Cats combining litters?

I am looking after two female cats for my Mum while she is on holiday. They are sisters from the same litter. The first gave birth nearly a month ago, the second gave birth only a matter of days ago. Recently the first litter seem to have found their legs and I have twice caught the first Mum moving them to new "nests." I know this is instinctive and normal, but I can't allow her upstairs for fear of the kittens falling through the banisters. I therefore shut her in the kitchen and left her with a small pen made up of several chairs laid down to stop the kittens wondering too far.

In the mean time the second Mum has been rearing her litter in a small black cage in the same room but round the corner in the utility room. I left to go to college this morning and when I came home I found the first Mum has moved her kittens, and herself, into the small cage with her sister and her litter and they appear to have made a nursery. The cage was simply too small for 8 kittens and two mothers so I took the cage apart and expanded the pillows over the floor and using more chairs made a new pen in the utility room.

They appear to be sharing all of the responsibilities now but I am unsure of what to do. The first litter who have several weeks growth on their side are fairly larger than their cousins and I fear they may hurt them. I also fear them sucking both mothers dry and the second litter starving to death but when I tried separating them, both mothers stayed with the older kittens. They are all feeding and I am yet to see any obvious problems but I can find no mention of mothers sharing litters together anywhere, especially with the several weeks age gap. The second, younger litter, are not even a week old and have not even opened their eyes yet. Where as the first litter consisted of 4, the second was made up of 5, one of whom sadly did not make it. They are noticeably smaller than the first litter were when they were born and I am wondering if they need even more milk to develop fully and therefore allowing the mothers to combine their kittens is the wrong thing to do? Any advise would be appreciated immensely!

I recite an answer I gave several days ago on a very similiar question, and after it, I fill up some.

"Moms helping each other with their litters is not uncommon. Quite common among free living cats.
So health-alike it shouldnt be problems by itself.
It CAN be problems if they dont agree, or one of them is totally taking over - and perhaps not doing a good job of it...
So you the owner must of course observe some, and if necessary - separate them.
But if everything seems fine and nobody gets hurt and everyone happy - you can do as you prefer it.
Are you a breeder? For a breeder it is essential to know 100% which kitten and which mom belongs (may be problem if both moms and kittens are of the same breed).
So if you are a breeder and both same breed - I would suggest to separate them, or at the very least, mark the kittens. (nail-colour on their nails!).
If you are a "common" cat owner, or rescuer, I would suggest you to spay the moms as soon it is convenient.... (and later on the kittens, but it is another story)."
"

Jamie. So. The overall picture is normal and OK. You are unsure if the younger litter gets enough of nourishment.
Really, the only way to know is to weigh them every day at the same time and circumstances.
As long as they gain weigh every day, and seems to thrive and be happy - everything well and good.
If not, you must watch out, and be prepared for giving them some extra...

Keep us updated, and welcome with all your question!

Good luck!

Thank you for the speedy reply. I don't know anyone who has the faintest idea about what to do with kittens and this has had me pulling my hair out with worry.
It could just be my own paranoia but it seems to me there are two which are noticeably worse off than their siblings and I wondered just what I can do to give them a helping hand? I have seen hand rearing kittens mentioned on here a fair amount but I don't see the value in taking them away from their Mum when I can't give them much better care myself.

Having said this I hated having to bury a kitten and I am more than willing to do anything if I believe they are better off in my care but for now I would like to try giving them extra milk while keeping them with their Mums. But as I have mentioned I am totally in the dark about how to do so or what milk they should get? There is kitten milk at my local supermarket, would this and a small baby bottle be all I really needed? And would hand feeding these two every now and then effect they treatment they receive from their mothers in any way? I am willing to take them out and look after them myself if that is the case. Any more advice you can give would be greatly appreciated, and please I am totally in the dark about this so please assume I know nothing! Thanks once again!

Originally Posted by JamieK

And would hand feeding these two every now and then effect they treatment they receive from their mothers in any way?

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No it shouldnt. Especielly not if the moms knows you, and dont see you as their especial enemy.
However, there is some small danger. It is easier to eat from the bottle than from moms tit. So sometimes it happens such extra hand helped kitten doesnt any longer try to eat moms milk.
But. It is often not the milk part which is difficult, but washing them, helping them with "bathroom". Here the moms will probably proceed with that.

The kitten milk: if it is written it is kitten mother substitute milk it should be OK. although there are brands which arent wery good. A good pet shop whould be safer.
The danger is this is the so called Cat milk, ie basically a common cow milk, but lactose free milk... Even this should be better than nothing, but not good.
Do you by any chance have possibility to get goat milk? Rescuers in poor countries witness goat milk is OK for small kittens. Having goat milk you dont need to think about brands.

Look out the site www.kitten-rescue.com, you will surely find some ideas there. It is for raising of orphans but useful for you too...

There were threads here about such question... the answerers the are more knowleable about the practics....



(If they kittens are visibly weakening, it is rather hurry!!! it is an uphill once they are falling down the slide...)

Good luck!


ps. Let the weakeast lay to moms when the biggest are sleeping. so the smallest will hopefully be alone with the moms and their tits. With any luck this may do the trick.