mom cat left 5 week old kittens

Yesterday, the mom seemed fine; she caught a bird while on bathroom break. Could something like worms come on this fast? I'm also guessing that she may have got into something poisonous, and crawled off and died.

While inside yesterday, she let out a deep bellowing sound. Also, in the last couple hours, she didn't want to nurse. Is anyone familiar with the deep bellowing? I'm just trying to come up with what the possibilities are of why she disappeared. With 5 week old kittens, would she take off to mate? Your opinions are appreciated. All but one kitten took to food; i will take take the advice from this forum and mix some formula with kitten food. Thank you, Damian

Also, if she did take off to mate, when should i expect her back? one day, two days? Should i let her continue to nurse until the 8 week mark (if she will/if she comes back)?

this is why we also ask that pregnant/nursing mums are kept strickly in doors.
i hope she comes back, sending vibes she comes back safely and not pregnant.
if she has gone to mate it could be anything from a few hours to a few weeks . sometimes they get lost when seeking out a male. i would start bottle feeding the ones who hasnt taken to soild foods yet and mix kmr with the wet food. and maybe bottle feed the ones who are eating soilds just a few times a day.
birds carry mites and yes she can get worms from them but the worms wouldnt be noticable yet. if she got into some posion then possibley she has gone away somewhere quiet to die(i hope this isnt the case for you and her kittens.)
i am sorry you have joined on such sad terms, but welcome to the site.
if she does come back please get her in to be spayed asap it is much healthier for her.

I suspect she was in heat and calling for a mate and took off. When she comes back, I strongly advise you to take her in and get her spayed immediately. Having another litter of kittens right on top of this one is a bad thing - she's not physically ready to handle another litter.

In the mean time till she returns you will have to get the kittens to eat some soft canned kitten food.

she's back. i caught her in the yard, and she was weak. When inside, she wasn't interested in the kittens. I kept her in a room for about six hours, and she wanted to come out. She ate a tiny bit, and started to nurse. should i bring her in for spaying at 5 weeks/now? Or, just get her checked for fever, other things? THANKS!

I don't know the answer to your questions, but please, keep her inside for her sake and the kittens

if your still worried about her take her to the vets for a check and book her in to be spayed in about 3-4 weeks. im glad she is back.

Take her to the vet this week and get her checked out - tell the vet what you've told us on what happened. And schedule the spay as soon as your vet feels it should be done.

Do NOT let her outside again until after she is spayed - no matter what she wants!

I just read this whole thread....and you have gotten sound advice about keeping your kitty in and getting her fixed soon.....I just had to keep reading to see if she came back or not. I`m so glad she did....I`m sure you were really worried under the circumstances.
Linda

"Infected mammary gland" - I think that's what the vet said. She had a fever and an infection. This explains why she stopped nursing. I'm tellin you, it's pretty stressful trying to keep her in. I'll probably have to reinvest in mini blinds. My other cat goes out and watches birds inside of a big cage; she can't be loose because she has "hypoplasia?" (head tremors). She's a little wobbly, but she doesn't know anything is wrong. The trick is to not let the mom cat dart when i come in. I can't pick her up to put her in the room, because she's tender under there. Whew, we'll see.

im glad you took her to the vet, and she is now being treated. good luck trying to keep her in.