My cat keeps moving her kitten

My cat Midget had her kitten about a week ago. The last few days she has been bringing the kitten out into the middle of the room and laying it on the floor. She usually stays with it unless i'm there then she may walk away for a minute. There are four other cats and two dogs in the house and they surround the kitten and Midget. She will protect the kitten and keep the others away but I'm just wondering why she would bring it out of hiding and put it in the middle of the floor?

Den moves are very common for a Queen. In the wild, she would move her den every few days so that the smell of her kittens wouldn't attract predators. Though, I agree it's weird for her to move into the middle of the room. The only thing I can think of it's that Queens often lose interest in singleton litters rather quickly. So, she may be bored and wanting to interact with the others. 

The best thing you can do is keep Midget and her kitten confined to one quiet room. Give her a couple of nesting box options and block off the areas that you don't want her to go (such as under the bed, under a dresser, ect). By doing this she will hopefully move from nest to nest but will always be in a safe place where you know how to find her. 

Even if she doesn't seem fearful of having the other animals near her kitten you want to be really careful as they can pose a serious threat. Some cats (especially intact males) can become very aggressive towards kittens. Even if they aren't, curiosity and just wanting to play can result in some serious injuries. So, for now, they are best left confined. Also, be sure you are weighing the kitten everyday to make sure he/she is growing. Weight loss is the first sign that something is wrong. Especially with a singleton litter where Midget is more likely to stop nursing you want to be extra vigilant and should be prepared to bottle feed if necessary. This link can help you prepare for that possibility: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/hand-rearing-kittens . Also, if you need to do it be sure you watch some YouTube videos first. Kittens must be bottle fed a specific way or else they are at risk of getting milk into their lungs, resulting in pneumonia, or, in the worst case, suffocation. 

Finally, remember that Midget can go back into heat anytime now that she has had her kitten. So, take extra precautions to make sure she stays indoors and away from any intact males until after she is spayed. 

Best of luck. Ask more questions if you need to! 

I noticed today the kitten fells cold and doesn't seem to have much energy or strength. Midget, the mom, seems to be taking care of the baby, licking it and she spends most of the night in the nesting box with it, but it seems cold and weak. Is this normal?

 No that is not normal.  You need to get that kitten warmed up somehow.  the kitten won't be able to digest food if its body temp goes too low  ( under 34 C. ) and suckling reflex is decreased.    

I would run a towel in the dryer and take the warm towel and wrap the kitten up and rub it gently. . 

   I would add some kind of  heat source in the nest.   like a heating pad turned on a low setting and wrapped in a towel then inside a pillowcase ,  or a hot water bottle,  or just plastic bottle filled with hot water .   Whatever you use,  put it so it is not totally covering the bottom of the nest  so that they could move away from it if needed.  

Also could put like a towel or blanket over part of the top of the nest  to try to keep out drafts.   attach it to the sides of the box  so it doesn't slide off.   Leave room for the mom to jump in and out. 

The temperature in the nest should be 30-32 C  (86-90 F ) in the first week,  can be a little bit lower the 2nd & 3rd week.    But with this kitten seeming cold I would try to make it at least 29-30 C (84-86 F) 

Here is a link about warming up cold kittens.  This is about taking care of orphan kittens.  Fortunately this kitten has his mom still caring for him.   but  I thought it might give some ideas.  http://kitten-rescue.com/cold_kitten.html

I agree with EB24s advice about confining her and the kitten to one room.  

and if she still shows a tendency to move the kitten around in the room,  and the room is too cool,  either you will need to find a way to increase the temperature in the entire room or   keep her and the kitten in a big dog crate or something . 

ok thanks will use the warm towels. I was wondering what i can feed the kitten if i can't get any kitten formula? we are about an hour away from any place that would sell it, our vets is closed for the weekend, and i'm not sure if the mom is even feeding it. She will lick it and clean it but if kitten tries to nurse the mom will just walk away. is there anything i can feed the kitten or do i have try to find a way to get the kitten formula? i'm starting to worry that the mom is losing interest in the kitten and i'm not prepared at this very moment to take over care. I will be able to get to the vets on Monday if things don't get better by then, but what can I do over the weekend??

Here are some recipes for homemade kitten formula. you can see if there's one that you have the ingredients or  can get them closer to your home   http://www.hdw-inc.com/glop.htm

I actually would take the kitten's rectal temp before trying to feed .  Kittens body temp is already lower than an adult cat;  at a week old the normal range would be about  36 - 36.6 C. (96.8 - 98 F.)   so don't worry that it is not like an adult.

Bu as I mentioned it has to be at least 34 C. (93 F.) to  digest the milk.   under that their digestive tract basically stops functioning.  

Also somewhere around  32-34 C.  ( 90-93 F.)  the suckling reflex decreases and is absent under 32 C ( which would be severe hypothermia).    and if the kitten can't suckle properly,  it  increases the risk that if you bottle feed  it might go in the lungs.  

Since the kitten seems weak I would first give it a little dextrose solution ,  or corn syrup rubbed on the gums,  to bring its blood sugar up quickly and give it some energy that might help it nurse.  

The kitten-rescue.com  site,  that I gave you the link about warming up kittens, also has a lot of advice on feeding kittens

Is the kitten strong enough to nurse from the mother if you could  hold the mom cat still, pet her and reassure her?  

 I'm just thinking,  this kitten has not nursed from a bottle nipple before.  so that might be harder. 

 If it turns out the kitten is too weak to nurse,  it will need to be tube fed to save it.    that's going to mean finding a vet on call or taking to an emergency vet to teach you how to do it and get you the right supplies,   unless you can find some rescuer or breeder nearby who could help, 

 Also if the kitten's temp is under 32 C / 90 F.  it is unlikely to survive without vet care. 

Good luck.  I hope you can get the little one to perk up.  

thank you everyone for all the help. i regret to say i wasnt quick enough to catch the signs and the kitten didnt survive. thanks again for all the help.

 Sorry for the loss.   I knew it did not sound good.

  It might be this kitten had something wrong with him that he could not have survived anyway.    the mom might have sensed something was the matter so she started losing interest.

 Keep the mom cat inside until you can get her spayed and try  to get that done ASAP so she doesn't end up pregnant again right away .  which wouldn't be good for her,  and if there was some infection or genetic problem that led to the kitten being sick,  she might have to go through the same thing again of having kittens that don't live long. 

Or here is an idea,  can do it even if she is spayed  as long as there i not o possibility is if there is a rescue group , shelter or vet that knows of some orphan kittens ,  IF you feel up to it,  you could try and see if your cat would accept them and be the surrogate mom/.  

 If you dont do that,  and if the mom cat seems uncomfortable because of being full of milk,  you can ask the vet for something you can give her to help dry up her milk sooner. 

I will check with the local shelters about the possablity of any abandoned litters. Midget seems depressed, she spent hours looking for the kitten. when i realized it had passed i showed it to her. she took it and started licking it and looking at me and meowing. after many hours of searching the house she just curls up by my feet, which she has never really done, and just lay there. i will try to contact the local shelter and see if there are any abandoned, think it might help Midget, she was a very good mamma cat. right up til the end she was trying to care for the kitten. thanks again for all the help and advice. 

 That's so sad.  Poor thing.    Maybe there will be some abandoned kittens who really need a good mama cat ,   would probably be good for both her and the kittens. 

If you are in the U.S.,  you can  check on Petfinder.com for both shelters and rescue groups in your area.   Also sometimes people at vet clinics know about something like that.  

Otherwise just give her lots of love and keep her safely inside away from the tomcats. 

I'm so sorry to read about the loss of your kitten.   It's always very difficult when these things happen. Unfortunately, as MaewKaew pointed out, oftentimes there is an underlying birth defect that none of your efforts could have overcome. 

Out of respect for the life lost I will ask a moderator to close this thread. If you feel up to it feel free to start a new thread in honor of him in the Rainbow Bridge section. I do think it could be a major benefit to Midget to try and find a litter for her to surrogate. If you do decide to try it please start a new thread where that can be the focus. 

RIP little kitten  Also,   Vibes to Midget that she can begin the healing process. 

I'd like to express my sympathy on behalf of the entire TCS team. Perhaps you'd like to post about the little one in the Crossing the Bridge forum.