Pregnant kitty-help needed.

[sumbirdy]

Ok so here's the thing. We had my 3 cats (all females) scheduled to be spayed at a low cost spay/neuter clinic in September. This clinic is VERY hard to get a hold of and spots go fast (and there are no other ones around). But it just so happened that Nathan got an appointment for that very same day to get tubes put in his ears, so we couldn't go and had to cancel. Here lately we haven't had the money to pay the vet for it (as we're having to pay a lawyer and such) and we haven't been able to get in touch with the clinic. We call but they never call back. About a month ago one of our cats, Stormie, got outside. We live across the road from a chicken house that has some cats. We thought nothing of it after we got her back in. Here lately though we've been noticing a tightening and roundness to Stormie's belly and she also has enlarged nipples. But our problem is, we have no experience with pregnant cats. I'm afraid, since I didn't know she was pregnant, that I haven't been feeding her enough. How will this affect her babies? And now I don't know exactly how much to feed her. Can anyone give me tips and suggestions on caring for a pregnant cat and newborn kittens? This was in no way supposed to happen . We are in no way able to care for more cats permanently but I don't know how to go about finding them new homes either. We are not breeders, so I don't want to sell them, but I don't want to just hand them out either-that seems cruel. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I know there are some knowledgeble cat people here. Thanks!

[Reachoutrescue]

I am sorry to hear about this. I hope you will get her spayed when she is done nursing her babies. You have to put her on Kittenfood, the back of the bag will tell you exactly how much to feed her. You should take her to the vet and have them examine her to be sure everything is okay and maybe they can tell you around when she will be giving birth. You will need to find a quiet, comfortable place (like a box or laundry basket in a quiet part of the house) for Stormie to have her kitties. Just for now though, get her to the vet and put her on kitten food....and let her get LOTS of rest. Good luck and please keep us posted.

[catmandu]

I wish I had some advice to give you, but all we ahve are prayers that everything will turn out all right for all concerned.
We hope that if there are Kittens that they are healthy and well.

[Catty1]

Please email the clinic. Also, often a local SPCA or Humane Society will have vouchers for low cost spaying, and then you could use your regular vet. Ask your regular vet if he knows about them doing this.

Maybe he can call the clinic for you - "vet to vet".

Also, maybe they have new staff there and forget that you cancelled for a very good medical reason.

Email them and remind them! And have your vet beat on 'em!

As far as finding good homes, let some good family friends know NOW that there will be kittens in a couple of months. Try to set up interested good people ahead of time...if you have more interested people than kittens, that is good! If you know any cat owners, ask them to pass the word along. Make sure they will be indoors if possible - and spayed or neutered!

Here are a couple of links to help with looking after the mama-to-be:

http://cats.suite101.com/article.cfm..._pregnant_cats

Here are some ideas for rehoming kittens too:

7. Talk to trusted family members and close trusted friends who are interested in adopting the cats. Preferably you want the cats to live with someone whom you would trust with your own cat, and who has had cats before. Granted, this isn't always possible.

8. Screen adopters carefully! Grill them all you want. See if they've had pets before. Find out why they want a cat. Ask for identification and get an address. If at all possible, try to visit their home to observe the condition, particularly of other animals in the house. Draw up a small contract - it is legally binding, in fact (although enforcing it may be problematical.) You can call a shelter, rescue group, or breeder organization for guidelines. In writing, the adopter should commit to the following:

* They will spay or neuter the kitten (see item 12 for resources)
* They will give the kitten proper veterinary care - yearly exams, vaccinations, and visits to examine suspected health problems
* They will not declaw
* The cat will be an indoor cat (an attached screened outdoor enclosure can be considered "inside"), unless taken out on a harness and leash. Occasionally you may run into extenuating circumstances in this area that you can deal with on a case-by-case basis.
* The adopter will make the cat a member of the family. That means a companion FOR LIFE.
* This may sound funny but - the adopter will play with the cat and accomodate the cat's core behaviors: scratching, running, jumping, play-hunting and pouncing, comfortably sleeping; and of course, fresh water and nutritious food.

If you Google "pregnant cat care" you will find all sorts of information!

Keep us posted!

[sumbirdy]

Stormie has picked her own place to lay-a corner in the bathroom padded down with towels. It is THE only place Nathan doesn't go often (except for bathtime and teeth-brushing time) so it's the quietest place. We plan on gettin her spayed after she gets done nursing and getting the other two spayed before that.

I have used the vouchers for low cost spaying before. It was $20 off and if I remember correctly we had a medium-size dog spayed for $75 with the coupon. And I'm assuming a cat would cost less. So we might go that option. Our vet is the one who works with this clinic-and according to him they have just been swamped with phone calls. But I don't think that should be an excuse. They should put us all on a list and go down it calling people back.

As of now, I know of no one who wants a kitten. But I'm sure I will find someone. Hopefully.

Reachoutrescue-can you reccomend a good brand of Kitten food. Right now we use Purina-the indoor cat formula. Would switching her to Purina kitten food be okay?

Thank you Catty1 for the link. I'll have to bookmark it.

I really hate adding to an already large cat population. And I feel really bad. I know it's not entirely my fault, but I still feel bad that my cat is having kittens when I am not a breeder and am not bettering any breed of cat. I am going to work hard to find them loving homes and hopefully make sure they don't end up in shelters, where there are already too many cats.

[kimlovescats]

I would recommend getting the Purina Pro Plan kitten from PetSmart or Petco. It's a bit more expensive but is a better quality for her. I hope everything turns out well for her and her babies! I'm glad you are committing to getting all of them spayed as well! Thank you!

[Reachoutrescue]

Reachoutrescue-can you reccomend a good brand of Kitten food. Right now we use Purina-the indoor cat formula. Would switching her to Purina kitten food be okay?

Sumbirdy - Purina Pro Plan Kitten is good, but we use Innova Kitten food. Innova is more pricey, but it is all natural, double the calories per cup of food (which means more calories but less amount of food intake), and higher nutrients. Also, the kits poop is not as foul!! I am not sure if you have a Pets Supplies Plus by you, but they sell it. If not, you can get the food at usbones.com. I have link on my main website too. (bottom of my siggy) It is very good food and our cats and kittens thrive from it. What ever you choose to feed her, just be sure it is Kitten food. Keep us posted please. Good luck.

[sumbirdy]

Stormie woke me up at 5:45 this morning, meowing and licking my neck. (she usually never licks) So I figured this was it. I got her box ready, followed her to where she wanted to go (my room) and put her in her box. She had her first kitten at 6-a black and white male, The second she had at 7:30-a gray and white (with an orange spot) female, who looks almost identical to Stormie, and one hour ago she had her third kitten-another black and white male. She doesn't show any signs of having more. Right now she's sleeping while her kittens nurse. My mom decided she wants the female, my brother wants one of the males, and the last will go to my mom's friends son. He lives alone and loves cats. His last kitten recently died because she was born with water on the brain (I know there's a medical term for that) and so he's looking for another. Nathan is very interested in them. We let him look but he got mad when we wouldn't allow him to touch them-and he had to keep a certain distance. And of course, my camera's batteries are dead. I will try to take pictures of mother and babies as soon as I can. Just wanted to share the happy news!

[Moesha]

Can't wait for pictures! Glad the kitties have homes.

[orangemm]

Happy news! We'll be eagerly awaiting pictures! Good job, Stormie. That's great having homes for these new arrivals.

[sumbirdy]

The kittens are now 2 weeks old (as of Saturday) and they have they're eyes open! And....I finally have pictures!

(Left picture)This is the one that is going to my mom's friends son. He is the largest and the most adventurous. Also he is learning to walk with his belly off the floor and is already pretty good at it. He's better than the other two (they are in the background.)



And this is my brothers kitten, Jonah (on the left) and my moms kitten, Adeline. I love their fuzzy fur.

[sumbirdy]

ummm...I don't see any pics.

Anyone else?

I'm trying to fix that...sorry. I may just have to attach them.

[Catty1]

NP! Looking forward to the cuties!

[sumbirdy]

Ok, I finally got them attached! I don't know why it was giving me trouble when I tried to put it IN the post.

[sumbirdy]

Oh, and also, you may be able to notice it in the first picture, where Adeline is in the background, that on her front right foot she only has 4 toes! (including the dew claw)