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    • 28 Apr, 2016

    A Growing Issue – Cats Found Giving Birth in Flower Pots

    Two sets of domestic stray mother cats both chose an unlikely location for their babies to bloom this Spring, and gave birth to their kittens in flower pots.

    In just one week, our Animal Welfare Officers were called out on two separate occasions to rescue mother cats who were nursing their young in flower pots.

    We found one mother cat who had five one-day-old kittens and another mother with four one-week-old kittens. One litter was found in a pot in a member of the public’s quiet back-garden, whilst the other was discovered in a pot by the back door of a sandwich shop.

    Unfortunately one litter had absolutely no shelter in their flower pot, and there was torrential rain coming down in the morning when our team found her. Luckily, all kittens were warm and safe, as the mum had done a great job of shielding them from the rain.

    A Growing Issue – Cats Found Giving Birth in Flower Pots

    Our Animal Welfare Officers rescued both sets of mums and kittens and brought them back to The Mayhew, where they could be closely monitored and kept warm and safe by our cattery team and given full check ups by our vet team.

    Mayhew staff gave the mum with her one-week-old kittens very fitting flower-themed names, with the mummy cat called Sunflower and her babies called Bill, Ben, Little Weed and Flob-a-Dob. The mum and one-day old kittens were named after American states, with the mum called Montana and her kittens named Oregon, Ohio, Texas, Arizona and Louisiana.

    Sadly our vet team discovered that one of the kittens, Louisiana, had a congenital heart defect from birth and unfortunately passed away. Our vet team found that all of the other kittens and both mums were healthy, happy cats.

    Our Cat Welfare Coordinator, Georgina Disney, said: “Mum cats will usually choose to have their kittens somewhere safe, warm and where the babies cannot wonder or roll away, which is why a flower pot might look like a good idea to them because it keeps the kittens confined when they are small. These cats chose tall flower pots which were well off the ground, and were therefore potentially safer from predators.”

    A Growing Issue – Cats Found Giving Birth in Flower Pots

    To give the cats a chance to get used to living in a home environment before they find forever homes, both Sunflower and Montana and their kittens have gone on foster care with an experienced carer.

    Both mums and kittens are doing well, and will be ready for adoption in a few months when they are older and have been neutered and vaccinated.

    Our Animal Welfare Manager, Zoe Edwards, said: “Now Spring has sprung and the weather has begun to get better, unfortunately we will start to see more and more kittens coming through our doors, even though we do see this situation all year round too. This just highlights the need to get your pet neutered to prevent more unwanted kittens from being born, and more domestic strays like Sunflower and Montana giving birth in flower pots outside.”

    In the warmer months we tend to get a greater influx of mums and kittens coming into our cattery, and we desperately need help taking care of them before we can find them loving homes. Please consider making a donation today to help us care for more cats and kittens like Sunflower, Montana and their babies.

    At The Mayhew our community vet clinic offers low-cost neutering alongside vaccinations and preventative treatment. Find out more about our neutering services and book an appointment here.
    [donate text=”Donate to help more cats like Sunflower and Montana” source=”Flower pot cats”]

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