Pregnant Feral Cat That Showed Up Possibly Due Soon?

[HollowOfWisps]

So this little lady showed up a couple months ago. She was scared to the point if we opened the front door she would take off and horridly skinny. She showed up one of the weeks we had subzero weather and I am assuming she came from huge feral cat colony nearby (they live in an abandoned feed mill and warehouse that is just a couple roads over and we live in the middle of nowhere). I have been buying 4health cat food for her and she has decided to stay so far sleeping in my barn where I have been feeding her. However, she is now very noticeably pregnant. I am assuming that between being pregnant, very underweight along with subzero temperatures that’s why she left whatever hole or abandoned building she was living in since that was about two months ago. She has since warmed up to me enough that I can shut the door to the room she sleeps in at night and let her out in the morning (the chickens like to steel her food otherwise. I tried to put her in my garage once and she was not having that so the barn it is for now. She is still skittish around most people, but she seems to like me enough to follow me and let me pet her. About 1-2 weeks ago I noticed she lost the hair around her nipples. Today they look a little plumper. I’m assuming she is going to have the kittens within the week if not sooner? We did not have cats before she showed up and I am not a cat expert by any means so do you guys think she might go into labor soon?

 

[LaylaJane]

Most likely, and she has chosen you to be her doula lol. She will get even more affectionate the closer to term she gets. We have alot of strays dumped here in the country, and left to go feral or die. Wild or not, she will keep coming back to have her kittens with you! I trap even the wild ones, not so much the tomcats, but EVERY female who shows up here is caught and spayed as soon as I can. Every now and then I am able to get a voucher through the humane society or the shelter, otherwise to me it's a necessary expense to keep the population in check. I love cats, but.... not quite that much lol

 

[GreenJay]

What a beautiful little lady! Looks like she appreciates your hospitality. Watch to see if she starts prowling dark corners, nooks, more than usual cat nosiness. Some females get rather vocal when time is near. Provide a couple of boxes in cozy spots with some old rags or shredded newspaper for her to check out. If she's agreeable, try to feel her belly, if she's close, little heads and bodies are easy to feel. And definitely let her eat as much as she wants, now and after the kits are born.
Hope it goes well for y'all, please post pictures of those babies!

 

[DaisyNoelle]

What a beautiful cat!

I wish you all were nearby, we are looking to adopt another cat to keep our single indoor kitty company. She's now 6 and was a feral kitten also whose mom was trapped and the kittens adopted out, which we got from the local humane society.

I wonder, I know there must be lots of people here who live out in the country and have barn kitties or know of feral colonies, as you describe. Would it be okay for me to post that I was looking for one, maybe in my state thread? Or would that be not good etiquette or against policy? I'm in Massachusetts, although NH, CT, VT, Maine, and RI are also all close enough too which makes me unsure where to post, even assuming that it would be okay for me to do so.

I'm fairly new here as I joined just this year to help me in the planning stage to getting my first flock, starting with the coop and run designs, and learning about chickens. But I have references that can be checked from vets as well as my horse's barn.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

What a beautiful cat!

I wish you all were nearby, we are looking to adopt another cat to keep our single indoor kitty company. She's now 6 and was a feral kitten also whose mom was trapped and the kittens adopted out, which we got from the local humane society.

I wonder, I know there must be lots of people here who live out in the country and have barn kitties or know of feral colonies, as you describe. Would it be okay for me to post that I was looking for one, maybe in my state thread? Or would that be not good etiquette or against policy? I'm in Massachusetts, although NH, CT, VT, Maine, and RI are also all close enough too which makes me unsure where to post, even assuming that it would be okay for me to do so.

I'm fairly new here as I joined just this year to help me in the planning stage to getting my first flock, starting with the coop and run designs, and learning about chickens. But I have references that can be checked from vets as well as my horse's barn.

I don’t think that would be a problem to post in your state thread. I know there are feral cat rehab programs and if you check your local Craigslist (at least around here) I am always seeing people list feral or barn kittens.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

**Kitten Update**

We have kittens!!! Saturday night I was doing barn chores when momma kitty came over to me and flopped over. I went to pet her when she quite literally grabbed onto my arm and would not let go. She also would not get up. I picked her up and brought her to the tray I had lined with some old t shirts under a heat lamp (don’t worry extremely well secured). As soon as I set her in the tray her water broke and she started contractions SCREAMING. I sat on the ground next to her and rubbed her belly. It was like she holding a pregnant ladies hand. Before each contraction she would start kneading my hand then she would dig her claws into my hand during the contraction The first baby was breached. I was letting her handle things until she started breathing oddly and acting distressed. I decided to step in and help gently guide the kitten out with every contraction. After the first kitten was out she calmed down considerably and seemed much more at ease. The last three kittens were positioned correctly and she needed no help birthing them. We ended up with four kittens total! Three of the four kittens are bobbed tailed which I was not expecting! All kittens and momma are doing well. I checked their umbilical cords for hernias and infections yesterday so I snapped a couple pictures of the bobbed tailed ones quick. Other than the umbilical cord check I am leaving them be to bond with mom until they are old enough to be handled. They are in a little room by themselves so they have their privacy.

 

[GreenJay]

Omg, they're adorable!! Thank goodness y'all are in Iowa haha otherwise I'd be there already loving on those babies . That's very awesome you were able to help with the breech baby and even more awesome that she's developed such a good bond with you that she wanted you to be with her at the birth. Bobbed tails huh, any Manx cats in your area? Pretty babies, glad they and mama cat are all doing well!

 

[samanthaoverton]

Oh how cute...I think bobbed tails are adorable...

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Omg, they're adorable!! Thank goodness y'all are in Iowa haha otherwise I'd be there already loving on those babies . That's very awesome you were able to help with the breech baby and even more awesome that she's developed such a good bond with you that she wanted you to be with her at the birth. Bobbed tails huh, any Manx cats in your area? Pretty babies, glad they and mama cat are all doing well!

They really are just so cute especially those little bobbed tailed ones When I went into the room to refill her food and water dish this morning she came over to me purring. I assume that means I wasn’t the worst doula to have I have not seen any around, but I would assume the dad would have to be some sort of bobbed tail cat for three to have no tail.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Oh how cute...I think bobbed tails are adorable...

I already told my husband that the little black one we have to keep. I’m sure I’m going to have a hard time not keeping them all