Advice needed!

[koxka]

We found out today that the new stray cat at work is a very pregnant kitty.

We never saw her before, guess she was attracted by the food and water that I put there for a couple of strays that wander around here.

Happily I spoted where she "lives" or at least where she take naps. It's not a place with lot of room.

So my question is: Wich is the minimum
shelter that I have to set for her? A covered litter box with some blanquests will do? One of this cheap box drawer made of pine wood? (without drawers of cours).

Tomorrow I'll rearange the place to make more room for her but need to know what minimum she need to feel confortable with the kittens, assuming that she will give birth at least five or six of them. And place a free fedder and and water for her next to.

Thank you!

[PayItForward]

I am sure one of the experienced rescue people will have better advice.

But wouldn't it be better to trap her and keep her in your spare room until she has had her kits ?

Or maybe to find another foster family if you do not have the space/money to keep her.

Best of luck.

[CatDad]

I'm with PIF.

If it is at all poossible you may want to see if you can rescue her and then have her spayed and her kittens could be taken care of.

However, you decide to handle it. Good luck and I hope everything turns out well.

[koxka]

I couldn't get a trap when one of my ferals was ill, not even at the Animal Control.

Sorry, I can't take her at home, we already have six cats, a rabbit, an iggy and a turttle and closing one room and cutting down their living space wouldn't be fair for them. And right now I can't think of a family who could foster. My little brain still working on that.!

Anyway , she looks healthy and not starving at all (thank you me ). My work place is in a clean semi-rural area, not in a busy city street , so I think she is safe there. The plan is let her have her kittens and not stress her out and TNR later on. Meanwhile I have time to figure everything out.

If any of you know where I can get a trap I'm willing to order one on line.

[PayItForward]

As luck would have it I have been looking into the possibility of buying a trap ourselfes. Here are a few links....

Traps....

http://www.animal-care.com/cata06.htm

http://www.trap-man.com/cat-trap.htm

http://www.livetrap.com/cgi/search.c...option=1&0=205

Advice on trapping....

http://www.alleycat.org/

I understand how hard it is to borrow a trap, we had the same problem here when we trapped Fleur & Kits. I also agree that you should not upset your pets by reducing their home space.

But I really think mum needs to be trapped before she hids the kits, when we trapped Fleur it took us 2 days to catch the kittens *shudder* and the runt had already died before we heard about their plight

Why don't you ask at the vets and pet shop, who the local mad cat people are. They might have the space for one pregnant cat.

Have you rung all the shelters what did they say ? Many shelters have angels like Kim, K&L, Jen who will foster them.

Please try and get this cat indoors. Good luck on buying a cage.

[catcrazylady]

I know this probably isn't what you want to hear but trapping her is probably the best way to handle this. The main reason being that if she is wild and has her kittens in the wild then you will have all kinds of trouble catching them. If they can be brought up around people and handled then they will have excellent chances of being adopted. If this doesn't happen you will be feeding five more who will soon give 25 more and so on. I hope you can find a rescue organization that will help you trap her.
If not...then I would think any covered and protected shelter will be fine but she will more than likely go somewhere else. She probably already has a spot that nobody knows about.

[Randi]

Koxka, I agree that getting a trap would be the best, but if you can't, then a house with clean towels and in a quiet place, is a good idea. Perhaps covered by some bushes.

I sent you a PM.

[moosmom]

Koxka,

CrazyCatLady is right, she needs to be trapped now BEFORE the kittens are born. Even if you keep her in a cage in another room separate from your cats. She'll be safer, her kittens can be socialized very easily once they're born and weaned (before they turn 6 weeks old) and you won't have more unneutered/unspayed cats running around. If she isn't caught, she will move her babies if she feels they're in danger. Then you'll never find them.

Good luck!

[QueenScoopalot]

I hope that you can find someone willing to take the mom to be in before she gives birth. I'd call any local rescue groups and see if they have someone willing to trap her before she gives birth. The chances of the kittens surviving outside until 6+ weeks is not good. Approximately 50% of kittens born outside die from preditors etc. before they reach six months old. Then as others have stated they survivors start reproducing at alarming rates! Also a queen will usually stake out 3-4 potential nest sites to give birth in, so if she senses danger she moves the litter to safety. That doesn't work well for some litters. Several years ago I came across the aftermath of a raccoon feeding frenzy. Needless to say it was heartbreaking to see. Please try to find a safe haven for her! If I were local I'd take her

[lizbud]

koxka,

I want to wish you the best of luck with this. I did order
from the website and use the Tomahawk Live Trap. I have used
it may times & it's very easy to "set" the trap & works very well.

I do hope you are able to trap her before she has the babies
but that might not be possible if she's VERY pregnant already.
It does take a few weeks for delivery of the humane trap.

If you provide an appealing, quiet place for her, she may have
them or bring them close to it where you can see & check on them once in a while. In this country, it's very dangerous for
the babies to be born & live outdoors. I would only put food
out for her when you see her so as not to attract other cats to
the spot. Best of luck in helping this kitty & her babies.

[koxka]

Tank you all for your concern

On wendsay we got a major clean out the place and I'm fear that we scared her and left the place. I will find out tomorrow (monday).

And yes you are right that is better to try to catch her before she gets her kittens and get them socialized for a better chance for them in life.

But I have to state that we don't have animals of prey here amd right now there's only one more feral, after the ill one dindn't showed up again so there's not colonies of feral fighting for food or territorial issues.

The only two recuer centers I know only take dogs. I got a cat from a shelter 9 or 10 years ago and I don't even remenber the village where it was. Tomorrow will phone the guy from Aninal Control that saved my iggy when she escaped, he is an animal lover, and certenly he will know better than me.

PIF thank you for the links. If tomorrow can't have a trap. I will order from UK for a quicker delevery.

Will keep up you updated go it goes.

Thanks again!