[mansilakhani]

Hello,
My family has unofficially adopted a stray cat that we named sylvester.. it was born in our neighbourhood and we have been feeding it and petting it since it was just a few months old.. two months ago, she became pregnant.. she had her kittens where she was born in our neighbour's backyard.. unfortunately it was cold and raining that day.. we moved her and her kittens to our backyard in the box but she soon lost interest in her kittens and started leaving them behind in the box and wandered off somewhere.. we tried to keep the kittens warm and the next morning, she and her kittens were gone! She soon returned and became very affectionate.. we tried looking for her kittens but could not find them anywhere and they have never been seen again! There are other cats around the neighbourhood, she has two other siblings and her mother.. we feed all the four cats.. but there's other tomcats around as well.. so now she has become pregnant again.. and we really hope she doesn't abandon her kittens, I think she'll give birth anyday now we feed her a lot, give her a lot of love and affection, and she sleeps ON the box not INSIDE the box that we put out for her.. she likes to sit there all day, we're not sure where she'll lay her kittens.. and we're thinking of giving them away after they're a few weeks old.. do u have any advice on what we can do this time around to make sure that everything goes smoothly or that she doesn't abandon her kittens? Much appreciated.. thank you!

[Wondergirl]

Can you borrow (for free) one of those Hav-a-Heart cat traps from a vet or an animal shelter, and get her into a safe place (vet clinic or shelter) where she can have her kittens? Or scoop up her and her kittens soon after she has them and take them to the vet or shelter? She should eventually be spayed so she doesn't keep producing kittens that die or end up homeless. Btw, animal shelters work with area vets to get low-cost or free neutering and general cat care for their residents, so please check into that. I'm a long-time cat rescuer and have always found vets and shelters to be sympathetic to my rescuing work. The trap-neuter-return process (T-N-R) should work well for your pregnant cat--that she can return to your neighborhood after being spayed (as long as you are willing to feed her).

[mansilakhani]

wow thank u so much for your quick response! I will definitely look in to everything you suggested.. and see what can be done to help her and her kittens.. I wasn't aware of many of these things since our family hasn't had a cat before, we've always looked after strays though but we haven't had a pet cat living in our house.. but you gave me some pretty good suggestions.. thank you again! =)

[Wondergirl]

You didn't say where you live, but if it's in a populated area, you might want to consider making this cat an indoors-only cat after she's had her kittens and has been fixed. The spaying will cause her to live a longer, healthier life and being indoors will prevent her death from a vehicle or a predator of some kind (there are coyotes even here in Chicago). If you bring her indoors, you will need a litter box, scoopable litter, and of course food and water dishes. The vet or shelter can give you more details.

My soulmate cat is Thomas Jefferson, who will be 13 on the Fourth of July. He was born outdoors in someone's backyard to a stray mom. A cat shelter volunteer rescued the mom cat and her kittens, and the kittens, except for Thomas, were adopted by shelter visitors. Thomas adopted me (a shelter volunteer) when he was six months old, and we have been two halves of a whole ever since. I have two other cats rescued from my own backyard.

[mansilakhani]

oh wow.. that's a very touching story! Thomas must be a very special cat.. =) I live in toronto actually.. I know there are some vets and a cat hospital within driving distance.. so I will definitely give them a visit.. we have actually tried to bring Sylvester inside many times, but she cries and does not want to stay inside, we cannot keep her in for more than half an hour, it breaks my heart to see her so sad inside, she just sits by the backyard door and cries and does not want to be pet.. so we decided the best thing would be to just let her stay outside, she never wanders off too far and we see her frequently during the day.. also my mom who's living with us is allergic so that is the only reason we haven't been able to have a cat indoors.. but my whole family love cats, accept my mom of course.. so hopefully after Sylvester has her kittens we can give them away to good, loving homes and in the meanwhile try to see what we can do to get her fixed and ensure that she is safe and healthy during and after her pregnancy..

[Wondergirl]

Once she has been spayed, she might calm down and be willing to stay indoors. Then could you find a new home for your mother? (just kidding)

Thanks for being a responsible cat person!

[mansilakhani]

thank you for all the advice! =) it really helped!