Items needed for a birth.

Ok folks, here's a question for you.

What pieces of equipment would you recommend for a newbie to get for when you have kittens?

I'm going to suggest a ip/network camera.

Why you may ask? Well we'venow got one set up under my sofa, which is where Ginny moved the babies to after 2 & half days of being born. I was getting concerned that we couldn't see them so youngest daughters fiancé got one and has set it up tonight and now we can keep an eye on them all whenever and wherever we are via an app on our phones. It's an infra-red camera so you don't need any lighting and I've been sat nearly pmsl laughing at the antics while they tried to feed.
So that's my suggestion as to what would be useful, what's yours?

It's so fun when you can add things like a video recorder but before you get to that point you MUST have the basics.

In my birthing kit are: 

- extra towels/blankets

- Disposable gloves (in case I need to tear cords)

- Iodine (in case anything needs to be sterilized)

- A hot water bottle (For keeping babies warm if Mom is too preoccupied with labor to snuggle them. A rice sock also works great (fill an old sock with uncooked rice and tie it off. Heat in the microwave when ready to use)). 

- A scale that weighs in grams

- And, most importantly, A spiral notebook (On the inside cover are the numbers for the vet, after hours vet, and shelter in case of an emergency. I also use the notebook to record time of birth, coloring/marking, and weights). 

After delivery, the key items that I have around are:

- The scale for daily weights and the notebook ( To keep an accurate record. I also record milestones like when their eyes first open ect)

- Extra bedding (It's amazing how quickly you go through it)

- Several bottles and KMR (Just in case)

- Paper wristbands to use as collars to tell them apart if needed

- Kitten litterboxes (I use the cardboard boxes that canned kitten food comes in but high sided cookie sheets also work well). 

- Extra dry food and water bowls, and shallow bowls for wet food

- Dry kitten food and wet kitten food (For Mom and for babies)

- Treats

- Puppy wee wee pads ( I put them around the litterboxes to help with accidents and to collect stray litter that gets knocked around. They are also fantastic to put under wet food dishes when the kittens are learning to eat as they tend to get more on them than in them). 

- Non-clumping litter (And lots of it! Clumping litter can cause a life threatening blockage in kittens so as soon as you know Mom is pregnant switch to a non-clumping variety)

- A good enzyme remover (Accidents are inevitable)

- A variety of small toys (some balls, some soft toys, some wand toys, some that make noise and some that don't, ect. You want to get them used to a variety of sounds/toys since you don't know what they future families will use.)

- A scratching post

- Nail trimmers and a brush (to get them used to grooming at a young age. Plus, those tiny kitten claws are murder!)

- Plastic drinking straws (great for teething kittens but only give to them supervised as they can tear off a chunk of plastic and accidentally swallow it)

- A camera (To take pictures to give to future adopters and to help in advertising the adoption. Keep it nearby as you never know when they are going to do something cute!)

- Nutri-cal supplement paste (I add it to the wet food of Queens who need a little extra calorie boost)

- L-Lysene powder (It's an all natural immune booster that I always give to shelter cats and my resident cats to help prevent respiratory infections. Ask your vet before using)

When they go to their forever homes I always send:

- A CD with their pictures on it

- A copy of their growth chart

- A copy of any and all vet records

- A blanket or towel that has been used and has the litter's scent on it (It helps with the transition process. I watch for sales at local pet stores and then stock up. Oftentimes Petsmart/Petco have blankets on sale as low as $2.99!)

- A favorite toy

- 3-4 days worth of wet food

- A bag of dry kitten food (to help with the switch)

- A kitten collar

Yes I know it's a lot. Remember that I do this for fosters and pay for it all out of pocket. When people say that having a litter of kittens is expensive they mean it!

This is a great thread, especially for those expecting kittens. What else do you guys have in your kits? 

You know I didn't think about it till now.  Our Realtor who sold us our house also breeds chocolate labs.  We visited her house once when they had 2 litters and she had them on a video monitor.  They had a separate TV hooked up next to their big one so they could monitor the mamas and babies from inside the rest of the house, day or night.  I think she also had a portable monitor but I can't remember if it was part of the video system or just audio.  They also have a peach orchard and she does most of the picking herself (busy lady!) so she could monitor things a bit when she was out in the orchard.  

I suggest a childproofing kit. Once they start to be old enough to tumble around the house, you don't want them getting in your cupboards or falling into your toilet.

Excellent list by EB24. I have a couple of additions or alternatives:

EB24 said:

- Disposable gloves (in case I need to tear cords)

- Iodine (in case anything needs to be sterilized)



- Several bottles and KMR (Just in case)

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You can tear cords with your nails if they are clean; Moms teeths arent sterile.  But useful if you think anything is unpleasant, makes it easier with gloves on.

If you have alco gel in spray, it can surely be used to.  Just dry off before you use.

Instead of KMR you can use goat milk if you have access to it.  The goat milk you can use afterwards too, either to cat mom or for yourself.

Get  dextrose sugar (=glucose sugar). Very useful in many emergencies, for example when they kitten begin to fade, or you want to make homemade pedialyte.  Other sugars does work too, but dextrose is best.

Have kitchen salt too...

Have a dropper or drinking straw.  Useful if you must get water from the newborn kittens mouth. Useful also for feeding.

Fleece is better in bedding than old towels. Nails dont fasten in it.

Thanks for those who imputed their suggestions so far, I was hoping someone would put a comprehensive list up for any newbie's reading this but I think the funny or unusually items can be helpful too, so come folks, what other items have you used in helping to raise your new babies or help the queens while they are pregnant.

Callista said:

I suggest a childproofing kit. Once they start to be old enough to tumble around the house, you don't want them getting in your cupboards or falling into your toilet.

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Excellent addition!

StefanZ said:

You can tear cords with your nails if they are clean; Moms teeths arent sterile.  But useful if you think anything is unpleasant, makes it easier with gloves on.

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Exactly why I have the gloves.   I could do it with my bare hands if I had to but I'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe and it's so gross I prefer having the gloves on! 

Thanks for adding in some of the alternatives. After I posted I realized that I had left off goat's milk as an alternative to KMR. I still haven't ever needed to try the dextrose but I keep it on hand because of you. I advised someone to try it the other day and they had great results! Always there to fill in the blanks Stefan! 

EB24 said:

Excellent addition!
 Always there to fill in the blanks Stefan! 

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With you EB24 and LDG doing the main research it is easy to fill in the blanks.     

"Together we are strong", as they say.