cat with kittens

wazzoraybelle

Hi, my year old cat just had 4 kittens this afternoon. It's her second litter and she only had 1 the last time that died after 24 hours. Is there anything I should look out for to ensure that these will survive? they all appear to be feeding and mobile. Thanks

Whispered

Hi, don't interfere, mammy cat will do a good job with them. Are they indoors or outdoors? Make sure their area is safe, warm and dry and make sure the mother doesn't have to go looking for food water etc.

When kittens are weaned a visit to the vet for neutering would be the kindest thing.

MsFifers

Your poor cat. Have to say this first - PLEASE get her spayed this time as soon as she is able for the operation (about 6 weeks time if she is suckling the kittens. If the kittens die before this, get her spayed asap. Ring your vet for advice if you aren't sure when to bring her in.) It is essential you get this done - you cannot have your cat getting pregnant every few months. You will have a miserable cat and a hoard of miserable kittens if you allow this go on.

Where are the kittens? They should be kept indoors with their mum so that they can all stay safe and warm. As long as the mother keeps feeding and grooming them, you can't really do a lot more at this stage - just ensure she is being well fed so that she has enough energy for them. And get her a litter tray.

At about 10/12 weeks they will need to be wormed and treated for fleas and other parasites - your vet will be able to give you the appropriate treatments.

If the mother isn't feeding them, you'll need to look into bottle feeding them - which I don't know too much about, but if you google you'll get lots of info about this. There is lots of good info here: http://www.rescueguide.com/orphkits.html

wazzoraybelle

Thanks, They are in the back hall good and warm. We hoped to spay her after her first litter and the vet advised us to wait 2 weeks after she gave birth by which time she was in the club again!!
We also have a tom (spayed) and the two normally sleep together. He is locked outside for the time being and we intend to keep them seperated for a week or two. Is that long enough? he's quite a docile cat.

mary123

I dont think a week or 2 is long enough to keep them seperated as far as i know needs to be longer, as although he might be docile its more the mum i would worry about.
also i think from what i can remember u have to start worming well before 10/12 weeks.
Could maybe if he is not done already get the Tom done now. Just in case.

OOPs see that he is done. Sorry

MsFifers

No way - I can't believe she got pregnant that fast!! Cats are too fertile for their own good!

Not all tomcats will kill kittens, and if your tom is neutered he will probably be less territorial. I suppose the best thing to do is to introduce him to the kittens under close supervision and see how he reacts.

Good luck with them. Kittens are so cute! I hope you can find good homes for them all when they are old enough. (12 weeks)

Edit to add: Mary 123 - I checked and I think you are right. Some places are saying to worm at 6 weeks and some are saying even earlier 3/4 weeks. I don't know what is right, as I heard if you worm them too early you may damage their intestines. Maybe someone can clarify.

mary123

MsFifers wrote: »

No way - I can't believe she got pregnant that fast!! Cats are too fertile for their own good!

Not all tomcats will kill kittens, and if your tom is neutered he will probably be less territorial. I suppose the best thing to do is to introduce him to the kittens under close supervision and see how he reacts.

Good luck with them. Kittens are so cute! I hope you can find good homes for them all when they are old enough. (12 weeks)

Edit to add: Mary 123 - I checked and I think you are right. Some places are saying to worm at 6 weeks and some are saying even earlier 3/4 weeks. I don't know what is right, as I heard if you worm them too early you may damage their intestines. Maybe someone can clarify.

Thank u someone who agrees best to leave kittens with mum to 12 weeks. So sick of seeing kittens looking for homes at 6 weeks, far to young.
Not sure as well about the worming as have been told different ages, usually with the kittens i have here, by the vets advise i have done them around 5-6 weeks.

cotton

Cats can indeed get pregnant again that quickly. She could have been spayed when pregnant but that's no use to you now!
First off, don't worry about worming the kittens yet - I wouldn't worm them until they are weaned.
Mum will do most of the work on her own. Make sure she gets as much food as she can possibly eat & then some. Feeding 4 kittens is hard work & the bigger they get, the more she'll need. She will lose a third of her body weight whilst feeding so the food is very important & will give them all the best chance possible.
I would also keep her inside with them. She'll have to live with a tray, it won't bother her & the kittens will learn to use it too when the time comes.
Keep the male away for at least the next 6 weeks. He might be the most docile male on the planet but it's better to be safe than sorry. Mum won't thank you for letting him near her babies anytime before.
When the kittens start pooing, make sure it's light to middle brown. Solid but not overly hard. Any other colour will be a worry, as would diarrhoea.
Lastly, regarding rehoming, we go with 8 weeks in pairs, 12 weeks on their own. Never, ever before that.