Taking in a Stray Pregnant Cat--Halo Is Her Name, Part 1

We are cat lovers, that's true. We have 3 inside rescued cats.  Ebbie and London are thirteen and Zoie is two. We never expected to have another cat when Zoie cried from a redbud bush in our yard. The temperature was hot and humid and she was only 1 1/2 pounds, dehydrated and hungry.  She also appeared on my parents anniversary.  It was love at first sight.

This year on Mother's Day, we found Halo sitting in our shrubs in our back yard.  She looked unkept, like she needed a kind hand.  At first, she ran when we tried to approach her.  But eventually she came to the patio, looking for us.  We began feeding her.  We would just sit quietly nearby and not try to approach her.  After about a month of that, she began rubbing against our legs and we could pet her.

I suspected she was pregnant because I spotted other male cats, not bothering her, but almost being protective of her.  We left open the door to our basement sunroom and she started living in there.  Soon she was staying day and night without wandering at all.  She almost seemed hesitant to leave the patio area.  I didn't want to take her to the vet until we could handle her.  At that point, we saw our veterinarian and yes, she was pregnant.  She also has digestive issues that might have plagued her for a while.  Thankfully she tested negative for FIV and feline leukemia.  She can not have any other vaccinations--rabies and distemper--until her kittens are weaned.

We're expecting kittens in about a month.  We can't send them to new homes until they are weaned at about eight weeks.

Taking in a stray cat isn't easy.  We spent a few hours at the emergency animal hospital about an hour away last weekend.  Halo needs ongoing care.  She's living in my office right now and the other three cats wonder why they can't come in.  At times, Zoie is quite vocal about it.

Through all of this, Halo has been an absolute sweetie.  In the upcoming weeks,  I'll post progress blogs for my cat lover readers.

And about her name...  Last summer we cared for a tomcat named Lance who had been injured.  He had FIV.  He was a yellow tabby who brought us love and affection.  We were preparing to have him live in the basement for the winter when he got an infection he couldn't fight off.  I don't have a proper photo yet, but Halo has a two inch stretch at the end of her tail that is pure yellow tabby.  Maybe angel Lance sent her our way.  "Halo" just seemed to be a fitting name.

©2014 Karen Rose Smith

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