone. I watched but never saw her today. I'm beginning to think Richard is right and she belongs to one of the many new neighbors in the area. I'm also not 100% sure she is pegnant since I've never been around an expecting cat before and the bulge looks a little too high, more right at her rib cage. I can't get close enough to see her well or get a good picture for your opinions.

I'm going to keep watching and feeding her and see if I can win her trust. In the meantime I will ask around.