Worried about newborn kittens - please help!

Aurora gave birth last week - a week later than the vet said! She gave birth right when I came down with a horrible infection due to an abscessed tooth! I am doing much better and even though I was horrible I have kept an eye on them - She delivered 5 kittens with me there the whole time although sadly one didn't make it - I tried rubbing his belly as I read online but their was no hope - he wasn't breathing. At first he was but she kind of negelected him in those first few moments - so not sure what went on there. But the other 4 seem to be doing great. Aurora is an awesome mom. She only eats when they are sleeping - they are pretty good about feeding and napping. 

I started rubbing them to help them go to the bathroom and almost every time they pee - a few times I had poop. Does this mean Aurora isn't doing her job enough?? I clean their box twice a day - I use wee wee pads and towels - I check on them to make sure they are warm - usually the pads are dirty and soaked - so I guess they are peeing and pooping with her - but I am nervous she isn't doing a good enough job.

My concern is about 2 of the kittens. One of them named Venus constantly meows and crawls around aimlessly - he even escaped a few times over my little barriers I made. I am planning on getting an actually kennel or crate for them by next week but right now they are in a box that is the perfect size so I block it with a rolled up towel or something tiny that Aurora can still get out of. But Venus will climb and climb. She also scrapes the box meowing like crazy. It upsets Aurora so I try and put her on Auroras belly. She usually turns around but then eventually she will go back and drink and that seems to be what she wanted. Sometimes I try to make her go to the bathroom and she does. She is a SCREECHER! She meows like crazy when I touch her - or when she is in the box. Is she OK? Is this normal kitten behavior? She drinks her milk all the time and I see her sleeping just fine but I don't know if her constant meowing when she isn't doing any of these things and constant attempts to escape are something that should worry me. I know they are blind so maybe I'm looking too into it?

Also today when I was checking all of them while my cat was eating to see if they had to go to the bathroom one kitten had poop. I had another kitten poop and it was kind of watery and bright. Came out OK - kinda tough though. But this one's poop was round and dark. Is that bad? Could the colors vary? I didn't see any blood. This may sound gross but I smeared it in a napkin to see the color and it was a brownish color. But the fact that it came out kind of hard, is that something that should worry me?? I am still recovering, but I wake myself up every so often to check on them, make sure they are all there, breathing, warm and what not. They seem to be doing great but I am worried about Venus' whining, and Nova's poop. Also if Aurora is pooping and peeing the enough. Should the spot where they are laying be dirty? Any help would be great. This has not been easy with my getting ill at the exact wrong time. Thanks for any advice!! Showing off some pictures!

Are you weighing them?  The best way of knowing if there is a problem is checking if they are gaining weight, 10g per day or more, most days.

They don't need any attention from you to help them pee etc. if mum is looking after them, but it doesn't sound good that there are faeces and urine in the bed each day - after the first change when they are newborn there shouldn't be much, maybe the odd spot or two.  Possibly she is stimulating them to 'go' but not clearing up as they do so...  Having a kitten that's crying isn't good either.

However they all look to be feeding well in the last photo. 

She needs as much good-quality food to eat as she wants.

I was going to say the same thing - it is the best way to put your mind at rest

Their weight is fine - they have been growing everyday it seems - I take photos every single day so I see their growth. All of them are constantly feeding and napping and peeing and pooping. They literally constantly drink which I know is normal for them. Just in between this Venus will meow and meow and search and search - but then after a few times of putting him on her nipple he starts sucking for a while then passes out. So I know they all are doing OK as far as that. I just get nervous with his meows in between. Very stubborn too. He hates when I guide him to her nipples. But eventually he latches on. He is active. Always climbing, Always stomping on the others for the nipple he wants. Quite the bully!! And loud. Just wondering if meows for kittens are normal. The others are pretty quiet, he is the loudest one. Not sure if that's just a personality he has.

Thanks for the help!

Agree. This poop round, dark, rather hard,   he had prob a little "hard stomach", so good you did saw it. Dont worry, but keep observe.

The consistency is normally more or less like toothpaste.  Varies more if they get substitute milk.

Good luck!

Should I be concerned about this? My cat all of a sudden keeps laying this way, it's making it difficult for kittens to feed. She is bathing them, and eating and going back to the box - espcially when she hears them cry for her - but I don't know why she is doing this all of a sudden - it is making them hard to get in and drink easy. She isn't spreading out as much as she was - she is laying in a tight way - is this really bad?! So nervous about all of this!!

jenelleaurora12 said:

Should I be concerned about this? My cat all of a sudden keeps laying this way, it's making it difficult for kittens to feed. She is bathing them, and eating and going back to the box - espcially when she hears them cry for her - but I don't know why she is doing this all of a sudden - it is making them hard to get in and drink easy. She isn't spreading out as much as she was - she is laying in a tight way - is this really bad?! So nervous about all of this!!

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There's no picture with this post. We can't see how she's lying.

As long as they Re latching on to feed, you don't have anything to worry about. It looks to me like she's trying to keep them warm. How cool is it in your house?

I wonder if she is not cleaning them properly because she looks to you as a surrogate Mom, and knows you will do the "dirty work" for her (pun somewhat intended). I would maybe not stimulate them for a 1/2 day-day and see what she does. If you don't do it for her she may gear back into Mom mode and take care of things on her own. Sometimes, our helping out has unintended consequences- if Aurora knows you will step in she may back off of her mothering duties, which is not good. But certainly, a kitten should not be laying in waste so if she isn't eliminating them then you don't have a choice. I just think maybe give her a chance to take back over her job- if she doesn't, then intervene. 

I am more concerned about their crying than anything else. Happy, healthy kittens are quiet ones at a week old. It may be time to call the vet and get their opinion on if something else is going on.....

Agree with Bigperm- her positioning isn't odd so long as they are all still nursing. She looks quite comfy to me! 

thank you for your replies - yeah maybe I am overbearing - I mean I sleep for 8 or 9 hours straight and hey manage just fine without me!

However I am concerned about 2 of them... they keep making these sniffing sounds - but it sounds like they are breathing out - I checked their noses - don't see anything blocking them or anything leaking out - also their eyes and mouth are clean - I know they could be a sign of a cold - should I be worried? I am so scared something will happen to them I really am. Read so many posts of people loosing kittens and I really really don't want that happening here. Should I be worried? I can put up a video of them doing it if that helps. It sounds like they are huffing kind of. But it sounds like they are breathing out not in. It is quite loud. I know kittens should be quiet. Mine whine a lot. They feed good, poop and pee looks good, they sleep good - everything seems normal - but if they get stepped on by another one always whines about it - they hate when I touch them they cry like crazy I'm like the devil to these kittens - they have really good lungs! They squirm a lot - not all the time - just nervous!!!

So is the nose noise something bad?? Should I get to the vet right away - I am thinking about doing so anyways, but it is expensive and I was just sick so it's all a lot of money. Any idea if that's normal for them to make that noise? PLEASE ANY HELP!! THANK YOU!!

I THINK the noise you are describing is them suckling without a nipple there. 

I see kittens do this all the time: They nurse, fall asleep and Mom moves. When they wake up their automatic instinct is to nurse so they "suckle" the air. If Mom hasn't caught on that they are up at that point they may make a cry or two to get her attention. 

If that describes what you are hearing nothing to worry about so long as you are weighing them everyday and they are gaining. They grow out of it.  

It sounds to me like you are describing tiny kittens hissing. they rely heavily on their sense of smell. They know moms scent as mom and anything else they tend to hiss. Even though you are handling them often they are just startled by your scent. I had kittens I bottle raised and at that age they would hiss at me who they recognized as mom if I had just come out of the shower, just because I smelled different. As they start to develop their sight and hearing they will stop.

Here is the noise she keeps making - im putting a link to the youtube video on my page of her doing it - just took it now - she is almost doing it constantly now - only breaking when she is sleeping - but I hear it even when she i suckling - I keep checking her airways they all seem clear - when I pick her up she meows just fine - she has been eating - it seems way too frequent to be a sneeze - but maybe I am wrong - her mouth is open when she is making the noise PLEASE HELP!! She is one of my favorites!!! I want to know if this is suckling just loudly or something very very bad - thank yoU!

Didn't realize how loud tv was - here is a more quiet one 

I don't recognize the sound in either video. Is it the ticking sound?

here is a MUCH better one - ANY HELP PLEASE!! Making me sooo nervous! 

Hhhhrrrrrmmmmmmm It's not a sound I have ever heard before so I can't say. 

But, since it is so concerning to you I really, really think you need to take her to the vet. If nothing else, just for your piece of mind. 

Yeah I am not sure yet. She doesn't do it when she sleeps so I dont think it is something like a cold or what not because why would sleeping stop it? I have a few other contacts that told me to avoid the vet if I can with kittens and Aurora. They have had instances where their cats caught something from the vet. They aren't even a full week yet - so I am not sure what I will do. Big hassle to take them all out. Makes me very nervous! I am gonna wait and see if anyone has anything else to add. She might just be making a loud sucking noise. Not sure. I am worried and I will 100% take them to vet if it does become a true concern. I don't want anything happening to any of them. She seems alright otherwise. Pottying good, drinking good, sleeping good, even her eyes are starting to open. So I will see. Thanks for taking  a look at it. Hopefully someone else might be able to identify. 

Are you watching their weights carefully? If she's gaining and everything else seems fine (which it does from what you are describing) and it were me I would just sit on it. 

Agreed sometimes the vet can cause more harm than good. But, if your stressed all the time Aurora is going to pick that up and that's not good for her or the kittens. So, you just have to weigh the benefits of having a professional look at them and calming your nerves versus the risks of taking them out. Of course, if any start losing weight it is worth the risk to the vet. 

Weighing them at the same time everyday is absolutely the most important thing you do. Really, for these first few weeks it's the only time I handle the kittens. Otherwise, I give lots of attention and praise to the Mom and let her do what comes naturally to her. I intervene as little as possible so as not to disrupt her routine. She knows what she's doing- have faith in that.