Update on the Three Stooges

Hi everyone,

Just an update on the three feral kitties and their mama. As you know I took the three feral kittens in and socialized them. Grumpy Dave and Ozzie got homes (although G.P. will always remain feral and has a great home with 3 others who are also feral). Deke is still at my house. I put his story and picture in my column last Sunday and have had 3 calls for him. Now it's just a matter of them coming to see Deke on Saturday.

Their mama was trapped on Thursday night. She went to the vet in the trap and tested negative for aids and leukemia. The sad part is she was 42 days pregnant, which means we trapped her just in time.

This morning at 1 a.m. I received a call from the woman who is fostering her. Miss Kitty gave birth to 5 kittens. Unfortunately because she is feral, she had to stay in the trap in order to be treated for an upper respiratory infection. That's where she gave birth. Only 2 babies were alive when I got there. 1 baby was squeaking and moving around. There was another buff color kitty who was making noise but not moving. I tried to stimulate it in to breathing and it seemed to work. I put them both in a box and put the box in the cage. I just got out of bed so I'm not sure whether she cared for them. I kind of assumed they wouldn't make it through the night since they were almost 20 days early, very tiny and she wasn't letting them nurse.

I will let you know whether or not they survived the night when I hear anything. At least she is safe.

moosmom,

Hi. I take it there was no other place to confine Momma
cat & babies after she gave birth? That's so sad. She was
probably so stressed at being in a "trapped space" that
she could not properly care for her babies. With most cats
and dogs the "moral imperative" when faced with that kind
of situation is to save itself. Fear & a need to escape is all
they can think about. Maybe if she could have been let out
inside a closed room & given a partially hidden nesting area
she could feel safe enough to care for the little ones.

I am glad to hear however that Momma can be treated &
helped . Liz.

Lizbud,

The birth came as a surprize to us because she was only 42 days in gestation and had another 20+ days to go. She was kept in the trap because she was scheduled to go to the vet on Tuesday. She gave birth at 1 a.m. Tuesday morning.

She and her two surviving kittens were in a cage with a birthing box in it. I checked in on her last night and one of the kittens was still alive. The other one was dead and partially gone. I buried him. I took the box out to get the dead kitten and the black one was still squirming around and squeaking, he's a real fighter. I called my vet this morning and she said that unless I want to go out and get replacement milk and feed him every 2 hours, it's probably best to let nature take it's course. If the kitten is healthy, the mother will care for it herself. If he is sick, she will push it away and let it die.

She also told me that a kitten born at 42 days is the same as a baby born at 6 months. The chances of survival are almost nil.

So, we'll have to take it one day at a time and see what happens. If the kitten dies, then it was meant to be. I'm just glad that we were able to trap her and get her fixed. Because she is VERY feral, she will be going to the same home that her son Grump Dave is at.