My Queen Just Gave Birth To Her Kittens This Morning...?

Question

My Queen Just Gave Birth To Her Kittens This Morning. How Long Do We Have To Wait Until We Are Allowed To Touch Them, Without The Mother Wanting To Kill Them. I Have Heard It's 24 Hours. But Other People Have Said A Week. But That Is Ridiculous Because Humans Have To Nurse Cats When The Mother Doesn't Lactate Properly Or Something. So Yes Anway. Could SOmebody Please Answer My Question Because I Really Want To Grab Hold Of Them!!!!!! x0x

I Only Said Kill Because I Have Heard That If A New Born Kitten Doesn't Have A Particular Smell, Say Because A Person Has Touched It, Then The Queen Will Smother It, Or Something :(

Answer 1

Hi,

If the mom will let you, you can hold them as soon as they are born! I have held many a newborn kitten. And I know exactly what you mean by not wanting to wait!

It is a good idea to not over handle them until they have their eyes open (about 2 weeks old). Only pick them up a couple of times a day until then. Kittens are very fragile! Much more than puppies of the same age.

In fact the more time that you spend with them the tamer they will be!

Congratulations!

Answer 2

MOTHER CATS DO NOT KILL THEIR KITTENS...PERIOD. Anybody who told you this is obviously inexperienced and completely uneducated about cat behavior. There are animals, like hamsters, who will absolutely kill their young if they are touched by humans, but this is not the case with a domesticated pet cat. Granted, it one of the kittens is ill or severely injured, a mother cat may kill it for mercy reasons and to protect the rest of her litter from other predators, but never because somebody touched it.

You can touch the kittens as soon as they are born. You can pet them, cuddle them, etc. But don't do this to the point that you end up keeping them from nursing or sleeping. Like any baby, kittens need to be warm, rested and nourished. Let them nurse, let them cuddle with their mother and littermates and let them get rest. Also, they are fragile and you don't want to run the risk of dropping them. Their eyes will open in about 10 days, and they will be ready to explore their new world (which includes you). The sooner you handle and socialize the kittens, the more of a bond they will have with you and other humans. Good luck.

Answer 3

You shouldnt touch them til their eyes are open. its so you dont stress the kittens out mostly, its not so much that they KILL them, but will refuse to nurse if kittens smell different - which is why if you touch one you have to touch them all....
realize that the desire to hold the kittens is purely selfish on your part and doesnt benefit the kittens AT ALL at this stage.

PLEASE SPAY YOUR KITTIE.. thousands of cats and kittens are destroyed daily because there are too many of them, even if you find homes for your kittens it means somebody else will not :(
also a spayed cat will have fewer health risks

Answer 4

It all depends on how tame or not your mother cat is. If your mother cat was friendly towards you before she had her kittens then she trusts you to hold her children. If your cat wasn't friendly towards you before she had her kittens, don't pick them up.

If the mother cat trusts you, then only when she is around and nursing them, be sure to pet her a few times on her head and body and then pick up one of her kittens and hold them. Then before you return that kitten(s) to the mother cat, pet her again and pet the kitten and give back her kid(s). Yes scent is important to all mother cats. It is never a good idea to pet the kittens when she is not around. Always make sure she is with them before you pick up any kitten.

If you pick up a kitten, while she isn't around and she smells you without her scent on them, she will either kill her kitten or just ignore the kitten and not allow it to nurse. If that ever happens, you got to take your kitten(s) to the vet ASAP. Your vet will set you up with the proper bottle and proper formula and instructions on how to feed the kitten(s) and how to assist them to go to the bathroom.

Good luck to you and your new additions to the family! Pets are true treasures and can provide us with unconditional love and friendship for many years.

Answer 5

newborn kittens don't have their own smell right away, which means if you touch them right away the mother could kill them or just refuse to nurse them period. it's best to wait 1-2 weeks by then new born kittens have the mothers smell all over them and it's ok to touch them

Answer 6

she wont kill them, but give her a day or two to just relax and be with the kittens. the only time you have to take over is if she is not taking care of them. i wouldnt hold them all the time until she has been with them for a few weeks , but you can sit with her and touch them, pick them up for a couple minutes and then put them back, it may make her real nervous for you to walk off with them. so stay at the litter site, and just pet them there, and pet her too.

Answer 7

As long as the cat is comfortable with you, you can touch them as soon as they are born. I do it all of the time and my girls don't mind at all, they use the time that I am watching over the kittens as a time to stretch their legs and take a break!

Answer 8

Yes, dont't touch them right away. Give them a while.

Answer 9

Yeah they will just leave them alone...