Hello Everyone,

You have been so helpful when I got my first cat and didn't know a lot however...two cats later I am in a predictament and I need your help.

Recently a female blue russian cat has chosen to adopt us. I started feeding her and have a blanket under the porch for her and she seemed content. Well I went away for a week vacation and my cat sitter told me he thinks she is pregnant. When I came back to town it took her 2 days before we finally saw her ( I think she travels to another house) and now that she knows I am back she is in the carport. I have no clue on how to take care of a pregnant cat. I can't afford to take her to the vet currently because I just lost my job but I have plenty of food and water available for her. I did give her Advantage to help with the fleas and ticks becuase they are so bad out here. She is a darling cat but please tell me what I should do. If she choses to give birth here I want to ensure its safe for her. We have a lot of dogs that wander in the yard but seem harmless and I know they have a home but I am just so worried about taking care of babies and what to do for her. I know she needs her shots and thats another worry. Now thats she is pregnant can she even have them? What kind of shelter can I give her that would be safe for her and her kittens? She cant live inside because I have 2 cats that are set in there ways .

Any advice friends?

Please help.... I think she is in the early stage of pregnancy because her nipples are enlarged however she isnt large yet.

Thank you for any help you can give

Amy

What a familiar story!  Half of the Cat Heads came from exactly such a situation.  LYK (Little Yellow Kitty) was our outdoor mother.  She got pregnant but we were in the early stages of our relationship so I didn't quite know what to do for her.  Unfortunately things didn't go so great, she ended up giving birth unexpectedly on my front steps and abandoned them, for me to find.  One was still alive, so, heartbroken and bawling, I rushed it to the vet but it passed that afternoon.  What could I have done differently?  Well, I was "lucky" enough to find out, twice more.  What I SHOULD have done at that point was figured out a way to afford getting her fixed, but like you, I was broke, so I went through 2 more litters of kittens before I finally got her fixed.  Both times went MUCH smoother than the first, largely because I'd developed more of a relationship with her by then, and she trusted me.  She started coming in the house, much to the chagrin of my 2 other indoor cats, but I allowed it for her safety.  She started pretty much living in there, rarely going out, until the babies were born, then she went back to her old self, not even wanting to come in.  But both litters were born under my bed and I didn't have a clue what to do, but I didn't need to- she took care of everything.  She cleaned them and fed them and got angry if I tried to interfere- so all I did was make sure she had food and water available close by, kept the other cats shut out of the bedroom for a few days, the babies grew up, I was able to give most to good homes, but 2 still live with me.  I didn't want her to do it in my house either, for the same reasons as you (2 cats set in their ways) so I tried to provide her with a nice dog house with blankets and stuff on the patio... great, but also great for raccoons and other critters that love to prey on baby kittens.  Not so great.  There's no way you can ensure the safety of the kittens without giving them shelter.  I can't remember how long cats stay pregnant- google it- cuz that's how much time you have to develop a trusting relationship with her.  If there's a room in the house you can get her used to going in, where she's out of the other cats way... LYK didn't want this to be a permanent fix- she was just looking for safety and she found it in my bedroom, so she willingly came in and stayed in, so she'd be there when the time came, then she moved back out.  The cat will have her babies wherever she chooses- if she doesn't have access to your house when the time comes, she'll go hide somewhere that she thinks is safe, and you may or may not ever see the babies and will just be left to wonder.  I'm not an expert and didn't have a clue either, but that was my experience with a very similar situation.  I also don't know if she can have shots while pregnant.  But what I've learned in the end is that I do love those 2 extra Cat Heads that I have living in my house now, but I've spent WAY more money raising them and feeding them than I would have if I'd just gotten LYK fixed in the first place.  There are lots of different programs that offer good deals on feral cats- check with your local shelter or vet.  Anyhow, I could write about this forever but I'm in a hurry, but let me know if you have any questions... like I said, I don't honestly know anything, but I've been there and am happy to share my experience.   

If you can rig up a safe place for her to have her kittens outside where the dogs can't get to them, that would be best.  She'll be able to figure out everything on her own.  I wouldn't worry about taking her to the vet until after she has the kittens and they're mostly weaned, then she will need to be spayed and have her shots.  Then the kitties will need to be fixed and have shots too.  And adopted out if you're not willing to take everybody on.  Maybe there is a rescue group or someone in your area that can help you with all that.  You might be able to call around to vets and ask if they know of anyone.  I'd be wary of getting the area Humane Society involved unless you're sure they have a no-kill policy.  There are some places that offer a waiver for shots and spaying, which cuts the cost drastically, but it would still cost something.   I wish I could help you more!

You might want to get her a nice box with a blanket in it for her to feel safe.  When i was a child on a farm I remember our cat finding a box in the garage to have kittens in.  I have seen this more than once.  Like cat jungle said a rescue group in your area may be able to help.  Check your local petsmart or petco and see which group puts their kitties up for adoption there.  BTW kittens who are not weaned and taken to the Humane Society are usually killed.  Sad but true.  Always call a rescue group if you need help finding homes for kittens. 

Good luck