Help with pregnant stray

Ok, I just got back from eating. The runt still has the placenta attached and is still separated from the others. The placenta thing is about a quarter of a of an inch in diameter. I tugged on it a little and he freaked out. Is this thing a placenta? It looks like his guts or something. Am I supposed to pull it out and is it supposed to be that large? (like the size of two of his legs put together?)

I have a feeling he isn't going to make it because he doesn't seem to be able to suckle on her nipples, but then again he was fighting like crazy when I picked him up. What should I do? As for the separate boxes due to a big litter, am I supposed to separate them (6 to each box?) now or after they have chilled with momma for a few days? It does seem like they are all getting a chance to suckle, although its hard to tell because they all look alike. They start mewing like crazy if I pick them up and most of them are either sleeping or suckling. I am going to take a picture of these guys and load it soon.

That is his umbilical cord. Don't worry about it right now, unless it's more than a couple of inches long.

Wow 11 kittens that is insane! It sounds like the cord but i'm not completely sure. DO NOT PULL on it. You could pull out it's intestines. Take pictures of it just so we can be sure what it is.

ok, here are some pictures:

Edit- Deleted. Will post some later.

That doesn't look like the cord or placenta it looks like the babies intestines and I agree he probably won't make it. Make him safe and comfortable until he passes. It looks like you have a bunch of brown tabbies and a bunch of black babies. They are all cute. Seperate them into two boxes like suggested so they all get their fair share. Do you know how many nipples momma has?

I think she has 8. Should I separate them now or should I wait for a little while so they can stay warm? Should I separate the one who will most likely pass on?

Thanks for your help guys, you have no idea how helpful you have been.

can you take the young one with the red thing outside too the vet?

stunning babies i looove black cats!

Yes it might be the most humane thing if you can find a vet nearby that is open to see if they can do anything for the little one/put it down. I haven't seperated kittens like that before but some here have. I guess wait until you have more feedback on that before you seperate them. Do you have a scale where you can weigh the babies everyday so you can tell if they are gaining weight?

Unfortunately, my vet is closed. The closest vet that I could find which is open is on the other side of town. I wish I could euthanize him in a humane way.

I have not thought about the scale thing or monitoring their weight. The rest of them seem to be taking turns at her nipple and seem very feisty. I feel bad for the poor guy who won't make it - my wife cried when she saw him because she thought he was dead already. All we can do is say a prayer at this point and hope he passes peacefully.

Momma kitty is doing a great job though.

If you have only eight, not counting the injured one, mama should be able to take care of them. Remove the injured one, unless he's actively nursing; mama will ignore him, probably, and not take care of him. That's just nature's way.

Try to keep the little guy warm, if he won't nurse, but my bet would be that he won't make it long. Poor baby.

That doesnt sound like the placenta (which is much bigger than 1/4 inch), it sounds like the cord that was holding the placenta. Here's a picture of a brand new kitten with her placenta. It's almost as big as the kitten itself



I wouldn't wait a few days to separate the kittens, if some of them arent eating they could starve by then. If you dont separate them, you want to at least make sure the weaker ones are getting their turn. Like I said before, if yu separate them, the mom is likely to move them back together a couple times before she gives up.

I cant wait to see pics! I'm excited

Originally Posted by Marianjela

That doesnt sound like the placenta (which is much bigger than 1/4 inch), it sounds like the cord that was holding the placenta. Here's a picture of a brand new kitten with her placenta. It's almost as big as the kitten itself

I wouldn't wait a few days to separate the kittens, if some of them arent eating they could starve by then. If you dont separate them, you want to at least make sure the weaker ones are getting their turn. Like I said before, if yu separate them, the mom is likely to move them back together a couple times before she gives up.

I cant wait to see pics! I'm excited

Click to expand...

He already posted pictures in post number 44 and the baby clearly has it's intestines hanging out not a cord.
Also I believe there are 10 healthy babies not 8. When he said 8 he was referring to the amount of nipples.

Ok, now that I read the rest of the thread

Poor kitty, you seen the pic of a placenta, what you have is much redder and smaller, and it's not the cord. It may be his intestines. Unfortunately there is not much you can do for it. I've called our shelter's on-call vet for advice and they told me that there is not much they can even do for it but to euthanize it.

Sorry for the bad news, but glad the other 10 seem to be doing well!

Now that we know it isn't the placenta, should I delete those pictures so that other people do not get sad or grossed out if they read this thread? I have no idea what the forum etiquette is here, however I know that you guys do rock!

Also, the other kittens seem to be doing really well taking turns. There are 10 others I think...its hard to count them because they are piled onto each other. She just used her litter box, and I heard them mewing like crazy when she jumped out of the box. When I change out her towel, I will make a final count, but pretty sure its 10 others.

Get a smaller box with a towel in it and do a definate count and look them all over and make sure there is nothing wrong with anyone else. Try to hold each kitten every day so they will be socialized and make good pets. As for the picture maybe change it from a picture to a link and put a warning over it.

I agree with Lindsey, unfortunately the mortality rate of kittens is high, just another reason to spay and neuter your pets (of course I know your girl was a stray), and sad news makes its way to this forum more than we'd like.

I'm sorry this happened to you guys, but am so glad the rest of them seem to be well.

Also, feel free to touch the babies and move them around. As long as you dont move them out of mom's site she should be okay with it. We touch our fosters from nearly the minute they are born and everyday until they are adopted.

Good socialization is key when they are grown!

Oh, I didn't realize I was supposed to touch them the first day. I thought it might cause the mom to reject them...

I think it's important to touch them the first day just to make sure they are ok. Don't take them out of mommas sight though or she will probably worry. My grandmother had a litter from her semi-feral stray that were 3 days old and had never been handled and they were already scared to death of people and hissing and spitting. Mine at that age were pretty calm when held. At that age I just make sure I cuddle and hold each one for a few minutes and then give them back to momma.

I was weighing kittens the other day (they were two days old) and some of the suckers HISSED at me!

At first I wasnt sure what they were doing, they were opening their mouth but nothing came out, I thought they were just meowing. But then one managed a hiss.

Yep, perfectly safe to touch them, and important so they can get used to you and learn a human's touch is safe!

There are 9 kittens. I finally counted them. They were all feeding so I didn't want to pick them up, but I will from now on. Is it ok if I just pull them off her nipple? How much time do they spend feeding?

I will post pictures later.

Unfortunately, the other kitten did pass on and we buried him next to a tree in my neighbors yard (dug deep and dirt packed tight).

They all look pretty active. There is one other runt, hopefully he makes it. Send him good vibes! I tried separating them three times, but momma cat just put them all back together again.

She is a good mom.