sweet stray became ours, so did the kittens she just had. : / help with mom care?!

My sweet girl kitty is probably no more than a year (we think she was owned then let go) She had her kittens between 11-1 last Sunday/Monday. (This picture is from right after my son brought her home from the laundromat). Mom is taking great care of kittens but is she getting enough? I know they most often do well but I'm worried her water and food intake isn't enough for them and her. Do some mother cats deplete themselves and not eat and drink enough? I'm probably being ridiculous. Best to ask right? also, what in the beck kind of markings does she have? Just dark tabby? I've never seen one so dark and bold. kittens are great, only 4. Any help is welcome, also how long do I wait to treat her for fleas she brought with her and FIX her? We had to save her but now we have to get these things squared away. Thanks in advance

Feed her 2-3 meals of canned food a day, so she gets enough moisture, and also keep a bowl of high-quality kibble (and fresh water of course) down all the time. She'll eat enough if given the chance. As the kittens get older, she'll start eating a LOT! Nursing 4 "toddler" kittens will be tough for her. Right now it's not as much of a strain, but make sure she does get the chance to eat as much as she wants.

You'll need to get rid of the fleas as quickly as possible, because a bad infestation can kill kittens. Ask your vet about what's safe to use on nursing mothers. Until then, get a flea comb and use it often, on Mama cat and the babies.

The kittens will need to be de-wormed when they're about 3 weeks old. Mama cat should probably be de-wormed now. The usual de-wormer for that age is pyrantel pamoate, the most common brand name is Strongid. You can ask your vet for some, but it is possible to find a generic version online (usually marketed for horses or humans).

Most vets prefer to wait until after the kittens are weaned to spay the mama cat, unless there's a particular reason she NEEDS to be spayed earlier. Ask your vet when he/she prefers to do it.

Some vets will just let you buy the flea stuff and de-wormer without bringing the cats in. Some will insist on seeing the cat first.

Thank you so much for helping this little mother, and bless you too!  She's beautiful and really unusual being black with visible tabby markings! Good luck in the future, kiss the babies for me.

Thank you so much! I will call the vet for an appointment asap. Until then, flea comb it is. So its ok to comb the babies? I didn't know about the flea danger.

I know, the tabby markings are so neat. She has two grey tabby kittens and two black kittens.

Yes, flea combs are safe to use on babies.