Precious had her babies!!

kittyl0ve4

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Precious had her kittens yesterday! Unfortunately I wasn't here for it as I thought still had a few days to go, I wasn't expecting her to have them right now. Anyway, she had them under the stairs. i'll explain how the stairs in this house are set up.. The staircase is surrounded by a wooden wall type thing with a door.. underneath is a lot of space there and also a lot of stuff under there. luckily though they are right within reach when the door is open. I don't like that they are there though, I set up a few nests in my room, but she didn't like them I guess. I don't want them under the stairs because Mittens likes to open the door (there isn't a knob or anything and she know how to put her paw in the opening between the wall and door and pull to get up). We had a lock on the outside, and a lock on the inside to keep her from getting in but the lock on the outside broke, I'm afraid she will go under there and hurt the kittens or get into a fight with Precious. I want to get them all and put them in one of the nests I set out. But i'm not sure about it.. I don't want her to abandon them cuz I moved them, or moving them back to where she had them. Should I move them?? i won't do anything til i get an answer from you guys.

Anyway, I think I saw five under there, but I couldn't see so good cuz they were nursing and there were a couple that weren't. One is red, and one looks kinda like Precious, like part of the "m" on Precious' forhead is red, and its kinda like that. The rest were tabby, maybe one tabby and white but i'm not sure. I was able to pick up the red one and the one that looks like her, because they were the only 2 not eating at that time. Another reason I don't want them where they are is because it's not easy to be on my knees trying to see and opening the door with other people trying to get by. She had no problem with my handling them, she lays there and purrs while they're nursing. She left them once that I saw to munch on some food, but by the time i went to see them with out her there she was already back with them and plopped down to cuddle with them..

So, should I move them?
 

mrblanche

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Originally Posted by KiTTYL0VE4

i'll explain how the stairs in this house are set up.. The staircase is surrounded by a wooden wall type thing with a door.. underneath is a lot of space there and also a lot of stuff under there. luckily though they are right within reach when the door is open.
If they're safe, leave them there for right now. Precious may well move them herself, soon, especially if you provide a nice nest for her and show her where it is.

So...you have a Harry Potter room, huh?
 
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kittyl0ve4

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Well, I was too excited to see what they all looked like and everything.. There are five gorgeous babies. I took a couple pics of them while some were nursing. My boyfriend has to upload them to the computer and I will post them. I love them SO much. I will get some individual pics of them when I can take them out. So, I did try to move them, but she CLEARLY did not want them anywhere but under the stairs, as soon as I brought them all up here she took one back. So I took the rest and put them back. You were right.. If she wants them up here she will bring them up here. She has left them a couple of times to eat and drink and also spend some cuddle time with me. She goes back every so often and when I look they are nursing. I looked at her nipples and not all of them look like they have milk and sometimes I see a kitten trying to push another kitten off of a nipple. She is SUCH a GOOD mommy! She doesn't mind that I pet them or hold them. She does keep her eye on my hands as I'm holding one of her babies, she has to see it at all times. She trusts me, I never thought she would be protective of them when it comes to me. I was right. I pet her while she's feeding them and can tell she loves it, she look so relaxed and is purring non-stop the whole time she is with them.

I am going out tonight to get a kitchen scale to weigh them. I had one from when Monster was a baby but I can't find it so I'm going out to get a new one and am going to weigh them and keep track of their weight. I also decided that I'm gunna get KMR and a bottle to help her feed them since they seem to be fighting a little for nipples. I need to help I think. Since i can't really sit down at the bottom of the stairs that much to pet them and try to get then used to my touch, I decided that I will take them all out and weigh them, feed them, pet them a little, and put them back under the stairs.. When I do take them out later, I am going to put something soft in the spot she has them because the only thing thats there is a piece of paper. I'm gunna throw that out and replace it with a blanket, that won't catch their claws.. btw, i know it's too early to clip their claws now, but at what age is a good time to start??
 
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kittyl0ve4

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Ok.. My boyfriend got me a bigger box than the ones i had.. I called her to me and she came, I put her in the box.. and a little while later she moved them to the box. It has high sides so my boyfriend cut a little hole on one side so she can get in and out easier.

I went and got the scale.. No particular order since I wasn't here to see who was born first.

Red tabby (M) - 4oz
Tabby w/ red (F) - 4oz
Tabby with nore black stripes (M?) - 5oz
Brown tabby (??) - 4 oz
Gray tabby (M?) - 2 oz

I bought some KMR and bottles, I fed 3 of them, more like I tried to feed them. They weren't too accepting of the bottles, And they are so hard to use. I went to a pharmacy and wound up leaving with some medicine droppers which I think will work perfectly. I want to focus on the tabby with more gray because he is smaller.
 

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Congrats! I think you are doing good. If they gain enough weight everyday (7-10 grams), I am not sure you need to feed them. And if you keep them all away from the nest to weight them and feed them, make sure they stay warm during this period.
Other than that, I have no other suggestions, you seem to be doing quite well! Keep us posted.
 

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I agree that you don't need to feed them unless one seems to be struggling (just being smaller isn't an indication of struggling). KMR is second-best nutrition (mama's milk is always best), and if you supplement too much her milk supply might decrease. Plus the feeding attempts might stress them, and there's always the risk of aspiration when giving newborns milk. Best not to do it unless truly necessary. 5 kittens isn't too many for her to feed herself. Just weigh them every day and only supplement if one isn't growing properly. Jockeying for the best nipples is normal, and in itself doesn't mean that they aren't getting enough.

Post pics! They sound adorable!
 
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kittyl0ve4

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Well, I weighed them earlier this afternoon and again just now.. They are all the same, 4 oz. When yesterday and earlier one of the kittens was 5 oz.. But yesterday one was 2 oz and when I weighed it earlier it was 3 oz and now 4 oz.

I'll stop with the feedings then if yous don't think it needs to be done. I've only done it twice anyway, and only a little bit each time. I gave Precious what was left over, I figured it wouldn't hurt.
Maybe I'm worrying for nothing. I've never had a litter of kittens. I had a solo but he wasn't this young. Precious is a wonderful mommy so I'm sure I have nothing to worry about. When they're sleeping she leaves them but is always right there and if she hears them squeaking she gets up and looks to make sure they're fine.

I will post pics, I already took them, just gotta get BF to put them on the comp.
 
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kittyl0ve4

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Oh yeah.. Last night while I was sleeping she moved them from the box to under my bed. I left them there, I have easy access to them because my bed is a futon so I can lift up one side and leave it up while I weigh them, and just when I feel like looking at them..

Seriously, I think Precious is in heaven while she's taking care of her babies. I can hear her purring while she's feeding them.
 

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Yeah, cats usually do an excellent job of caring for their kittens. Even in less-than-stellar conditions....or there wouldn't be so many unwanted kitties in the world. It's rare that a cat needs any help to care for her kittens in the first few weeks.

You can give the KMR to Precious. It'll give her extra nutrition, help her make enough milk to keep everyone satisfied. She's already on kitten food, right?
 
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kittyl0ve4

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Yes, I've had her on wet and dry kitten food since about 3-4 weeks after she got pregnant. I even got treats that are for kittens so even when she's getting treats, they're kitten treats.

I just hope that when I weigh them tomorrow they weigh more than 4 oz.
 
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kittyl0ve4

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Well.. The babies are doing great. They're always eating or sleeping.. But if they're awake they wander a bit.. There's one that keeps wandering out from under the bed.. If she's nursing someof them, she won't come out to get the escapee, so I always put him back, then he will wander out again..I've caught the baby with the red on her face sleeping on her back and she sometimes has a paw in her mouth.


So, there is a red tabby, a tabby with red on her face, and 3 brown or gray tabbies with black stripes. Those 3 are very hard to tell apart.. One has a lighter colored nose.. But the other 2 have the same color nose, so I can't tell those 2 apart, I think they're twins. Because of that, I get confused when I weigh them. I take one at a time from the nest, weigh, then put them in a different nest until I'm done weighing, but bcause I can't tell 2 apart, I'm not sure I am writing down the right weight for the right kitten. I can't find any non-toxic nail polish or anything to try to be able to tell them apart.. Any other ideas?

Yesterday, They all weighed between 3-4 oz.. Because of that, I'm worried. But when I weighed them today, they were all different.

(Big) black & gray - 7 oz
(Lil) black & gray - 6 oz
Tabby with diff. Colored nose - 3 oz
Tabby w/ red - 4 oz
Red tabby - 5 oz

I still don't like how some haven't gained or some have lost weight. How can I tell they're getting enough milk? I'm telling ya, her nipples don't seem like they're producing, idk.
 
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kittyl0ve4

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I just figured out the sex of all of them.. I was wrong, I thought they were all male besides the one with the red on her face.. But I was just looking and I got it figured right. I was looking for differences in the 3 tabbies.. The one with the lighter colored nose also has a face that is more brown than gray, where the other two have grayer faces. Idk how I can find a way to tell those two apart.. One is bigger by an ounce, but I can't really go by that cuz that can always change.. They're both female so of course that doesn't help.

Anyway.. The I have two males, the red tabby and the tabby with the brown face and lighter color nose. Of course, the tabby with the red on her face is a female, as well as the two identical tabbies.

I also have a potential home for one. I was at the store today and I saw a customer I knew from my old job. We always talked about cats when I would see her.. I had told her about how I found Precious and yada yada. When I saw her today I told her how Precious got pregnant and just had kittens. She asked me for my number and called me about 10 minutes later saying she wanted to bring her daughter over to look at them. I had to go out.. But I'm going to call her tomorrow and see if she wants to come over, look and possibly pick one out. The only problem is if they pick out one of the two tabbies that I can't tell apart, how will I know I'm giving them the right kitten 12 weeks from now??

And OMG, I love to just sit there and watch them be kittens.. I love watching them sleep. They all make little squeaks and twitch their feet for tails, their paws grab their faces.. Sometimes I'll catch one with its tongue sticking out a little. Some of them sleep on their backs.. Today, the one with the red face was sleeping on her back, she had had her paw in her mouth, then she started like, licking it a little.. I didn't think they did that stuff this young. And just a few hours ago, Precious was feeding them and she was laying there with her tongue sticking out. I am totally loving this kitten thing! When I get my own place I might sign up to foster preggos or something because this is amazing! Precious is gunna be spayed when these kittens are weaned.. I am also thinking about getting the kittens fixed too if I can get a discount. The vet around the corner from me gave me a discount when I took Monster there as a kitten, because I found him and took im in. So maybe if I go to him and tell him how she followed me home, but got out and pregnant before I could get her fixed, maybe he will give me a discount.I am already dreading the day they go to new homes becuase I love each and every one of them already.
 
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kittyl0ve4

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Quick question, at what age do kittens usually start opening their eyes?? I figured mine wouldn't open their eyes so young. But I was taking them and weighing them.. And the little girl with the red on her face had one eye open, and it looked like the other one was getting close to being open. I assume that since her eyes are opening, that the others' eyes will also start opening? Also, a couple of them have already lost their cords. Is it normal for their eyes to be open already? And their cords to already be falling off?? They were born on Friday, so they're 5 days old. Since I now know all their sex, I am starting to think of names.. But its hard, really hard. I am sick of calling them "the red one" or "the tabby with the red on her face". .. I'm naming the one with the red on her face Lola. And the "twins" will be Purrdy and Heidi. I can't tell them apart tho so I'm not sure who's who. All of those names are after childhood pets that I loved so much. The boys are being named after my two favorite rappers. The red one will be called Weezy (after Lil' Wayne who I LOVE!), and the brown-faced tabby will be called Slim (after the rapper Eminem who also calls himself Slim Shady and who is also my favorite!). I weighed them all today and they all weighed 5 oz except Lola who was 4.5 oz.

ETA: The kittens' claws have really grown a lot since they were born.. Can I use a pair of baby nail clippers to just trim off the tips of their claws?
 

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I know how you feel about loving to watch them just being kitten! It is a good idea to foster later if you want too. It's what I do. It is a way to enjoy kittens without contributing to the cat overpopulation. Plus, I make sure that they go into great families and won't become other homeless cats in the future.

For development, I know their eyes should be opening around the second week, but some are faster than others. I remember reading here about a breeder saying their kittens' eyes always opened around 5 days (wich I thought was impressive!). Maybe yours are just like them!
As for the cords, this is totally normal. It falls off pretty quickly (around 4-5 days old)
Also, one trick I fread somewhere (and did a few times) to distinguish one little kitten from the other when they look similar is to buy a non-toxic permanent marker and draw a little spot on one of the kitten's ear (on the outside). You might have to re-draw it everyday when it starts fading, but it helps a lot until they get a bit older. Usually when their eyes are open it is easier to tell them appart. They start to have distinctive traits and the shape of their eyes helps too.
And yes you can trim their nails. It will prevent causing infections or scratches on their mom's nipples and also prevent them for scratching each others when fighting for milk. I would do it when they sleep so that they don't move. You can do one nail at the time, they sleep so much at this age it won't take long until you are done!

You are doing a great job.
 
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