by Marc de Jong on December 01, 2005 01:00:00 AM It happens all too often. A family or cat friend gets adopted by a stray cat. And after a few weeks it turns out she’s pregnant.
In the US alone there must be millions of sweet but homeless cats. And many of them get pregnant several times a year. Nobody really knows why, but pregnant strays often adopt a family instead of the other way round. Maybe they search for support or a good and warm home for their kittens.
Now, perhaps you don’t have the space or time for a cat family. Or there’s another reason that makes it difficult to have these kittens. But you don’t want to throw this stray out. She’s expecting babies, isn’t she?!
Now what can you do?
You could take her to an animal shelter. That’s not always a good idea.
Don’t get me wrong: I value the work of animal shelters. In fact, I got my current cat from one of them, and I’m pretty sure the next will come from a shelter too. But some animal shelters reportedly put a pregnant stray to sleep. You’ll blame yourself forever if you hear the cat you brought in, was killed.
Other shelters will spay her. They’ve got a good reason for that. The kitten population is astronomical and the last an animal shelter wants is put five more homeless cats in this world.
But maybe you have objections against spaying a pregnant cat – after all, it’s abortion at the same time. Then a far better idea is bringing a pregnant stray to a local rescue group. In the US alone dozens of rescue groups are active. Not all of them, but many let the queen have her kittens, and search a home for them.
But in the end, perhaps the most satisfying alternative is to keep the cat yourself and let her give birth. Take good care of her. Have her examined by a vet to see if she’s in good health. And get the right information so you are prepared for complications.
And remember: strays are used to go wherever they want. So keep your doors closed. Otherwise she’ll adopt someone else.
About the Author
Marc de Jong runs an acclaimed web site on cats and is the author of the book How To Take Care Of Your Pregnant Cat, available through http://www.cat-pregnancy-report.com/pregnant-cat.html The book is filled with insider tips and tells you how your cat can deliver and raise a healthy litter. Read more |
by Jason Canon on December 01, 2005 01:00:00 AM Occasionally, some of us get to do work that is totally fun and such is the case with my assignment to review Cat Fancy Magazine. My own two Bengal cats volunteered to assist with my research but in the end both of them were found sleeping on the job.
A recent issue of Cat Fancy Magazine estimated that, based on the latest surveys, there are approximately 90 million cats in the United States. Thus, it is indeed fortunate for those of us who own these ‘purrfect’ animals to have Cat Fancy Magazine available as our own resource. Every issue of Cat Fancy Magazine contains delightful sections such as: Purrs and Hisses (letters from readers), the Cat Calendar (who, what, when, where), In the Mews, What’s New Pussycat, and other zany sections that make reading each issue a pure pleasure. One of my favorite browse sections of Cat Fancy Magazine is the Breeder Directory. It contains about twenty pages of information organized by breed to help anyone quickly find additional resources of interest. The Cat Clinic – Ask the Vet section of Cat Fancy Magazine contains very important and helpful tips regarding the health of your pet.
Of course the absolute best part of Cat Fancy Magazine is the surprise that comes from their monthly feature stories. Everything about cats from their ancient Egyptian history to their downtown New York penthouse dwellings is covered. Naturally, Cat Fancy Magazine features photographs of the most stunning cats in the world but it also includes the everyday house cat on an equal pawing. Practical stories such as how to save on veterinary bills and an enjoyable monthly editor’s note from Susan Logan help round out the value of the magazine.
The complete Cat Fancy Magazine review and associated graphics are online at: http://magazines.canon.org.
© 2005 Peach ePublishing, LLC
About the Author
Jason Canon has authored numerous technical research papers including: photonic switching, gigabit networking, VoIP E9-1-1 and others. He is an expert author for EzineArticles.com. E-mail: Jason Canon at jmc@canon.org.
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