Advice
Just found a potentially pregnant cat that’s been sitting out in the rain for ages
I couldn’t leave her there so I brought her home with me. Shelters aren’t picking up so I will have her for another day at least. I’ve never had a cat of my own so I’m looking for advice on how to keep her cozy safe and healthy until she gets looked at. We’re getting food and litter…anything else that’s critical?
I’m so surprised she let me take her into the uber without clawing my eyes out. She just rest on my lap sweetly the whole ride. Now she’s hiding behind the freezer on the sunroom and I have a blanket draped over the part of her back that I can access. My bunny loves going out to the sunroom so I’m also making sure he doesn’t try to sprint into the room when the door is open.
Edit: should I buy insurance now? Vet visits ain’t cheap
Yes, my first cat I rescued was a 4 month waiting period before i saw her for more than 20 seconds at a time. My fourth took about 10 days. Love them all the same.
Interesting. My kitty passed away after 15 years. I haven’t been able to even think of an another kitty. It’s only been about a month. But I’ll keep this in mind when I finally do adopt. I barely even remember when I first got my late little girl.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my best friend of 17 years 2 years ago. I still miss him. It still hurts. I still cry. But a got a new kitty within a week. Not to replace him but just cuz I need to talk to another living thing, I need that interaction. I think that people need to give love & to be loved in order to keep us human & humane.
I feel that. I feel so alone. You really summed it up. I will 100% get another kitty. I don’t want my girl’s legacy to be that when she passed it damaged me so much that I never opened my home and heart again. That’s a terrible legacy to leave for one’s animal who loved them so unconditionally.
Hello! I'm so sorry for your loss. I understand you, and I wanted to share my story.
I lost my childhood cat to cancer two years ago. He was 17 years old and meant everything to me and my parents. When he passed away, my mother said she would never get another cat because we suffered so much during his treatment, and even more so when he died.
Less than a month later, my mother was at work when she saw a cat and noticed it was injured. She cared for him until he got better, became attached to him, and obviously couldn't return him to the street, so she decided to adopt him. He brought life and joy back to the house and filled the void left by our cat's death.
My boy was called Fred, and we still remember him, love him deeply, and celebrate his memory, and I think there's no better way to do that than by saving another kitten who came from the street, just like him. 🫶🏻
Thanks. That’s her a few weeks before she passed. She was really strong in her fight with cancer. I probably waited too long to put her down, and I have some trauma from that. I won’t make that mistake again. It was my first time doing it, and I was just not ready to say goodbye. Then there is also part of me that wonders of maybe I could have kept her around for a little longer. Needless to say, I’m not over it. I’m still in the early grief stage.
It's hard to know and they're really good at hiding what they're going through. You can't really beat yourself up for not going sooner to put them down. That's a really hard thing to do. They probably let you know when it was ultimately their time to go and it'd be hard for you to know that you should have gone sooner in the moment. Hindsight is an awful thing, don't let it gnaw at you.
Throwing this in a top level comment because I'm not seeing it elsewhere:
OP you said she seemed pregnant and was behind your freezer. Cats can give birth in the strangest places, I would personally block off the back of the freezer next time she comes out and unplug it.
I don't think anything would happen if she gave birth back there, but it's mechanical equipment and it's better to be safe than sorry.
Thanks so much for this comment. I posted an update that we removed her from under the freezer and put her in an enclosed room to chill for the time being
That's awesome. It may be a little too big.. cats are weird. I'd offer a cardboard box too.. if you can. Opening on top with the flaps loose, she can hop in and out..
Reddit can be a shitty place sometimes, but if we only get 1 thing right, its with animals..we are absolutely the place to go to when you need advice on animals
It's warm and confined behind the freezer. I would suggest using a box to make a more comfy space in the warmest spot and block off the freezer. Could also get an electric pet warming pad but tbh I'm scared of those things catching fire (yes I know it is very rare) so I only turn mine on for kitty when I'm present and she's laying on it. Maybe there's a microwaveable pad or hot water pouch or something that could do the same thing.
Edit: the idea is to make a little home more clean and appealing than the area behind freezer
We rescued this sweet baby living in a storm drain in March and we were getting hit with record snowfall and blizzard conditions. We got her the day before the storm hit! She spent a week with us. She came around quickly. We would spend time with her in a closed off room. She had food, water, and a litter box. Just sitting quietly, reading a book, or on the computer. She loved our company and we loved hers. I actually have her 2 siblings as well! This sweetheart is now living with the lady who helped me trap her and she has the best life!
If she is pregnant, I hope you can keep her and her kittens long enough to get them all socialized. A pregnant cat that is otherwise not so close to humans with the hormonal shifts can be used to help them acclimate to people during that time. it's a benefit for everyone involved. We have a tortie who has that attitude and she is the best cat ever.
I've found pregnant cats can get really friendly towards humans, like they know we can provide them a safe space to have their babies.
Definitely try to keep her confined to one room, and give her lots of nice places to curl up. Stressed kitties love a cave (and even some non stressed kitties do).
Keep food and litter away from each other, and if possible keep water in a separate place as well. A lot of cats won't drink if it's near their food.
Also make sure there are no plants in her room! They love eating things they shouldn't.
Yes! My cat is a really timid thing (diagnosed "scared personality type" by the vet lmao) who spends most of her time hiding away. I'll have had her for a year come my birthday in July and she's JUST started to not hide whenever I walk around my room.
(She always comes and demands lots of cuddles when I lay down though. And if I don't get out of bed during the day she spends most of her time sleeping pressed up against me)
Two weeks after moving into our new home a random cat showed up in our back yard. Super friendly, we weren't ready for another cat as we had to put down our cat of 18 years due to kidney failure 3 months prior, but the kids loved her. She would get in the windowsill outside of our bedroom and stare at us all night. We told them if she came in the house and was nice with our dog, we would keep her. She walked right in like she owned the place, not a concern in the world. She would lay on your chest with her paws on your face and sleep, cutest thing ever.
We took her to the vet and yep, she was pregnant. We mentioned how affectionate she was and the vet basically said that once she was no longer pregnant that she would stop doing that stuff and act more like a normal cat, but she never did. She's still ridiculously affectionate and will sleep with her paws on your face, or her face buried in your neck, but she did have a personality shift afterward where she would be more independent.
Pregnant cats who are close to giving birth can be surprisingly friendly. The hormones. Plus they know they need a safe place to have them (mother's instinct?).
You don't need to do anything when it comes to her having the babies - she'll take care of everything. Give her some towels maybe in a cardboard box and nutritious food (kitten food is best for pregnant and lactating cats as it has more fat, calories, and protein) and water.
Just sit back and prepare for your heart to overflow 💛
Sounds like she's a domestic cat. A lot of young females get dumped when they're pregnant. People can be really shitty. Thank you for taking her in, the poor scared thing.
Sounds like she's a domestic cat. A lot of young females get dumped when they're pregnant. People can be really shitty. Thank you for taking her in, the poor scared thing.
Imagine your a first time expectent mother, in your home, not knowing what's going on, next thing you're fired into a strange unknown place with all the hormones and weirdness that cats get when pregnant. /u/Scared_Rise5787 thank you so much for doing this.
You may want leave some dirty clothes near her so she can get used to your smell. I usually opt for pajamas because they're soft and don't smell like anyone else.
If you have phone calls to make, just sit in the sunroom and talk calmly so she can get used to the sound of your voice. She'll be your little angel in no time, bless you for taking her in!
We adopted 2 kittens and they are obsessed with my 10yo son's dirty tshirts. And as it's gotten hotter out, they seem to prefer them the sweatier the better lol
My girl can’t get enough of my shoes. As soon as I take them off she’s nuzzling them and sticking her face in there. Weird as hell lol. Just about every morning I have to pull something out of them like a little toy or some trinket she stashed in there. She’s the best even with her arguably gross obsession.
Even jumping spiders immediately comply with the paper and cup when I explain to them what I'm doing. Animals are smarter than you think and can pick up a lot even if they don't speak the same language, just like we can communicate with each other without knowing the same language.
Jumping spiders are shockingly intelligent for their size. Way smarter than web-weaving spiders hundreds or even thousands of times larger than them. They can recognize individual members of their species and retain the memory for up to two weeks. It's not that surprising that actively hunting by pouncing needs more cognitive capacity than just chillin' in the web until it jiggles, but really large jumping spiders are less than 1/4" long, and you don't usually think of such tiny brains as being capable of so much.
Just be patient, and give her moments where you sit in an accessible spot like floor, but ignore her even as she approaches. Let her see you are unbothered by her and she will start to inspect you. Then when she's really trusting she will play with you.
Thank you for doing this! Make sure she has access to water, food and a litter box, as well as a place to relax (some blankets in a box will do nicely). She will take a bit to decompress, so give her space for a few hours. If she's not hissing, try sitting in the room with her and let her approach you. If she does you can let her smell you and talk to her so she gets used to you. If she already let you pick her up and take her in the car, she's probably used to people and might have gotten lost from her owners. Hopefully you can find them or get someone who can take her.
This is what I'm thinking. She's likely used to humans so she probably was thrown away when they found out she is pregnant. Hang in there beautiful tortie!
Unfortunately I live near a frequently used cat dumping site, and got some experience recovering and fostering. Honestly this behaviour screams "dumped by previous owners" to me. The cat is completely lost sitting in a very random spot, doing the distressed meow, and is friendly towards rescuers. Community cats, ferals, or strays that live on the streets long enough usually know good hiding spots, and avoid making noise this way.
What your doing is wonderful. I just did the same and it is so rewarding! I found homes for all the kittens. I couldn’t find a home for the mama! I now have 4 cats but they are worth it!
I literally lolled when op said "we'll have her for another day at least" bc 9 times or of 10 with these posts, the cat just moves in and the op just accepts their extremely lucky fate
She’s in a new environment and is probably scared, despite I’m sure very glad to be inside where it’s warm/dry. Just keep food and water and a warm place she can rest easily accessible to her. Also litter box! You’re doing great.😊
Give her lots of dry and wet food and a bowl water…lay down a towel for her or an old blanket…and once she has the kittens if you decide to keep her take her in for shots and spaying…I hope you keep this lovely little girl!!! You may have saved her life and if she stays with you she’ll always have a very kind human to love her the way she deserves
Pregnancy will do strange things to mama. Had a pregnant barn cat come in and stay with us. Thought she was so sweet. Until after the kittens were born. Straight back to crazy ass barn cat.
If she calmly rested on your lap in a moving car you might have a situation where this cat trusts you immensely. Do you have water nearby in a clean dish? if you have scented dish soap make sure to rinse it a lot to get the fragance off of the material
otherwise you're doing amazing, my verbose tortie Alice says hi and thank you for being a caring person!!
2 questions were you able to dry her? and how warm/cool/breezy is the area she is in now? cats run a normal temp of 102 ish so whats coolish/warm for us can be very cold for them
Water, cats drink tons of water especially with dry cat food. Btw Just keep her...you said you never had a cat, but cds says you are behind in ownership obligation & sent you a pregnant cat to catch up!
I know many people that have both bunnies & cats. Put in High Ground -like Put a chair with a blanket in that room so if bunny goes in or cat wants to feel safe in strange place, high ground to jump up to "escape" & no way for "predators" to sneak up...cats love high ground for this reason even when they Don't want to "escape" & aren't in danger of "predators" they love elevation because their instinct tells them it's even better than hiding on low ground. If you have a chair you can turn into a little cat fort, even better! 😊
Update: she has been removed from under the fridge and moved to the smaller half of the sunroom with a door. She’s very sweet and lets me pet her head, but I’m trying to just give her space. She doesn’t want to eat/drink just yet but it is accessible and separated from the litter. Thanks everyone for your advice. I always wanted to be graced by the CDS and I don’t know if I’ll end up keeping her but she is such a beautiful and sweet [BIG] baby.
She’s now nestled in her box and I check on her from time to time. She’s sooo precious.
Editing this comment to get more eyes on my question: now that it’s getting dark out, what kind of light source is best? Should I leave her in the dark or put a lamp in there? There isn’t an overhead light in the room she’s in.
She shouldn't need an additional light source, especially if there is any ambient light at all like I would guess there would be in a sunroom. Kitties have excellent night vision and she'll probably feel more comfortable in the dark as well.
It takes a special kind of person to not only save a poor pregnant cat but give it the love and attention it deserves (even if it’s just in the short term).
Thanks for being a good example of the value of kindness.
To your point about light: no bright lights. A small nightlight if you want to be able to see and check on her to gauge food/water levels, but she will be just fine in the dark.
If she's pregnant, not eating or drinking could be a sign she's going into labor. Cats in general don't like to eat or drink when they're not comfortable and/or are acclimating, but I wanted to add this anecdote as someone who has rescued and handled pregnant cats before.
We called animal control to see if anyone reported her missing but they’re closed, so on Monday we’ll check to see if anyone’s looking for her. If it works out, I would be delighted to keep her, but I still need to figure out logistics since none us were expecting this addition and I need to make sure my bun is safe. He’s lived with a cat before but not this one! taking it one hour at a time.
FYI, once they've been acclimated, rabbits and cats can get along very well, i have a friend who always has one of each and they do very well together.
A funny thing about them is cats express dominance by grooming others, and bunnies express it by accepting grooming, so they can both think they're in charge!
I just recently found out Royal Canin has a food for pregnant/nursing mom cats and kittens. It's an expensive brand, but it will mean not having to buy two separate kinds
Oh and please let me know what I can order her through Instacart below this comment. Food is on the way and I’m thinking of giving her a teaspoon of tuna in the meantime.
She'l love tuna.
If keeping for longer, she'll need her full vits and mins so proper cat food will be necessary. Nothing cheap with too many carbs in, they need mostly meat.
You may find you fall in love and want to keep her.
You can even cook some chicken or turkey breast if you have it. Don’t use salt, just the meat and a sprinkle of oil on the pan. Then cut it using scissors and serve once it’s cool.
Tuna, great idea, I would rinse with filtered water to remove the extra salt.
From pet store I use high protein wet foods, such as Reveal, Soulistic, Applaws (it’s more pricey), and Tiki Cat has some amazing options now such as seabass, salmon, sardines… all of these have chunks of real fish. I add water to my kitty’s food, always good for extra hydration.
She also doesn’t really like pate and prefers fish. But of course all meats are good for our carnivores felines. Please don’t buy the Taco Bell of cat food, like Kit Kat or Sheba… that’s the fastest way to hurt their health. 😔 as they add sugar on top of fillers and meals.
As others mentioned, try to keep the litter box away from the food&water and separate the bedding from both the above. This is okay for now. As she gets more comfortable you can move the litter box in a bathroom or a designated area, for now they should be relatively closed to where she’s hiding to promote her trust and get her familiar with the new place.
She definitely needs a box for when she’ll go into labor. They want to feel safe so it has to be closed up.
You can even cook some chicken or turkey breast if you have it. Don’t use salt, just the meat and a sprinkle of oil on the pan. Then cut it using scissors and serve once it’s cool.
I simmer in water until tender, then shred it up before I feed it to them. My boy cat loves the unsalted chicken broth as much as he likes the chicken, if not more.
(The girl likes the chicken more than the broth. She prefers to drink plain, fresh water.)
good call yes the food tube gives you the distance to extend your arm and hand slowly towards her, their noses are 6-10x better than ours you shouldnt have to wait long for her to realize its food
If you're at least fairly certain she's pregnant I would get her wet food advertised as being for kittens just so she can get the extra calories in her. Unsalted whole dried anchovies are great too and if she's been living outside for a prolonged period may be something she enjoys as they're a 'whole prey' sort of food. (I have found them to be a great way to encourage cats to eat something if they're snubbing everything else, just in case the stress of a new environment is a lot for her and she decides she won't eat.)
I'd also get some cheap dish or bath towels you don't mind sacrificing to let her make a nest.
I commented above, but Royal Canin has a pregnant/nursing mom/kitten food that's formulated for both of them, so you won't need to buy two brands. I've never tried it, but my kittens do love the regular dry Royal Canin for kittens
Be extra careful of salt intake, regular cat food will do better than something salty and even a lot of ground meats are processed with salt in them. There are cat foods designed specifically for mom cats and you can search it on Instacart by searching for kitten food generally, the brands good for moms will jump out at you.
If you can get a large cardboard box, something 4x her size, that she can lay in, she'd love that. Bonus if you can lay a towel on the inside. Blankets can be a bit too soft and feel unsafe on top of being static-y.
plain tapwater should do fine, just be sure to have a couple good bowls she can drink from close to the ground and a towel to put under the bowl so she doesn't splash too much. Wash it well and leave it to dry for a day while using the other bowl to prevent buildup of gingivitis/plaque and other things on the bowl but also letting any harmful soaps/whatnot pass from drying fully while you use the other bowl. Having many water and feeding bowls might help too when the kittens come.
Some cat toys, for the inevitable influx of kittens, would help with their entertainment. If browsing cat toys, avoid anything elastic-y and go for whatever looks like a spring, cats love springs like toys even if it's just a plain plastic spring. Just be sure it's large enough they don't eat it.
If planning to raise the kittens, you'll want some dividers so they can't go crawling around everywhere and also so you can abduct their mum to give her a rest.
If you wanted something a bit extra, you can get a heated blanket or pad. This shouldn't be used before/during the pregnancy and weening but rather for the mum who will ache all over. The times you abduct her for her break, you can place her on it on low setting and let her nap. If you're worried about potential leakages from her can put a couple towels on the heated blanket and give it time to warm up before abducting her.
Rescued this girl off the streets in the dead of July in Texas and 5 days later gave birth. Been the sweetest thing I have ever had in my life. Kept a daughter of hers too
My wife rescued a feral tortie as a kitten, she 5 now and a complete cuddlebug but her feralness comes out every now and then, I think it’s engrained in their dna
Dark quiet warm blanket best with a box or something so she feels safe. Dark and quiet space with food and water right next to her so she doesn’t have to feel unsafe venturing out for it
Give her bedding for a warm nest, food, water, and a litter box. If you can, space the litter box away from food and bedding. Talk to her gently so she becomes used to your voice and presence. If she’s not keen on being touched, don’t push for it. Just give her time. Get her to a vet when you can for shots, microchip and even a spay/abort. Reach out to local humane societies and pet groups- they may have options for free/reduced price veterinary care for her.
A separate room (quiet if possible) so she can decompress and feel safe. Even if you come in to feed and clean the litter, it will be good for her to have some time to herself.
And lots of blankets and basically a nest in case delivery is imminent.
Thanks for taking her in. She’s beautiful, and wishing her all the best.
Thanks for helping her!!! Lots of true community/outdoor cats do not know how to use the litter. Just make sure anywhere you put her, you can try the litter obviously, but put down blankets and/or towels you’re okay trashing. When we did TNR we would use a large dog crate but a spare bathroom or a temp controlled garage, may also work!
I’ve done a lot of TNRing as well, and I found that bringing in some leaves from outside and putting them in the litter box was like magical attractant for community cats. I haven’t had a community cat it didn’t work for yet.
When we found a kitten in the middle of the New Mexico desert, we took him with us for the rest of our trip. We'd put him in the bathroom of hotels at night and it worked out fine.
Poor sweet little mama! Her sad little meows were begging for help. Thank you so much for taking her in. If you’ve never had a cat before she would be forever grateful if you gave her a home. You saved her and the joy and love she will return is life changing in the best possible way. Please keep us updated 🙏❤️
Reading the thread and your updates it looks like you got her all sorted out. Ngl that brought some onions into my house somehow. Weird lol. You're the best kind of person and its so nice to see the good things going on in the world.
Aww that’s so sweet. So, I’m an adult who lives with my mom (paying rent) and she’s pissed lol. Didn’t tell her I brought the cat home. She’s always been opposed to having pets but she quickly grew to love her grandbunny. I don’t know if things will work out for us to keep this beautiful kitty, but I’m ignoring her protestations and trusting that she’d come around to loving her grankitty as well 🤷♀️
You are her guardian angel! Her meows broke my heart. They were definitely please help me meows. She looks like such a sweet cat!! Thank you for rescuing her🙏. Hopefully she will be your first ever cat🤞
If she is pregnant feed her kitten food, it’s calorie dense and she needs all the calories she can get to feed her babies. Put a box out there with a towel you won’t mind getting messy during the birthing process. Keep the food and water a short distance from the box and the litter box away from both food and birthing box.
It's weird that she chose that place to give birth. It feels like her survival instinct didn't kick in. My suspicion is that she's an indoor cat - the way she meows...that's definitely indoor.
She could be a stray that was being fed and cared for by humans.
My cat was living at an apartment complex and was being cared for by the people who lived there. One of the people feeding her decided they wanted to adopt her because she was such a sweetie but when they took her to the vet, they found out she was pregnant and they weren't in a place to take in kittens. She gave birth and cared for her kittens at a foster home...she was barely a year old herself!
We adopted her from the foster home and it feels like we were granted a hidden gem. She's the sweetest, gentlest kitty ever.
Basically, there's a chance she's a stray that's had mostly good interactions with the humans around her.
Either way, she's certainly not a stray now.
She is in labor. Try to offer her a box with a sheet folded so it fits just the bottom of the box-nothing that will ’shed’ or have fuzzy material. You may have to move your freezer and get her out of there-it’s not safe for her or the babies. Put the box in a dark, quiet place and leave her alone.
Put food and water somewhere near her but not in the box with her.
OP, I’m having a really tough day and your post just really made me happy. Thank you for saving her and her babies. The world needs more people like you. I hope you know what a truly wonderful person you are.
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