Whoops, pt2

Okay, remember how I thought my girl was five or six weeks along?

Imagine my surprise when I get an email from my boyfriend saying 'Call me... Kittens!'

So I run home from work, and what do I find?



Four healthy kittens, and an awfully tired mom

She's now sequestered away in another room where she can relax, in a large dog cage lined with towels, the kittens feeding happily away, and she's passed out

Congrats on the new babies! You did a wonderful job on the set up too!

Look how sweet they all look..Mom is getting some rest. They are beautiful. Congrats.

congrats , they are lovely , happy that everything has gone great. how many did she have ?

*giggle* Well, no one ever said that cats were predictable! Momma looks happy and content with her babes.

Just to make certain nothing unwanted happens, I think you already know to make sure to keep Momma behind at least two doors from the outside as she can get pregnant again quickly. Once the babies are weaned, if you need help finding a place to assist with spay/neuter, simply let us know and we can help.

Thanks for the photo - I do adore seeing the wee ones!

The male cats in the house are all going to get neutered. All my cats are purely indoor cats, and I'm the only one who lives here, so I can make sure they stay that way, so I'm not sure if I'm going to get them spayed yet (simply becacuse it's a more complicated procedure).

The kittens are mewing away behind me, fighting each other for food There is four of them - what looks like a brown tabby, two gray tabbys (although one of them may be all gray), and then a black one with orange 'blotches' all over it.

They are awfully sweet things Also, mama freaks out if I go too far away, so I guess I'll be sleeping in the library tonight ! She's been so cuddly since she gave birth, she is loving it when I pet her, starts purring, and has no problem with me picking up her kittens (until they start yelping, then she looks a little concerned )

Alright, a couple quick questions, as I'm new at this

What temperature should I keep the room?

How often do the kittens sleep? Do they pretty much sleep and eat, and whine about not being able to find a nipple?

When do they open their eyes?

Thanks!

Okay, another question (I worry way too much )

Momma is getting up and poking around the room away from her kittens. She always returns. I assume this is normal, and she's just getting restless (and already harried). Am I right?

Originally Posted by waxlight

The male cats in the house are all going to get neutered. All my cats are purely indoor cats, and I'm the only one who lives here, so I can make sure they stay that way, so I'm not sure if I'm going to get them spayed yet (simply becacuse it's a more complicated procedure).

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Excellent, but remember, a neutered male still has viable sperm for up to a month after being neutered, so even after you get the guys taken care of, you will still need to segregate them from the females.

I just had two of my girls spayed in January and they both did well. The older girl did have a few issues, but they were nothing that a weekend spent at home with her, closely monitoring her activities didn't fix quickly.

Originally Posted by waxlight

Alright, a couple quick questions, as I'm new at this

What temperature should I keep the room?

How often do the kittens sleep? Do they pretty much sleep and eat, and whine about not being able to find a nipple?

When do they open their eyes?

Click to expand...

If the room is chilly to you, it is chilly to the cats. So long as they have a nice, warm place to pile up together, they should be fine. If they are in a box or crate, you can cover it with a blanket to help keep the warmth in.

Newborn kittens sleep a lot. They pretty much eat, sleep and if they aren't eating or sleeping, they whine about not eating or sleeping. If they can't find a nipple, you can try to help position them, but since kittens normally choose one nipple then always go back to that one nipple, you kind of have to know which nipple they marked as theirs in order to position them correctly. If you have concerns about them getting enough milk when nursing, the best way to determine if they are getting enough is to weigh them daily using a food scale which weighs in both grams and ounces. Walmart carries one for less than $10 in their kitchen gadget aisle. Alternatively, you can look at the skin on the belly - it should be stretched nice and tight across the belly and there shouldn't be any wrinkles or flabby skin at all. You want to see a nice, round belly with tight skin across it.

Kittens normally start to open their eyes about a week to ten days after they are born. Some will begin to open sooner, some later - cats are individuals about such things - so don't be alarmed if some take more or less time than others. Just look out for goopy eyes, crust or other signs of infection which require a vet's intervention.

Originally Posted by waxlight

Okay, another question (I worry way too much

)

Momma is getting up and poking around the room away from her kittens. She always returns. I assume this is normal, and she's just getting restless (and already harried). Am I right?

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Yes, this is quite normal. All new mommas require a little "me time" away from the kits. Just so long as she always returns to feed and clean them, she is fine.

Thanks for all the answers, Gayef Helps settle me down a bit.

Mom decided she didn't like the dog crate, and after watching her repeatedly pick up the kittens, and butt her head against the door (sqooshing the kitten in the process), I think we've come to a compromise. I took a banana box, lined it with a towel, and put a towel over top. No complaints so far, but who knows where I'll wake up and find them in the morning?

I had to move her from where she gave birth - my couch, so I could wash the blanket that was (thankfully) over it.

OHHH I'm so glad to see you have them confined to the nice tokeyo cage. That's what I had raising rexes - its GREAT. The babies are totally confined and can't get out between the bars (we are talking little rex kittens). When they were big enough to get OVER the door way, they were big enough to start exploring the house.

Mom feels secure - that's why she is making outside trips away from the kitten. Be sure to keep a bowl of water and food IN the cage for everyone.

gayef gave u some great information

but also congrats on the new little ones...mama looks so peaceful and happy sounds like everything went well too Keep us updated on everything thats going on too and the progress....what cuties they all are

Aww they are beautiful! Congratulations!

Just remember that unspayed females can get a nasty thing called Pyometra. It is when their whole uterus gets infected because they went a long long time without being spayed and going in and out of heat. Do a little research and you will probably rethink not wanting to spay the girls. They are also at a much higher risk for cancers when they are older. It is not a complicated procedure either, it will take a vet all of about 20 minutes. It is routine and a very simple thing to have done.

Good luck with the babies!

Aww they are absolutely adorable...mum cat included

Mom and babies are all so cute and seem to be very cozy.

Congrats!

well congrats to you, bet that what an amazing surprise

kitties look real cute keep snapping those photos you know how we are about photos here

Originally Posted by waxlight

Okay, remember how I thought my girl was five or six weeks along?

Imagine my surprise when I get an email from my boyfriend saying 'Call me... Kittens!'

So I run home from work, and what do I find?

Four healthy kittens, and an awfully tired mom

She's now sequestered away in another room where she can relax, in a large dog cage lined with towels, the kittens feeding happily away, and she's passed out

Click to expand...

Congrads way to go now mommy.

Wow, well that would be a suprize! They are so cute! Congratz!

I had to move her from where she gave birth - my couch, so I could wash the blanket that was (thankfully) over it.

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Haha. Nice, but I bet it was the most comfortable place to have her kitties.

How is mom and baby tonight.

aww... they're so cute!!