This past spring, I rescued a female cat that had been abandoned by her owners. Two weeks before she was scheduled to be spayed, she escaped, and of course got pregnant. I couldn't go through with having her spayed, knowing she was having kittens.
The kittens were born less than two weeks ago. All seven were born healthy. At first Dusty (the mother) was doing fine, and taking care of the kittens diligently. But today, she will have nothing to do with them, refuses to feed them, and has several times attempted to escape the house.
What should I do? Could the mother be in heat again? Should I begin to hand feed?
Thanks for any advice you can give
2007-03-02 06:42:03 · 10 answers · asked by aeonswife 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Get her spayed! cats go in heat about every 6 months keep dusty and her kittens in a small room.. her milk glands will swell and she will HAVE to feed her babies... I dont know why mommy kitties abandon their babies but why do human mommies abandon their babies?? Nobody knows why... Some animals just arent fit to be parents i guess =) but if she is refusing to feed her babies then you will have to step in and bottle feed them so they dont die of starvation... but be in for LONG nights since baby kitties eat every 2-4 hours =) good luck! another thing, cats do NOT abandon their young because of you handling their babies, Birds do that not cats... and didnt you say that you took in the female so she trusts you she isnt going to mind you messing with them, if she does have a problem with you messing with her babies then she will attack you! You can get kitten formula at petsmart and/or petco they even have baby bottles that you can buy! Good luck!!
2007-03-02 07:27:01 · answer #1 · answered by csmutz2001 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
A major reason a cat may abandon its kin is because the kittens may have been handled to much by humans and have their scent on them, however this is generally rare. We had a cat that did this often, we thought she was going to abandon them, but she was just regulating the feeding sessions. (As told by the vet.) However keep an eye on the kittens and the mother for another 12-24 hours and see if she takes ANY interest at all in them, at night lock her in with the kittens. (In a closet or bathroom.) If worst comes to worst, bottle feed. Do not feed dairy milk, it is bad for them. Give them condensed milk or talk to the local vet. GOOD LUCK!
2007-03-02 14:54:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The mother cat may be feeling ill. The best thing to do is lock her up in a small room with the kittens. Make sure she has plenty of food and water. She can go into heat while breast feeding, and this happens pretty often. If she does not nurse the kittens after she is locked up with them, you need to take her to your vet for a check up to make sure that she doesn't have an infection in her breast tissue that is causing her pain when feeding.
2007-03-02 14:48:39 · answer #3 · answered by RD,DVM 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it sounds like it is a good bet that she has abandoned the kittens. Being only two weeks old I would suggest hand feeding as soon as possible. What may have happened is that the kittens might have some underlying defect that we cant see. Also the mother might be sick as well. Take all of them to the vet as soon as possible and have them checked for diseases like feline Leukemia. It is a very contagious disease and I have lost many of my fur children to this nasty illness.
2007-03-02 14:48:21 · answer #4 · answered by Flame 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you or someone, have been handling the kittens, she is going to abandon them, because they no longer smell like her kittens. Otherwise if this is her first litter, it is pretty common, and she is not going to take them back. She may have been too young, to understand that they are her responsiblity. can you force her to stay with them? If you are going to have to feed them, you are going to need help. They are like a baby, they eat alot, plus you will need to rub their belly with a warm damp rag to get them to pass waste, and the milk will have to be bought at the vet most likely. I raise a kitten that's mother was run over by a car. Let me tell you, it is a lot of work, but totally worth it.
2007-03-02 14:59:38 · answer #5 · answered by casady96 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes she is in heat again and that urge is stronger than looking after the kittens. You might be best of to feed the kittens.
2007-03-02 15:42:32 · answer #6 · answered by Calais 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I'm not sure but all i can think of is that she is stressed and wants a little break. I'm not sure about the food thing sorry. Sorry i couldn't be more helpful to you. hope everything turns out OK.
2007-03-02 15:08:11 · answer #7 · answered by Tink 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this cat wants freedom obviously but she wants her kits to live with u she does not think her kits can survive where she wants to go and she trusts u can take care of them! look for signs of trust showing her belly to u ( laying on her back when u come to her ) rubbing against u purring sleeping with u. im cretain im right!
2007-03-02 19:04:34 · answer #8 · answered by LaffyTaffy 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
their might be something wrong with the kittens did you touch the kittens
2007-03-02 18:26:19 · answer #9 · answered by lulu2009 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm volunteer fora kitty shelter u think is when they can live by them self
2007-03-03 09:04:37 · answer #10 · answered by lovepets 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋