new pregnant cat and a female lab dog

Question
QUESTION: My dog always like to chase cats and now I have to take a cat home which I don't know how to deal with them. How can I make my dog accept the new cat[also cat accept dog]
How many meal does the pregnant cat need? Should I let the cat outdoor? Will she run away?

ANSWER: Ray,

I would recommend that you isolate the pregnant cat until after her kittens are weaned which happens when they're around 6-9 weeks old, mom will wean them on her own and then they should stay with her until they are a minimum of 10-12 weeks old so that they can learn the skills that they will need to be happy, well adjusted cats. Pregnant cats need to be kept stress free and happy just like pregnant women do. I would recommend that you feed your pregnant girl a high quality, holistic cat food made with human grade ingredients such as Wellness or Spot's Stew. It's best to leave dry food down for your kitty all of the time and you can also choose to offer canned food once or twice daily. It's important that mom eats well as this will have a direct impact on the health of her kittens. It's also a good idea to keep some kitten milk replacer like KMR or Just Born in the house as this kitty gets closer to becoming a mom - if she rejects one or more kittens you'll be prepared. I would recommend that you also keep some oral syringes in the house because some kittens refuse to accept the bottle nipples currently available. I would encourage you to read up on my previous answers regarding pregnancy, labor, delivery and kitten care, it'll help you to feel more confident and relaxed about this new experience. I would recommend against allowing the cat outdoors at this time, this will ensure her safety as well as the safety of her babies.

When introducing a dog to a cat it's important to keep the dog under control - having her on a leash will help. If your dog is mouthy a muzzle would be a good idea. Allow your cat access to places where she can hide out of reach of the dog, this may mean investing in a couple of baby gates. Dogs really like cat food and cat feces, both of which are high in protein so the food, water and litter box should be kept away from the dog. It's important not to place the food and water in the same room as the litter box as this may cause unwanted house soiling from the cat. Cats don't like to eat where they go to the toilet. So long as your dog minds her manners your cat will learn to accept her, however be prepared that there may be one or more scratches on your dog's nose if she over steps her boundaries or forgets her manners. Never allow your dog to chase the cat around, dogs are predators and can seriously injure or kill a cat, especially when they're as big as your dog is.

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QUESTION: How long does the cat usually pregnant? Will all the kittens survive? When the kittens are 10 weeks old, should I let them outside? Should I keep the cats indoor? My dog actually is outdoor. Is it possible to train the adult cat about the litter box? If I put the cats in the mosquito net will they scratch and destroy it?

Answer
Ray,

I would be interested in hearing how you came to be this kitty's caregiver. If you need a general overview of cat care, maternity dos and don'ts what kind of food, vitamins, vet care is needed I would be happy to offer this to you. Cats really aren't terribly difficult to care for provided that you are informed about the things that could potentially go wrong as well as what constitutes normal. Cats vary in personality, intelligence and temperament just the same as people do so you will have to watch this kitty closely at least initially to determine what normal means for her in terms of eating, drinking, energy level, personality and using the toilet. Cats differ from dogs in that they tend to avoid showing signs of illness until they are very sick so subtle signs of illness can mean a seriously sick kitty. If this mother hasn't been vaccinated her kittens will be more likely to contract viral and bacterial infections, unfortunately it's too late to give her this simple preventative care because vaccines could potentially harm the kittens before birth and afterwards while they're nursing on their mother. Newborn kittens are born completely helpless, they are unable to fight off illness and regulate their own body temperature in addition to their obvious vulnerability. Setting up a birthing place that's clean, warm, quiet, dimly lit and private will help to ensure a normal delivery. Cats tend to have more difficulties in labor when they're being watched and handled too much so it's important to develop the skill of watching the cat while appearing not to watch her when you suspect that she's in labor. This information is somewhat abbreviated and I can provide more detailed information about general feline husbandry as well as information specific to pregnant and lactating cats and their kittens.

The usual gestation period for cats is 60-68 days. Without any medical care there is no way to predict whether all of the kittens will survive although it's quite likely, high survival rates for newborn kittens are partially to blame for the incredible overpopulation crisis. I wouldn't recommend allowing the kittens or their mother outside, they will be safer and live healthier, happier lives if kept indoors. Cats are naturally clean animals and they are generally very easy to train to use the litter box, I would recommend that you fill two litter boxes with unscented clumping kitty litter and place them in the farthest corner of the room that's away from the food, this will hopefully avoid the cat looking for another place to eliminate so that she can keep her home clean. It's important to realize that once the kittens are old enough to use the litter box you will need one litter box per cat plus one so the number of kittens you keep will determine the number of litter pans you need. The number of kittens that will survive ultimately depends on the care and food that your mother cat has received during her pregnancy. If this mom has been starved and dehydrated she may actually develop health problems related to using her resources to keep her babies alive. It's a good idea for you to take this kitty to the veterinarian so that s/he can assess this cat's condition. The vet will probably recommend an x-ray or ultrasound to determine the number of babies you can expect and what their general condition appears to be at this time. If the vet suspects that this mom has been deprived of food or water and labor could potentially be dangerous for her s/he may recommend that the cat be placed on a special diet including any supplements this mom to be may need.

I would strongly suggest that you keep momma cat indoors from now until she is spayed after weaning her kittens. Cats can become pregnant shortly after giving birth which is another reason that their population is out of control. Spaying this cat will also help to prevent major health and behavioral problems including potentially fatal uterine infections, cancers of the reproductive system and mammary glands. In terms of behavioral problems cats can be more likely to house soil, fight with other intact cats to protect their territory, etc. Fights can result in serious injuries to both cats, this includes abscesses that must be treated by a veterinarian. It isn't necessary to declaw a cat, this surgery is equivalent to amputating our fingers at the first joint. So long as you provide appropriate scratching posts and sprinkle catnip on them to make them more attractive to the cat and her kittens she is less likely to scratch your furniture. Because of the fact that cats like to scent mark (distribute pheromones) by using the glands in their paws (commonly referred to as sharpening) and the glands inside of their cheeks I would say that mosquito netting probably isn't the best plan for the cats because they can tear it quite easily with their sharp claws and teeth.

I think that it would be wise for you to check out my previous answers on pregnancy, labor, delivery, ensuring a clean and healthy environment as well as caring for the queen and her kittens once they've come into this world so that you are comfortable with all of the normal pregnancy and post-partum events. If you would like I can give you a fairly detailed account of what the onset of labor looks like in the majority of cats as well as danger signs that mean your kitty requires immediate veterinary care. I would be happy to clarify any questions you might have after reading these answers, although I suspect that once you have the information from these answers many of your questions and concerns will be answered.