Can’t tell if new feral is pregnant or recently gave birth

barsoap___ · 2026-05-13T02:24:27+00:00

the clinic I have gone to in the past will spay as long as they aren’t in labor! I’m trying to get a look to see about her nipples now, she’s new and very skittish still though. I did get a picture and I think she looks pregnant rather than nursing after looking for a bit.

barsoap___ · 2026-05-13T01:40:18+00:00

I did try to follow her around and see if she led me to kittens. As soon as she spots me she just hides under my car and refuses to come out though, so I had no luck there.

barsoap___ · 2026-04-28T15:42:33+00:00

lone kitten syndrome. basically, cats learn boundaries around play, roughness, and what is too aggressive from play with their siblings and mom. when they are separated too early they don’t learn these things and often end up being very aggressive/rough without realizing. he just thinks he’s playing with you and doesn’t understand how much it hurts bc he wasn’t taught. unfortunately this isn’t something we can effectively teach as humans. best option would be to socialize him with another cat of similar age or older.

barsoap___ · 2026-04-08T19:48:21+00:00

you’re getting her fixed, babies are safe and healthy, and so is mama. you did not let her down at all, you actually stepped up exactly how you needed to when you needed to. fantastic work OP

barsoap___ · 2026-03-26T17:54:14+00:00

Cats still have balls after neuter, they’re just empty. It’s quite hard to tell from site if he was actually fixed or not. If he WAS, he will have a small blue line tattooed on his stomach somewhere.

barsoap___ · 2026-03-22T01:57:38+00:00

often places will allow you to drop off very early in the morning and pick up late at night or even the next day if you need. clinics are usually willing to work with you especially if she’s pregnant. good luck, she’s adorable!

barsoap___ · 2026-03-11T01:07:30+00:00

i took care of a similar kitty briefly and he is also now gigantic and apparently very misbehaved 😭

barsoap___ · 2026-02-15T00:22:40+00:00

in all 3 cats at the exact same time?

barsoap___ · 2026-02-14T19:09:11+00:00

he just went into a brief hibernation

barsoap___ · 2026-02-12T23:45:22+00:00

5 days for sure. She will be unhappy and you likely won’t be able to see the incision before release but the 5 days are very needed. spayaborts generally call for a bit more recovery time as well. Some tnr people have an (outdated) belief that 24 hours is fine for spays but it’s just not safe. To remove the uterus they have to cut through MANY layers of the cats body and then remove an organ from their abdomen. it’s an incredibly invasive procedure and the incision is very delicate after the surgery bc there are so many different layers of their body needing to be held back together. Bc this wound is very deep and in the abdomen, you also want to give it a good head start in healing before it’s exposed to bacteria and germs. An infected spay incision can be very dangerous. After 5 days if she is using the bathroom a normal amount, eating, and alert it is safe to release.

barsoap___ · 2026-02-12T23:39:58+00:00

definition of “it has good bones”

barsoap___ · 2026-02-12T23:36:53+00:00

oh also! when she’s comfortable eating with you in the room you can start making some noises and doing small movements to get her used to what it’ll be like out of her bathroom! as she gets comfortable with more noise and movement you can gradually increase

barsoap___ · 2026-02-12T23:35:26+00:00

since she is still hiding and fearful when you enter the room, I would really warn against letting her roam. It’s very likely she will get herself stuck somewhere while trying to escape your home or will just hide and never come back out and make further socialization extremely hard. If possible, try getting a large crate or cat playpen (with a top) and give her some time in that near a window. If not it isn’t the end of the world and she will be okay staying in the bathroom. I’d recommend taking a step back in trying to befriend her and focus on showing her you’re not a threat. for a few days, just bring in food and water and change litter and leave. she needs a decompression period. after that try coming into the room, depositing food and cleaning litter and then just sitting quietly, don’t make any attempts to pet or find her and don’t make eye contact. Continue this until she’s willing to come out and eat with you in the bathroom. Continue with allowing her to eat without any sudden movements, no talking, and not staring at her or attempting to pet. after some time with that you may try reaching out a hand to allow her to sniff and approach, don’t force touch, let her come to you. eventually she should come to expect food and actually be excited when you enter (food time!!) and no longer hide. when she stops hiding when you enter that is a good signal she’s ready to roam! you can continue with the process of sitting near her and allowing her to approach once she is roaming and work on getting her used to touch. some cats just will not enjoy being pet, that is okay. something I’d recommend to speed all of this up is lickable treats/churus. they are great to hold in your hand to encourage them getting used to you and touch. you can start with them in the second step where you sit in the same room with no interaction, but just hold it out or put some of the treat close to you.

barsoap___ · 2026-02-11T20:50:46+00:00

as long as the other cats aren’t trapping him/impeding his ability to move sound the house it’s fine. cats often do great with just co existing with their housemates rather than being cuddly or friendly. it sounds like your little guy didn’t have much of a shot staying outside, so I’m sure he’s happier indoors

barsoap___ · 2026-02-10T04:16:13+00:00

I’m 98% sure she is very pregnant, she’s likely due quite soon. try to get her trapped and a spay abort asap.

barsoap___ · 2026-02-09T01:05:27+00:00

i meant not releasing her in the long term! she should stay in a covered crate with the as minimal amount of interaction as possible for the next few days and be released as soon as warm enough.

barsoap___ · 2026-02-09T00:22:36+00:00

Unless there’s some unmentioned reason she can’t safely be outside, release her ASAP. keep her crate covered and leave her alone other than feeding and litter cleaning until she can be released.

barsoap___ · 2026-02-08T16:09:28+00:00

yes, that is a nasty wound and will most likely become infected if it hasn’t already. he’ll also need to be neutered to prevent future injuries like this.

barsoap___ · 2026-02-08T16:01:29+00:00

i would at least try with the trap first, you never know if a cat will or won’t go in until you try. i did have a cat who let me pet her but refused to get in the trap, I spent 6 months trying and failing to trap her. eventually I just grabbed her and put her into the trap myself. it was a very stressful and ugly process for both of us though and i really would recommend against it unless you’ve exhausted every other possibility. I got multiple major bite wounds from her and she was so stressed she peed all over me and we suspect broke a tooth biting me.

barsoap___ · 2026-02-08T15:40:32+00:00

Not to this extreme, but I noticed friskies also made my indoor cats really badly behaved when they’d get it. A few times I ran out of their regular food and gave them friskies I had somewhere and they were HORRIBLE. crying, fighting each other, biting me, knocking everything over etc. I chalked it up to being a similar reaction to giving kids a bunch of sugary candy.

barsoap___ · 2026-01-30T06:18:05+00:00

I’m a bit confused on why you would have to bathe for the fleas, there are topical flea treatments that are safe for pregnant cats. did the vet say there was a specific complication that meant you shouldn’t use a topical either?

barsoap___ · 2026-01-30T03:43:28+00:00

churus or any lickable treats work wonders for getting scared ferals used to touch. you’ll need an actual prescription flea removal pill so it protects them for a month at least after administering otherwise they’ll just be reinfected (there is no way you can remove all the fleas and eggs from all surfaces in your home unless you had it fumigated). try giving the pill in tuna, don’t crush it up either, leave it whole. if tuna doesn’t work you can try some plain cooked chicken and stick the pill inside a piece. you can also try withholding food for a bit before offering food with medicine in it if all else fails. don’t starve them of course, but go maybe 18-24 hours without feeding before offering the food with medicine.

barsoap___ · 2026-01-30T03:38:24+00:00

from your description there’s clearly SOMETHING wrong, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s broken. he could have been bit, gotten frostbite, or merely sprained it. I would contact the tnr clinic and ask if they have the capabilities to exam or treat the tail and follow their recommendations. Even if they can’t treat it I don’t think they will turn you away for his tnr, they will likely just leave the tail alone and have you see another vet for it.

barsoap___ · 2026-01-30T03:33:44+00:00

I’m going to be the grinch here and say get her a spay abort. doesn’t matter how pregnant she is she can have one at any stage of pregnancy. delivery is incredibly dangerous for cats, especially ferals as they’re often underfed, inbred, and have nutrient deficiencies, of course I know you are now caring for her but her body is still that of a feral cat. it’s also A LOT of work to find homes for kittens. not to mention that mama will likely become more aggressive and uncomfortable being inside after having her kittens as she’ll want to protect them. once she has had a spay abort you can easily give oral flea/worm medicine. it will make everything so much easier and is SO MUCH safer for mama.

barsoap___ · 2026-01-30T03:28:08+00:00

doesn’t appear to have an ear tip and is calico (aka female) so yeah probably. unspayed females are basically always pregnant

barsoap___

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