This isn't right (she's back)

The young cat who was in season a short time back has been out all night everyday since last Sunday, tho' it may well be longer. I don't know where she's found to sleep but it must at least be dry as she's never wet when turning up at my flap scrounging food first thing in a morning.

I suppose I'm not helping by feeding her, but as she shows no interest in wanting to even try the flap there's no chance of her trying to adopt me and I won't see a cat go hungry if there's food going to waste here.......and she can eat usually more *leftovers* in one sitting than my lot eat all day combined. She often disappears for hours during the day, but whether that's back *home* or to the hideaway she's found I don't know.

I still haven't seen the wife/girlfriend across the road, outside of the house anyway, for ages now, tho' I'm sure I spotted her looking out of their living room window last weekend so she's not left.

Ian

Hmmm, no sign of her so far today, hopefully she's at home but was out very late last night so maybe not.

Ian

I can't believe they let a young un-neutered cat out all hours, actually never mind all hours, the fact she's out at all and not spayed is so irresponsible. Are you sure she belongs to your neighbours and isn't just an opportunist stray, going in and out of nearby houses?

I don't know for sure it's their cat Kath, but I've seen it head across the road and up the side of their house enough times to make it more than likely.

Ian

She's just turned up.............and after managing to get a good look/judging by the size of her, the *deed* has been done She's tiny to start with, not much bigger than Fudge really, which isn't good.

Ian

Oh god, no that's not good. watch this space then.

Yep, if she is pregnant, and it sure looks like it to me, God knows what's going to happen as it's a near cert she won't be having them at home. Most likely to be the place she's found for herself, wherever that is, but it's not far away.

She's eating like 3 cats atm, then asking for more, which I'll happily carry on doing but I can't do much, if anything else, for her. With her being so small and this almost certainly being her first litter she'll need help looking after them and I probably won't know the outcome till I see 'x' number of kittens trailing after her.

A sad, and very preventable, state of affairs that should have been stopped long ago..........tho' wouldn't it be ironic if Buddy was the father?

Ian

That would be ironic and not an unreasonable assumpion. Poor little miss, sounds much too young and even if she does belong to your neighbours, she's not getting the care she needed or needs. and another group of kittens to be re-homed. Sad.

One of the things I never understood about Buddy was his lack of interest in the *local ladies*, it only started when this cat came into season, yet he must have met more in the previous year or so

She's certainly too young for a litter imo, at least without help.

Ian

How old was he? may depend on that too, or maybe she just kick started his interest.

Hard to say exactly, but I reckon he was around 18 months.

Do you remember this pic, two toms after a cat in season with him just looking on?



It struck me as odd at the time that he didn't join in as he was old/mature enough.

Ian

yes I remember that, maybe he was slow starter and is making up for lost time. hard to say as sam was neutered when I got him and we got Moto done at 7 months so not really sure what age they would be on the hunt. Will go look that up.

I think toms can be sexually active from around 6 months onwards.

Ian

yes it's 6 months, sometimes even earlier, so he's had lots of time to be out there seeking out the females.

And that makes it all the stranger he waited so long

Ian

he was probably at it, during the night or when he disappeared for a while before coming back, they can wander so far during that time, so it could have been happening out of view. In that photo, he was maybe younger than the other two and was waiting his time.

He was certainly younger and smaller than them, but he was still a bruiser who'd take offence at the slightest provocation, no matter how big the other cat

Ian

I've just got back from shopping and spotted this young cat in my shed, for the first time as far as I know. Assuming she is pregnant, and she hasn't got this fat on the food she gets off me, she may be looking for a nest to have them.

Strangely tho', she wasn't in the box but inside one of a pair of large, empty loudspeaker enclosures I haven't got round to getting rid of, partly because I hoped a cat would use them. If she does pick this as a nest it'd be ideal as while it may not be as warm as the box she has all the privacy she'd want/need.

I'm half hoping she does as that'll mean I can keep an eye on her, tho' what use I'd be in a emergency I don't know, especially as I've never been able to lay more than a fingertip on her, and it'd bring back memories of a neighbours pregnant cat from when I was a kid. They asked us to keep an eye on her as they were away on holiday, no problem as she had a wooden shelter, all we had to do was provide food.

All went well, she had 4 kittens then a few days later we saw her on her usual route, but avoiding the box/kittens. I went round to check but couldn't see any movement or hear any noise so I put my hand in the box to pull a kitten out............and found just a head in my hand she'd killed them all Whether she thought we were a threat I don't know, nobody had touched them, but I'll never forget seeing that kittens head in my hand.

Ian

Oh that's awful. I had the same thing with quinea pigs, but in that case it was the male who ate them, thay were kept in the science lab at school and ignorance played a part, no one knew to seperate the two.
Hoping if she is pregnant that all goes well but if she has them in your shed what you going to do with them once they're weaned? can't leave 3-4-5? kittens roaming around. CP ?? maybe

I've no idea what I'd do Kath, I'll worry about that if it happens tho' CP is a obvious step. I'd happily pay for her to be spayed, but neutering 'x' amount of kittens as well is asking too much. My main concern is her health atm as this will be her first litter and her being so small.

Ian

I half expected to find her in my shed when I checked earlier but no, maybe the speaker enclosures are a bit cramped for her, but they've given me a idea to do sometime in the future.

Both enclosures are long but not overly deep and it *shouldn't* be that hard to remove a side from each then fasten them together to make one box with plenty of room. I'd need to remove the areas of wood where the speakers were fitted, but I've got plenty of spare wood to put in their place and the tools to do it, perhaps even fit a flap. With a few liberal coats of the yacht varnish I've got doing nothing upstairs, it might even be suitable for outside use.

Ian

Cp is probably your best bet, but as you say her health is the concern right now. Food, safety and warmth is what she needs so she knows she'll get all 3 from you. God makes me want to cry that does. Emotional wreck that I am.

She's been in my shed most of the day so far, inbetween nipping out for a look thro' the flap to see if I'm about to feed her, but Bolas being a real pest by wanting her to play with him, I've had to pull him away more than once

There's not a hope in hell of my, or anyone else for that matter, being able to catch her as she's just too skittish. I suppose it'd be possible for someone to sneak into the shed and shut the door behind them and catch her, but a major scare like that wouldn't be wise in her condition, plus all the rubbish in the shed would make getting in/shutting the door more than a tad tricky.

I'm starting to think she really wants to come into the house but hasn't quite got the nerve to do it, hardly surprising when she sees my lot, Stripey, Bobcat, Jimmy and Dexter just go strolling in/out of the flap.

Ian

It looks like she spent the night in my shed so she was out of the rain. I jammed and tied the door so it wouldn't blow shut and to try and keep as much wind out as possible last night, but the downside is I can't really check if she's there nor can I get a plate of food in, so I may change it to give better access sometime over the weekend.

Ian

When CP catch (trap) ferels or stays they place this largish metal trap with food inside, then when the cat has summoned up the courage to go inside this door slams shut, absolutely shitty way to catch them as the noise alone must scare them so much, but I suppose it does the job.
Glad she has a dry place at least to shelter in, you never know she may pluck up the courage to go through the cat flap, desperate measures or just plain curiosity.