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As a rescuer I always abort... the only times I've ended up with kittens have been 1) the cat gives birth in the trap overnight before the spay appointment or 2) the cat begins giving birth as the vet puts them under anesthesia for spay. I do it for the same reason Jo describes - every one of those kittens, if they survive, will take up a home another kitten could have had. My shelter is still killing boatloads of kittens every year, and chances are pretty great yours is too.

However, I know that many people are uncomfortable with the thought of it - here a few things to keep in mind. It is difficult to tell how pregnant a cat is. I've had cats I was terrified would give birth in the trap overnight, and who only turned out to be 5 weeks (about halfway) into pregnancy when I actually got them spayed. I've had cats I've had no clue were pregnant give birth too. So a fat cat is not a great indication of how far along she is. I've never had an aborted cat show any signs of emotional distress after the procedure. You do need to watch extra carefully for bleeding, and recover her for longer than you would a non-pregnant cat. Finally, kittens will only survive if they were a day or two, or less, from their natural birthday (the clinic where I volunteer used to try to revive spay-aborted kittens long ago and it was rarely successful - there is a very narrow gap of "prematurity" in kittens - not like humans which can be born over a range of a few weeks and do ok... kittens just don't make it if they weren't due to be born within a day anyway). My point is, the fetuses are likely very immature at this point, if it matters to you in making your decision.

If you decide to let her continue the pregnancy, do keep her confined. It's not cruel, it'll save them from her having them out somewhere else and you not being able to find them until they're already feral. If that happens, you've now got 4+ more cats who could prove hard to catch, continue the cycle of breeding before you trap and fix them, and ultimately cause a lot of suffering for generations to come. Being shut up in a pen for a few weeks is a small price to pay when the alternative is what it is. Secondly, fix her really soon after she gives birth. Maybe give her a week or two for recovery, but I would not let her get past 4 weeks postpartum without it being done. Actually, if it was me, I'd give her 2 weeks max. You don't want her running off and mating again. They can get pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth. And they lactate just fine even after they've been spayed - I've spayed 100 lactating mothers and never had a problem with her ability to feed the kittens after surgery. Also, spay/neuter all her kittens BEFORE they go to new homes. You wouldn't believe how many apparently responsible people just don't get it done in time. Once they hit 2 pounds (8 weeks), find a vet who will do the surgery. You can have the eventual adopters reimburse the cost of the surgery as an adoption fee, giving away kittens for free is not recommended anyway.

Don't worry about her birthing abilities... I've only had one case of "bad mothering" and it resolved a week or two after birth, she managed to get it together. Give her a warm place, plenty of kitten food (she will eat like a psycho), and leave her alone. Do start handling the kittens by 3 weeks of age so they aren't fearful of people. Expect mom to look a mess after about a month of nursing. They get raggedy skinny and their hair starts falling out, even when you swear you're feeding pounds of food every day.

Let us know what happens.

As far as the spay/neuter at 8 weeks, it is standard procedure here for most vets - we have a fairly rescue-savvy area. All shelters/rescues are required by law in my state to neuter dogs and cats prior to adoption, which means they have to do it at 8 weeks if they're going to adopt out puppies and kittens. You will find "old timer" vets who won't do it that early and stick to the old 6 months rule, but that is definitely not a good idea because 1) quite a number of cats go into heat before 6 months and 2) you just can't take the chance of the adopter missing the window down the road. There are lots of studies on the safety of juvenile spay/neuter, and from personal experience I can say that the 8-10 week old kittens I have fixed come home bouncing all over the house already - they feel fine, zipper-bellies and all! The 6+ month cats take a little longer to recover.

If you run into any problems as far as vets wanting to do juvenile spay/neuter, ask your local rescue organizations which vets they use.

Yes, if you have more cats show up in the future, the rule of thumb is "Trap (and spay) now, ask questions later!"

Those links should give you pretty much everything you need to know...

I'll give a quick overview too since I'm right in the middle of it at the moment:

She'll have the babies and likely they'll do fine, especially if she's had litters before. One or more may pass away in the first day or two - that's very normal. When nature arranges for animals to have litters, there's leeway built in as far as who survives. But it's also normal to have all babies surviving, so don't be surprised if that happens either! Birth size and vigor will have a lot to do with it. Keep all cat germs away from the nest - other cats should not be visiting and you should not handle the kittens or even walk into the room if you've been touching cats with questionable health. Always wash your hands first.

They'll have closed eyes for the first 10-14 days. They'll pull themselves around surprisingly well and act like heat-seeking missiles. They'll spend most of their time nursing or just cuddling in mom's tummy. They'll scrabble a little over best nipples. Watch to make sure that all the kittens are growing well. Like Susan said, a runt or two can get pushed off the good ones and fail to thrive. Nobody should be crying or whining. At this age they nurse or they sleep and any kind of squealing should be very short term. They should be pretty much spotless... mom will be cleaning them and making them potty. If it's a big litter, watch extra carefully. Moms usually handle litters of 3-4 with no problem. Once you get up to 6, it gets tough. Weigh the kittens daily with a kitchen scale... I like a digital one that tells you parts of ounces. Birth weight is usually around 3 ounces. By one week they should be 4-6 ounces, and then they ideally gain 4 ounces a week, so that a 2-weeker is 8 ounces, a 3-weeker is 12, the first pound is at 4 weeks, etc. If they're not quite there, that's ok as long as they're gaining steadily. They should not lose anything, especially after the first day or two of adjustment. A kitten who is losing needs attention. Also, kittens not hanging out in the pile or on mom's tummy are in trouble - they will chill quickly.

Eyes open around 1.5-2 weeks, over a period of a couple days. Watch for a lot of goop or non-opening eyes... they can actually get infections in their eyes before they even open and that must be addressed with some meds from the vet.

Mom will be ravenous. This may take a few days to kick in. Always provide her with a full bowl of free-choice kibble, preferably formulated for kittens, a big bowl of fresh water (away from the kittens so they don't fall in) and supplement with a can or two of food a day - again, kitten food if you can get it. Don't be surprised if her stool gets a little loose in the upcoming weeks - I almost always have this problem with moms and I think it's the amount of food they eat along with hormonal influence. Even eating very well, she will probably start to look raggedy (sunken in, hair falling out) around 3 weeks postpartum. Do the best you can to keep her well fed and understand that nature gives the babies what they need and takes it out on the mother.

At 3-4 weeks the babies are ready to start being offered some mushy food to eat. You can thin down canned kitten food with water. They may or may not be interested. If they're being well-fed by mom, they will be less interested. But offer some anyway, show them what it is, and by 6 weeks hopefully all will be sampling. They will still probably nurse. They start to play around this time, definitely by 5 weeks.

Yes, plain clay litter, no clumping. They'll start peeing/pooping without mom's help around 3-4 weeks (same as weaning). Mostly I've had kittens immediately know to use the box, as long as you use one low enough for them to get in. I've had the occasional kitten here or there who had accidents on the floor until about 6 weeks but then they got the hang of it.

At 8 weeks they should be about 2 pounds and quite independent and very playful and rough-and-tumble. They may still nurse for fun and comfort, but they should be eating food and able to survive 100% without mom if necessary. This is the age when you can s/n and find homes. It's a good idea to help mom wean gradually, otherwise she'll get engorged and be very uncomfortable for a week or so.