What IS it?

Hello, my cat, Candy, gave birth to kittens this morning, and as I was settling them in I found this huge bald patch on her with some sort of puss or cut or something in the middle of it. I've no idea what it is, and since this is her first litter I'm afraid to take her to the Vet. Thing is, tho, she gave birth in a really weird way. It was like she was totally panicking, she was padding all along outside the house while giving birth, and by the time I heard kittens squeaking, there were all scattered at random places in the yard. There were only four, too. I'm told the cat's mother gave birth in a similar way. Anyhow, I gathered them up in a box and they're settled in and fine now, but then I found this sort of gash on her side. She hasn't been around for a while, so no one was really expecting this to happen. We'd actually thought that one of our neighbors might have taken her in, and she would give birth at another house.

Anyway, HERE is a link to a picture of the bald spot. Can anyone tell me what it is? Is it fungus? She'd had fungus problem as a kitten, but that went away pretty quickly when I applied ointment on it. Could it have come back and turned into a rash of some sort? Honestly, to begin with, I'd thought one of the neighbors dogs had bitten her.

Also, I have another mommy cat who had kittens some months back. She actually helped one of Candy's kittens, ate the placenta and cleaned it and stuff, and moved it out of the gutter. Would she steal Candy's kittens to raise them herself, or is she just being helpful?

Four kittens in a first litter sounds about right. Please make sure to spay her when the babies are weaned Are Mama and babies inside now? I would reccomend keeping them inside if they are outside.

Make sure Candy has all the KITTEN food she cares to eat and plenty of FRESH water. Kitten food is important because it has the extra nutrients she needs since she is nursing. Those are some gorgeous kittens!

I am wondering if you could take some clearer shots and perhaps email the pictures to your veterinarian so he/she can determine if an appointment is needed.

From what I see in the photo it looks like a bit wound, and if it is infected she will need antibiotics. At a minimum you should call you vet. I am sure that the vet would have good recomendations about how to transport mom & babies.

HI! It looks like an absess possibly from a bite. If you are seeing pus she needs antibiotics. I would call the vet. Please have your cat spayed once the kittens are weaned. There are alot of low/cost clinics. You could also look into a TNR program and those usually cost around $30.oo per cat. Good luck with the kittens, they are beautiful.