last night around 7:00 or so my cat gave birth. Its my first time with new born kittens. is there any thing i should do to help them or the mom out.....or should i let it go?? I couldnt find any info on the profesional websites.
2006-09-02 08:25:05 · 27 answers · asked by MewIchigo 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Female cats are called "Queens".... Males..."Toms"
Before the female gives birth, she starts to look for a place where she can "queen"... This process is called "queening"... most of the time it is away from heavy traffic areas. If the "Queen” feels her nest threatened or uncomfortable after giving birth, she will move it & the kittens.
Since the "Queen" eats all of the after birth & placenta for nourishment, she may not come out of her nest for food, drink, or the litter box for the first few days. Queens are also very diligent about keeping their nest clean... they regularly bathe the kittens & consume their waste.
Keep traffic in her area to a minimum...
Unless necessary, Do not touch the "Queen" or her litter in the nest. Once the kittens eyes open (10-14 days), handle each of them several times a day so they will be socialized.
At 4 to 5 weeks... start to wean & litter training the kittens....
If you use a little kid pool with a small litter box in the middle... it is easier to contain the mess & "accidents".
Weaning...
Start with...2 x's a day.... 2oz of whole milk... 1/4 tsp Karol’s syrup.... 1/4 tsp canned cat food (use beef, lamb or chicken...ground...no bits) Stir... & warm slightly in micro. on a plate... Then just stick their faces in it & they should start eating...The first few times will be real messy! After several days of success... start increasing the amount of canned cat food & decrease the Karol’s syrup. Do this messy venture for 5-10 days...
Next... take kitten kibble & soak it in part whole milk & water... serve it to the kittens 3x's a day. Every couple days you reduce the amount of milk.... then you reduce the amount of water. During this time, the kittens should have constant access to a water dish.
If the "Queen" wishes to nurse her kittens during the weaning process, allow it. Do not deny the kittens or the Mother...
It is best to keep the nest together for 8-10 weeks... studies have shown that kittens separated from Mother & siblings too early are more likely to be anti-social, aggressive, or have litter box training issues.
Your local Human Society can provide answers to questions, help finding the kittens homes, & sometimes will "alter" or provide animal vaccinations for reasonable fees.
Good Luck!
2006-09-02 10:32:46 · answer #1 · answered by gurlyruby 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Congratulations to you and the new Mama. You should leave them alone, for the most part, just make sure that the mom cat has plenty of food and water near where she is keeping the kittens. They are usually excellent moms all on their own. She will probably not take a break from the kittens for a day or two and may not even want to use the litter box. This is typical, everything that she eats is going into milk production for her babies. I wish I could see them, I love kitties, and they are so adorable when they are so little. Do not move them or attempt to play with them a lot for the first few days until the Mom is more relaxed and has everything under control. It isn't that she doesn't trust you, or thinks that you would harm her babies she is just into super protective Mom mode right now. If she has them lying somewhere comfy on a towel or a blanket, they will be warm and protected and she will feel comfortable. Do not be surprised if she moves the kittens and seems to "hide" them this is also a perfectly natural instinct. She will do great and so will they. I found a baby kitty on a shelf of stuffed animals one day...boy did that make a cute picture! Nature is just wondrous when it comes to all of these things. You may want to buy one of those disposable litter boxes, and put it near where she has the kittens as it will save her from having to worry about them when she has to go to where the litter box is now...unless it is in the same room. The last time one of my cats had kittens, she only had one survive and one of my other cats, Lady Katy; also female was a very good auntie and was the one who approached Butterscotch (the mom) and Munchkin (the baby) and cuddled with them and made Butterscotch feel totally relaxed and able to take a break and she would actually go eat and just lie in a patch of sun and doze for a while. I sure took a lot of pictures. My forth Kittie who is also female couldn't have cared less was accepting of it all, but much more aloof. She is half Siamese and half Bengal and has mostly Siamese temperament, the aloof and into herself Queen. Enjoy watching the babies for a few days and then you can slowly start approaching the Mom, and petting her, and if she seems relaxed and comfortable; you can slowly approach the babies and pet them with one or two fingers and very gently. They are blind at birth, this is normal and you don't want to scare them by moving too fast and being too rough. Have fun with your family of fur babies. It is an incredible experience. Enjoy and have a great day!
2006-09-02 08:57:11 · answer #2 · answered by Sue F 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do not under any circumstances give the mother milk! That will just give her diahrea!
Make sure the kittens have a nice warm place to stay...I'm sure the mom has already done that...be sure that no other animals (especially male cats) have access to the area the kittens are in. Keep food and water right by the mom so that she doesn't have to go fat to get it...same for the litter pan. You should not touch the kittens until their eyes are open and they are moving around, the mom might get upset and move them. Basically just keep them warm and dry...mom will do the rest!
And in a couple of weeks when mom is ready get her fixed...it will keep her healthy and help reduce the cat population!
Good Luck!
Blessed Be!
2006-09-02 08:53:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
in case you hand reared her as a kitten, that would join the undertaking. Sh in no way discovered 'cat skills'. Many mothers do not understand what to do instinctivlly and alter into worried. If the kittens have start defects, mom will kill them. you could save a watch on her and the different kittens, yet i for my section could eliminate them from her. nonetheless enable them to nurse and be with mom, yet basically decrease than supervision. Bottle feed them too. save mom calm and gentle. And it fairly is not her fault, do not get rid of her. She did what she felt terrific. Even human beings in some factors of the worldwide react that thank you to imperfect offspring or in the event that they only do not want them. additionally, she might basically have sufficient milk and nurishment for 2 kittens, and have been given rid of the three weekest. The kitten without tail might have had it fairly is tail bitten off accidentlly whilst she ate the sac it became born in. Oh, and because she seems to be like a bad mom and the worldwide does not want extra cats, get her spayed. She should not be having kittens besides. yet another concept, if she became hand reared, if it became through fact her mom became a bad mom for even though reason, it would desire to be a genetic element.
2016-11-23 19:30:50 · answer #4 · answered by hone 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If labor and delivery went well momma has everything under control. Just keep them on clean dry bedding and out of the way of drafts. One thing I did learn (just in case) While they are nursing, pull them off quickly one at a time and make sure there is milk in their mouths. Once in a while you might have a runt or one that for what ever reason is a little weak and can not suck hard enough to get milk. You may not notice until it is too late. My sister had a litter of Yorkies ( I know pups not kittens) but she had a tiny one. She looked like she was nursing, gong through all the motions, but she didn't know she wasn't strong enough to get any milk. Once she realized what was wrong it was too late. Humor me please? Take them off momma one and a time and just check. If they are getting plenty of Milk, sounds like everything is fine. I just got finished bottle feeding 3 kittens I found in the alley behind my shop. I never found momma. I was able to find them all good homes. They are so much fun at about 3 weeks. What a hoot! Good luck.
2006-09-02 08:41:31 · answer #5 · answered by tjb 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Keep the area warm, quiet and dim. Small children should be kept away from the litter. The mummy cat will let you know if she feels comfortable with you around the kits. In order to tame the kits, you should handle them when they are a little older. Even kittens born to tame mums will grow up wild if they don't have appropriate exposure to humans. For the most part, there isn't really anything you need to do, mummy already knows.
2006-09-02 08:37:06 · answer #6 · answered by rachely1 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If shes doing ok then leave her be.. Just keep an eye to the kittens.. we have been giving advise on this the last few days.
Always pet the mum first on approaching the litter..before petting the kittens. She may not want to eat straight away but leave food out and water. I like to spoil my mums so I give them treats IE Tuna / Chicken. They need lots of peace and quite , don't forget the litter tray.. she may not want to go out just yet.
She will come into heat in a few weeks again so think about getting her spayed...this will be after she weans kittens so you might have a situation for a while...
Hope this helped...!
2006-09-02 08:32:29 · answer #7 · answered by plutoniccatgirl 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Make sure they have a location that is out of the main traffic....quiet, warm, sheltered...etc. If the mother senses that the location is not safe, she WILL move them...this is very common, and don't be surprised to find she has relocated them all to your underwear drawer or other spot. Be SURE she can't haul them outdoors where they're vulnerable to harm's way.
Every mother kitty I've had appreciated plenty of affection, and was comfortable with her kittens being held and then placed back while talking softly to her in your mama or daddy voice that she knows as security.
The mother will want times to herself...she'll get a bit fed up being constantly responsible, and may just want to lay within earshot of her litter. During these times, it's best to not invade her nest or her kittens. She needs to feel that they're safe when she leaves for a few minutes...this will prevent her from trying to hide them.
Lucky you, have fun and enjoy the little rascals! Aww!
2006-09-02 08:33:10 · answer #8 · answered by maynerdswife 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
my bf cat just had kittens and we just let her mother cat instincts take over. if you do try to take over the mother will get a lil mad. his cat is just a year and something, i thought she was too young to have kittens but she is taking good care of the kittens.she had them in the closet and so we let her be and kept them there cuase its safe and warm there. so dont try to move them cause the mother knows that they are safe wherever she had them. make sure the mom has a flea collar but dont put any on the kittens just yet. Our kittens are 6 weeks now and they are fine.Ocasionally you might notice that she is ignoring them or dont wanna be bothered i think its normal for her to do it ocasionally but not all the time. we just play with them but they feed from thier mother and she may also help them use the litter box. or when they get a lil older and their walking around rub their feet in the litter box, and they will use it from then on hopefully. the mother may get a bigger appetite but thats about it. also they wont poop until like 4-5 weeks so watch out for little messes. im me or email me if you have any questions i love kittens.
2006-09-02 08:34:24 · answer #9 · answered by tyramarie26 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The mother will do everything for the kittens you will not need to do anything. The biggest no no is to try to move them from where she gave birth. That really confuses the mother and she will keep taking them back there until she wants them moved. She will make sure they are groomed and fed and you just have to make sure that she does the same. Good luck with your furry new friends . They'll keep you busy!
2006-09-02 09:37:17 · answer #10 · answered by mcguirehope 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋