Should mum be lying with the kittens?

My feral girl had her kittens this morning, and she wasn't sitting with them when I first looked in on her, and I just checked in on them and she's still not sitting with them - she was in the same spot as she was after I cleaned out the cage.

Would you expect a new mama cat to be resting away from the kittens for a few hours, or should they be lying with the kittens?

I wouldn't worry unless the kittens are crying...

I witnessed 3 feral moms shortly after the birth of their kittens and the subsequent time when they were nursing them. In all 3 cases, the moms left the kittens alone for a much longer time than I would have expected. Only in the case of 1 litter did I worry because I only noticed the mom spend maybe an hour or 2 a day with them (off and on). The kittens at 3 weeks old were always crying for her so I made a decision to intervene on that litter. By the time I got back from the vet with the KMR and bottles, the mom had disappeared and I was left to hand raise them (my Scarlett was in that litter).

Watch how much time she spends with them throughout the day and watch the kittens carefully. You'll get a good sense if she is neglecting them.

Ginger has spent quite a bit of time away from her kittens, but they aren't ever crying and as soon as they do she returns to them--they are all gaining weight just fine, so I'm not worried. Her kittens are just a week old today.

Leslie

Keeping my fingers crossed that Mama feeds her babies soon.

Ok thanks! That last time I was in, the kittens weren't crying. They squeaked a bit when they heard me making noise (I was turning on the heater on their room), but that was it. I'm a worried new grandma

Originally Posted by sarahp

I'm a worried new grandma

Click to expand...

I am a grandma worrying with you Sarah.
Come on Mama