First-time owner: What do my pregnant stray cats need for care?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is certainly possible depending on her behavior towards you. If she is friendly then yes it should be ok. I would highly recommend that you take her to your veterinarian to check her pregnancy status and also at least run some general labwork to check on her general condition. They can also start her on preventative care. Best of luck!

If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Carefree Credit online. http://www.carefreecredit.co.uk https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/vetcare http://www.easipetcare.com The kittens should see a vet for a health check when they are ready for their first vaccines, which is between 6-8 weeks of age. If they appear ill, take them in sooner than that. I hope this helps!

This poor cat looks like a mess! How lovely of you to take her in. She looks like a domestic short hair to me from your pictures. Without seeing her in person, there is no way I can say if she is pregnant or not. She definitely needs a vet visit asap. She needs to be cleaned up, have a health check done, and the vet can determine if she is pregnant or not. Please take her into a vet now.

How lovely of you to look after this stray cat! She's beautiful. You are absolutely right that she should see a vet, as that will be the only way to know for sure how far along Shadow is in her pregnancy. You could see if there is a mobile vet clinic in your area that can come to your house to see her. Some of these mobile vets will have a fully decked out mobile unit including an x-ray machine. If you don't have one of those in your area, then I would bring her into the vet. Hide the kennel out of sight, and set up it up so that it is standing up with the door open at the top (I hope this makes sense lol). Pick her and carry her over to the kennel, and then gently lower her into the kennel. Have her seen by a vet as soon a possible. I hope this helps!

She needs food, water and a litter box or a place to go to the bathroom for basic care. As far as giving birth goes, provide her a comfortable resting place. Motherly instincts will kick in when it is time and she will take care of the babies for you. If she has a problem delivering them, then you will need to call a vet or find a shelter than can help you with her care. Birth is messy so make sure you have towels and blankets to change out so they stay clean and dry.

That is so lovely of you to want to help the mother and her kittens! I would definitely catch them as soon as possible, and bring them to a vet. The vet can do a health check on all of them, and can do blood tests and a urinalysis on the mother to check on her organ fuctions and to see if she has any diseases. Then the vet can schedule a spay for when the kittens are weaned, and vaccines as well. The vet can give you an idea of how old the kittens are, and can give you tips on how to help them wean. The first step is to catch them, however, and I would do that as soon as you can. So great of you to help them!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your cats. I would start by taking the two 9 month old kittens to the vet. They can be started on vaccines, set up appointments for surgery to have them spayed/neutered and discussed deworming as well as flea and tick prevention. You can ask when to have the kittens seen. Deworming usually starts around two weeks of age. After they are weaned, the mama cat can be spayed. Then the kittens can be vaccinated starting at 6-8 weeks of age. I hope this information helps!