Pregnant Cat

[slenderisthenight]

I'm on the fence about whether to start this, having just seen a thread where a woman has been slated for knowing a dog who is having puppies and it wasn't even her dog.

My cat is due to have kittens any day. I'm not an experienced cat owner and haven't cared for a cat going through this experience. I'll say at the outset that this is a completely undesirable situation and it won't be repeated.

We've talked to the vet and read what we can about what to do, but thought it would also be helpful to start a thread in case further questions come up. If you have some experience and are happy to share it, I can't thank you enough.

If you wish to chastise me for getting into this situation in the first place, please don't bother as it will achieve nothing for the cat or anyone else at this point. I will simply hide the thread and not return to it (unless, of course, there is specific need for urgent information relating to the cat's welfare and it's impossible to get it anywhere else).

The cat is a Maine Coon and only ten months old. The vet wouldn't neuter her over the summer because she was being treated with antibiotics for a long-running gut infection that lasted months (now recovered). She came into heat at the tail end of that illness and unfortunately managed to escape my clutches (that is, the place where she was being confined) for long enough to mate. It shouldn't have happened and was an unfortunate one-off resulting from a unique set of circumstances that I won't go into here. She's a sweet natured, beautiful animal and we're upset that she is carrying a litter and at such a young age.

She didn't have the 'pinking up' symptom so we didn't know she was pregnant until the vet confirmed it two weeks ago. Apparently there are at least five kittens there. He estimated that she would give birth anytime from Monday to Friday of this week. (So she is a day late).

Don't urge me to spay her at the first opportunity because that is exactly what I am planning to do. In the past we have rehabilitated rescue dogs and never imagined we would end up contributing to the problem of overpopulation - very humbling experience and the priority now to is to get this right for the cat.

Thanks very, very much to anyone who has constructive advice.

[slenderisthenight]

She is so thin that we've drawn a line under her feeding the kittens herself. They're doing well and she isn't. TBH I think she is completely focused on survival now.

I'm feeding her as much chicken as she'll eat. Don't know how to get calcium into her though - she refuses everything else now.

Spent the day on my hands and knees smearing sloppy cat food on the. Incredibly messy task. Most of them are trying to suck it up - hopefully they'll start chewing tomorrow!

[slenderisthenight]

kittens

[ThomasRichard]

Poor old Mum cat. She's having a bit of a time of it and so are you! I'm glad the kittens are doing well.