female needs recluse?

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Joe - 11 Jun 2004 22:07 GMT

We have a female ready soon to deliver kittens. The father and another
older male are in the house with her all day with no one around and no where
to hide. What are her needs given this situation?

Thanks to all who help,

j

Reply to this Message

~*Connie*~ - 11 Jun 2004 22:45 GMT

does she seem bothered by the presence of the other cats? if so, provide
her a small room with litter and food/water and a nice soft bed lined with
towels that you don't mind getting dirty. Then be prepared for her to give
birth on the rug or in the litter box.

> We have a female ready soon to deliver kittens. The father and another
> older male are in the house with her all day with no one around and no where
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> j

Reply to this Message

Medusa - 13 Jun 2004 01:34 GMT

> does she seem bothered by the presence of the other cats? if so, provide
> her a small room with litter and food/water and a nice soft bed lined with
> towels that you don't mind getting dirty. Then be prepared for her to give
> birth on the rug or in the litter box.

Oh, you gave me a really good laugh! I took in a stray pregnant female I
had been feeding on the deck when I noticed she had suddenly gotten
"fat". I put nests and boxes with towels all over the house and she gave
birth on my new off-white carpet upstairs behind some boxes. Sigh. I'll
never get the stain out of the carpet but the kittens are so cute. She
had a litter of 5 and is a kitten herself, Looks like Lee's Miss Kitty
but is skinny as a rail. Only one black kitten, other 4 are gray tabbies
like daddy (who disappeared after he had done his deed!).

Good luck! Maybe a closet door ajar where she can have a quiet dark place.

Reply to this Message

Laura R. - 13 Jun 2004 03:16 GMT

circa Sun, 13 Jun 2004 00:34:50 GMT, in alt.cats, Medusa
(nobody@nowhere.com) said,

> > does she seem bothered by the presence of the other cats? if so, provide
> > her a small room with litter and food/water and a nice soft bed lined with
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> "fat". I put nests and boxes with towels all over the house and she gave
> birth on my new off-white carpet upstairs behind some boxes.

The one I took in decided that my bed was the perfect place to have
her babies. While I was in it. Then she cleaned the kittens off and
brought them to me. While flattering, it was kinda icky.

As her kittens grew, she'd hide them while I was at work and bring
them to me, one by one, when I came home. When I went to bed, she
brought them there. I think she was trying to get me to adopt 'em.

Hmm, come to think of it, I did. :-)

Laura

Signature

Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

Reply to this Message

m. L. Briggs - 13 Jun 2004 03:35 GMT

>circa Sun, 13 Jun 2004 00:34:50 GMT, in alt.cats, Medusa
>(nobody@nowhere.com) said,
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
>Laura

How flattering that she trusted you so much.

Reply to this Message

Laura R. - 13 Jun 2004 04:02 GMT

circa Sat, 12 Jun 2004 20:35:58 -0600, in alt.cats, m. L. Briggs
(mlbriggs@nospam.net) said,

> >The one I took in decided that my bed was the perfect place to have
> >her babies. While I was in it. Then she cleaned the kittens off and
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> How flattering that she trusted you so much.

It truly was. When she first started bringing the kittens to me
wherever I went, I called the local veterinary school to ask them why
on earth she would do this. Their response was, "she must really
trust you." At that point, I stopped worrying about her doing it and
just enjoyed the fact that she trusted me enough to do so. :-)

Laura

Signature

Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

Reply to this Message

Rhonda - 13 Jun 2004 05:29 GMT

Wow, that is amazing! That needs to go in one of the "Pet Lovers' Soul"
books. I've never heard of a cat that would do something like that.

How many kittens did she have? Did you keep them all?

Rhonda

> It truly was. When she first started bringing the kittens to me
> wherever I went, I called the local veterinary school to ask them why
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Laura

Reply to this Message

Laura R. - 13 Jun 2004 17:35 GMT

circa Sun, 13 Jun 2004 04:29:59 GMT, in alt.cats, Rhonda (san-
toki@attremovethis.net) said,

> Wow, that is amazing! That needs to go in one of the "Pet Lovers' Soul"
> books. I've never heard of a cat that would do something like that.
>
> How many kittens did she have? Did you keep them all?

Well, that's a really long story. :-) In a nutshell, I have two of
Mamacat's kittens- from different litters (thus the long story). All
of the others I either found homes for or kept and, sadly, lost (the
littermate of one of the two that I still have, who died of hepatic
lipidosis six years ago). They're 10 and 11 now. :-)

Laura

Signature

Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

Reply to this Message

Cheryl - 13 Jun 2004 05:06 GMT

In the fine newsgroup "alt.cats", Laura R.
<firstinitiallastname@technologist.com> artfully composed this
message within <news:MPG.1b358291484b8c3998a985@news.verizon.net>
on 12 Jun 2004:

> The one I took in decided that my bed was the perfect place to
> have her babies. While I was in it. Then she cleaned the kittens
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Hmm, come to think of it, I did. :-)

Sometimes when I read these stories, I want to foster mama cats and
kittens. It will be a long time before I do, if Shadow lives a full
life. I can't deal with kittens full time because they are just too
wild for me, but to keep a mama and her babies while they get old
enough to be adopted is something I want to do someday. I've never
even been around tiny babies other than the long weekend I pet sat
for a friend with the local SPCA and they were all mostly sick with
distemper. It was horrible. About 40 kittens, more than 75% sick
and needing intensive care. She never told me how many survived and
we're not friends anymore because of that. Long story. Sad story.

Signature

Cheryl

Reply to this Message

Sherry - 13 Jun 2004 08:46 GMT

>Sometimes when I read these stories, I want to foster mama cats and
>kittens.

Have I told you about the Unwed Mothers from Hell?
If you do decide to foster mamas, my advise would be to only take one at a
time. I took two; each had one kitten. Lordy, lordy. It was a feline hormonal
nightmare.

Sherry

Reply to this Message

Laura R. - 13 Jun 2004 17:44 GMT

circa Sat, 12 Jun 2004 23:06:39 -0500, in alt.cats, Cheryl
(jlhshadow@nospamhotmail.com) said,

> > As her kittens grew, she'd hide them while I was at work and
> > bring them to me, one by one, when I came home. When I went to
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> and needing intensive care. She never told me how many survived and
> we're not friends anymore because of that. Long story. Sad story.

I have to admit, Mamacat and her kittens were a real joy. They must
have been, since two of my three cats are the results of Mamacat. :-)

Laura

Signature

Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

Reply to this Message