My cat just went into labor and has had one kitten so far.. she didn't really lick him or herself, and I've had to cut the cord and take the placenta away. She's already gotten up drank water, but she just doesn't want to be around this first kitten.. I've brought her back and tried making her feed the kitten but she isn't having it. I'm afraid for the both of them and I need to know what to do. This is her first litter so I'm thinking she doesn't know what to do.. Help??
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My cat won't aknowledge her kitten
- Thread starter yvrocha
- Start Date
Yes, it is a difficult and unclear situation. Our forumites meet it sometimes. Most often, her modernal instincts do kick in after a while, and usually it goes well in the end.
Here may be also she is in pains, as she surely is, the delivery proceeding.
You are doing very well so far, doing what must be done.
So hope for the best, but in the meantime, you must do your best to help the kitten. Before all, make sure they are warm. Cats body temp is a little higher than humans, so what is comfortable warm for you is a little chilly for the cats. But too much warmth is not good either...
Have you gears for giving them food or at least, water? Kmr or goat milk, as moms milk replacement,
for emergencies
dextrose/glucose sugar is best, white caro sirap is often used, honey or even common sugar can also be used...
How and when we write if necessary.
There are also sites for advices on handraising orphan kittens, if mom doesnt want to do with them.
But lets hope for the best! Keep in touch!!!
Welcome to the Forums!
Good luck!
Here may be also she is in pains, as she surely is, the delivery proceeding.
You are doing very well so far, doing what must be done.
So hope for the best, but in the meantime, you must do your best to help the kitten. Before all, make sure they are warm. Cats body temp is a little higher than humans, so what is comfortable warm for you is a little chilly for the cats. But too much warmth is not good either...
Have you gears for giving them food or at least, water? Kmr or goat milk, as moms milk replacement,
for emergencies
dextrose/glucose sugar is best, white caro sirap is often used, honey or even common sugar can also be used...
How and when we write if necessary.
There are also sites for advices on handraising orphan kittens, if mom doesnt want to do with them.
But lets hope for the best! Keep in touch!!!
Welcome to the Forums!
Good luck!
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thank you so much for your reply.. It's been a few hours now and she's still only had one. I took a trip to pet smart to pick up a bottle and a can of the GNC premium milk replacer.
But I forgot to mention that for the past few days she's been walking around really slow and her meow is strained.
She still doesn't show any affection to her kitten though..
I should start feeding it now I suppose.
But I forgot to mention that for the past few days she's been walking around really slow and her meow is strained.
She still doesn't show any affection to her kitten though..
I should start feeding it now I suppose.
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- Mar 2, 2013
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Mmake sure you do what mama gag does in the feeding of kitten flop -assume you have some and taking tissues after rubbing v her yummy so she eliminates. I have raised a few litters of orphaned kits and they need to be kept arm. Will mama teach her some essentials -hinting, meowing, playing, litter training when that comes of is it complrtr Abandonment.
I believe it was Hissy who h's an artist le here on baby otphan kittens. There is a site called kittenrescue.org and if necessary wi have a boom I digitalized that I wrote for a vet fritnd of mainly health issues but there is some kitten help I can send you.
Take care and best of luck w / your bee baby!!!
I believe it was Hissy who h's an artist le here on baby otphan kittens. There is a site called kittenrescue.org and if necessary wi have a boom I digitalized that I wrote for a vet fritnd of mainly health issues but there is some kitten help I can send you.
Take care and best of luck w / your bee baby!!!
Is she still in labour? Just wondering if there is a problem. Keep the kitten warm and fed it on its tummy not its back.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
I really don't know.. I would think she still is because her stomach still feels hard and and full.. but she's still only had one and it's been 4 hours since she's had it. She still hasn't fed it, and is still ignoring him. I feel like I'm running out of options and I can't be there to take care of it by myself around the clock. I have other cats but they are not used to adopting kittens.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
It is six hours ago now... It was deep night here at my place inbetween... Sorry.
I hope you HAD began to give her this GNC kmr, etc... If not do it now, perhaps it is not too late.
About the mom. Phone your vet and ask. I got a feeling there may have be some complication, as you write she wasnt well already before the delivery.
A stop in the labor is not uncommon, and if the mom is happy, busying herself with the kittens, seems and looks OK, you dont need to worry too much, just observe.
But if there seems to be problems over several hours, like unfruitful labor, you must contact the vet. Begin by phoning, but be ready to rush in.
continuing
if you must handraise the kittens, there are several good places in your TCS site, and on internet.
www.kitten-rescue.com mentioned above is one,
I usually do google for the others; fabsayc kitten handraising, and messybeasts kitten handraising
(or rearing).
Last, not least, I do paste an answer I gave in another thread 10 minutes ago. You have perhaps some use of the answer you too.
"
I agree with above. start immediately with manual feeding, if you hadnt done it yet.
Not suckling more than some hour is NOT normal. It may be some serious wrong with the kitten, but if you do want to give them at least a chance, you must help them manually, at least, to begin with.
Be sure they are warm enough. they are also prob dehydrated by now...
continuing.
Exactly what you do depends on what gear you do have, also how near you have to your vet, and if the vet (or someone else knows) how to tube feed, and can show you.
Suitable bottles you can buy in pet shop.
An injection - without needle of course, may be such a plastic dosage injection you can get in pharmacy.
A medical dropper...
Some type of kmr-milk, may be the KMR brand. Goat milk is also OK, but not cow milk.
Basic pedialyte you make of:
1 litre water
2 soup spoons dextrose/glucose sugar (other sugars are OK but dextrose best) 15-18 gram
1 tea spoon kitchen salt. Minerale salt is best, but common kitchen salt OK.
Cook up, let is swallow to body temp. Dont spare too long, better make a new portion.
Useful for children, kittens, adults...
If they are already weak, you can boost up the energy by setting in a little wet dextrose sugar or white caro syrup on their gum... Make sure they are warm but not too warm.
You can also massage a little.
What the vet can do: injection some pedialyte, as they get dehydrated very easily.
Begin feeding by tube directly into the stomach. Very effective, the problem is, even many vets dont know how to do it. and it is too dangerous and difficult to begin and try out on your own.
Somebody MUST give you good lessons and instructions.
If they survive, make sure you do weigh them every day, to follow up the development. It is often the only way to know if they get enough (going up) or if something is wrong (standing still or going down).
Use for example a kitchen scale graded in grammes.
Hope that helps some....
Good luck!
I hope you HAD began to give her this GNC kmr, etc... If not do it now, perhaps it is not too late.
About the mom. Phone your vet and ask. I got a feeling there may have be some complication, as you write she wasnt well already before the delivery.
A stop in the labor is not uncommon, and if the mom is happy, busying herself with the kittens, seems and looks OK, you dont need to worry too much, just observe.
But if there seems to be problems over several hours, like unfruitful labor, you must contact the vet. Begin by phoning, but be ready to rush in.
continuing
if you must handraise the kittens, there are several good places in your TCS site, and on internet.
www.kitten-rescue.com mentioned above is one,
I usually do google for the others; fabsayc kitten handraising, and messybeasts kitten handraising
(or rearing).
Last, not least, I do paste an answer I gave in another thread 10 minutes ago. You have perhaps some use of the answer you too.
"
I agree with above. start immediately with manual feeding, if you hadnt done it yet.
Not suckling more than some hour is NOT normal. It may be some serious wrong with the kitten, but if you do want to give them at least a chance, you must help them manually, at least, to begin with.
Be sure they are warm enough. they are also prob dehydrated by now...
continuing.
Exactly what you do depends on what gear you do have, also how near you have to your vet, and if the vet (or someone else knows) how to tube feed, and can show you.
Suitable bottles you can buy in pet shop.
An injection - without needle of course, may be such a plastic dosage injection you can get in pharmacy.
A medical dropper...
Some type of kmr-milk, may be the KMR brand. Goat milk is also OK, but not cow milk.
Basic pedialyte you make of:
1 litre water
2 soup spoons dextrose/glucose sugar (other sugars are OK but dextrose best) 15-18 gram
1 tea spoon kitchen salt. Minerale salt is best, but common kitchen salt OK.
Cook up, let is swallow to body temp. Dont spare too long, better make a new portion.
Useful for children, kittens, adults...
If they are already weak, you can boost up the energy by setting in a little wet dextrose sugar or white caro syrup on their gum... Make sure they are warm but not too warm.
You can also massage a little.
What the vet can do: injection some pedialyte, as they get dehydrated very easily.
Begin feeding by tube directly into the stomach. Very effective, the problem is, even many vets dont know how to do it. and it is too dangerous and difficult to begin and try out on your own.
Somebody MUST give you good lessons and instructions.
If they survive, make sure you do weigh them every day, to follow up the development. It is often the only way to know if they get enough (going up) or if something is wrong (standing still or going down).
Use for example a kitchen scale graded in grammes.
Hope that helps some....
Good luck!
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I would consider a vet check to make sure the mother cat is OK and doesn't have a kitten or kittens left she can't deliver. It's also possible that just a singleton isn't enough to keep her interested in which case she should be spayed ASAP as she could start calling very soon and get pregnant again.
The baby needs keeping warm and hydrated, and you do need to start feeding it but it MUST be warm when you give it milk, and you MUST feed it in the position it would feed from it's mother in - on it's tummy with it's head slightly up. It needs feeding every 2 hours night and day as well.
Be very careful to make the replacement milk exactly - too strong leads to constipation, too weak and you are filling the kitten with water not nutrition. Weigh each day in grams at about the same time - failure to gain is a bit warning sign. Grams are better than ounces for this as you would be dealing in whole numbers, not decimals, and a cheap set of electronic kitchen scales work fine.
Lots more information:
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/kittens/handrearing.html
The baby needs keeping warm and hydrated, and you do need to start feeding it but it MUST be warm when you give it milk, and you MUST feed it in the position it would feed from it's mother in - on it's tummy with it's head slightly up. It needs feeding every 2 hours night and day as well.
Be very careful to make the replacement milk exactly - too strong leads to constipation, too weak and you are filling the kitten with water not nutrition. Weigh each day in grams at about the same time - failure to gain is a bit warning sign. Grams are better than ounces for this as you would be dealing in whole numbers, not decimals, and a cheap set of electronic kitchen scales work fine.
Lots more information:
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/kittens/handrearing.html
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #10
I did plan on spaying my cat before all this but when it came around to it I didn't have the money at the time, and by the time I did I think she was already pregnant. I do plan on taking her to the vet and getting her checked out.
As far as the kittens though..
She had one at 3 in the afternoon yesterday
the other at around 7 at night
a third one in the middle of the night
and apparently a fourth sometime around 10 today.
This fourth one was a still born though.. I wasn't home at the time she had this one, but my mother told me that it was very cold and still and wasn't breathing. She eventually disposed of it before I got home.
My cat still isn't feeding her 3 kittens, not licking, or touching, she doesn't seem to care very much. I've fed the bottle fed the kittens and put them in a warm place.
As far as the kittens though..
She had one at 3 in the afternoon yesterday
the other at around 7 at night
a third one in the middle of the night
and apparently a fourth sometime around 10 today.
This fourth one was a still born though.. I wasn't home at the time she had this one, but my mother told me that it was very cold and still and wasn't breathing. She eventually disposed of it before I got home.
My cat still isn't feeding her 3 kittens, not licking, or touching, she doesn't seem to care very much. I've fed the bottle fed the kittens and put them in a warm place.
So you must continue with the handraising / handrearing... stimulate them to go potty, wash off, etc...
Good if you do weigh them everyday, so you know if they are gaining or if you do have difficulties coming in (you see it by the weigh development or not)
Yes, a vet check up with mom is still in order. Her lack of interest can very well be because she is ill somewhere. I know you arent made of money... Try to lend them. Go to a day vet, they are cheaper then emergency vets in night hours.
With a little luck moms maternal instincs will kick in, at least, so she help you with washing etc, but you cant count, you must be prepared to do everything yourself. It is a lot of hard work, but it CAN be done!
I shall write up some useful adresses,,,
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/kittens/handrearing.html
www.kitten-rescue.com
http://www.messybeast.com/handrear.htm
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/hand-rearing-kittens
Good luck!
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Oh gosh. Hope you aren't so hard up now - kittens cost quite a bit in food and litter, plus possible vet costs.
Handrearing is hard work - tiny kittens need feeding every 2 hours day & night, do weigh them every day as well to see how they are doing. You need to weigh in grams as you are dealing in small amounts. If a bottle baby gains as fast as one nursed by it's mother (I don't know if they do) they should each gain 10g per day or more.
Handrearing is hard work - tiny kittens need feeding every 2 hours day & night, do weigh them every day as well to see how they are doing. You need to weigh in grams as you are dealing in small amounts. If a bottle baby gains as fast as one nursed by it's mother (I don't know if they do) they should each gain 10g per day or more.
