Cats????

I know this is a dog forum, but there is a cat under my door steps having kittens and she not doing too good. Don't know if it's cause she's young or what. She's had three and chewed ones leg off with the afterbirth. Do any of you have any experiance with birthing kittens? They are so tiny, like a small mouse. Looks like they are having breathing problems.

 

Let nature take its course

I've had cats birth under my barn not 10' away from Sheena and keep her all upset till they left, I really don't like cats after being with a G/F that had 13, one having kittens every 3 weeks seemed like

 

I'm trying to. I did get rid of the one that was dead. Just hate seeing something so little in distress.

 

Well, if the cat is feral, you can't do much...it will run away or attack if you try. (possibly abandoning the babies that have a chance) Now if its tame, the only thing you can do is try to provide comfort and a vets opinion if you have the time and finances.

 

she will do fine. Cats are like rats. They reproduce very fast and often. Best thing to do is get rid of them right at birth. If you don't you will have 50 of the damn things next season.

 

My uncle used to run a auto mechanic shop from his home , seemed more like a junk yard with all them old cars there all the time , anyways, his wife used to feed this one stray cat, before you know it , every time i would go visit my uncle there would be like some 20 cats roaming around his house , they bred like crazy , whenever there was kittens to be expected , my uncle always had a water bucket hanging around outside, his way of getting rid of them.

 

Honestly I'd call AC in the morning & have someone come get them. Chances are they're diseased & pose a health problem to the general public & other cats.

 

If shes tame its possible she was a pet at one time or still is....or worse abandoned, If it were me i would call the vet to see what i could do, and if the cat would let me i would take her to a warm safe place to have her kittens, then get her spayed and when the kittens became of age have them spayed also, to prevent unwanted cats everywhere, i would also try to find homes for the kittens and mama once everyone has recovered. JM2C.


Edited to add: If you cannot do either of these things i would call the local humane society, as AC is more likely to put them to sleep rather than try and adopt them out.

 

Call Animal Control and have them picked up.

If they are feral, many counties have catch and release programs. They bring the traps and set them up, capture the cats, spay & neuter, and then release them for free.

I know many people aren't fond of cats, but I personally like them, I'd at least get them safely off my property via A.C., or I'd take the kittens in and eventually rehome them. I'd capture the momma kitty too.

 

It's not that I hate cats (ok, I can't stand them), but there are a few reasons to leave this momma cat & her kittens alone.

1. You have absolutely no idea if this is someone's tame outdoor cat, if it's a stray cat, or if it's a feral cat.

2. This momma cat is likely to tear you to shreds if you try to mess with her or her kittens regardless if she's a "nice" stray & most definitely will do so if she's feral.

3. Not knowing the cat's history, you cannot count out rabies.

4. This momma cat, & now the kittens, can be carrying:
a) ringworm which is highly contagious to you, your family, & all your animals
b) upper respiratory disease like FIP
c) Feline Leukemia or FIV which can (these 3 can be a death sentence to your own cats if you have any
d) intestinal worms (roundworms & tapeworms are VERY common in outside cats)
e) itestinal parasties such as coccidia (again is very common in outdoor, stray, & feral cats) or giardia or several strains of bacteria


Animal lover or not, the right thing to do is leave them be (put out some water and food if you want to) & call AC in the morning. If they get euthanized by AC a) the cat won't dwell on it & hate your forever & b) there will be a reason for doing so

 

I have a non-profit org.,,we do the Trap-neuter-release for all the stray cats,,,I have caught and altered about 500 cats in the last few years,,,leave her be for a few days if you can,,,one way to tell if she is feral is she will not eat in front of you,,,she may be afraid of you and try and hide,,but that does not mean she is mean,,,alot of times I put the babies in a carrier and put the carrier behind the trap,,it works everytime,,no one should be drowning kittens in buckets of water,,there are more humane ways to euth these animals,,,if people would spay and neuter there would not be so many around,,if they can't reproduce their numbers go down drastically, this is the only way to control a cat colony.

 

if you ask a sailer what it is like to drown he will tell you its agany. being that is said. There are mutch better ways like a shotgun.

Well I had a cat once probally the only cat that i liked. Well It cought Feline Leukemia by being outdoors running free. Poor thing I had to take it to the local pound to get put down because it just got so sick it was sad. Best bet is to call AC. The momma cat already sees problems with it that is why she is killing them. Or it can be many reasons. But that is the best anwser I can give you I dont know mutch about health problems.

 

How can you ask a drowned sailor anything? Unless your a psychic LOL J/K:p

I'd go with Miakoda's suggestion. There are many zoonotic diseases that can be a risk to you, your family and your animals. Call A.C. Let them deal with it.

 

Just wanted to say thanks for all the advice. She doesn't appear to be mean, maybe scarred. I just left them under the steps and checked on them today. Looks like the healthiest one is not going to make it either. The other one is so little, it will probably die too. Thanks again.

 

Right now I would let her birth her litter b/c no matter what kind of cat she is, she is likely under stress & your interfence right now would likely result in a bite or the abandonment of her kittens.

As for zoonotic diseases, that cat probably has nothing that can harm you save for ringworm or rabies & nothing but worms or rabies that can harm your dogs. Now if you have cats of your own it can be a hazard, but yourself & your dogs are virtually safe.

IMO, I would put a trap out nearby the momma w/ some tasty wet food b/c after she is done & rested she will likely be looking for a meal & once you trap the momma you can safely handle the kittens.

Then you can go about determining what kind of cat she is (abandoned pet, feral, etc.) & what do to w/ her & her kittens.

But I would NOT drown them! Only a cruel, heartless, waste of skin would put down unwanted animals like that, esp. when it's THEIR fault the animals were born in the first place!

Anyone who drowns or otherwise culls puppies or kittens b/c they don't want them IMO needs to be culled themselves. Anyone who is ...

a: too much of a cheap skate

or

b: too effin stupid

... to have their animals spayed or neutered doesn't need to be around IMO. Maybe we should drown THEM!

I wouldn't call AC either b/c again, they will just be put down. Albeit it will be in a more humane manner, but I can't see killing innocent animal b/c of a stupid human.

I would try to trap her & go from there. But that is just me.

 

I would call, perhaps your local AC to see if your city impliments a Spay/Neuter Program, like what Catcher mentioned. If so, they will come, usually free of charge, set up a trap and catch the mom and babies. I worked (at my last job) in a city that was riddled with ferral cats. We called an organization, as kittens were being born quite often, due to so many unspayed females on the loose, and the moms were caught and fixed. We'd catch whatever babies we could and place them, but the moms, typically wild, were much tougher to get.
If your city doesn't, perhaps inquire if another city does.

The cats would be spayed and not put to sleep, at least they don't here. (MA)

I have owned, bred and raised cats for quite a long time, and have worked almost exclusively with them for almost two years now. Yes, they reproduce often, as the female will go into and out of 'heat' (estrus) during their prime breeding season, from dec to aug, and then can return back into heat perhaps every other week.
As far as the mom and kittens go, yeah, you can put food and water out to help her, but i wouldn't try to handle mom or the kittens. Just observe from afar, and let mo nature take her course.
But I'd call to see if in fact you have an organization that may be willing to help your city cut down on its feline #'s. Again, they'll probably come out for free and are all trained specifically for dealing with cases such as this.
Good luck, and flame me if you'd like, but i love cats!
If you can handle a double red sticker cat=extremely aggressive, then a difficult dog is cake!!!
just gutta be FAST!!!! it's ALL about teeth and nails!!!