Our cat had kittens outdoors but we can't find the kittens? Are they...

I

Irish

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...probably stillborn or a miscarriage? The cat is generally outside in our back garden, we took her in as an emaciated kitten we found mewowing and lost in our front garden about 18 months ago, nursed her back to health and put a pet carrier out our back garden where she sleeps unless it is very cold. We feed her etc daily and our Yorkie plays with her, they get on fine. For the last few months we've noticed she's probably pregnant and today we noticed some blood in our back garden and her tummy seems to have gone down. She had a miscarrige before, 2 kittens. Is it most likely the same has happened again? We've looked but can't find any sign of the kittens - we're guessing she went somewhere else to have them? Thanks.
We had been debating what to do and were planning to take her to the vet to be steralised, they would do it even thoug she was pregnant. But looks like she gave birth already now. We prefer to let her have the kittens but realistically in a severe economic downturn here in Ireland people won't want to adopt kittens.
Our Yorkie is already spayed. Local vet will spay or neuter, or whatever the correct word is, the cat for €60. We're now not even sure if she had the kittens yet, thought her tummy was smaller but watched her more closely again and actually it still seems big. But there was blood so we're not too sure what's going on. Will prob just take her down to the vet over the coming days and get her fixed, whether still carrying or not, it is the humane thing to do in one sense but in another perhaps not. But we have to be practical and realistic.
 
It seems a bit early in the season for her to have a litter I think. But if she did, like the others said she will have hidden them but will more than likely transport them some time so try to watch her and see where she goes.
I doubt she would have had the litter in your garden with the dog about ( even if they do get along)
You will need to get her spayed or you will have this again and again Irish.
My vet charges €75 for female cats and €60 for males.
The blue cross will do it for much less if you have an unemployment card.
Get the mutt done too it will calm him down.
 
WHY would you not spay her the first time around after losing kittens? Please take her in NOW and spay her immediately. More then likely these kittens are dead too or will be soon. NEVER let a pregnant cat remain outside to give birth if you really care about them.
 
That's most likely what she did. Mom's hide there baby's in the hopes of keeping them safe from predators. Mom may move her baby's several times while weening them to where she believes they will be safe. Because she miscarried the first time doesn't mean she miscarried this time. It's hard to say if baby's have survived or not.

After your good deed by taking her in as a lost, emaciated kitten and then nursing her back to health, my question to you is why did you put her back where you found her? Why didn't you just allow her to be an indoor cat and have her spayed so you wouldn't have to be worrying about where her kittens are and if they are indeed alive or dead. You say you saw some blood and it seems as though her tummy is smaller, so you're thinking she may have had her baby's, but you just can't find them. What I'm seeing are a lot of ? ? ? ? when there shouldn't have to be. If you just couldn't bring your self to leave her in doors, the least you could have done is had her spayed so she wouldn't have to deal with that too. Now you ask did she have kittens, did she miscarry, where are the kitten's, because I can't find them.

If you do find the kitten's or mom brings her kitten's around when they get older, what are you going to do with the kitten's? The same as you did with her? Excuse me, but I just don't get it. Call me what ever you like, but I just don't get the logic.

How do you know if people will adopt or not adopt a kitten even with the economy as it is? If she brings her kitten's back to her home, do the right thing and put them up for adoption instead of letting them become feral and keep reproducing over and over again. It's your responsibility to do the right thing the day you took your kitty in as a stray.
 
Cats, even when friendly with people and other animals, like to have their kittens in private places where no one will find them. It keeps them safe that way because cats have natural wild animal instincts to protect their babies by hiding them. And trust me, if she is hiding them they will be hard to find. I have had full out two hour hunts for baby kittens before. Its not an easy thing to do, haha. I suppose she could have had a miscarriage but I think if that had happened you might have probably found the kitten's bodies with the blood. But I'm guessing that she had them in the open and then moved them. Try a kitten hunt. It's time consuming, but fun, haha. :) And when your Momma Kitty comes back home watch her and if she starts going off again secretly follow her. (You can't let her see you, because then she will do all she can to lose you) If she comes home and doesn't go off again for a few days then it is safe to assume that she probably had a miscarriage. If that is the case then I would suggest getting her fixed so you don't have this issue anymore. I really hate it when people let their animals go wild reproducing and then all these babies are running around, afraid of people and getting hit by cars.
Good luck with finding her (and possibly) her kittens!
 
It is hard to know what happened. Maybe she has something wrong with her that she is unable to carry a litter to term. But it's just possible she had live kittens and hid them. This is why it's a good idea to keep a pregnant cat inside & when it's close to her time keep her in one room, so you dont have to wonder.
You could keep an eye on her for a day and try to follow her at a distance to see if you see her repeatedly going to the same place where she might have a litter hidden. If you do find them, could you bring the mother and kittens inside and keep them safely in one room?

If there's no sign of kittens dead or alive, it may have been she again had premature stillborn kittens and either she or another animal has eaten the bodies. (Unpleasant, I know, but that's nature for even the female to do that herself to replenish her strength and to prevent attracting predators by the smell.

Or she might have had one premature and still be carrying others. We had a farm cat who had that happen. she gave birth to a premature stillborn kitten then a week or two later she had 2 live healthy kittens. If she is friendly you can try to feel if there are any moving. & a vet could find out if she is still pregnant.

As you said, you could just ask them to do a spay whether or not she is still carrying. If you know you might (or definitely) want to have that done, you should discuss it at the time you make the appointment to make sure that the vet would be willing to do a spay/abortion this late since some vets have a limit on how late in pregnancy. they will do it. Vets at shelters or working for low-cost spay/neuter clinics are more likely to do late term abortions.

You should definitely get her in soon because if it turns out she has dead kittens still inside her starting to decompose, that could end up killing her.
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