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Pregnant Stray Cat

  • 05-05-2016 11:17am
    #1
    dulpit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,356 ✭✭✭✭


    Hey all,

    A few months back 2 stray cats started hanging around in my in-laws back garden. My in-laws have fed them (keeps vermin away), but they have never been touched or have ever entered the house or anything like that. Of late Mrs. Dulpit has noticed that one of the cats appears to be quite pregnant, and her mother mentioned today that she's barely able to move she's gotten so big, so looks like there might be more kittens on the way soon.

    Any ideas what to do with them? I don't know if the strays that came in first place were pets that were let go/escaped, or were born wild or what. I suppose the best thing would be to have the cats spayed and sent to a shelter or something, but I/they wouldn't fancy anything that would endanger the animals.

    We're in Cork if that helps - any ideas?


Comments

  • #2
    intheclouds
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,175 ✭✭✭intheclouds


    The best thing to do would be TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) the 2 original cats. Then keep feeding them. Theyll stop other cats moving in on their turf but they wont keep breeding. The timing should go like this:

    When the kittens are born and the cat brings them out into public eye (around 6 weeks) try and handle them immediately. There is a window on handling cats, if you get them between 6-10 weeks or so they will be able to be handled and rehomed. You probably need to allow at least 6 weeks as Mamma Cat will be nursing them. When she brings them out in public she will be encouraging them to eat solid food. Once they are eating solids Mamma can be trapped and neutered. While she is being neutered (and ideally kept in for 10 days afterwards in a shed or some kind of safe place), catch the kittens and get them to a rescue or a foster home.

    We did it about 18 months ago with a Mamma Cat and kittens. Actually it turned out Mamma Cat was quite happy to be handled (we approached the situation with a wild animal trap and long gloves - didnt we feel thick when a neighbour picked her up and she purred and cuddled into him ;)).

    When the vet gave us back Mamma Cat we thought we were releasing her but the vet said she needed to be kept in for 10 days.

    24 hours later she was our little princess and we have been willing slaves ever since.

    So try for handling the original cats - its a much easier task if you can just put the cat in a cat box and dont have to trap it.

    Local rescues will advise you and may be able to lend a trap and help with neutering costs. Our local vets helped us out, gave us a lower price neutering. We borrowed a trap off a neighbour - we still used it to get the kittens. Food lured them after Mamma Cat was gone a couple of days.


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