We've had a pregnant stray hanging around for a little over a month now. We've been feeding her and provided a crate in the garage hoping she would opt to have the kittens in there. She's very friendly and loves all the attentions she's been getting.

Today, we ddn't see her for most of the day and when she came by about 7:00 pm I think she looks a bit thinner, but still plump. IS there a way to tell if she had the kittens while away today? I'm going to see if she wanders away and try and follow her, but don't know if I'll be able to. Will a cat leave her kittens? We know she's had at least 1 litter before this one. Her nipples have been enlarged from the day she started hanging around.

TIA!

Also, do cats water break like in people. I thought maybe that's all that has happened so far and she's still going to have them.

Thanks again.

Hello,

Yes, mother cats will leave their kittens for short periods to hunt and/or feed. They really need a lot of extra nutrition right now so I recommend feeding a high quality kitten food like Iams or Hill's Science Diet. Those will give her the energy she needs during lactation and nursing.

As to If she had the kittens, that can sometimes be hard to tell for the first few hours. Check to see if milk comes out of her nipples when squeezed... if so, she is either within a day or two of having them or already has had them.

See if the hair around the nipples is wet or disturbed and look for traces of blood around the vaginal area also.

If you are considering keeping this stray, the first thing you should do is have her tested for Feline Leukemia (FeLV) which is a deadly disease that can easily be spread to other felines.

If she tests positive, it is most likely the kittens have it as well (don't let her near any cats you may already own). Unfortunately, there is no cure for FeLV but there is a vaccine which helps prevent them from contracting it.

FeLV is highly prevelent in stray breeding cats since it is mainly transmitted through breeding and fighting (exchange of blood and/or saliva).

I hope this information helps and good luck with the kittens if you find them! Those momma cats are GOOD at finding the perfect hiding place! :)

Regards,

Thx! She hung around here eating and sucking up attention for about 3 hours tonight, then she was gone again. I'm assuming with the kittens. We're just worried since the night temp is dropping to the low-mid 40's now.

My wife is pretty sure her mucus plug popped yesterday. I did give the nipples a squeeze, but nothing came out. They're definitely bigger around the base with more hair loss. We did notice some matting of the hair around 1 of them.

We plan on putting her and the kittens up for adoption after they're born and old enough. She does not get along with our dog, otherwise we would've brought her inside. We tried the local Humane Society, but they said she'd prob be euthenized since she was pregnant. And the "no kill" shelters are all full.

Thanks again for the reply!

If I do somehow find the kittens, will it hurt, or bother the cat to move them to the crate in our garage?

TIA!

We had a stray with kittens too. We set up a very nice "nest" area for her in our storage shed. I didn't move her kittens but I showed her the nest, fed her in there etc and she seemed to like it because the next day she had moved her kittens in there!

Hello,

It really depends on the cat's personality on whether they will be 'offended' if you move the kittens.

Most will only just move them right back to where they had them or, sometimes, somewhere even harder to find.

In rare cases, they will abandon them.

Regards,

i found this stray cat and we've been feeding her. i think she is pregnant :D :D
but i can't really tell. is there any signs i should b looking 4
we set up a box for her to have her kittens in. ive been reading a book about this and my mother did this b4 so we nko how to birth them. i really want to keep one of her kittens but i dont kno if she will go out and have them. ive beens ayin i think she is pregnant but no1 would believe me. now my mom think she is too. her nipples have enlarged, she gained weight , is very affectionate, and is starting to loose her appotite. are there anyother signs i should look out for. we think she had kittens b4 because we hear little meows but we thought it was just our hearing.
thanks
-tracy