Elfnow From Oklahoma.... And The Stray Queen

by Elfnow
(Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA)

I've been adopted by a stray queen! She's so petite and tiny, but now has a big round swollen belly and very large nipples. I'm sure she's expecting but I've no idea WHEN!

She started coming around and I realized just how skinny she really was... so I felt terrible and of course started feeding her. I started feeding her a mix of indoor-cat food and kitten food and wet food to try to get her weight up and get her healthier.

In the last two weeks her belly's gotten really round... At first I thought: "ah, she's gaining weight finally" and then it occurred to me, gosh no, she's probably pregnant!!

Within the last couple of days I have offered her to come inside, which she has done happily. I've switched her to all-kitten food with some wet food on top, and I've begun adding a sprinkle of prenatal vitamins to the top of the wet food.

She eats without hesitation, which I am glad for. (The prenats are not for kitties, they're just leftovers I had from my own pregnancy - I crushed the tablets up with a spoon and give her maybe 1/6 of a tablet on top of her food.)

I am hoping to keep this beautiful girl inside until the kits are born. We're renovating my house and my other three cats are sequestered in one room, giving this girl privacy if she desires it. I will try to put her in a separate room, though, just to keep her out of trouble.

If anyone's got any good ideas to help me out or help me tell when she's due, I'd love it. I'll probably just haul her down to the vet's anyhow. ;) Thanks!

How To Take Care Of Your Pregnant Cat answers all your questions about pregnancy in cats and kitten care.