Another kitten advice thread...

Dr Nic

Hi Guys,
My cat just had kittens on Saturday. Ive no idea how many she had but she brought 1 back this am. She hasnt brought anything else back. Is it unusual for a cat to only have one? She was huge!

Now - shes not too bothered about feeding her one kitten. How do we know she's feeding her right/enough.
She doesnt go near her kitten much it seems to me
Am i crazy for being a little worried?
Thanks!

mymo

Its not unusual for a cat to have just one or two if its a first litter, there may have been others that died, she may have abandoned them, who knows.
First how is she?
When did she have the kitten/s?
Is she eating and drinking fine?
Any discharge or is she cleaning herself?
Make sure she has a quiet place to rest with her kitten, leave food and fresh water near her. don't disturb her too much until she is well settle and feeding the kitten regularly.
You can weigh the kitten once a day to see if its gaining weight, that shows she is feeding it.
As the kitten grows she will need more food, and when the kitten reaches about 4 weeks it will need some soft food, kitten specific ones are best as they are easier on their tummy.
Also when the kitten reaches about 8 weeks it will be pretty much weaned, get the cat neutered, she could get pregnant again around then (sometimes before that) and you'll have more kittens to deal with.
The kitten should stay with the mother until about 10 weeks ideally, unless you are planning on keeping it yourself.
If you are worried at any time about the kitten or mother, go to your vet.

anniehoo

Dr Nic wrote: »

Now - shes not too bothered about feeding her one kitten. !

This would worry me. Is she not feeding it at all...or just here and there. The fact its quite big hopefully is a good sign. Has it still got its eyes closed?

Can you get a nice warm, quiet area with a bed ready for her and place both of them in it and see what shes doing. Is she acting relaxed or stressed?

Dr Nic

Thanks Guys!!
It looks like she had a little more than 1 kitten on her mind...
She was gone all night last night and the one here in the house cried all night. i was v upset but nothing to do except keep her warm. We had no food for her, nor goats milk even.

But this am pryia came back with the rest of her litter. 5 so far in total!! And she's nursing them all and being very caring.
I assume her 'negligence' yesterday was only the fact that she had 4 others to protect out in the wood behind our house

So now the kittens are sorted, on to the cat herself. She stinks! And i dont think its just poo. She has had a patch of fur matted on her back for about 2 weeks. I think she cut herself or got in a fight. I thought it was healing but yesterday she had what seemed like a load of pus on her back. It was either pus or some scumbag spat on her. I try not to think about that. I washed it yesterday and it looks ok now but hard to tell really with fur covering it

We've planned to bathe her later and properly disinfect it. She might need an antibiotic though. I assume i can just give her a weight based dose of amoxicillin if its needed after we fully asses it post bathing. (Im a student GP doc)

planetX

don't treat her yourself, you need a vet to look at her and prescribe something that doesn't affect the nursing kittens.
Hopefully you know that she can come into season again while she's still nursing. It's a good idea to keep mother and kittens indoors until you can get her spayed.

Dr Nic

Just checked the wound. Its fine! Not tender at all...
Thanks god!

Spaying How much?

SuePal

Spaying a female cat costs about €90 but they bred really quickly especially if you let her out so it is worth the investment.

planetX

you can find cheaper depending on the vet and where you live. 70-90 would be average, if you live in Dublin you might find subsidised spaying if you call around welfare organisations.
It's cheaper than rescuing and neutering the hordes of kittens which will result from her breeding.

Dr Nic

Oh thats fine! I thought it would be hundreds... Prob get it done start of May maybe? 4 weeks post giving birth?

We just washed her from head to toe in the shower with baby shampoo. She is not impressed with us. But the wound does look fine. No idea where all that pus came from. Disinfected it with savlon and will just monitor it... The girls in great form tho as are the kittens. All 5 of them asleep on top of each other upstairs!!

planetX

It would still be a good idea to visit a vet soon. Is the mother cat in good condition? Is she up to date on worming and vaccinations? If not she can pass infections to the kittens where they will be much more serious.
You need to feed her good quality food, as much as she wants. And lots of fresh water.
4 weeks would be too early to spay, unless it's an emergency and you aren't able to keep her inside. Again advice from a vet on when to do this is a good idea. I had my mother cat spayed when the kittens were 8 weeks old, and she continued to nurse them afterwards - but she only had 3, and I was keeping her confined inside.

Dr Nic

We've done nothing with worms/vaccinations!!
She wasnt our cat you see, we just adopted her...
What does she need? Prob cant be given now she's nursing

planetX

Dr Nic wrote: »

We've done nothing with worms/vaccinations!!
She wasnt our cat you see, we just adopted her...
What does she need? Prob cant be given now she's nursing

Ok, then she has worms. Don't panic, drop into a vet clinic and pick up something suitable. They will advise you when you should bring in mother and kittens for a check. The kittens might have cat flu, and the sooner you catch that the better. Meanwhile check out websites with info on caring for a nursing cat and kittens.

anniehoo

planetX wrote: »

4 weeks would be too early to spay, .

Yeh sorry i shouldve been more clear when i said 4 weeks. If she's still nursing her kittens then she should be let do so until they're weaned and then spay her. Its just medically not advisable to spay before 4 weeks as theres a greater risk of haemorrhage as the blood vessels are enlarged. I went through this last summer, but all her kittens died within 48hrs so she had nothing to feed and i couldnt spay her until 4 weeks later and had to keep her in too.

You need to keep her in too unfortunately as queens can come into heat and therefore get pregnant pretty much straightaway after having kittens. Cats are prolific breeders and nearly always get pregnant when they mate as they will and can mate multiple times to make sure this happens. Fun eh....

Definitely ask your vet about worming, its not expensive and easily done. They will have worms and can fade quite quickly and psosibly die if they're not adequately dosed at the proper intervals in kittenhood.

Hardwork....but it'll be worth it if you are willing to put