hi,
my cats stomach is starting to grow very quick and she is always hungry, im happy if she is preganant but i dont know the first thing about raising kittens etc can anyone help.

please dont post how irresponsible iam, but i think every cat should have atleast one litter. also i will make sure they go to loving homes, and also keep as many as i can.....

if anyone can help please please answer me

thanks in advance

First of all, get somebody (experienced person or vet) to confirm it for you, then get her on some proper food. I know that there are ethical issues with Hills, but Science Diet Feline Growth biscuits make big strong kittens. Any good quality kitten food should do, giving her as much as she wants, with plenty of water too. When her time's approaching, try to keep her in the house, and allow her entry to some quiet and warm places around the house. Leave a few cardboard boxes big enough to be beds in quiet places especially where she sleeps and hopefully she will make one of these her nest. Let her have some kitchen or toilet rolls to make into nests- most of this stuff will come naturally.
Don't fret too much as she'll know you're worried, just get ready to support her while she gets on with it.
Feel free to PM for further info- just take it a step at a time.

By the way, I'm a volunteer at the Sheffield Cats Shelter and a general font of knowledge about feline furries.

And I've just spotted that you're new, so you won't be able to PM until you've got 5 posts.

If you give me an email address or phone number you can delete it as soon as I've got it.

Don't panic callie.

A stray cat we took in some time ago had five kittens on my son's bed. Christ, did it stink and leave a mess.:(

Anyhow, she will find the perfect spot herself - somewhere quiet and reasonably dark. She will also take care of herself and the kittens. All you have to do is provide a drawer or box for her to keep them in and so they can snuggle up to her.

Our only involvement in the delivery of the kittens was to tear the umbilical cord on one of the kittens because she ignored it. By the way, she'll eat the placenta...it's natural.

Just let her get on with being a natural mother, and wait till they show interest in her food then it's over to you to take over as mom.:thumbsup:

Sorry medusa, I was typing my 'layman's' advice whilst you were offering the expert version.

No problems saxon, both of us are just trying to reassure callie that it will all work out OK.

Cheers medusa.:thumbsup:

And just to reassure callie even more, here are the finished articles.

http://photobucket.com/albums/y96/saxon51/?action=view&current=UNTITLED-5.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/y96/saxon51/?action=view&current=UNTITLED-26.jpg

The ginger fella is the one we had to help.

Two of them were given to a loving home, and we kept the other three.

What lovely photos. Bet you feel like proud parents, kind of like I do to my youngest who was found as a tiny feral kitten under a bush in Darnall and who I hand reared with a little syringe for the milk and gauntlets for handling the kitten. She's just over a year now, and glossy and healthy.

Originally posted by medusa666
What lovely photos. Bet you feel like proud parents, just

Felt proud as punch :thumbsup: though a little perturbed due to the fact that we had to change the bedding and get rid of the smell so late at night. We thought that she was going to have them under the bed. We then had to find a drawer big enough for the six of them, but we left them in the same room as the temperature needed to be stable.

Honestly expected to find at least one dead in the morning, especially the one who she'd previously overlooked (we also had to tear open the sack on him, and flick him into life as well). But no, all present and correct - and chirping.

We also videod the births, but the light was so bad it's hard to see anything. Ahh...the joys of fatherhood. :clap:

This is the dodgy one as he is now

http://photobucket.com/albums/y96/saxon51/?action=view&current=DSCI0037.jpg

...and fittingly we called him Rocky!!

Just to mention....these are also symptoms of worms! Check it's not that!

Originally posted by medusa666
I know that there are ethical issues with Hills, but Science Diet Feline Growth biscuits make big strong kittens.

Why are there ethical issues with Hills?

All mine have been fed on it for around ten years, and you are right. They are fit as .....:D

Originally posted by saxon51


Just let her get on with being a natural mother,

Repeat as often as needed.

Originally posted by GabbleRatcht
Why are there ethical issues with Hills?

All mine have been fed on it for around ten years, and you are right. They are fit as .....:D

Well there's ethical issues with Iams being made by a company (proctor and gamble?) with appalling animal testing records in it's cosmetic lines. Maybe it's similar?

Originally posted by GabbleRatcht
Why are there ethical issues with Hills?

All mine have been fed on it for around ten years, and you are right. They are fit as .....:D

We have information regularly sent to the Shelter from various parties who know that we are a charity concerned with animal care. We have received lots of data about both Hills and Iams which surround the animals that they keep on premises and in their labs for nutritional testing and the like.

There are boycotting campaigns against both Hills and Iams currently, but the Shelter committee have had to take feeding policy decisions , based not just upon this data but also on the fact that we have more kittens and pregnant and feeding queens than your average household would. They sometimes come to us in a very poor nutritional state, and experience tells us that most will happily eat Hills biscuits and grow strong and healthy with good coats and sparkly eyes on them. We even send a bag home with kittens so they have food continuity.

I'm just aware that some people would disagree with our use and recommendation of Hills products.

If your cat is pregnant can I suggest that she is kept, wherever in the house and the garden, especially as she gets bigger, as I have heard of a couple of pregnant cats over the last 2 years which have been preggars and run over and died. I believe that they don't always take into account their lack of agility with their extra weight.

I'm sorry to tell you this but it's a fact.

That's one reason for keeping her in as she gets bigger, but the other one is so that she makes her nest and has her babies indoors where you can quietly check that everything's as it should be. As she's a first time mum it's a good idea that you can be on hand to reassure her too, and do the cat equivalent of a cool towel on the forehead and a back rub.

Ah, I see.

Each time I look into my cats eyes when they come back from the vets, and I have many, I do think 'you are OK because some other research cat suffered'.

Thanks for the expaination but this is a thread about some new kittens. We shouldn't get into ethics now.

But the Hills food is Rocket fuel for cats!

Iams cat food is definately the worst offender when it comes to nasty animal experiments, but has someone rightly pointed out it is now part of Proctor and Gamble who produce many other equally dubious products. Well worthwhile checking out Tesco's own label cleaning products, they are reasonable priced and good quality, lots (but not all) have the "no animal testing" logo on the label.

Don't know a deal about Hills but I can recommend Royal Canin, they do an excellent range to 'fit all cats needs' and a bit cheaper than Hills too! I am assured they don't do tests other than feeding trials which never involve animals being killed. Its a pet store product (not supermarket) so you will get free advise too!

Finally, it has to be said - re the original post - that it is absolute rubbish that a cat should have a litter. This does nothing at all for the cats temperament and only adds to the already critical overpopulation problem. It is easy to say "I can find good homes for them" but will they be good homes that will last 15+ years ..far to many do not. Further if allowing a cat to become pregnant in order to keep a kitten or two.. all the animal shelters are already overflowing, do one of these a good turn instead!

There is absolutely no excuse these days ...cheap, and in some cases free, spaying and neutering is available for anyone on benefit from the PDSA and Cats Protection League as well as others.

I am absolutely sure all the good people at the Cats Shelter, CPL, RSPCA et al would love to be "out of work" because there were no cats in need of their services. Sadly, while ever people say "just wanted it to have one litter", this is never going to happen.

Just 2 things to add....

Aren't Pringles made by P&G too? Does that mean we're organising a forum boycott?

.... and re- 'just one litter' for every cat - can you please just think about that from a purely mathematical point of view, and stop to consider at what point will every household in the country be obliged to own 10 cats under your policy? :loopy:

No wonder the cat shelters are full to bursting :shakes: :rant:

And just to stay on topic properly....
Somebody else has recently been through a similar experience to yourself on this thread (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38571)

I agree with the two people above, as well as encouraging proper (any!) research about breeding your animal if you are determined to do it.

I read a statistic last week that only 20% of kittens born in America will stay in a permanent home for the rest of their life! How sad is that? :(

Originally posted by cgksheff
Repeat as often as needed.

they're rite~:thumbsup:

My friend had a cat who had her kittens, while she was out for the day at work. The cat must have got really scared whilst having the kittens and moved about the house, leaving a trail of baby kittens stranded in various parts of the house. My friend didn't expect this and nearly stood on one when she got back! Just be aware that this could happen, and be carefull entering your house when they're due! They were all fine though - I have one of the kittens who is now 5!

Good luck!

awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!

Nice to know that we are a caring bunch on here :cool:

hi guys
thanks for all the great info, feel alot better ill let you know when the big day happens...calling the vets today just to confirm it for me

Originally posted by POB1

I am absolutely sure all the good people at the Cats Shelter, CPL, RSPCA et al would love to be "out of work" because there were no cats in need of their services. Sadly, while ever people say "just wanted it to have one litter", this is never going to happen.

Yes, on behalf of the Shelter, we'd love it if there were no unplanned kittens, but that's just not a realistic plan, and that's not really what this thread's about.

If cassie's cat is already far enough pregnant to be growing visibly then she doesn't need spaying advice (that's for after the birth). What she needs right now is advice and suppport that surrounds the reality of having kittens and helping the mother cat the best way she can.

We will get to the spaying advice- and anybody who knows what we do at the Shelter would know that without even asking- once we're over the shock of the kittens.

Originally posted by medusa666
Yes, on behalf of the Shelter, we'd love it if there were no unplanned kittens, but that's just not a realistic plan, and that's not really what this thread's about.

It is exactly what it is about... The original post made the rediculous statement that a cat should have one litter.. My post was correcting that and drawing to the attention of readers the importance of spaying and neutering.

The two important comments arrising from this are of course the number of unwanted cats there would be if everyone followed the "cat should have one litter" theory and the small number of rehomed kittens that stay in their original homes.

After years of publicity and subsidized neutering 'unplanned litters' of kittens and puppies are as inexcusable as 'unplanned humans' - its 2005, everyone should know how 'these things' happen by now. As always someone else usually ends up 'picking up the tab' for the irresponsibility of others.. In the case of kittens and puppies it is the already overstretched animal shelters.

The numbers of kittens and puppies being abandoned and taken to animal shelters has DRAMATICALLY decreased over the last ten years, this is totally as a result of a concerted effort by charities, especially the RSPCA clinic in Sheffield and the CPL and Dogs Trust nationally. But there are still irresponsible people and those who see an opening to profit from the decrease in numbers, (kittens & puppies that just a couple of years ago would have been advertised 'free to good home' are now attracting a price tag).

That is exactly why those involved in animal rescue will never be out of a job.

In answer to the comment by the person who works at the Cat Shelter. Yes, you are right it is too late in the case of this particular cat. However if this discussion makes one person reading these boards think twice about letting their cat have 'just one litter' then it will not have been in vain.


The other point re P&G and the Pringle things....yes I for one would never buy anything made by this company. Uncaged, an organisation based in Sheffield have some excellent information on their website see: http://www.uncaged.co.uk/pg.htm

I was simply trying to keep the thread on topic about kittens, and believe me, the spaying question would have come about very quickly after that. It is utter rot that cats or dogs need to have a litter before being spayed and we would never advise this.

I agree entirely that early spaying is the answer both to unplanned kittens and to the a number of STIs which kill both mother and kittens in short order, but I'm afraid to tell you that the number of cats coming through the Shelter is actually on the increase.

We used to measure the percentage of enquiries that we could help, but in recent years we have had to take the decision that there are criteria to be met before we even take details of callers and log their call in the book. We try to help everyone that we can, but I know that we can't help them all.

We have been at full capacity for the majority of the year, and that includes the new rooms converted into cat rooms over time to increase capacity.

The phenomenon of previously free kittens now attracting fees can be explained in a number of ways other than the profiteering that is apparent. Firstly, a person prepared to pay for a kitten is more likely to look after them so giving kittens away is becoming less popular. Secondly people have caught on to the knowledge that paying to adopt a kitten from a shelter actually saves you money in the long term, because of the fact that it would cost at least double the adoption fee to vaccinate and spay/neuter the kitten if you were given it. Neither of these imply that kittens are now rare enough to have an intrinsic value. I think that we are a long way still from that happening.

I have one further plea for callie- please please please don't allow your cat outdoors after she has given birth (AT ALL) before she's spayed. We recently had a cat in the shelter with a litter of kittens and we noticed that she was getting a little big round the tummy again. From the timings with her current babies and when she was admitted to the shelter she can only have conceived the second litter within 2 weeks of the birth of the first litter. You need to get her a litter tray and be absolutely vigilant about this until she has fed the litter and dried her milk up and been spayed, or you'll be having another set to find homes for very soon (only the next set won't be as healthy after back to back pregnancies for the queen).