Stray cat behaviour

by Laura
(England)

A week ago my partner and I found a mommy cat and five kittens hiding under a bush in the garden. We decided to keep them all and re home them when they were ready, they are about 8 weeks old at the moment.

My problems lie with the mom cat, when we first took her in she was fine, but in the last day or so she seems to be increasingly discontent. She doesn't seem to like being around her kittens anymore, and wants to be allowed out of our conservatory and to go outside. When I do let her out into the house however, despite knowing how to use her litter tray, she insists on going to the toilet on my floor. She howls at me a lot and is eating a LOT of food, which in turn is giving her diarrhea. She is quite underweight and lethargic. The vet said there was a chance she could be pregnant again, which I would be fine with if her behavior weren't so demanding at the moment. I'm beginning to contemplate giving her to someone with a bit more experience, but it seems a shame because she is such a loving, friendly cat.

Thanks

Answer by KAte
Hi
well if she is not used to living a domesticated life it could take her quite some time to settle down to it.

Also if she is pregnant again it would not be unusual at this stage for her to start pushing her kittens away as they should now be staring to be weaned.

As for her tummy upset etc, again this is not unusual if she is getting used to new food and routine, this should settle down after awhile. It also sounds like she is not used to using a litter tray as well as she may be scent marking her new home. You could try a period of litter training but it would be quite difficult at the moment as she still needs to feed her kittens now and again.

It very much depends on you and if you want to put in some serious time with this cat to try and help her to settle in. It could be weeks even months before she adapts (if at all if she is feral).

As with all cats to try and get them used to the domestic life they need to be kept inside for at least 4 weeks and this can be tough for a cat who is used to going out. You have to make sure that her inside life is as stimulating as the outside was. she this page for some details

keeping indoor cats happy

here also is the litter training page

litter training

It would also probably be a good time to consider taking her to the vets for a health check up and to see if she is pregnant again or not. If not or in some cases even if she is you may want to talk to the vet about having her spayed, as this will also help to settle her down.

I hope it all works out for you all

best wishes Kate

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