I need pregnant cat help please. (New pics/update page 12)

[asher]

A few months ago, a neighbor moved and left their cats. One adopted our neighbor and one adopted us. I made a reservation to get her fixed, but she was MIA the few days around when I needed to take her.

Soooo...you see where this is going, right? She's now pregnant. Obviously so. Like I was walking down from the mail box and saw her belly wobbling to and fro. Yeah. She's pregnant. There's no spay event coming up and I couldn't afford to do it right now anyway due to a mix up at work with my check.

SO...babies...I have no idea about gestation for cats, etc. She's outdoors b/c I am allergic to cats (which is why we didn't willingly adopt any ourselves). Is there are way to convince her to stay around to have the babies so they will not be feral? (She is not eactly tame...sometimes she is, but others not. She was born a feral, I believe.) I can totally and have no problem putting her in the barn until the babies are born and she's done with them. Is that something anyone would suggest? She would not be able to get out unless we open the door to let her out and I only have 3 chickens in there so plenty of room. I do have an extra run that I could hook a cage up to inside the barn and open that run door for her during the day. I really just want her to hang around so we can get them tame enough to be adopted out when they are old enough.

 

[Countrywife]

If she is friendly she will probably bring the babies to you. But if she is skittish, and that is what it sounds like, I personally would put her up in the barn if I could, just to keep them safe and to be able to get the babies used to humans for when the time comes to re-home them.

 

[bockbock2008]

I also would pen her up. Even if she has them somewhere that you could find and get to them she could move them if you messed with too much.

 

[redhen]

Please pen her up to have her babies..bring her inside someplace warm, darkish and quiet. My cat wanted me sit with her while she had her babies.. if i left her side, she hopped out of her box and went and found me...
Also...with penning her up, you will be able to help her if she needs help birthing... (usually cats dont need help though..unless they are persians..)
but..just in case...

 

[asher]

If I can tell that she's pregnant just from looking at her, any guesses as to how much longer she has? I cannot feel babies, but it appears that she will be ready to nurse babies soon, iykwim.

I really need people to stop dropping animals off at our house or abandoning them so that they adopt us. I'm animal poor. *sigh*

 

[rooster0209]

Gestation period is approx 9 weeks. She will start weaning the kittens around 6-8 weeks, you can start canned food with them around 4 weeks.

Your barn sounds like a very nice place for her. Please feed her all the kitten food that she will eat. Preg moms need lots of nutrition. A cardboard box in the barn full of straw and old clothes "put of the way" will make a nice cat brooder. I also agree with locking her up for a bit so that she knows she has a new home. I have several barn cats (all spayed-neutered) that co exist peacefully with my birds.

 

[redhen]

they are not preggo for long..something like 60 days?? So...she may be near her time...

 

[asher]

I will say that she is the BEST mouser. Way better than the feral that we adopted specifically for that reason. She's a bit pampered now, I suppose and just waits for us to feed her instead of taking care of the animals that she's supposed to!

 

[rooster0209]

she will still hunt no matter how much food you give her

 

[asher]

Our feral rescue will not, but this new girl will. Which is funny since the feral rescue looks soooo wild (bengal x tabby) and the new abandoned kitty is long haired and looks like a doll baby (I believe she's part Maine Coon).