Cat just had 7 kittens and need advice.

Hi, About 2 weeks ago a very friendly and very pregnant stray started appearing. She looks younger - possibly 1 or 2 years old. We have not found who she belongs to and suspect someone decided to drop her off. So today she had her kittens, 7 in all. They all seem VERY healthy and she has been taking to motherhood fantastically. However, I am very concerned for her health as the health of the kittens. 7 kittens seems to be a lot. All of our cats are fixed and I have never been through this before. So I'm hoping to get some advice.

Will the kittens get enough milk?

What do I need to give the Mother cat to ensure she stays healthy and is nourished through the nursing process?

There is a smaller cat in the bunch. Is there anything special I need to be on the look out for with him?

Many thanks and any advice will be more than appreciated.

My Elsa that was a stray at my work had 8 kittens several years ago! Cats have 8 nipples, so you just need to supervise and make sure the bigger stronger ones don't always get the best. (if I remember correctly, the nipples closer to the front legs have more milk).

Make sure to feed her a high or at least medium quality kitten food. She needs the calories. Cat milk purchased at the pet store is also something she may like and could use.

I had one that was much smaller, and purchased a bottle, and kitten replacement milk, but she never would take the bottle, and she ended up being just fine. I would recommend purchasing a small food scale (I think you can get one at Wal Mart for under $10) that weighs in ounces. Weigh the kittens every day, and they shouldn't go backward.

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/ this is a really good site that most everyone on here uses.

oh, and this was all on the assumption that the momma cat is indoors???

Thank you for taking in all these babies. It's a huge responsibility and not everyone would do it. Do you have any pictures?

Actually, I think it's the nipples closest to the back legs that have more milk. In any case, the kittens will most likely work it out on their own. Feed the mother high quality kitten food, wet food if you can afford it, and leave out plenty of dry food for her to free feed in between. Weigh the kittens every day. You shouldn't have to intervene unless you notice that one is losing weight.

Originally Posted by GoldyCat

Thank you for taking in all these babies. It's a huge responsibility and not everyone would do it. Do you have any pictures?

Actually, I think it's the nipples closest to the back legs that have more milk. In any case, the kittens will most likely work it out on their own. Feed the mother high quality kitten food, wet food if you can afford it, and leave out plenty of dry food for her to free feed in between. Weigh the kittens every day. You shouldn't have to intervene unless you notice that one is losing weight.

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Oh yeah, sorry, that makes more sense now (about the front/back thing). It's so hard to think when there is a cat rubbing your face all over, LOL.

Thanks so much to you both for the great advice and support. I really appreciate it. It's great to know that the mother cat has 8 nipples - makes me feel much more better. I found a small scale at walmart - it works great. I just went and bought some wet cat food and she ate it right up. I set out a bowl of dry as well so she can eat on that when ever she'd like. She seems very comfortable. In fact, you can hear her purring from the next room.

I'll try to get some pictures up. The kittens are very cute.

Thanks again for everything - and if you have any other advice please feel free to pass it on. :-)

I don't think anyone's mentioned this yet...WATER! Make sure mama cat always has plenty of water to drink, because if she gets dehydrated (a very real possibility with eight little fountains coming out of her) she won't make enough milk to go around.