HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

Question
I need help with my peek-a-poo, Spike, and help on mother cats and their kittens.  My dog doesn't like cats at all, actually she hates them and thinks of them as chew toys!  What should I do to help her like cats?  My cat, DirtPie, is going to have kittens I think next month, (aka early march!)  She's an outside cat, I'm trying to help her kitens live.  What should I do so I can get her ready for birth?  I have many other pregnant cats outside too.  Is that a problem?  Mostly all my cats give birth in the shed filled with hay, but I was thinking about a cardboard box.  Would that be a good idea to use a cardboard box OUTSIDE?  Please send me something soon, I don't know anything!!!

Answer
A trained animal behaviorist would be your best bet to try to get Spike to not look at cats as chew toys, but in my albeit limited experience, it's the rare cat-hater that can become a cat-lover unless it's done in early puppyhood. There are several good experts in allexperts that deal with dog training - please ask them as I am sure they can give you a more reassuring answer.

Now onto your cats. Your many pregnant cats. Cardboard boxes are perfectly fine as a birthing crate, but only if the mother cat uses it. Even if it is in March, DirtPie should be able to keep her kittens warm in a box, preferably in the shed. Place several pieces of newspaper - you don't need to shred it - and when the kittens are older, change the paper so they stay dry. Keep an eye on DirtPie, and make sure that there is always ample food and water where she can reach it without having to make trips away from her kittens.

Okay, now for The Talk. I hate to be blunt, but you need to get any and all cats fixed. Having several cats with ongoing litters isn't healthy for the cats, and all you need is one blast of feline disease like Feline Leukemia or Feline Distemper in your colony (what a group of most-likely related cats are called) to leave you with a group of very sick or dead cats. I realize that altering cats involves a bit of money, but perhaps there are animal rescue groups near you that offer a catch-and-release program for feral cats. I know your cats aren't feral, but they might still qualify if they are outdoors all the time.

In no way am I condemning you for having so many cats; they are literally like potato chips, in that you cannot have only one, and like hangers in closets, seem to multiply overnight. I'm sure you will do the right thing for all of them and become a good midwife for DirtPie.

Please let me know if you need more help with DirtPie as she gets closer to her due date. Good luck, and stay calm.