A Pregnant Stray Cat Adopted You – And Now What?

 It happens all too often. A family or cat friend gets adopted by a stray cat. And after a few weeks it turns out she’s pregnant.

In the US alone there must be millions of sweet but homeless cats. And many of them get pregnant several times a year. Nobody really knows why, but pregnant strays often adopt a family instead of the other way round. Maybe they search for support or a good and warm home for their kittens.

Now, perhaps you don’t have the space or time for a cat family. Or there’s another reason that makes it difficult to have these kittens. But you don’t want to throw this stray out. She’s expecting babies, isn’t she?!

Now what can you do?

You could take her to an animal shelter. That’s not always a good idea.

Don’t get me wrong: I value the work of animal shelters. In fact, I got my current cat from one of them, and I’m pretty sure the next will come from a shelter too. But some animal shelters reportedly put a pregnant stray to sleep. You’ll blame yourself forever if you hear the cat you brought in, was killed.

Other shelters will spay her. They’ve got a good reason for that. The kitten population is astronomical and the last an animal shelter wants is put five more homeless cats in this world.

But maybe you have objections against spaying a pregnant cat – after all, it’s abortion at the same time. Then a far better idea is bringing a pregnant stray to a local rescue group. In the US alone dozens of rescue groups are active. Not all of them, but many let the queen have her kittens, and search a home for them.

But in the end, perhaps the most satisfying alternative is to keep the cat yourself and let her give birth. Take good care of her. Have her examined by a vet to see if she’s in good health. And get the right information so you are prepared for complications.

And remember: strays are used to go wherever they want. So keep your doors closed. Otherwise she’ll adopt someone else.

About the Author

Marc de Jong runs an acclaimed web site on cats and is the author of the book How To Take Care Of Your Pregnant Cat, available through http://www.cat-pregnancy-report.com/pregnant-cat.html The book is filled with insider tips and tells you how your cat can deliver and raise a healthy litter.

 Marc de Jong

More Articles 

Training Your Cat to Train you for the Holidays - Tony Robinson
Hanging the stocking with care in hope the cat will not interfere. With the twinkling of lights from the fresh cut tree, in hopes that the cat will sit by the sill. When what to the cats wondering eyes must appear the Moon glowing down on...

Tips On How To Groom Your Cat - Ken Charnely
Before we begin to give you additional information on this topic, take a moment to think about what you already know. Cats are basically very tidy creatures. They are in the habit of grooming themselves by licking every part of their body clean...

Cat Playing or Fighting - Tony Robinson
With multi, cats can play rough. Outdoor cats that stay outside or can go outside will also play rough with other cats. Biting your ankles or arms can be play for your cat. Cats that have extra energy to play and have difficulty finding ways to...

Cat Litter Box Problems: 7 Essential Keys To Solve The Problem Quickly! - Cassandra Mandello
Has this ever happened to you? Your cat's peeing outside the litter box, and you're desperately trying to clean up after your cat, wondering if you're actually doing anything to stop it from happening in the first place! Well, if...

Reasons For Neutering Your Cat - Grace Palce
Cats are warm blooded carnivorous mammals and they certainly feed on protein-rich meat. They are predators and hunters and they usually prey upon rats and mice. Cats are also known for their great fighting skills. Some can even win a fight...

Pet Loss: Should You Clone Your Cat? - Gary Nugent
Clone a Cat, Go To Jail ...or at least pay a fine. That's the goal of animal welfare activists who announced recently that they are seeking state and federal restrictions on the small but growing pet-cloning industry. The effort has been...

Can You Really Train A Cat? Is It Worth The Trouble? - Niall Kennedy
Cats are notoriously independent and have a mind of their own. Can you really teach a cat new tricks? Cat owners often think that their cat is just too moody to listen. Some owners feel their cats are un-trainable simply because they are...

Tips And Info On Pet Medications And Pet Health - Gagandeep Dhaliwal
The keyword pet meds is abbreviation of pet medications. The pet medications or meds include the pet drug or pet medicine especially compounded for the pets. These are those med pet supplies that are essential to keep good pet health. Pet...

Cats And People Have The Same Five Basic Senses - Sharon Gilbert
Humans and cats have the same five basic senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. The two most important of these senses for cats are sight and sound. These are the two that help protect and defend cats against other animals hunting and...

How to Train Kittens to Use the Cat Litter Box - Nancy E Wigal
There are several things you need to do to help the mama cat train her kitties to develop good cat litter box habits. While the kids may try to follow mom's example, here's how you can help cement that success. First, since kittens are so...