I think I just had kittens.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

For the last month its been pretty muggy here, and as I don't have A/C, when its really hot I open all my windows and leave my sliding glass door open just enough for my cats to get in and out while I am at work.

Tonight I came home and my cats did not run into the house alongside me, begging to be fed. They stayed back on the patio and just looked at me funny.

There was a strange cat in my apartment, sitting on my couch, which admittedly is piled right now with blankets and pillows and such that I washed this week and need to fold up and put away.

I ran the kitty off and then went about my business, but I kept hearing a strange mewling sound. I went back into the living room a bit later and the cat was back, this time burrowing under the blankets. I pulled the blankets aside and this is what I found:


Five kittens. FIVE! I have no idea who this cat even belongs to. This is what I get for leaving the sliding glass door open, I guess.

the kittens still have umbilical cord attached to them. I bet she had them on my couch this afternoon.

I just had kittens!!!

[iradney]

Hehehe, Momma's looking at you with a "What the HELL woman!" expression...

er..
mazeltov!

[Eireann]

They're adorable! Looks to me like a certain kitty knew the best place to have her kittens. Do you think she's a stray, or that she belongs to someone?

Congratulations on the new family!

[persephone]

They're very cute. My suggestion, if she and the kittens are still there, would be to put them all in a comfy box with towels and take them either to a vet or your local SPCA. Explain that you don't know who the cat belongs to or where she came from, but that you wanted to be sure she and the kittens were healthy and safe. I highly doubt any vet would charge you (most vets I know work closely with the SPCAs) and, with the SPCA, they have the people and capabilities to take care of them without you having to worry about extra mouths to feed. And they'd be able to check for a chip, maybe to see if it's a pet or a stray.

Good luck! They are very cute.

[Becks]

Mommy cat and kittens are adorable!!!

...So much for clean bedding for yourself, though...

[BookstoreEscapee]

Aw! Babies!! I want one!!!

Hopefully mommy belongs to someone and they had her microchipped. I second the vet/SPCA suggestions.

[Andara Bledin]

I would, first, take a picture of mommy (sans kittens) and post a couple of "cat found" posters at your local animal shelter, pound, pet store, vet, and/or neighborhood to see if an owner will step up and claim her.

As for why she's there? Cats all know who the best humans in a neighborhood are, and they will tend to gravitate towards those humans when they're in need. My aunt was that person some years ago, and she'd have strange cats show up on her doorstep at the rate of at least one per year, although none of them with kittens.

Edit to add: Actually, looking at that pic, it looks like that's an owned cat. She seems to have a fluffy, clean coat, and decent meat on her bones. Best guesses are that she either didn't like her kitten's chances back at her owner's place, or said owner was sucktacular and dumped her as soon as they realized she was preggers.

^-.-^

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Update:

I have temporarily named the momma kitty Mother Mary...from the new testament. No room at the inn, remember?



So the maintenance guy lives in the apt behind me, and behind him is a big lush creek overgrown with all sorts plants and bushes.

He told me this morn that she's a stray and he and his gf have been feeding her lately...when they first saw her she was really scrawny, and they fed her for a couple weeks until she filled out. They then realized she was pregnant. They think she had them a couple days ago, down in the creek area somewhere.

They put a box out hoping she'd put her babies in there but she didn't. Apparently yesterday the gf saw Mary carrying a baby out of the creek bushes, she went and followed it up to my patio. Mary ignored them, brought her babies one by one up to my patio and into my apartment. They admitted to laughing their butts off over it.

So we have made an agreement...they are from this area, so they are going to call around and find a local no-kill shelter to take the little family in, and until then, Mary and her babies are welcome to stay here with me and my boys.

The only thing I see so far is that momma has fleas, which means babies have fleas. Fleas can make newborns very sick, give them anemia. So in a little while I am going to have to pick up each baby, lay it on a clean white towel, and pick off fleas and drown them in soapy water.

I shall take pics of the babies and I will post them here or on photo bucket in case anybody wants to see.

I am still in shock...newborn kittens!!!!

[Sliceanddice]

is it possible that one of your boys are the daddyy, that could be why she brought the babies.
and at least she knew where she could protect her babies and get feed and be kept safe.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Aw, that's too cute. I hope they all find good homes to go to.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Nah, Slice, my boys are both fixed.

[Soulstealer]

Nah, Slice, my boys are both fixed.

Maybe it's a miracle and the messiah is a kitten. Now that's a religon I could get behind.

[AdminAssistant]

is it possible that one of your boys are the daddyy, that could be why she brought the babies.

Not likely. Un-neutered tom cats will kill kittens to put the mother back in heat.

[Sliceanddice]

in my defence the only boy animals ive ever had are dogs or neatured serenity.
dog boys some times act like mommys.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Momma cat let me pick her up...shes a lot thinner and smaller than the picture suggests. She's small and quite young for her age, I think, and bony. i can feel her entire spine when I pick her up.

She is enjoying the attention too. she got out of the box to go have a nibble and a drinkie, and while she was doing that I sat down and looked into the box and cooed over the baby kittehs, and she ran back over and jumped in the box and looked at me expectantly.