Hello,
I'm not sure if anyone here is a cat breeder or rescuer/foster carer or knowledgeable about all things cats and kittens?
My parent's had recently trapped a stray cat (well, more like a kitten herself really, she seems quite young) who was hanging around their place. Their intentions were to gradually have her get used to them, get her desexed as soon as possible and keep her. They were feeding her and she was coming into the house and hanging out with their desexed male. He doesn't mind her at all, and they are quite interesting to watch. She seems quite attached to him, and he is often telling her off with a soft swat to let her know that it isn't her turn to eat etc. Another reason why I felt she was quite young - he seemed to be treating her as such.
Anyway, fast forward to two days ago - they were hoping she was not already pregnant, but she ended up giving birth to two kittens. The first one was sadly stillborn and very small and the second one is comparatively huge, strong and active, even now! S/he seems very healthy and mum is doing fine as well. She seems to be a great mother and is quite protective of her little one.
I'm not close by to help out at the moment, and I have no knowledge about cats so I thought I'd ask a few questions here and pass on the knowledge.
Is the protectiveness normal? My gut says yes. Mum and dad are still getting to know mum and she has been warming to them very well. She's quite a playful cat.
Is there any special considerations for a singleton kitten? What can we do to make him/her as well adjusted as possible. I'm hoping mamma cat will take care of this for us for the most part? We are obviously willing to do whatever it takes to make this little one as well-adjusted as possible.
At what age can you sex the kitten? Sorry for stupid questions.
At what age do you take them in for vet checks, vaccinations etc? We obviously want to make it as stress free as possible for mum and bub.
At what age can we safely have bubba desexed? How soon can we get mumma cat desexed?
How long should we keep the kitty and mamma cat separate from our own desexed male?
What age is best for rehoming? I've heard 10 weeks, I've heard 12 weeks? Mum and dad are keeping mumma cat, I may keep the kitten but I'm thinking long and hard about it. I would have to check with the landlord etc and consider the future. Part of me says no, no more pets whilst renting, but the other part of me thinks that I have the dogs, I'll always need a pet friendly rental and they are my priority, so maybe I will. I've told mum I'll consider it. They'd be happy to know that the little one found a home with family.
Otherwise, we will find a good home for bubba and he/she will be desexed, microchipped, vaccinated etc before leaving (it will be the same if I take him/her on).
Is there anything else we need to be aware of? Honestly, she seems a natural mother and everything seems well. I was heartbroken when I heard she was in labour, as we were so hopeful that we'd got to her in time. But what's done is done and my main concern is a healthy mum and bub now. Apparently mum was suspicious but didn't want to say anything, and about 2 days prior to her giving birth, mumma was very unsettled.
Any suggestions, recommendations for resources etc would be greatly appreciated.
I'm not sure if anyone here is a cat breeder or rescuer/foster carer or knowledgeable about all things cats and kittens?
My parent's had recently trapped a stray cat (well, more like a kitten herself really, she seems quite young) who was hanging around their place. Their intentions were to gradually have her get used to them, get her desexed as soon as possible and keep her. They were feeding her and she was coming into the house and hanging out with their desexed male. He doesn't mind her at all, and they are quite interesting to watch. She seems quite attached to him, and he is often telling her off with a soft swat to let her know that it isn't her turn to eat etc. Another reason why I felt she was quite young - he seemed to be treating her as such.
Anyway, fast forward to two days ago - they were hoping she was not already pregnant, but she ended up giving birth to two kittens. The first one was sadly stillborn and very small and the second one is comparatively huge, strong and active, even now! S/he seems very healthy and mum is doing fine as well. She seems to be a great mother and is quite protective of her little one.
I'm not close by to help out at the moment, and I have no knowledge about cats so I thought I'd ask a few questions here and pass on the knowledge.
Is the protectiveness normal? My gut says yes. Mum and dad are still getting to know mum and she has been warming to them very well. She's quite a playful cat.
Is there any special considerations for a singleton kitten? What can we do to make him/her as well adjusted as possible. I'm hoping mamma cat will take care of this for us for the most part? We are obviously willing to do whatever it takes to make this little one as well-adjusted as possible.
At what age can you sex the kitten? Sorry for stupid questions.
At what age do you take them in for vet checks, vaccinations etc? We obviously want to make it as stress free as possible for mum and bub.
At what age can we safely have bubba desexed? How soon can we get mumma cat desexed?
How long should we keep the kitty and mamma cat separate from our own desexed male?
What age is best for rehoming? I've heard 10 weeks, I've heard 12 weeks? Mum and dad are keeping mumma cat, I may keep the kitten but I'm thinking long and hard about it. I would have to check with the landlord etc and consider the future. Part of me says no, no more pets whilst renting, but the other part of me thinks that I have the dogs, I'll always need a pet friendly rental and they are my priority, so maybe I will. I've told mum I'll consider it. They'd be happy to know that the little one found a home with family.
Otherwise, we will find a good home for bubba and he/she will be desexed, microchipped, vaccinated etc before leaving (it will be the same if I take him/her on).
Is there anything else we need to be aware of? Honestly, she seems a natural mother and everything seems well. I was heartbroken when I heard she was in labour, as we were so hopeful that we'd got to her in time. But what's done is done and my main concern is a healthy mum and bub now. Apparently mum was suspicious but didn't want to say anything, and about 2 days prior to her giving birth, mumma was very unsettled.
Any suggestions, recommendations for resources etc would be greatly appreciated.