Kittens looking for home.

Shelli2

Hi all, I've taken in a heavily pregnant cat, best guess is she is due in less than a week!!:eek:

Not really sure what I let myself in for to be honest, but I'll do my best.

Anyway, looks like I'll have a handful of kittens looking for homes in the near future, they will be with their mother for 8wks obviously, but if anyone is interested in taking a kitten over the next 2 months let me know.

I'll post pics as soon as they are born, but it would be nice to have a few homes lined up, or even a few people interested that I can contact when they are born.

Also, any hints or tips welcome.

I will be keeping the mother cat myself, and having her spayed ASAP!! She was the next door neighbours cat, the neighbour upped left the country leaving pregnant cat with me, then emailed to say they were not returning! I already have a male cat of my own who is about 8months old. The pregnant female is 1yr 8mths old, and knows our family very well which is why we agreed to take her. If I can convince the other half I may keep one kitten, but I think I may be pushing my luck with 3 cats!

SillyMangoX

Fair play to you for taking on your neighbours abandoned cat, especially a pregnant one! Delighted to hear you're getting her spayed after, its best for her in the long run!

If you aren't already, I'd be leaving her indoors full time now. After being upheaved from her old home to some place new can be distressing, even if she doesn't seem bothered! She is used to her old home and may sneak back there to have the kittens and to be honest the last thing you'd need is to not know where the kittens are. Also kittens that are born in a home environment will get socialised with the normal sights, sounds and smells that go along with a house and will make an all round better pet in the long run. It will also allow you to keep a close eye on Mammy and babies during labour and in the following weeks to make sure that there's no veterinary intervention needed.

If you are going to follow my advice on leaving her indoors, I would build her a nesting area in the quietest part of the house, a spare bedroom or utility room maybe. Make sure it's somewhere that your resident cat won't have any access to. As horrible as it sounds, male cats have been known to kill newborn kittens. Also if there are any kids in the house, make sure they respect the nesting area and don't go barging in screaming and pulling at the newborns For bedding material I found in the past a cardboard box tipped sideways against a wall filled with old blankets (you will want to throw these out after!) works great. We also used an igloo style bed with my old cat which I found brilliant because the high walls meant the babies couldn't leave the nest too early and get lost. We got this one in argos years ago, I'm sure they still would have them now and it didn't break the bank either http://www.easyanimal.co.uk/trixie-charly-cat-cave-bed.html

Also if you aren't already, I would start feeding her food designed for pregnant and lactating cats. Royal canin do a food for pregnant queens that's also safe for the babies to munch on when the time is right, I think it's called Babycat but I'd have to double check. If this is out of your price range, any brand of kitten food will do. The kitten food is better for her at this stage as it is higher in energy and nutrients, and she'll need all she can get with the little bundles of fluff on the way.

Most female cats make wonderful Mammys! And the fact that this one is a grown up rather than a 7-8 month old baby herself means that there should be less of a chance of any complications rising during the birth, but as always, expect the unexpected and have a vets number close at hand just in case! I doubt that you'll need it but just for your own reassurance, and don't hesitate to call them if something about the birth doesn't feel right.

I would also advise worming Mammy to make sure she doesn't have any parasites to pass onto her babies. But if you do this, go to your vet to buy the wormer and inform them that she is pregnant. Shop bought wormers may not be safe in pregnant cats and your vet will know which one will suit best. From two weeks of age it is also recommended to start worming the babies, again if you ask the vet they can give you the appropriate wormer (its usually in a liquid dose for the babies) and will tell you how often to do it. Vaccination should start from 6-8 weeks of age, so before you send them off to their new homes, they should all have their first jab. And when you are at the vet, I would inquire as to whether they have any milk formula for kittens, again as a 'just in case' measure should Mammy have trouble feeding all the kittens.

That's all the advice I can think of right now, I'm sure I have loads more but my brain is turning to mush at this time of the morning :P Please don't hesitate to PM me if you have any questions at all (even ones you may think are silly :P) and I'll try help out as best I can! Best of luck with everything and don't forget to update us and put up pics of the little fluff balls! I'd love one myself but I was fostering a kitty for a few days and one of my resident cats tried to eat it so I don't think she'd be too happy with another little invader :P hope everything turns out to be ok!

Shelli2

Thanks for all the tips, I have pretty much all of the above done (spent the night googling 'pregnant cat') and I'm bringing her to the vet tomorrow to get checked over anyway.

My poor old cat has been relegated to the sitting room for the time being

planetX

Well done for taking her in. It's a good idea to try to line up people now - the kitten glut may have started by the time they're old enough to home. Let people know that two siblings are the best pets, hopefully they can go in pairs.
Get in a lot of cat litter, and be prepared for kitten chaos! Enjoy them:D

ShiftStorm

I would be interested in seeing a kitten when they're born Where are you based?

gud4u

Same here, I've been looking for my MIL, I live beside her though so would be helping look after them. Them, meaning, i'd take 2 for her.

Shelli2

So the kittens arrived last Wednesday, just two, adorable little balls of fluff!

Will post pics soon.

I'm based in Glasnevin, but can travel within Dublin or the outskirts. I have one person who PM'd me on here who would like to take them if they are both female as she would like two together. But obviously I don't know the sex yet.

ShiftStorm

Ok will wait to hear from you

Shelli2

planetX

They're beautiful, you should have no trouble finding homes for them.
I'd be tempted to keep them though....

edd012

Well done on taking in the cat and looking after her kittens. They look really cute and playful. You should have no problem finding them good homes. It might just take some time.

You should try to consider if the person you are giving them to will look after them well. If you get a bad feeling, don't feel that you have to hand them over just because they've spoken to you. Find out if they will have them spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering of cats is good practice as there really is a limited amount of good homes out there for kittens. It helps a male cat to have him neutered so he won't get into fights in competition with other male cats in later life.

Also, ask at your veterinary practice if they can help find them good homes. Some veterinary practices will take them in and look after them until homes can be found, on the condition that they are spaying the mother cat. They may ask for a donation to cover food.

ShiftStorm

Hi,

They are so beautiful! I am very interested although I can only take one so I understand if you only want someone who will take the two of them.

I am based in Maynooth but don't have my car this week so I could come this Saturday to meet them if that suited? I also have to convince my husband!

Shelli2

Hi, I do have a woman lined up who wants to take both if they are female, so i'll know the sex in about a week and if she confirms that she wants them I'll home them together. Otherwise I'll send you a message to see if your still looking

Shelli2

So, two little girls, they'll be ready for their forever homes on 9th May or there about. Ideally I would like to keep them together, in a house with no other or maybe one other cat, so they get all the attention they deserve, they do love their cuddles

SillyMangoX

Aww so cute! Glad everything went okay was there only 2 in the litter? They must have been huge being born! Mammy cat is an absolute stunner. Beautiful shine off her. Well done

Shelli2

Yes, just the two, Harley (mammy) is very small and petite.

Shelli2

There is one kitten still looking for a home, they are ready to go this weekend

portgirl123

which one is still looking for a home?

EllenD

I might have a friend that is interested can you put up a picture of the one thats left!

Rosedust84

Id love him/her :-) whereabouts are you?

Shelli2

Hi all, thanks for all the replies. Both kittens went to their new homes today.