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Cats/pregnant stray cat

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Expert: - 7/22/2009


Question
I have been feeding a very pregnant stray cat who appears to be around 1 year of age, still a kitten herself.  I feed her morning and evening and leave water for her.  I can't bring her in the house because we have other cats and dogs, which breaks my heart.  This morning she didn't come around.  I assume she is either in labor or has given birth.  I have looked around our property and haven't found her nest, so I assume, since she has a wide territory, she has chosen an area off our property to have her babies.  I'm terribly concerned, and wonder how long it might be before she will come back around for food and water?

Answer
Hi Bar.  I hate to say, but it really depends.  If she is somewhere close by but is just hiding well, it should be within a day or so.  Moms will generally sneak out for a bite to eat within 24 hours, though some will stretch it to 48.  But they do try to stay close to their nests, and if she’s a long way off from your house, she may stay closer to her babies and hunt for food, instead, until the little ones are a bit older.  A lot of people have their cats reappear a week or two later, sometimes carrying kittens in their mouths.  And if mom alone begins to visit for food, you will likely begin to see her bring the babies for meals when they are old enough to eat solid food at about 5 weeks old.

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Jessica

Expertise

The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

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I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

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15 years' hands-on experience

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