First time with pregnant cat!

Hello all!
I just took in a lovely pregnant cat from the SPCA. I have been a foster home before and even took care once of 3 orphan kittens from the time they were 2 weeks old to 14 weeks old. However, this is my first time with a pregnant cat. I did a lot of research and talked a few times with my vet and I think I have everything ready.

I was just wondering if any of you guys had a piece of advice, something I should know that would not be mentionned in the readings I made? I know there is supposed to be a placenta for each kittens, how to stimulate breathing and cut the cord if the mother doesn't, how to keep the kittens warm during the rest of the labor...

There are two little things that still bugs me: the first one is that the mother cat (I still haven't found a name for her) seems to have a lot of "morning sickness" and therefore she won't eat much. I don't know how far along she is (she has a nice round belly, but still no milk coming out of her nipples, so I am guessing somewhere between 7 and 9 weeks), but I know she should be eating more than that. I tempt her with different food (chicken and tuna) and it seems to be working, but since I have never given my cats anything else than cat food and I don't want to give her anything a cat wouldn't digest, any suggestions? I wish she would eat the kitten food I am giving her (royal canin), should I force feed her?
The other thing I am not sure of is when the kittens are born, I want to weight them everyday, of course. But I was also told not to touch too much the kittens because the mother might not want to take care of them if I put my smell on them. So, how can I monitor them without risking that? Is this a stupid question? I was thinking using a hand soap with no perfume in it and pet the mother before taking the kittens to have her smell on my hands.

Thanks for any advice and I will keep you all posted (with hopefully pictures of healthy kittens and the mommy).

Marilou

Well firstly, thank you for doing such an admirable thing giving the momma a nice warm place, a homey place to bring her new family into.

I've never had the problem handling kittens when they are born, especially with scent. If you line the kittening box with a shirt or used towel, it will have your scent on it. She will also have a couple of weeks to get your scent on her and shouldn't bother her too much.

Handling kittens from birth is really helpful with socialization of the kittens. Keep the kittens close to mom when holding them. Weighing them daily is a good way to determine if they are gaining properly.

Food-wise, it's probably a good idea to get her on a quality kitten food, maybe even a wet kitten food as those are really tolerated well and they love that stuff. You may also want to try some KMR to help her with calorie intake.

Keep momma obviously isolated if you have other cats. She will want privacy from other cats especially when birth is iminent.

All kittens have their own placenta and you will need to make sure they've all been delivered after each kitten.

I cut cords with finger scissors sterilized. I keep a wet wash cloth nearby to help clean birth remnants from their nose after the sac has been removed by either you or mom.

I hope this helps a bit

The best advice I got with Eden (pregnant foster) - was know who I need to authortize medical/vet care from the shelter & know what vet to go to/have the number handy.

You never know without history on the cat if they'll have problems or not.

As for birth, I don't know - I came home to kittens. I thought she had a week or two to go.

I did supplement Eden with canned kitten food & some milk replacer, she was in rough shape.

I also foster and have had a few pregnant kitties come through my home. I also have never had a problem handling the kittens at all, so I wouldn't worry about that. The Mom cat may be a little fussy, but I'm sure she will eat if she is hungry unless there is something otherwise wrong with her. Keep an eye on her to see if she is acting differently, lethargic, etc and then a vet visit would be in order. Good luck with Mom and babies!

I've been caring for a litter of 5 kittens and their Mom since birth. They're 5 weeks old now! (At the super cute, playful stage now, where everything is a victim, waiting to be attacked!!)

I agree with skewch, handling the kittens early on is important for their socialization. As long as Mom is comfortable with you and knows your scent, she shouldn't have an issue at all with you touching the babies. I've been touching mine since the day they were born (with freshly sanitized hands, of course!).

I've seen some Moms get really drained and run-down (very thin!) taking care of the kids...so it's really important to keep her well fed during the first several weeks after they're born. Adding some KMR to her food, feeding her kitten food and maybe even supplementing with some Nutri-cal if she needs it.

Thank you all so much for the advice, please keep them coming, there is no advice I won't take very seriously.
I am very excited and I wil soon post a picture of my pregnant baby. If you have name ideas for a tiny calico cat with a black spot on her nose, feel free to share!
So, yes she is isolated from my two other cats, in a large quiet room in wich I placed the box I hope she will deliver in. I started giving her KMR, but for now chicken seems to be the only thing she won't refuse to eat. I still give her fresh kitten food everyday in case she changes her mind. She doesn't seem lethargic (although she sleeps a lot) and she drinks water, so I guess she is not sick or anything (but I d keep an eye on her), I would just prefer if she ate more! Also she threw up a few time, is this part of the hormonal change or is it bad? I will call my vet today anyways, so I will ask the question. I will make sure she eats more and more everyday especially when the kittens are born.
She is very kind and she lets me pet her belly, but she started nesting so she won't often come to me because she prefers dark corners for the moment. I started sleeping on the couch in the same room as her (leaving fiance alone in our bedroom!), to make sure I don't miss when she starts laboring.
I also have numbers and address for vets nearby, emergency vets and SPCA vet.
I added to my kit wet clothes (those used for babies, but unscented) to gently wash the kitten's face.
Thanks for reassuring me about handling the babies. I also thought it was important to manipulate, socialize (and monitor) them and I will now be able to do that without fearing they will be rejected by their mother!

I wish I could know when she will start laboring, it is very stressfull because it could be anytime from now until the 20th!
But I am very happy to do this and I pray that the kittens and the mother will be healthy.

Marilou

Do you know how far along she is? I've raised 2 litters of kittens, and the mama cat stopped eating a few days before she gave birth. Keep a close eye on her.

There is no way for me to know how far along she is since she was already pregnant when I brought her from the shelter, but I think she is due soon, so I do keep a close eye on her.
Good news, though: I was able to tempts her with premium kitten food (wet) by mixing it with a bit of chicken and a bit of catnip on top of it! She ate a whole bunch today and she seems to have made a positive association with the food! I am very happy this worked

Marilyn (after Marilyn Monroe for her beauty mark)
Ardene (means "warm" for her colors)
Orchid (the flower, because it's small and delicate)