i woke up and shes all wet and bloody and already finished giving birth to 4 beautiful kittens. what should i do to make her comfortable? im so nervous!!!! help!
2006-09-12 11:00:17 · 25 answers · asked by Prevent Animal Cruelty 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Try to find a space that you know she likes. it needs to be fairly quiet, dark & out of the way so that she feels her babies are safe. Usually an area in one end of a closet works pretty well .You can leave the door open a little bit so she can come & go for food, water & litterbox. Put down soft rags, old towells or something old of yours with your smell on it for her & the kittens to sleep on. Most cats, in good health , are great mothers. They clean up behind them, nurse them & soothe them so you will have very little to do other than to make sure not too many people go in to "see the kittens". Don't pick them up too much untill they at least get their eyes open & don't let others pick them up either. It makes Mama Kitty very nervous.It is o.k. to very gently stroke them every once in awhile though. Be sure to still pet/love her when she'll allow it & be sure to keep plenty of fresh water & food down for her & of course keep her litterbox clean. Congratulations on this increase in your family.
2006-09-12 11:15:38 · answer #1 · answered by mazell41 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wipe off what mess you can with a warm, damp washcloth followed by a dry towel. Gently massage mama's belly (wherever the kittens aren't) as close to the pelvis as possible, if she will let you. A friendly mamacat will let you do that. It helps with the last of the contractions and helps stop any residual bleeding. If she seems weak and it looks like she's bleeding heavily, call the veterinarian and haul butt, kittens and all. Once she has stopped bleeding from the vulva/birth canal (if she hasn't already), gently lift her, then her kittens into a box lined with a favorite-smelling towel, blanket or clothes and put it in a quiet, warm place. Be sure to gently pet mama AND her kittens (the kittens only get the lightest of finger-pettings) at least daily
Bring mama a cup with water in it, and hold it if you have to so she can drink lying down--and treat her to some "kittygravy" (stage 2 turkey or lamb baby food mixed with water) in a non-tippable saucer or from a spoon. Even though she no doubt can get up, she'll appreciate the spoiling. Place water and food where she can get to them without letting her kittens out of her sight. Make sure she can get to her pottybox, or a pottybox (but don't put it near her food or the kittens).
2006-09-12 12:40:22 · answer #2 · answered by Lisa M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If she hasn't already chosen a suitable spot (they're good at that), then maybe take some old towels or a blanket & pile them in a quiet corner. Or take a box lid, or a low box that she can get in & out of easily. We did that for our cat. She had them in a box that was way too small. We put towles in a bigger comfy box about 5 feet from the original spot & she knew exactly what to do, she moved them on her own. Although it will be hard, you should avoid touching the babies for as long as you can ( maybe a week) just let her do her thing & get comfortable with having you around her babies.Don't let anyone adopt the babies for at least 12 weeks. They have to be able to eat cat food on their own (dry kitten food with water to soften it). Even if they can eat food before 12 weeks they should stay with their mom the full 12 weeks because they learn other things by being with her. Things like how to use the litterbox, how to groom themselves & social skills - all very important things! Feel free to contact me over the next 12 weeks. I'm not a vet, but we just went thru this 18 months ago & I also know a lot about cats. Have fun with your little bundles of joy!!
p.s. The mama cat should be eating kitten food for the next 3 months. This is b/c she needs more calories & vitamins during this time & for producing her milk.
2006-09-12 11:15:53 · answer #3 · answered by Steph 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make her a nice spot that's out of the way where she can take her kittens to and feel as though they'll be safe. Please don't touch the kittens at all. Let mama do all the relocating. But try to make her up a special spot for this. My daughter's cat had her kittens in my dresser drawer. I didn't have it closed all the way and when I came home that day, they they all were cuddled up in with my underwear, socks and pantyhose. Being as pregnant as she was, I have no clue how she managed to squeeze into the small opening, but she did. I had to leave her and the babies there. I ended up running out to WalMart that night to get myself some new undies!!
2006-09-12 11:05:43 · answer #4 · answered by curious 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cats can pretty much can take care of themselves - best thing to do is stay out of her way an make sure her water bowl and food bowl are filled. Just give her space for right now and don't touch the kittens yet - no matter how cute they are.
congrats on the kittens :-)
2006-09-12 11:04:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Leave her alone is the best answer I can give you.. Get her a box to keep her kittens in that is an dark place away from a lot of people. But you dont need to clean her up or mess with her she will do that on her own..
2006-09-12 11:01:48 · answer #6 · answered by kathygd1 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Leave her alone for a day or so. She just went through a tough ordeal, and she has a lot of things on her plate. She will lick herself clean so don't try to wipe her yourself. She's sore back there and she may not like you touching her there. Let her bond with her kittens, and wait a few days to play with them as well.
2006-09-12 11:04:06 · answer #7 · answered by Suz E. Home BAKER 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
awww...i love kittens! okay back to the question, give her some space! Even females humans want people to back off and let her be with her babies. i'd say just give hera little room, a soft blanket for the little ones, and leave the room for a couple of hours...for gods sake, she just gave birth to 4 KIDS!!!!!
2006-09-12 12:00:53 · answer #8 · answered by Darbi R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She will know whats best for her kittens but make sure that you clean her up and keep the kittens and momma warm. Good Luck! =]
2006-09-12 11:04:46 · answer #9 · answered by AB &♥; 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By now, you're dealing with them well, I'm sure, since so much time has passed. Just don't handle them a lot yet, so the mom doesn't feel threatened. Give the mom lots of love and praise!
2006-09-13 04:44:54 · answer #10 · answered by Lydia 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋