My pregnant stray cat: How to know her due date and keep her safe?

How lovely of you to look after these kitties, and to take them with you! I would take them both into a vet for a health check to make sure everything is ok with them. The vet can also confirm if the other cat is pregnant. Once they give birth, you can have them spayed after the kittens are weaned, and you can get their vaccines. To keep them safe, I would move them indoors. I hope this helps!

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.

I would recommend to keep her indoors only since she is due to have the kittens any day now. Allow her to have plenty of space away from the other cats so that she can be undisturbed by them for a period of time if she chooses to be. Nesting boxes are great, but ultimately she will choose to whelp wherever she is most comfortable. Clean, quiet areas where she can be away from the other cats is best. I would also recommend to use this time to have the male neutered, so that this does not happen again. Best of luck to your momma-to-be!

It's likely the kittens will be here within the next 1-2 weeks. Here is a helpful link: https://www.petcoach.co/article/pregnancy-diagnosis-caring-for-a-pregnant-cat/ Here is information regarding kitten care: https://www.petcoach.co/article/queening-giving-birth-in-cats/ Lastly, I recommend to have Ring Tail spayed when the kittens are 10 weeks old. A single female cat can produce up to 28 kittens in a year and the female kittens can start breeding at 6 months old. This can quickly lead a population explosion which can lead to viral and parasite outbreaks, some of which can affect humans. many humane societies will offer spay programs for stray cats. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-is-trap-neuter-return/ I hope this helps.

She may have had the kittens and left them someplace secure while she searches for food. You can continue to feed her for the next 6 weeks or so. You may see the kittens before then. If so, you can choose to take them all in. Leaving her out puts her at risk of harm, but taking her in before her kittens are weaned puts them at risk. It is a difficult situation.

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!