Kittens Born, PANIC PANIC PANIC!

Hi Everyone,

My cat Roxy gave birth to 4 beautiful kittens yesterday morning. They are all perfect and she had a brilliant delivery. All over and done with in an hour.
She stayed with them in our spare bedroom all day yesterday and all night last night. She did ask to come out of the bedroom yesterday evening and I assumed she wanted to stretch her legs etc. She only stayed out for 5 minutes!
She is very happy to be fussed, is asking for attention and is comfortable with me handling the kittens as long as she can see what is going on.

This morning she has been so vocal, like she is talking to me and i left the door open incase she wanted to have a walk about again and she followed me into the bathroom but started to bring the kittens with her. Is this normal? I am not comfortable having the kittens in other areas of the house yet because we have other cats and its too early for that. Does she not like where i have setup home for her and the babies?
She does not like to be away from me and when i put her and the kitten back into the bedroom and shut the door she was really crying. I have brought her downstairs and given her some food and she has scoffed that and is drinking lots of water.

I think i am just stressing, this is the first time for her and me and I want to do whats right for her and the babies but im not sure what that is.

Any advice is really appreciated, anyone elses experience is much appreciated..... just anything really!
Lottie x

So you put the baby back in the bedroom? Has she tried moving them again? She sounds like a good momma and is being very attentive to her babies. Her appitite will be ravenous! My girl, Slick, was very, very hungry.

I was told to feed kitten food to her because it is full of nutrients and will supplement what she is giving away to her babies. Someone will have to confirm this though.

Since she seems to crave your attention, just spend as much time with her as you can. It's hard to be a new mother....from what I remember of my first born!

I guess IMO. next time she tries to move the babies, just watch and see where she wants to take them. If it is a place ok with you, I'd let her as long as it is safe.

I am sure mom knows what she is doing. Just love on her a bit more. And handle the kittens as long as she is agreeable, which she sounds like she is. They will need the human touch to become nice, well adjusted kitties.

Congrats!!

Yes I put the baby back in the bedroom along with her but she was desperate to come out of the room so i had her downstairs and fed her wet food. I have been feeding her kitten food throughout her pregnancy and am still doing so and her appertite is healthy. She ate the food but then wanted to go back to the babies and i took her back up and she started crying at the door again to come out.

I am happy that she is looking after the kittens perfectly and i cant get over just how relaxed she is with me but what i am really worried about is am i being mean keeping her shut in one room? I cant let her move the kittens because of the other cats so I have no choice. Am I doing the right thing, should i just allow her to come out of the room every now and then for a wander?

Let her out as much as she wants. It is diffiult laying there all day with all those children! She will usually leave the box while they are sleeping. Just be sure to secure the room from the other cats.

I don't know your situation, but I have used those cheap wood screen doors you get at depot. I temporarily put them up when I have had to keep a kitty seperated. They can still see you, hear you and feel part of the family, yet they are safe from the others. If you are handy at all, they are easy to put up with a few screws and a couple hinges.

If not, let her out as much as possible. I put a radio in with my momma kitty. I kept it low and nice music. That may keep her company. Put a bird feeder outside the window. Anything to stimulate her.

I have a screen door installed in my bedroom doorway too.

It is a normal thing for a mother cat to want to move her babies, it's instinctual to protect them from predators. You might try putting up a few extra cardboard box forts in the room she is in, in various corners, to give her places in the room to move the kittens.

Please get Roxy spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned, and don't let her outside again until she is spayed, she could go into heat at any time now.

Thank you for all your advice, but she ended up making the decision herself! I went to let her out of the room as she was crying and she flew out with one of the kittens in her mouth and went under a small table we have in our front room! Its nice and quiet and dark there so I have set her and the babies up there with bedding etc! I just close the door to the lounge at night and during the day when I am at work! I think when its the first time, its the unknown that is scary but everyones stories and advice on here is invaluable.

She is amazing, such a fantastic mum. She comes and goes as she pleases but she has a short break, streches her legs etc and then comes back to snuggle with the babies. She is still being incrediby loving with us and is relaxed with us being near the kittens and handling them. I am conscious not to handle them too much but I do have to when I am changing their bedding everyday so its nice and clean and fresh. Plus I want them to grow up happy and confident cats.

The kittens are beautiful, 2 of each sex and already at 4 days old are developing different attitudes! They are putting on weight and thriving. One of them even opened one eye yesterday which I was amazed at. Clever boy!

I will have Roxy spayed and will do everything to make sure she doesnt get pregnant again but if she does then we are responsible adults with a loving home and would only allow the babies to go to people we know and trust or even stay with us. I was happy for her to get pregnant and the daddy is my male cat. Its personal choice and although there are problems out there and issues it was never something I felt i must do and get her done. I was happy to wait and allow her to have a litter. I am british and live in England and already have new parents who are personal close friends and family who will be giving fantastic homes to these little ones!

I'm glad the kittens are doing so well.

Please get the male neutered now, as he not only can impregnate her if she goes back into heat, he also is likely out and about impregnating other unfortunately un-spayed females, not to mention being exposed to disease and fighting.

I am sure you are a great home and loving people but the issue isn't that homes can't be found for the babies, it's that your intentionally bred kittens take potential homes from other homeless kittens. I have heard that the homeless pet population in England, while maybe not as bad as the US, is still terrible in it's own right. I know that you, being an obvious animal lover, would understand why spaying and neutering your cats is what's best for the welfare of all pets. Something else to keep in mind; fixing your cats also prevents them from getting serious forms of cancer and other potential health issues.

At the least, please fix all of the kittens before you rehome them. One litter, from one cat, who is not fixed can produce thousands of kittens...it's a vicious cycle. I do rescue and see too many homeless kittens; sneezing, eyes running, starving, crying, flea ridden, scared...too many kittens, not nearly enough homes.

With that said, Enjoy your babies! Try to post pics if you get a chance.

Unfortunately neutering young kittens in the UK isn't as common as in the US, Cats PRotection guidelines are 4 months, but not all vets will follow that - CP is a rescue, rather than an organisation that has control over vets. I am glad you have homes lined up, it is just sad that is 4 more cats that will stay in a rescue longer. Please do make sure the people you home will get them neutered before they have any litters (or in the males case can impregnate any females), the cat population is getting worrying in the UK, rescues cant cope with the amount of cats, so while we might not pts like rescues in the US do, we have to leave them on the streets instead, which could be a worse fate.

Originally Posted by booktigger

Unfortunately neutering young kittens in the UK isn't as common as in the US, Cats PRotection guidelines are 4 months, but not all vets will follow that - CP is a rescue, rather than an organisation that has control over vets. I am glad you have homes lined up, it is just sad that is 4 more cats that will stay in a rescue longer. Please do make sure the people you home will get them neutered before they have any litters (or in the males case can impregnate any females), the cat population is getting worrying in the UK, rescues cant cope with the amount of cats, so while we might not pts like rescues in the US do, we have to leave them on the streets instead, which could be a worse fate.

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In another forum there was a big debate recently about breeding moggies. Those who do it justify it by claiming they do it because there is a "shortage of kittens" in the UK. <sigh>

I'd rather see a cat euthanized rather than living on the street riddled with disease and starving, and a target for every cat hater who walks by.

Originally Posted by booktigger

Unfortunately neutering young kittens in the UK isn't as common as in the US, Cats PRotection guidelines are 4 months, but not all vets will follow that - CP is a rescue, rather than an organisation that has control over vets. I am glad you have homes lined up, it is just sad that is 4 more cats that will stay in a rescue longer. Please do make sure the people you home will get them neutered before they have any litters (or in the males case can impregnate any females), the cat population is getting worrying in the UK, rescues cant cope with the amount of cats, so while we might not pts like rescues in the US do, we have to leave them on the streets instead, which could be a worse fate.

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I don't like statements like this. What if the homes that she has lined up would never have thought to adopt a kitten or cat but they are doing it because a friend or family member has one available? There are many multiple cat homes as well so because someone has one cat doesn't mean they will never get another one. Owning one cat, often times people go and rescue one from a shelter. While I think that this cat needs to be spayed, I don't think trying to passive aggressively tell her that she's leaving cats in a shelter is very nice.

Originally Posted by otto

In another forum there was a big debate recently about breeding moggies. Those who do it justify it by claiming they do it because there is a "shortage of kittens" in the UK. <sigh>

I'd rather see a cat euthanized rather than living on the street riddled with disease and starving, and a target for every cat hater who walks by.

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I wish there was a shortage of kittens in the UK, kitten season started quite early for us this year, which surprised me as we had a very bad winter.

I am sorry if you didn't like my statement Carlysmom (sorry, dont know how to multi-quote), but I have devoted a large part of the last 6 years of my life to rescue work, and that is my view when people allow their cats to have a litter. I actually dont like the thought of someone who wouldn't have owned a cat except they know someone whos cat had kittens, that to me isn't the right reason to adopt a cat, and I would worry in case they hadn't thought it through enough. I do appreciate that some people struggle to home from a rescue, I am lucky that none of the rescues I have fostered for are of the strict 'can't adopt if you have kids' kind, we adopted a lot of cats out to people who had been turned down from other rescues in the area because of that.

There are certainly instances where a person who would never have thought about getting a kitten decides to adopt from a friend who has a kitten available, but honestly; deliberately bred kittens, whether they go to a friend's home or a stranger, are "taking up" a home for 12+ years that could have POTENTIALLY gone to a kitten in need. Yes, the person may not have been considering getting a kitten right now, but can you really say they wouldn't have considered getting one from other sources 3 years from now? You see what I mean? In theory, every kitten that is bred, deliberately or through negligence on the human guardian's part, is taking a home from a kitten who is already in this world for whatever reason. People who say "if you spayed and neutered every kitten, there would be no cats" (and yes, rescuers do hear that argument) are basing their statement on the theory that each person in this world will be responsible, and we all know that that will probably never happen. But those we can reach, and those that will listen; we must try.

I don't ever want to make anyone feel bad, but there has to come a point where people start realizing what impact their actions have on the bigger picture. This is just one example of that. Something to ponder...

And not everyone would even think to go to a rescue to get a cat. Some people just don't think that way. Many people want free kittens not kittens that they have to pay $85. I personally think that the price you pay for a shelter kitten/cat is exceptional for what you get but not everyone thinks that way.

This argument can go round and round for ages and we'll drag pure breed breeders into the mix too, because of them, they take homes from shelter cats also but many people want to own pure breeds. I just don't think that making someone feel bad for an accident is going to help anything. If she continues to allow her cat to get pregnant, she needs a lecture but if it was a one time incident, she has homes for the kittens, and she's getting her cat spayed when the kittens are weaned, she's learned a lesson no need for the comments.

Originally Posted by Carlysmom

And not everyone would even think to go to a rescue to get a cat. Some people just don't think that way. Many people want free kittens not kittens that they have to pay $85. I personally think that the price you pay for a shelter kitten/cat is exceptional for what you get but not everyone thinks that way.

This argument can go round and round for ages and we'll drag pure breed breeders into the mix too, because of them, they take homes from shelter cats also but many people want to own pure breeds. I just don't think that making someone feel bad for an accident is going to help anything. If she continues to allow her cat to get pregnant, she needs a lecture but if it was a one time incident, she has homes for the kittens, and she's getting her cat spayed when the kittens are weaned, she's learned a lesson no need for the comments.

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This was no accidental litter:

I was happy for her to get pregnant and the daddy is my male cat. Its personal choice and although there are problems out there and issues it was never something I felt i must do and get her done. I was happy to wait and allow her to have a litter.

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We aren't trying to make the poster feel bad. We are trying to educate the poster, and any one else reading who may not realize, why it is better to not "allow" these unnecessary (IMO) litters to happen.

The female cat does not need to have a pregnancy and litter to feel complete. Cats, in fact, are better off and have fewer health risks if they never have a litter at all. They do not miss or crave motherhood.

This person has an intact male and female. The female can go into heat again at any time, and with an intact male in the home, it's just a matter of time before the mother cat gets pregnant again.

The male should be neutered now, and the female as soon as the kittens are weaned. And the kittens should be spayed and neutered before being adopted out. It's just the right thing to do.