My cat had kittens - what next

campo

So as title said my cat has had kittens and not too sure what to do next

She had them in a shed in the yard and I tried to move her and the kittens into her bed but she just grabs one kitten and goes back in the shed, so now I have given up and left her in the shed and just put a blanket under her and left food and water beside her

But is their something else I should be doing to keep her comfortable and kittens safe or should I just leave her to it also should I keep the father cat away some people say the male cat will kill the kittens as he would feel threated by them ???

who the fug

Sounds like she knows what she is doing, leave her alone.

anniehoo

If she has shelter, food and is warm id leave her be for a little while to get settled. Cats have an incredible mothering instinct so she'll know exactly what shes doing,. You dont want her to get spooked though and abandon them.

campo wrote: »

should I keep the father cat away some people say the male cat will kill the kittens as he would feel threated by them ???

Yes, definitely. Ive seen first hand a tom kill a very young kitten so this is essential. She cant be spayed for at least 4 weeks after giving birth so its advisable to keep them separated as much as you can.

In a week or so, she'll be more settled and you can possibly move her indoors if you can. From 4 weeks+ you can start to handle and socialise them.

campo

anniehoo wrote: »

If she has shelter, food and is warm id leave her be for a little while to get settled. Cats have an incredible mothering instinct so she'll know exactly what shes doing,. You dont want her to get spooked though and abandon them.


Yes, definitely. Ive seen first hand a tom kill a very young kitten so this is essential. She cant be spayed for at least 4 weeks after giving birth so its advisable to keep them separated as much as you can.

In a week or so, she'll be more settled and you can possibly move her indoors if you can. From 4 weeks+ you can start to handle and socialise them.

Thanks so much she has plenty of shelter and left a blanket for warmth but nights can be cold, will have to keep an eye on the tom cat then as is not a pet just a cat that wonders around the yard,

boomerang

I hate to sound like a nag because I'm sure you didn't intend for her to have kittens, but will you please consider getting her neutered once the kittens are around seven weeks old? At that stage she could easily be pregnant again. To be fair to these kittens, they should all be wormed, vaccinated and eventually neutered. There's no one could afford that litter after litter. Better to not let it happen again.

Try not to disturb her too much for now. If she moves the kittens somewhere inaccessible you won't see them until they're six or seven weeks old and hissing and spitting at you. It takes a lot of time and patience at that stage to tame them.

In the next couple of weeks keep an eye on the kittens to make sure they're not getting fluey - crusty or half-sealed eyes is the first sign. They need an antibiotic for that to nip it in the bud.

They should get their first worm dose in a couple of weeks.

Glad to offer any help/advice that I can.

campo

boomerang wrote: »

I hate to sound like a nag but will you please consider getting her neutered once the kittens are around seven weeks old? At that stage she could easily be pregnant again. To be fair to these kittens, they should all be wormed, vaccinated and eventually neutered. There's no one could afford that litter after litter after litter. Better to not let it happen again.

Try not to disturb her too much for now. If she moves the kittens somewhere inaccessible you won't see them until they're six or seven weeks old and hissing and spitting at you.

No not a nag at al the cat will defo be neutered in a few weeks and same with kittens been honest we did not mind when she feel pregnant with this litter as we have plenty of space for the cats and are cat lovers but their is no way we could have more litters on the way

boomerang

How many do you think she had, campo?

I'd get them off to a good start and give them their first worm dose (Parazole) when they are about three weeks old. All kittens are born with worms, and it can really affect their ability to thrive.

Now that mother cat is nursing I'd feed her kitten food rather than normal adult cat food as she'll need the extra nutrition now to feed her kittens.

campo

boomerang wrote: »

How many do you think she had, campo?

I'd get them off to a good start and give them their first worm dose (Parazole) when they are about three weeks old. All kittens are born with worms, and it can really affect their ability to thrive.

Now that mother cat is nursing I'd feed her kitten food rather than normal adult cat food as she'll need the extra nutrition now to feed her kittens.

She had 4 but one did not make it the other 3 are nursing away and look healthy , I did not realise it would be better to feed her kitten food so I will do that she currently eating her normal food away no bother and left her some water and cat milk also, spoke to my local vet and he said he will call in the coming weeks to worm the kittens

Mrs Garth Brooks

What next ? Post some pictures of them.

tk123

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

What next ? Post some pictures of them.

+1!! Pics of your grandkittens pls!!

HigginsJ

My cat had a litter of 4 2 years ago (we neutered her after). We had them for 8 weeks before they all got homes but we are so disappointed we gave them all away. You honestly will get such a kick out of seeing them come along.

We didnt really have space at the time so had no choice but if you have the choice keep them