Pregnant barn cat *update* We have kittens!

[Squawkbox]

Even though mine are kittens, they grew up outside and had never seen a litter box. As soon as I got them (only have had them for a few months) and gave them a litter box they used it right away. Cats are pretty smart and pick it up fast.


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Do you think she would use a litter box without being trained? If it's her only option then I guess, but I don't know she'll be inside long enough for me to really train her to use it. Maybe I'm wrong. I'll be getting kitten food either today or tomorrow.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Even though mine are kittens, they grew up outside and had never seen a litter box. As soon as I got them (only have had them for a few months) and gave them a litter box they used it right away. Cats are pretty smart and pick it up fast.

Good. I'm glad to hear that. And I can start litter box training the kittens at about a month old?

 

[StarLover21]

When is she due?

 

[LaynaDon95]

The week of St. Patrick's day. Not sure on the exact date.

 

[maizy'smom]

Good. I'm glad to hear that. And I can start litter box training the kittens at about a month old?

Thank you. We have plenty of paper around here so that won't be a problem.
I'm going to put the food outside the box when it's time for her to deliver. I'm only feeding her inside it to get her used to being inside the box and feeling safe inside it. That way she will be more likely to go in it to give birth.

The hard part will be keeping her in the laundry room for so long. She doesn't bear confinement well, but hopefully she will want to stay with her kittens.
She's not litter box trained so how am I going to deal with her messes while she's inside? She will have to be in there for a few days before she gives birth as well as afterwards.

Don't worry about "training" momma to use a litter box. Just provide it along with every thing else you're already listed, like food, water, nesting box, etc. She will pick up the general idea pretty quickly, and the kittens will learn from her. Feral cats use facilities outside that are remarkably like litter boxes....children's sand boxes, construction sites, flower beds. She'll take to it quite naturally, I think. One more thing I am recalling from Mona's kittens...once the babies' eyes are open and they become mobile, check the laundry room to make sure it is "baby prooofed." My husband was in a panic one day when I left him home with the kittens and one of them squeezed in to a hole in the baseboard and fell in below the floor boards! He had to lay on the floor with his arm in the hole, coaxing the kitten back over towards the opening. He was more afraid I'd be angry with him than anything, but it was a good lesson.(Check the dryer vent, in particular!)
It'll be an adventure, that's for sure!!

mm

 

[LaynaDon95]

Good point. How tall can the little box be with the kittens still being able to get in and out of it? Will a shallow cardboard box or something similar work? Since we most likely won't be keeping the kittens and Jack won't be inside forever, I don't want to buy anything I don't have to, like a litter box.

I imagine I'll be doing quite a lot of kitten proofing over the next few weeks. We have two freezers, a fridge, a washer and dryer in there. I'll have to make sure they don't get stuck or get into anything back there. My grandmother has a mobile fence thing so I might be able to borrow it from her and use it for them. like this: http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Black...YTJI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328574445&sr=8-2 I'll still let them out to explore, of course, just with supervision.

 

[maizy'smom]

An aluminum lasagne pan should do nicely. We get them at the dollar store. Not a huge investment, but sturdy enough to last a couple of months, at least.

mm

 

[LaynaDon95]

Me and my mom actually were just talking about that. lol Would the sound bother her? We already have some of those.

 

[maizy'smom]

It shouldn't be a problem, she'll be the one making the noise. So she shouldn't surprise herself.

mm

 

[LaynaDon95]

Makes sense. This is turning out to be much simpler than I thought. Thank God!