Pregnant feral cat

[Hachiko]

Hi everybody!!

I am about to catch this feral pregnant cat!!
I need a vet in Montreal or Laval that can give her hers shots and everything for cheap.... because i don't have a lot of money. I also don't have a car and i live in Laval.

I have 3 cats in my home already and i don't want them to be sick because of the feral cat.

It is my first time catching a feral cat, any help, advice and tips are welcome

Thank you so much!!

Léa

[Bina]

It may be a good idea to contact a cat rescue in your area and ask them what is the best way to proceed. Good Luck.

[sugarcatmom]

I agree with Bina. Contacting a rescue group specializing in feral cats (TNR) is the best way to go. They can lend you the trap and will possibly have an experienced foster home available where she can have her babies. She should not be getting any vaccinations if she's pregnant.

I don't recommend trying this yourself as feral cats are a whole other ball of wax to deal with. They are basically a wild animal. At the very least, you will need a completely cat proof and escape proof room (separated from your other cats) where she can't injure herself trying to get out (and trust me, if she is truly feral she will try with every ounce of her being).

Regardless of what you decide to do, I thank you for looking out for her.

[Hachiko]

Thank you for replying

i am going to do this by myself because the only rescue group i could have thought of bringing her in is full...

I have a room for her where i hope she will stay until she has her babies. Then i thought of bringing the babies to the SPCA where they can be adopted. As for the mom... i still don't know, i will try to find a good home for her, and if i can't i will probably end up keeping her. (as i have adopted all the foster cats that came in my house hehe)

If there is no contact between her and my cats, are my cats safe??

Well wish me luck!! Any advice welcomed

Léa

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Hachiko

i am going to do this by myself because the only rescue group i could have thought of bringing her in is full...

I ended up taking in a pregnant feral under similar circumstances (full story here: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....pregnant+feral), so I wish you the best of luck! How do you plan to catch her? Do you have a humane trap you can borrow?

Originally Posted by Hachiko

I have a room for her where i hope she will stay until she has her babies.

Any guess as to how far along she is in the pregnancy? Would be good to trap her around a week before she's due so she can get over the stress of being inside. Make sure any windows in the room are very secure and there are no small spaces she can squeeze into to hide. Provide her with a couple of cardboard boxes instead if she needs to hide to feel safe. If she's feral, she likely has never used a litter box before. You could give her the option of eliminating in a box filled with dirt from outside, but I'd also recommend trying some Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter (worked great in my situation).

Just a word of warning, she may have some extremely stinky poops and room-clearing gas . We're talking nuclear stink. She's processing the waste of all the kittens inside her and it can result in some pretty noxious odours. It will eventually clear up (or maybe you'll be lucky and it won't be so bad). Don't use any room deodorizers (sprays nor plug-ins) or incense, as these can be quite toxic to cats. You might just have to grin and bare it for a while. Scoop the boxes as soon as you can and put the waste in a container outside.

Feed her as much canned food as she'll eat. Something high quality preferably, like Wellness. My petite Cinnamon Girl was eating over 18 oz of canned food a day when she was pregnant/nursing.

Originally Posted by Hachiko

If there is no contact between her and my cats, are my cats safe??

Have your cats ever been vaccinated? Are they healthy and eating good food? Then it's not likely there will be any issues.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.....

[Hachiko]

Thank you for all the advice it is sooo appreciated!!

The trap i have made myself... i know it sounds awful but it is humane, i promise you. She goes in for food (she and another cat i was suppose to catch are used to the box) and she can't come out because the door won't let her. I will be here to take the box in and into the room.

If everything goes well, i catch her tomorrow because her room will be ready and i have a week off from school so i can be there for her I will go get some dirt for the litter.

Sugarcatmom i am reading your story (the link you gave me) to see what is awaiting me thank you for taking the time to answer my post. I will post more news when i have some!!

Lea

[Hachiko]

sugarcatmom: after reading your post, i have a question!! How do i know if she didn't already have the kitten?? and has a giant belly from delivering not long ago??

Thanks again,

Léa

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Hachiko

sugarcatmom: after reading your post, i have a question!! How do i know if she didn't already have the kitten?? and has a giant belly from delivering not long ago??

If she has a giant belly, then she still has the kittens inside her. Once she has them, she won't be nearly as huge. Also, as soon as the kittens are born she will only leave them for very short periods of time to get food.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Hachiko

The trap i have made myself...

Okay, but don't underestimate her power if she starts to freak out in the box. I hope it's extremely sturdy, because you'd be amazed at what a scared cat can get out of. If she does escape, you won't be catching her again anytime soon.

Fingers crossed that this all goes smoothly!

[Hachiko]

I got her

After a week of trying and waiting for her.... I put her in her room and i am now waiting 24 hours before going to see her. She is not making any noise and does not seem that scared... If she would have had her babies already, she would be making a bigger fuss no?

Anyway, i wanted to give you an update. Thank you for everything,

Lea