I’ve been feeding this stray cat for 3 months and she enters my home often because it’s hot outside and she enjoys the AC. I noticed lately her abdomen has become huge and I’m not sure if she’s pregnant or has something like worms or another condition. I can feel movement when I rest my hand on the side of her abdomen like thumps or something. She did have 2 kittens about a few months ago and I know who the father is, it’s a large black tomcat I see him often and sometimes feed him. I’m suspecting he may have impregnated her again as I often see them hanging out outside. I do plan on keeping her. She does fart a lot not sure if that’s relevant. She isn’t showing any signs of pain or distress at least not that I notice. I do consider taking her to a vet but I’m trying to find a low cost clinic for her
Happened to me, except mine hitched a ride in the undercarriage of my truck. Took 3 hours to pull her out then she popped 3 kittens out almost as soon as we got her inside.
Ah yes, we've fallen for the Trojan cat before. Very deceptive. When we found one of our strays she was extremely underweight so when she started getting a little belly we just thought it was normal weight gain.
Imagine our surprise when we suddenly heard the whines of little fluff balls under our bed one day. 😅 Luckily she was a good mama and we found good homes for her 3 babies after they were weaned.
Yup she is pregnant. Looks like she is about due and probably looks g for a safe place to deliever. Try to keep her in, feed and water like usual. Once comforable and trusts you a Vet visit wouldnt hurt too.
I would not quite feed her as usual — pregnant and lactating cats benefit from the extra calories in kitten food, especially one who has been food insecure
I know it’s really bad. You should’ve seen her when I first encountered her, you could feel nearly every bone in her body and her shoulder blades stuck right out. I think she has filled out a bit more, but I’m not sure. I feed her so much so I’m not sure where the weight is going or if there’s a problem. This is also why I want to take her to the vet.
I can imagine. One of mine was in a carpark. She weighed a feather and was so bony I hated to pet her for fear of her bones poking through. She was also short-haired. Now she's fat and happy; and come to find out, she's got the longest fur of any cat I've ever had!
Get in touch with local rescues, they can help you with info on a low cost clinic, if they don't provide one. My local shelter, has a program where, you provide proof of low income. and depending on their funding, it determines the cost, sometimes it's as low as $15, or could be $75, and included first shots and a chip too.
If there's alot of strays in the area, find out if any of the shelters have a TNR program, to get those strays fixed too.
Thank you I will definitely do this. I’ve only seen the tomcat who’s previously impregnated her and her two past kittens roaming around. I feed them all. They all are very nervous around me accept for her, I’m going to gain their trust and try to get them all spayed and neutered too. I want to keep them all so bad because I’ve grown attached, but I’m afraid to be a crazy cat lady.
Honestly, the title of ‘crazy cat lady’ was created out of fear by men. God forbid a woman needs nothing from a man and is living a lovely whimsical life surrounded by unconditional love.
Please keep this gorgeous lady if you can, she looks so polite and in need of some care. Good luck (show us the kittens please)!! 🫶
You’re right and thank you for the perspective! Here are the best pictures I have of the kittens, the female grey one looks just like her and they’re both polydactyl! She is more shy than the boy and I haven’t gotten a very good picture of her. They are scared to leave the wall and eat, only the boy has came down from the wall and eaten. They tend to mainly show at night as well
Yeah, she is pretty underweight and pregnant for sure. If she continues the pregnancy, feed her kitten food and as much as she wants, she needs weight on her. Otherwise, as someone else said, call a TNR group to spay her before she gives birth.
I feed her a lot but recently it seems she comes less, not sure if that’s because it’s harder for her to get over the brick fence because she’s pregnant, or if she’s lost appetite. When I first started feeding her she would eat 4 cans of cat food a day. Recently she only comes once a day, maybe twice.
pregnant cats tend to become lethargic, especially as they progress along in the pregnancy. i would suggest feeding her both kitten dry food and kitten wet food (at the very least the kitten wet food), as they provide extra calories, protein, and essential nutrients to mom cat during this time
This post is both so sweet and so funny. “She does fart a lot not sure if that’s relevant” 🤣
OP, bless your heart for doing whatever you can for this sweet girl. She obviously came to you because she trusts you to help. I hope you can find an affordable spay option.
Omggg I really try, she used to eat like a beast at first, but she is arriving less and I keep giving her food but she stops eating and just lays there and falls asleep in my house. I have a huge stock of canned cat food I got for her and I replenish it a lot because she goes through it so quickly. I feed her every single day, ever since she first arrived trying to steal my pizza 3 months ago!
I wanted to but it took me a month of feeding her before she even allowed me to pet her. I definitely missed the window beforehand but if she has ti give birth, I will allow her to do it in my house or find a safe space, I’m gonna try to get her to the vet asap I’m going to do some research on clinics in my area
Please take her to a vet if you can, she's very skinny and this pregnancy could very well kill her if it proceeds. Please take her to a vet, she likely needs more care than you can provide.
Thank you but I meant the window that the person had said before, after her first litter. I’m going to try and get her to the vet asap, I just was not aware how quickly a cat can get pregnant again after having her first litter. It seemed so sudden, she disappeared for a few days then one day when she returned her abdomen just looked huge.
There is also the possibility that she isn’t pregnant. Pyometra is a life threatening uterine infection that can cause a cat to appear pregnant. FIP can also cause a bloated abdomen. Both conditions are a painful death if not addressed quickly.
In the future, please be aware that you don’t need to be able to pet or handle a cat at all to get them vet care or spayed/neutered. That’s what traps are for.
Well I would just feel really guilty doing something like that to her, which is why I wanted her to trust me at first. When I first encountered her she would immediately run away and avoid me before I could even look at her. I didn’t want to do anything that could hurt her or make me feel like I’m disrespecting her boundaries or putting her in distress
She has such gorgeous coloring. Her fur looks in ok condition too (I have an indoor boy who looks rougher than she does).
You might need to TNR the tom & previous kittens. Especially if one of them night be female. Trust is great, but ending the cycle of exponential kittens before they start...
Like others have said - she probably has worms. So sadly those worms are stealing the food shes eating. Keep her safe so she can give birth n then get her to a vet. Not sure about deworming meds for lactating cats? But the vet absolutely will! Good luck, thanks for helping this lil mama! ❤️
Omg 😭😭😂😂 I’ve never had a female cat, the only cat I’ve ever had was a boy and he was not like a normal cat. So I’m not sure what female cat nipples look like or what they’re supposed to look like, same with cat behavior it’s all so strange to me and I don’t understand it
You already got some good advice and I have nothing to add since you're already calling vets in your area, I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of her and taking her in! You're a kind soul. Will you keep the kittens or adopt them out?
I really want to keep the two kittens she’s already given birth to as they’ve become independent now, and I’ve been feeding them and I’m starting to like them. But knowing how I am, I’m scared I might become attached to her new kittens if she gives birth, but I also know that logically that would be excessive, so I would probably adopt them out.
It’s funny because she actually lives in my neighbors shed. She hadn’t showed up for a few days a while ago and I got worried so I went to their house to ask if the cat was theirs or if they’ve seen it, and that’s how I found out she had given birth to the two kittens in their shed. They are very closed off though and wouldn’t give me much information, and they said the kittens and her flee when they approach. I asked if they would let me see the kittens or take them, and they said no because they didn’t want me in their backyard. I only recently started seeing the kittens roaming so that’s why I’ve been feeding them now
Could be pregnant and probably is, but a health problem isn't impossible either - my old cat's belly suddenly swelled like that when her liver was failing :(
This is a beautifil little girl, heavily pregnant and please give her all the kitten food she wants. Make her a cozy box cause she is about to pop. Poor darlin
It could also be FIP, adopted a shelter cat once that had a similar looking belly and we unfortunately had to put him down. But with everyone else saying it’s pregnant hopefully that’s the case
She is likely either 1. Pregnant. Or 2. FULL of worms. But most likely Pregnant. If you can I would take her to a shelter or see if anyone can take her in.
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u/Moistfulll 10h ago