Just needing info

Hey all,
I'm a newbie here (so be gentle)..
Anyway, I am mom to "Oreo"....as soon as I figure this site out, I'll post some pics. She is about a yr. and a half and just had her 1st litter of kittens early Monday morning. She had a total of 5. The first born I could tell was not going to make it But by Monday evening, all the kittens were active (a little small) and seemed to be feeding. Oreo was acting a little tired thru the evening, but by Monday night she really didn't act like she WANTED to be with them. And same goes for Tues. She would go to her box with them, but kind of acted like she didn't know what to do (kind of like she knew she NEEDED to be there, but didn't really know WHY). The kittens and she seemed ok. But sadly, by Tues. night all five kittens were "gone". The first 3 passed away Monday during the night sometime and the last two hung on until around 10p.m. Tues. night. It was very upsetting to my two girls (ages 7 and 10). Oreo seems to be ok (a little more lovable than usual, but ok). My question is this: Is this normal for an entire litter to die? Oreo is a healthy cat(she's an inside cat--she just sneaked out once--that's all it takes...lol)....By my estimation also, I think the kittens were premature. Going by the day that I think she may have gotten pregnant and counting the 9 wk gestation for a cat, she was supposed to be due closer to Thanksgiving. Any info would be greatly appreciated. We all just love her and want her to be ok. She's having a little post-partum spotting(which I hear is normal), but we're keeping a close eye on her.....
Thanks!!

I'm sorry to hear about the kittens. I'm going to move this to our Pregnant cats and kittens forum for you. Our members there will be able to give you more information.

Thanks!

I am sorry, that must have been devastating.

It sounds like Oreo 'knew' something was wrong. You probably are right that they may have been preemies. Hard to tell, but heartbreaking no matter what the reason is, I am sure. And yes, sometimes entire litters die. Could be infection, prematurity, genetic issues...could be many things.

My best advice would be to get her spayed as soon as possible. Obviously, best for her health to begin with (she should see a vet just in case), but also because she will go into heat again very soon and I doubt you want her to go through this sort of stress again.

Again, I am so sorry for your losses. {{{HUGS}}} to you and your girls and especially to Oreo. Poor thing.

Thanks! We're doing ok! It was hard but the girls understood. I just feel bad for Oreo because she will from time to time go "look" for them. So sad!
Thanks for your thoughts!!!

Well you learned the hard (and sad) way that some cats are not meant to be mothers Best thing to do is spay her and move on. If you are interested in kittens, you could always foster a pregnant female from a shelter. They would LOVE you

Originally Posted by mom_of_Oreo

Thanks! We're doing ok! It was hard but the girls understood. I just feel bad for Oreo because she will from time to time go "look" for them. So sad!
Thanks for your thoughts!!!

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I understand your pain...but given what happened...I do truly believe the best 'gift' that you can give Oreo right now is a trip to the vet for a check up (just to ensure that she is healthy) and an appt. for her to be spayed. The longer that a cat is left intact...the greater the risk for cancers and pyometra.

At some point, you may want to contact your humane society or shelter to see about the possibility of fostering a pregnant cat or some orphaned kittens. Fostering helps to save lives and it often does much to heal sad hearts.

Katie