MY CAT JUST GAVE BIRTH AND I HAVE A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS!!!!

Im a little worried of where she chose to have them, instead of the closet that we set up for her... she made a nest in our bottom kitchen cabinet where we put plastic bags!!! I'm scared they will suffocate, but don't want to risk leaving my scent on them if I touch them.

Also we have the male in the house too.... should I have him stay with a family member until the kittens get bigger?? Will he eat them??

As far as feeding... she runs to her babies when she hears them cry.. so far I only see three but like I said im scared to move them...

How soon can I go get her spayed?

Hope to get a quick response... and THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

Have the daddy cat neutered ASAP. . .she can get pregnant again very soon after giving birth. You'll still have to keep them separated because he'll retain some sperm even after being neutered, but by the time the kittens go to new homes he'll be fully sterile so no chance of another pregnancy. But definitely for now keep them separated, mainly so she doesn't get pregnant again. If you have a friend willing to let him stay with them, that's great! But have him neutered first.

If the mama cat is friendly and trusts you, she shouldn't mind if you touch her babies. Once you're sure she's done giving birth, you can carefully move the babies into a cozy box (let her see what you're doing, no quick moves), replace the plastic bags with something safer and cozier, and replace the babies. When they get a bit older you can move them somewhere else, but moving the nest too soon will stress the mama cat. You can, however, make other nesting areas very attractive for her so she might move them herself.

She can be spayed when the kittens are mostly weaned (usually around 9 weeks). They shouldn't go to new homes before 10-12 weeks, so they might still be nursing a bit, but not much. Keep her inside and away from unneutered males until then.

I agree with willowy, send the male to another home if it's an option.

Not only will she get prego very fast, but depending on his life, unfixed, if he is outside much, etc. there can also be a danger to the kittens.

See when males are unfixed they are living through their hormones, the enormous territorial thing, there may be other unfixed males around outside, and a male cat (the dad of the kids or not) may actually claim his mating partner, and the litter, by killing the male kittens, seen as a threat to him, and attempt to mount the female kittens, resulting in death.

It doesn't mean this WILL be the case, but it happens, just so you know.

I never thought in a million years I would have a sweet momma and babies, everything fine, actually eat one of her babies. She ate it! Gone.

As hard as that was and still is for my husband and I to accept and understand, it happened. I knew that if a momma feels a kitten is a weak link, her instincts tell her she and the rest of the litter are in danger from predators, so a mom, as much as they love their babies, will do what nature tells her to do, and get rid of the weak one to save herself and the rest of the babies. In the wild, she would take the kitten away from the rest of the litter, try to cover it up and abandon it.

But in my home, she was unable to do this, so she ate the entire 3 week old kitten......

So all I am saying is, send the male elsewhere to be safe, and have him neutered during this time.

It can take 3 weeks or so for his body to adjust to a neutered cat state, so be sure you remember this too, time-wise.

You can handle the babies, cats are NOT a species who will not touch their babies once handled, like a bird will.

Get rid of the plastic, replace gently with a soft something.

Be sure you see that each baby is nursing well, latching on nicely, and no weak ones who need assisting.