Thanks for the responses.

We call her Pumpkin now. Don't know why. I'm totally in love with her. DH is still holding out - petrified that Pumpkin's destined to be with us forever. Max and Pumpkin are 'nose friends' right now.

Minibim, I'll check with the vet today if Pumpkin could be spayed right away (though to tell the truth I do want her kittens, but let's see how it goes).

Donna, I understand what you mean, and as Annz said, we don't have an Animal Rescue Group here in Dubai yet. They're gonna start one soon, but frankly Ã'm wondering how effective that would be -- most people here do not take kindly to being advised/reprimanded. They don't care about the laws either! They think they can do what they please bcoz they 'own' the animal. In this case, the watchman said nobody enquired about a lost cat, so I know Pumpkin didn't escape.

I've rescued many kittens from almost-certain death on busy roads and handed them over to Feline Friends. Anybody could have done that, but people apparently don't think a kitten dashing around a street full of cars driving at 120 kmph is in any danger, or they just don't care if it dies a horrible death.

I just could not leave this poor thing there. If there was a body governing animal rights here, I would've reported the matter to them. It was late at night, I didn't want to talk to Mr. 1405 at that hour. I also do not relish talking to an irresponsible pet owner when I'm shocked and angry. Another reason I didn't want to talk to them about this, is my observation from living in Dubai for 5 yrs - there are people here who will NOT listen to you at all, scream abuse at you, basically intolerant people; probably every expatriate here has gone thru it at least once. I wish I could write about this in detail, but I must stop :-P The feeling of helplessness you get when you see animals being abused here is just unimaginable!

Again, thanks everyone! Pumpkin has finished her stinky sardine-tuna-kitten food meal, and DH is on his way home to take us to the vet.

I'm so excited! Just back from the vet's office, he said the kittens will arrive in a week's time! I've decided to keep Pumpkin and her babies until they're old enough to be re-homed, 10 weeks or so.

When the vet saw the look on DH's face, he made me promise in front of three witnesses, that I'd put them up for adoption eventually LOL . DH is a big softie actually, I know once he sees the kittens he'll understand what all this is about. Born and brought up in the city, he's never seen newborn puppies/kittens, ever.

I'm so happy I'm blabbing away, sorry. DH wants to be there for the birth of his 'grandkids' - he's getting around gradually, I can see that! But would it be better if I let her have her babies at the clinic? Costs won't matter, either Feline Friends or we could take care of that. What do you think?

Many thanks to all you good-hearted folks again!!

"What a dilemma! But boy, does it feel good to 'steal' somebody's 'pet' !!"

Sorry, but that statement is sickening to me. Stealing is stealing.

If you want to help the cat good for you, but stealing it from someone is wrong in my book. I wouldn't want your karma. Bragging and basking in doing what you feel is a good deed, but in reality is stealing, doesn't make you a good person. Sorry, but that's my take on it.

Thank you for saving that cat.

Please get her and all the kittens spayed and neutered before they are adopted. If you depend on other people to spay and neuter the kittens, it may not get done, and in saving the cat, it is now your responsibility.

I'm on the other side.
You're a *H*E*R*O*!

If there's no tag or chip and the pet is in neglected condition, and out roaming the streets of Dubain, the right thing to do is not let that continue IMO.
We've covered this quite a bit and now I'm in for a spanking.

I have to agree with labmomma and Donna. I can think of a few scenarios that could have caused that cat to be there that have nothing to do with neglect. For example, maybe the cat slipped out the door and ran away. You said many people leave for the summer, so maybe he found his way home weeks later and they were gone.

They are the rightful owners and should have the opportunity to tell their side of the story. You didn't give them that chance.

Thanks again, everyone.

Elly, yes, we will make sure the kittens are spayed/neutered before being re-homed.

Donna loomis, Labmomma, I respect your views on this, but really, I did not snatch it away when the owner was not looking, I swear! That's why in my post I put the word steal and pet in quotation marks/inverted commas, bcoz I do not believe this act really amounted to stealing! This 'owner' wasn't bothered about the well-being of his pet and had left her out of the house. He's probably on holiday, my friend checked and nobody answered the door. After the vet visit I thought about Mr.1405 and if he'd wonder what happened to Pumpkin, so I gave my cell number to the watchman to hand it over to the guy if and when he returns from wherever he is at the moment. The watchman too said Mr.1405 will probably just heave a sigh of relief.

If you read my post properly, it'll be obvious that the 'owner' did not want Pumpkin anymore. The vet scanned her, no chip. No bragging and basking, but feeling good that she is being taken care of, that makes me feel it's worth it. If I'd left a pregnant cat to suffer in 45-50 deg C heat with no food/water, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself!

I wouldn't say I'm a good person, really, everyone of us has a good side and a bad side. I know it'll be difficult when the time comes to give the kittens away. I know I'll cry then, I don't know if that would be my good side or bad side :-P I just tried to give an abandoned pregnant cat the care she needs, and a chance for her babies to get good homes.

I'm still wondering if I should take her to the clinic to have her babies.

PS: Quirky, spanking for you? Never!! You probably don't know how much your sense of humor has lightened up others' lives when they needed it the most.

I can understand you wanting to rescue an animal but I wouldn't have announced to someone that you stole someone's cat!!!! You could actually be charged with a crime for knowingly taking an animal that you knew was someone elses! That happened over here with a woman that rescues dogs, she found an elderly dog chained up and half dead...took the dog somewhere that it would get the care it needed but guess who's in trouble...not the people that had the dog chained up and left for dead...OH NO, the woman that rescued the dog is in big trouble to taking their property!

I'd say it was pretty clear the person didn't want his cat. OP left her contact no. on case the owner was worried. The owner could call OP to tell her their side of the story.

OP seems sensible enough to let them know what had happened to their cat, and would probably give her back if indeed she ran away from home and then could not be found. Or maybe the owner moved someplace else, lost the cat in transit, and the cat found its way back to its old home.

In any case, I feel pranjal did the right thing by deciding to take care of the cat and making sure the owner had a way to reach her if needed. The choice of words seems unfortunate; I too do not feel she has really stolen someone's pet. She did the best thing possible for the cat, given the situation. What would you rather do, leave the poor thing there and wait for the owner to turn up looking for her (if in fact he lost the cat somehow?) which might never happen - and let the cat suffer from hunger and thirst when she is so obviously pregnant?

"I'd say it was pretty clear the person didn't want his cat. OP left her contact no. on case the owner was worried. The owner could call OP to tell her their side of the story."

She didn't originally leave contact info. Instead, she gave reasons why she didn't want a confrontation with the owner. If she has now left her phone number, I applaud her for that. That would have been the correct way to handle it from the beginning. You can help an animal in need and still be fair to the owner. It isn't necessary to jump to your own conclusions and decide what should be done with someone else's pet based on your own judgements.

I once had a tiny maltese dog who found a small hole in my fence and went through it. She had never gotten out before and spent most of her time in the house. Someone took her and kept her until she was spotted on his deck three months later and I took her back.

He used the excuse that her coat was unkempt, so therefore she was neglected. This was a much loved and spoiled dog who just had one of those coats that looked bedraggled an hour after being shampooed and blown dry. I think the truth of the matter was that she was an expensive and adorable dog and he wanted her, so he justified taking and keeping her even though he would have had to drive past my "Lost" posters everyday.

Since then, I am very suspicious of people who have all the reasons why they should keep an animal they find, especially when they gush about how attracted they are to that animal. I think it's pretty easy to come up with reasons why we think those animals should be ours under those circumstances, but the truth is, the real owners may be brokenhearted and it isn't the finder's place to decide where he belongs.

I'm was a dog-thief. I feel just fine and dandy about it. :)
But, my situation was a little different - already warned the owner about the dog running loose, being too skinny, covered in fleas, etc. So the next time I saw her, I just let her in, fed her good for a week, and turned her in to be adopted. (I had even let the owner know where I would take the dog - she never claimed her...) I would have totally kept her if her ex-owner wasn't a nut and didn't have three kids that would be very confused and upset by the whole thing.

I doubt I'd agree with the effort put in to contact the owner, etc. if you were in the states, but who am I to say how things go in Dubai? I think it's appropriate to take that into consideration.

I'm sorry (not really), but if the owner did leave his cat out at an apartment complex he mustn't care for it at all. There are people there that could steal it and do whatever they wanted wanted with it (probably not good things either), cars zooming all around, and maybe even predators lurking about. Unless the cat escaped, he must have wanted it dead. No matter what, he has access to the phone number now and if he is so inclined can inquire about his "beloved" pet. If you throw something out in the dumpster it's not your property anymore legally. A terrible analogy for a living being, but somewhat appropriate in this case. Pranjal, you did a great thing and I hope you will give all the kitties some love for us. Will there be pictures (I hope)?

Just saw Foosacub's post as well... Pranjal... The first post I ever read from Foosacub was about her stealing/rescuing a dog she called Whiskey. Pretty touching story that you can probably still find if you look back a few pages... it had a great following here. I'm glad for Whiskey... Foosacub has been a wonderful addition to the forum!

((((*sorry - was supposed to put a slash between "I'm" and "was"....

Also, thank you vacuumfreak!))))

I run an active cat only rescue, and from that standpoint Pranjal did everything by the book, they asked questions before they took the cat (doormen know everything), the animal was clearly in need and they stepped up to the plate and took the animal in and now the cat has vet care and food and shelter. The thing to remember is that this is not the US, it is different there, animal laws are not even in place. I would have done the very same thing.

Shiollie, I bet your job is very rewarding. I've put in an application to be a "kitty cuddler" with the SPCA here... I'd love to volunteer for a cat resuce. I'm sure you seem some sad things too though.

I think the worst thing to date is arriving home in the middle of winter and seeing a cat carrier on the porch with a VERY pregnant cat inside, the next day the cat owner comes by and wants the carrier back, (let it be said now that I do pay for spays and neuters that people cannot afford) This cat had her kittens 3 days later, she had 6 kittens, I got the mom fixed and after 6 weeks the cat went back home, the kittens started dying and when I called the owner I found out that this cat had had 5 litters that year!! Poor mama cat, she just did not have anything to give these kittens, no antibodies, she could not build them up because she was always pregnant, 2 kittens survived, one I had to "purse string" the anus because everytime the boy went potty his bowel would fall out.. he is much better now but he still suffers from not having the antibodies that mama could give him had she not been pregnant so many times.
BTW, the guy who left the cat in the carrier and came back for it.. he got quite the earful.

I must have been drunk when I typed that last post... 'scuse the 'stakes please! Shiollie... what a story... I don't know if I'd have given the carrier back! I may have scolded the guy and let him leave with nothing but a heavy heart! At least roll up the newspaper and give him a good swat!

If it wasnt for OP the kittens may not have survived.The mother was already skinny with bones popping through fur. No one would be around to feed mama cat,so mama may not have produced any/enough milk.
I also think you are a HERO.I think you should let her have the kittens wherever you feel comfortable.

Ya know I wanted to just take the cat because the owner had let the cat get so bad.... but that is not my job.. I try to educate people, and trust me this guy had a crash course!
On the good side tho, he does call me every now and then and tells me how happy the cat is now. That is my reward.

pranjal, I'm joining the "Way to Go" team on this one. Take good care of Pumpkin and the Pumpkinettes. I'll be waiting to hear of the birth and to see the pictures!

Animals come first when the humans are too stupid or mean to care for them properly. You did the right thing. Let Pumpkin have the kittens in your house anywhere she wants to..And good luck in letting ANY of them go. You WILL get attached..guaranteed.. One of my favorite cats was named Pumpkin. He was 14 when he died in 1999.

Thanks again everyone.

Foosacub, Vacuum, I read Whiskey's story, just wonderful!

Sheltiemom, I massaged some warm olive oil on Pumpkin's belly and I think I could feel one of the Pumpkinettes :) Thanks for that name, one of the kittens will definitely be Pumpkinette!

Vacuum, Shiollie, I've decided to be a foster mum for cats/kittens that the Feline Friends is trying to re-home. It's the ideal solution for us - I want new cats and kittens all the time while DH is scared out of his wits - we really can't keep any more cats.

Plus Max walks around with a big smile on his face, he gets new friends! Niki doesn't caremuch for newcomers. Simba could definitely use the experience to learn to be friendly towards tiny lil kittens.

As Lily said - I WILL get attached. Don't know how I'm gonna handle parting with Pumpkin and the kittens. Right now I'm just hoping she delivers safely.

She carried her brown teddy into the box I made for her yesterday, but woke me up bcoz she was making those groany-moany noises in the middle of the night - and I'm on full alert 24X7 these days!

I'm usually pretty conservative about these issues. But cats left outdoors to fend for themselves are abandoned property. You did not 'steal' the cat, you acted humanely. Those who would have left the cat to fend for itself, need to think more deeply about their own values. Thank you for truly rescuing this abandoned cat.

There was no "theft" involved. Pranjal found a wounded animal, told the watchman who had her, and has taken care of her the way the owners should have been. Theft is taking something that doesn't belong to you with the intention of never returning it. Pranjal is caring for this kitty until (hopefully never) the owners claim her back.

There are two names here: the "neglectful original owners" and a "kitty savior". What should she have done, left Pumpkin there to die? You have to be kidding me!

Pranjal, you are such a good person for taking Pumpkin in. Keep us updated on the kittens.

Thanks Cynthia, Michelle, and everybody, your responses have helped me get over the initial 'disheartened' phase.

I'll post pics of Pumpkin in a while; she loves her olive oil massages and lets us know she's had enough by flattening her face in a funny way and emitting low growls LOL It's just that she's so small and this kinda behavior really cracks us up. I say to her 'Ya know lil Joker you can just walk away, no need to threaten us'.

And though I'm tempted to bathe her, I'm not taking that risk - maybe she'd get scared and we don't want that right now. Breaks my heart to see her neck full of sooty dirt. I tried to clean it with a wet cloth, no luck :-(

So do we have Pumpkinettes yet?

Pranjal, I too am waiting for the Pumpkinettes to arrive!
Something that may or may not work is to throw some dry oatmeal into a food processor / blender and make it into a powder of sorts and rub it on Pumpkin, let it sit awhile and brush. It may pull some of that sooty film off of her and it wont hurt her a bit.
Lorie

Lorie, Michelle, thanks for checking in. No Pumpkinettes yet :-( She's being a 'normal' cat - jumping up on furniture, rubbing noses with Max, demanding attention... She eats a lot these days, I'm waiting to see when she starts ignoring her food, I guess then it'll be time.

Lorie, I'll try the oatmeal powder on Pumpkin and let you know how it goes. Thanks a ton for the tip!

Finally managed to upload Pumpkin's pics:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

If you cannot view the pics, just check out the link below

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat pics

I must say, Simba is quite the handsome young man... and not camera shy either. Poor pumpkin looks so bewildered, I'm glad she is in a safe place! Looks like she could use a brushing and/or bath but I certainly understand not wanting to stress her out any more than the already is. Thanks for sharing the pics, and I can't wait to see the babies, I do hope they arrive safely!

Awww, Pumpkin does not look old enough to have to go through having Pumpkinettes. Poor baby.
Im loving that saucy little guy though. lol He makes me smile.
The big black and white guy looks like a cat I had many years ago named Tiny Diny. Just about dead from starvation when I found him and grew up to be a huge guy.
Lorie

Thanks Vacuum and Lorie. I tried the oatmeal powder trick, and Pumpkin does look a lot cleaner than before. Thanks again Lorie.

I too think Pumpkin's too young for this ordeal but the vet said it'd be better to let her have the kittens as she was so far along in her pregnancy.

Simba [not so little anymore :D] is the spoilt brat - he keeps hissing at Pumpkin; I'm just hoping he accepts her and the babies when they arrive.

Lorie, TinyDiny and Max's story seems identical! He was just skin and bone but also suffering from giardiasis so wasn't putting on weight though he was eating a lot. I named him Max (for Elephas maximus - Elephant) thinking the name would balance out his teeny weeny appearance lol - once he recovered, he turned into an 18 lb hunk !

DH and I are waiting for the Pumpkinettes to arrive, and you can bet I'm a lil apprehensive bcoz she's so young and hasn't had proper nourishment in the initial stages of her pregnancy, though she looks a lot better now.

She does a funny thing - sticks her tongue out when paddling cushions and purring away and when you pet her. Looks real funny, she does have a kinda stupid face lol

I've been following your story, I'm glad she is doing so much better. Love your pics, your cats have so much personality :)

Interesting post. Pranjal, since this thread isstill going, IMHO, you rescued an ABANDONED cat. All the indications were there. Even here in the states, if a cat is starving or neglected outdoors, it can choose a new owner or be taken in unless it gets trapped and ends up in the pound with eventual euthanasia. I know many people who feed strays at their door, they depend on that food and eventually never go home. With this pregnant unspayed cat, the neighborhood would have been overrun with probably half-starving cats in no time. You went above and beyond, no one can fault you for that. If you let your cat roam, who knows where it can end up.

GREAT pics! Thanks for posting them, and looking forward to more soon!

Thanks guys! Your positive comments mean a lot; I still think of her 'owners' and if they miss her or are worried about her. They're home, we know that much, but they haven't made any attempt to contact us yet. Maybe the vet was right, they threw her out when they discovered she's pregnant.

Pumpkin is 'talking' more than normal today and her tummy seems larger than ever; she's still eating properly though, but does seem a bit restless -- or is it just me? LOL I'll be on full-alert all the time now!

Interesting post. Well, don't be surprised if they do come back for her eventually. People are strange about animals and after they determine you have taken care of her, gotten her back to health, and taken the kittens, they could full well come knocking. I wouldn't put it past some people and have seen some horrible things. Sheer neglect, abuse, even hatred for an animal and the people would not give them up because they "owned" the animal and had the right to treat it however they wanted (this was in other countries where you could do nothing for rescuing unless the "owner" willingly gave up or abandoned the animal). Also, I have seen animals change personalities completely (some for the worse) after they get healthy again. That alone should be interesting.

Hmmmm ... I guess even if they come back for her, she's a Feline Friends rescue now, being fostered by me. I think they'd wait for her to deliver the babies (if they know the gestation period for domestic cats) and then put in an appearance.

Anyways, in about 10 weeks time after the kittens are born, they and Pumpkin would be put up for adoption thru Feline Friends *sigh*. I hope the owner doesn't turn up before Pumpkin is placed in a forever home. Once she's adopted, I don't think the owner has a chance of getting her back.

I've also been wondering, if Pumpkin didn't run away from home recently(as is obvious by now; they haven't been looking for her), they must have an intact tom in the house, the father of Pumpkin's babies. Or, she ran away from home some time ago, was found, then they discovered she's pregnant and dumped her.

Her belly's so swollen now and with that dumb face of hers she's being called Pumpkin the Bumpkin.

May as well chime in - I wouldn't look back. I don't think we in the US understand other cultures enough to really say what's right or wrong. But the story is great and I'm sure the cat's better off in her new home.

When I was a kid, a cat came around and we gave it milk. He stayed. A couple of years later the cat and I were hanging out on the steps of a nearby church when a mother and her boy came by. The boy said "Doesn't that look just like our old cat?" I immediately grabbed MY cat and scrammed. Never looked back. (Course, I wouldn't do that today.)

Bill

When I was younger, I stayed with a friend who had 4 cats. One of them was particularly fond of me. She was also pregnant. We prepared for the kitty births by placing a cardboard box with blankets in the sewing room closet.

The day came when her labor started. She circled around and lay down in the box. When I left to let mother nature take its course, the cat followed me. She meowed insistently until I followed her back to the "birthing area"!

Each time I would pet her for awhile and would try to leave. Each time she would get out of the box and follow me until I returned. I had never been a "kitty midwife" so I decided I had better just sit next to her until she was finished. I stroked her tummy while she was going through contractions. This seemed to please her greatly as she purred loudly the whole time I did this. I didn't want her to leave the other kittens so I stayed with her until all 7 kittens were born.

Other than petting her tummy and talking to her, I didn't do anything else. Cats know how to have babies. Sometimes they just want a little moral support!

If you want to do something helpful, have a sterile, warm washcloth to help clear any of the afterbirth. Your vet can advise you. I think it would be horribly stressful to ask her to have the kittens at the vet. She knows and likes you. She will be much more comfortable in your house.

Good luck!

A link that might be useful:
theanimalrescuesite.com

dreamgarden, My daughters Momma Cat did the same thing to her! She insisted that she sit with her through the whole birthing process. My daughter had no clue what to do for her but stayed awake all night calling me (collect I might add) asking me what to do. 2 humans in two different countries awake all night for one cat. lol The things we do.
Lorie

"I immediately grabbed MY cat and scrammed." LOL Bill!

LOL Lorie, really, the things we do! Dad calls me everyday from India to check on Pumpkin :D

Dreamgarden, your friend's cat must have been really, really fond of you! Back in India, my cat Mongoose, gave birth (it was her first time) to three kittens when she was purring in my lap as I was watching TV (I'd prepared a cosy nest for her, but she moved the kittens there after they were born). She did need assistance with the birth sac and cutting the cord, so my Mom brought the necessary things and as there were no complications, no breech, etc everything went well. I was 13 at the time; I think what kept me calm was that Dad was nearby to help if needed (He's a doctor).

I can't believe how tensed I am about Pumpkin's kittens, though - I'm worried that she hasn't had the proper nutrition early on, and if that might cause problems. That was why we were wondering if she's better off at the vet's clinic (she wasn't used to us by then); they do have nice, quiet nests for preggy animals. Heck, if she goes into labor during the night, the vet's not gonna be there anyways!

She loves it when I stroke her tummy. You can feel the kittens moving. I trimmed the hair on her behind and around the teats yesterday.

She kept expelling loose, runny poop yesterday, and I cleaned her butt the entire time; she probably doesn't feel the urge to go potty; DH says it's like when you press a tube of yellow ointment slowly LOL gross :-P

DH said maybe we just got a greedy potbellied kitty who fooled the vet - and us - and so I shouldn't worry about kittens LOL

Uh-oh ... From the way she's been eating, I was suspecting worms, but thought I'd wait until I found 'evidence'; nothing showed up in the litterbox, but today I saw a tapeworm on her rear end.

I'm trying to get in touch with the vet now, hoping he hasn't left for the day. These things just HAVE to happen on Thursdays here(Friday being the weekly day off in this part of the world).

They'll probably say it'll be best to de-worm her a couple of weeks after she has had her kittens. I'm the type who starts itching all over if I know there's fleas on an animal standing a mile away, or at the mere mention of lice or bedbugs. Now I'll start imagining tapeworms in Nikita-Max-Simba's litterbox aaargghhhhh !!

We've always been careful to wash our hands after handling Pumpkin. Now Max is gonna miss out on the nose-kissing; can you guess I'm paranoid? LOL

I speed read your story, pranjal. Good onya, I say. We lived in Asia for 10 years. Two quick expat stories from our high-rise block.

New Year's Day, the amah in charge of the garbage was semi-hysterical. She pointed to a dazed, old cat sitting under a nearbye shrub. She'd found the moggie in the huge bin that collected rubbish from a chute. Pulled her out and put her under the tree. I took her back to our flat, wrote a note, stuck it to the lift wall and waited. The embarrassed owner turned up, offered that in the post-celebration cleaning up, the cat wasn't noticed in a bag of rubbish, and down the chute. He admitted she was well known for hiding in bags.

Another expat family had a handsome ginger. He was 'exercised' by turfing him out the back door onto the filthy service stairs for hours at a time. He wasn't too happy, could be found crying at the back door.

Our second cat there was 'obtained' by using sweet talk to get him out of a tree and under a steel gate. He was a teen who was a purr machine with our small kids but never stopped the feral slinking around the periphery of the room if there were visitors. First little guy was rescued from a rubbish dump, his litter mates were dead. He was always frail but a joy and so social.

Awaiting the big event!

Cheers
Rose

You dont want her sharing a litter box if you have any other cats if she has tape worms! You arent being paranoid,if she does or has shared the same litter box,your other cats will get tape worm too.

We rescued a kitten once that had tape worm and other cat got them too.They both had to be treated with a shot.(which I thought was more effective then giving a once a day pill cuz my cat refuses to take pills)

As mean as this sounds,if you cant treat her for tape worm until after she gives birth,you may want to contain her to one area.Otherwise,the little tape worm segments that look like rice will be all over your house and could spread to other animals.

Rose, LOL at the cat that went out with the garbage! Then again, who knows how the story would have unfolded if you hadn't stepped in. Your second cat seems like our first, Nikita, semi-feral when we brought her home, and even now, likes being handled by me and DH only - others get a quick nip. Kudos to you for rescuing those purr-babies!

Coolmama, thanks for the tips. As I expected, the vet said to wait until after she's had her babies, then get her on treatment for tapeworm. I'm just glad that Pumpkin hasn't been really introduced to Max or the other cats yet. She's been contained in a room ever since we brought her home (it's not fair to the poor thing, and we give her as much time as possible), and has never shared a litterbox with the others.

I checked out on the Net and came to know that those segments called proglottids contain eggs; once the proglottid falls away from the cat, it hardens and dries up, breaks open, and the eggs are released. They say the eggs have to be ingested by fleas for the life-cycle to continue. Though there are no fleas in my house, I'm still worried about the eggs getting out of that room on my hands/clothes and somehow reaching our other cats.

It's so, the tapeworm eggs must be ingested by a flea which in turn needs to be swallowed by the cat, or a human to complete the simple cycle. Another tapeworm, spirometra, which is seen here in cats which have access to lizards etc is constructed like a tape measure, and passes out eggs. It is really gross :)

Any news on the kittens yet?

She has kitten pictures in the link she gave above.
Good job taking care of her and her babies!!

Thank you Mamabear and Ratherbgardening for checking in on us.

The Pumpkinettes arrived on the morning of May 22; I posted the news in a separate thread.

Everytime I think about giving up Pumpkin and her seven dwarfs, I get a lil sad; this afternoon I managed to convince DH to let me keep Pumpkin and the youngest kitten, the REAL Pumpkinette :-)

Pranjal