5 Beautiful Baby Kittens

Well it all started 64 days ago .. when my husband and I went out and left the window opened... and came home to a big whole in the screen... We have 3 cats.. 2 males (neutered) and 1 female.. in which our female was the only one who left and was to be spayed the following week...

Of course we had our suspensions... so we kept an eye on her.. about 4 weeks later.. we were convinced that she was not pregnant.. and rebooked her vet about to be spayed...

Turns out she was pregnant.. and we were just not able to tell out that point..

We love our cats.. we have a dog too.. we are animal lovers.. but now feel like a zoo!! Which is okay

Anyways.. 63 days yesterday our beautiful DAKOTA gave birth to 5 beautiful kitties.. And I mean BEAUTIFUL.. She is a tabby.. and I have no idea who she mated with .. but boy.. what markings these babies have.. If I could I would keep them all ... All healthy and at the right weight.... we are glad to also say that the mother did FANTASTIC... for being just over a year.. when the first one came out.. she looked at me like .. "what the heck is going on" but finished like she had done this many times.. (which she had not just so people do not get the wrong impression)

I will post pictures for all who would like to see

I have a couple questions for all the experts or people who have been through this before as this is my first time...

I plan on getting their first set of shots as well as dewormed.. when should this be? 4 weeks of age? Should I be taking them to the vet in the next few days? It is just so cold outside.. it frightens me to do so ...

I have mommy on a good kitten food.. i do not know what more to be doing..

Should I be cleaning the bedding they are lying in daily? Weekly or not at all...

when will they be able to climb out of the box.. and when will they open their eyes

And lastly... (sorry for the long post) I know I am not allowed to touch them now... but I would love to find out the genders.. is there any good time.. I can take a quick peek..

Thank you everyone for reading.. and as soon as I figure out how to post pictures I will

JADE and Dakota!!

By the way just in case the date does not show on the thread.. 3 were born late March 9th and the other 2 were born early March 10th!!!

She went into labour on exactly day 63!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!!! I can't answer any of your questions, but one thing...you can pick them up very soon as long as Mama cat allows you to. It's not a good idea to hold them for long periods of time, but picking them up when they're young gets them used to human contact.

I can't wait to see the pictures. They sound absolutely gorgeous!

Don't take them to the vet until it's time for shots! Usually this is done around 6-8 weeks.
You don't need to change the bedding, but if it's really stinky I usually will, just make sure to throw the bedding out or wash it really good, so mama doesn't find it.
Yes you can hold them as long as mommy is ok with it.
It's hard to tell genders, but someone on this baord can tell you how better than I can, I am HORRIBLE at it!! lol.
Congratulations on the babies!

Congratulations on your new babies! I can't wait to see pictures!! I am going to add your babies to our "Kittens Born in 2008 list: http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154098

I start handling my kittens from the moment they are born. I don't handle them a lot the first couple of weeks, but I weigh them daily and get them used to being touched and get them used to my scent. I also check them right away to see if they are boys or girls. If you're not sure how to tell, here is a good link for you: http://www.kitten-rescue.com/sexing_the_kitten.html

When they're very young, I change the bedding every couple of days. Momma cat is pretty good about keeping it very clean usually.

It depends on how tall the sides of the box are, but my kittens usually start to start to climb out of their box and explore at around 2-3 weeks old. By the time they're 5 weeks old they're climbing all over the place! Their eyes usually start to open around 10 days old, but each kitten is different... I had one kitten open her eyes at 5 days old and another that didn't open his eyes until 2 1/2 weeks old.

Thank you everyone... Dakota is being a great mom... not that I am surprised but it is amazing to see how maternal instincts kick in ..

Thanks for your information... I am glad to read I do not need to take the babies out in the cold..

If someone could tell me how to upload pictures.. it would help.. I am so new at all of this.. I have no idea

Thanks

Momma cat will not mind you picking up her babies for a few moments. It WILL almost certainly cry, because they don't like not feeling secure, but it won't hurt them.

Originally Posted by Jade007

If someone could tell me how to upload pictures.. it would help.. I am so new at all of this.. I have no idea

Thanks

Click to expand...

The way I post pictures, is I upload them to my Photobucket account. Then, I copy the IMG tag and paste it into my post.

I am going to attempt posting pictures

here I go ..


Oh yes and by the way .. I took a look... and if I am right...

3 BOYS and 2 GIRLS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Here they are ... not the best pics but i do not want to bug mommy too much!!

Oh they are adorable!

They are so cute!!!

Soooooo cute!

Ms Friskers has started chowing down again... looks like another "Gotcha" from her on labor for the day.

I love kitty pictures!!! Thanks for sharing - they're adorable

They're adorable! And momma cat is just gorgeous!

Such pretty kittens.....I cant wait till Dill has hers FINALLY, congrats on the kittens and she looks like a very good mommy......you should be proud

Wow those kittens are stunning!!

Awww, those kittens are adorable. So is their mom. I like the one where she's looking at the camera while the babies nurse.

Is that a litte gray and white kitten I see???

Yay!!
Congrats!

Congrats on your wonderful family!! I am sure you have used all the resources on this site and others for help in caring for them. Keep them warm and with mom and it is fine to pick them up - just as someone noted, not for long periods of time. They will mew but it'll help them to become accustomed to human contact and socialization. The more interaction with humans the better but you do not want to inundate them with too many people just yet. Keep them in a safe place- wherever mama's nest is. I once had a cat I was looking after for the vet I work for have her kittens on my bed and clearly, she could not stay there and honestly, I hated to bring her and them back to the sterile environment of a vet's office - with all the illnesses and other germs that just by virtue of what an office like that is for - and so the two vets who operate it allowed me to foster them. Of course, that made it so much tougher to adopt them but they were three adorable Siamese and I kept the blue point girl who is still my baby. The other two were adopted by a long term client of the center who already was used to the particular needs of meezers and the third one by the receptionist. Mama also went home with the long term client so at she had at least one kitten with her. To make the story better, this woman (client) had lost her own Siamese of 19 yrs about 4 months previous and was having a tough time to decide whether to adopt another cat. We sort of helped her along - and helped two cats at the same time. The good part is- at least while I am here- I get to see them when they come in for regular checkups. They are all doing well.

I am sure yours will do just as well!!! Good work! Given that they were unexpected, maybe your vet will give you a discount on the s/n.

They are the cutiest things!