The dumbest dumb that ever dumbed

That pretty much describes me and my knowledge of cats.

Not too long ago, I was a dog and miniature rabbit owner. One rainy night my husband came home to find a beautiful little cat soaked in our lane way. He came in for some shelter, as best we could do for food in the middle of the night, and a little cuddling. The rest is history.
We are so over-the-moon-crazy-in-love with the little guy that we were (secretly) overjoyed that no family came forth as his REAL family and that we could keep him.
We scheduled an appointment with our local low cost spay and neuter..and brought him in while booking for a quick hello, and to our embarrassment discovered via their wonderful receptionist that our new favourite dude, whom we'd named Uncle Fred was actually a dudette!

Fast forward a couple more weeks and it became clear that Uncle Fred was going to be a mommy.

I've been researching like a madman, and my mother is a dog breeder, so I have a little experience assisting her, but I still feel wholly unprepared for the coming birth..which can't be more than a couple weeks away. Could you please advise me on what to expect and have ready?

I have created a safe, secluded space with a box lined with a soft towel and several medical pads so they can be whisked away as soiled. I have surgical gloves, antiseptic, dental floss, suction and enough clean linen to swaddle the whole world...I am expecting to need none of this since I'm reading that cats generally prefer to be left alone and, from what I'm reading, are fairly self-sufficient.
(Which I am very happy to hear. My mother's last litter was a first-timer jumped into my lap when the first pup arrived and didn't want to leave until the the 7th arrived many hours later.
5 years have passed and my legs still stiffen just thinking about her 80lb booty commandeering my person as whelping box.)

I'm concerned because I'm reading that a lot of you have felt the kittens moving and my best guess would be that we are a few days, not weeks, away. Judging by her timing on "pinking" and other things I'm reading. Freddie is pretty much always glued to my lap, and quite petite, so I really don't think I could have missed it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blurb, and in advance for any guidance. We're so completely thrilled she chose us and we want to take the very best care of her and our grandkittens.

Here's a pic of Freddie when she decided to move in to my husband's robe pocket. (Very Early--she's a lap girl now)

One more question.
I have had almost a dozen requests to take one of the kittens from friends. All are stable, and would be responsible pet owners that would spay and neuter. Can you share your thoughts on screening potential cat families?

hi and welcome to TCS!

freddie is a very pretty girl! i love your and her story!

i think you've got a good start on preparing for the birthing. i don't have experience with pregnant cats or birthing, i just know what i've read here. but i'm sure others with experience will be along soon.

a couple things i could suggest are:  feed freddie as much as she'd like to eat while pregnant and while she's nursing/caring for her babies, feeding kitten food is even better for her. and if you have or can buy/borrow a scale that weighs in grams, that would be very good to use to weigh the kittens daily - to make sure they're gaining between 8 and 10 grams each day. by weighing them you'll be able to make sure they're doing well, but also know if they're not doing well by them not gaining enough. if you needed to you could then step in and do supplemental feedings for that kitten(s). if you have an eye dropper or small syringe (without the needle), that might be something you could set aside in your supplies, to be used for supplemental feeding for the kittens if needed.

Hi, thanks!
I did read about free feeding kitten food, so I've got that one covered, but the other stuff is fantastic advice.
Syringe added. I'll call my vet today and ask about supplemental food.

I'm guessing there are other newbies like me still learning howvto navigate the site, so I thought it might be helpful to post a link to this article

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/pregnant-cat-what-to-prepare-for-the-birth

I get the suggestion of surgical scissors, but what are the forceps for?

StephenZ (or any other site pros!)

I have been reading links:

1. One link advocates only cutting the cord after a "few" minutes if the placenta has been expelled and my queen is uninterested. What is a "few"? Three, four? Should I time it, or are there kitten-related signs that it is time to intervene?

2. There was reference to kitten de-worming and flea treatment. Do you have any more information? (We were chosen by a wonderful stray), but are quite behind the 8 ball on kitten care, so no information is too basic!)

3. Regarding kitten socialization, is there a point at which it is better for the kittens to have the nest in the main family area instead of the separate, kid-free, secluded room we are encouraging our Freddie to give birth in?

Thanks in advance!

I've been chosen by a stray queen, and am preparing for her delivery. (See "Dumbest Dumb" thread for our story)

One of the excellent suggestions so far is to purchase a scale to weigh the kittens and measure their progress.

-What type of scales do you recommend I buy?
-What kind do you use?
-Are there features that are handy?

Will a standard food scale do the trick? (I live quite rurally, so anything else would have to be ordered in--it might not make it in time!)

Thanks for your input and suggestions!

We used a bowl on a digital kitchen scale at first, but it only goes up to 10 lbs so now we use a luggage scale and a cloth bag.

Thanks!

I bought one through Amazon (who in my experience ships extremely fast) it's a kitchen scale. It's flat, (blue in color) and weighs in grams, ounces, etc. It's a Mira digital kitchen scale.  If they allow links here it is
Honest, I don't work for Amazon, but I do almost all my shopping through them and have found them to ship fast, and the price is usually cheaper than I can find at any of our local stores.

Wow, 5 star rating. That's something you don't see every day!

A small digital kitchen scale that weighs in grams is the thing to look for, wherever you buy it. Kittens should normally gain around 10gm per day, though do not worry if this goes up and down - the important thing is that they gain. If they go two days without gaining any weight then look for a cause.

@StefanZ or @tulosai, if you have a few moments....the original poster has some specific questions about kitten birth, de-worming and flea treatments for kittens. it's been almost 2 days and i was the only member to reply, but i have very limited knowledge about these things. thank you!

ktmn said:

StephenZ (or any other site pros!)

I have been reading links:

1. One link advocates only cutting the cord after a "few" minutes if the placenta has been expelled and my queen is uninterested. What is a "few"? Three, four? Should I time it, or are there kitten-related signs that it is time to intervene?

2. There was reference to kitten de-worming and flea treatment. Do you have any more information? (We were chosen by a wonderful stray), but are quite behind the 8 ball on kitten care, so no information is too basic!)

3. Regarding kitten socialization, is there a point at which it is better for the kittens to have the nest in the main family area instead of the separate, kid-free, secluded room we are encouraging our Freddie to give birth in?

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

i just posted to a couple members to get their attention for you.

if you want to catch a members attention or ask them a question, you can type in "@" and their member name. what happens is that as you type their member name a drop down list appears with member names to choose from. continue typing the member name until it shows on that drop down list, then you click on that members name and it shows in blue in your post.

ktmn said:

StephenZ (or any other site pros!)

I have been reading links:

1. One link advocates only cutting the cord after a "few" minutes if the placenta has been expelled and my queen is uninterested. What is a "few"? Three, four? Should I time it, or are there kitten-related signs that it is time to intervene?

2. There was reference to kitten de-worming and flea treatment. Do you have any more information? (We were chosen by a wonderful stray), but are quite behind the 8 ball on kitten care, so no information is too basic!)

3. Regarding kitten socialization, is there a point at which it is better for the kittens to have the nest in the main family area instead of the separate, kid-free, secluded room we are encouraging our Freddie to give birth in?

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

1. There is no need to time it nor is there really (usually) a kitten related sign to intervene.  Usually the mom deals with the placenta very quickly though.  If it's been 10 minutes, for sure, I'd go in and cut the cord.  It is very unlikely anything will happen that will permenantly negatively impact kittens or mom before that though. You might want to go in sooner though... it will usually be obvious when mom isn't going to do it. She just won't seem interested at all.

2.  I'd consult with your vet about this.  There is no real 'urgent need' to do this though as the kittens will need to grow some first.

3.  How old are your kids? For socialization honestly the most important thing is simply that they are handled/interacted with as often as possible.  Around 3 or 4 weeks is when it starts to make a huge difference.  If your kids are super young, though, honestly, it might be best if they are simply never exposed to the kittens.  I love kids dearly but they don't always have a good radar for how vulnerable small things are.  It is okay if only adults are handling them as long as they are handled  frequently.  

Oh my goodness!
Congratulations!!!


Ok, I really can't be much help, but the reading up I have just done says to leave the cord cutting for 5 minutes (read that a few places now), so I guess, at least you have a number, my understanding is that its to give time to allow the mother to do it herself, and only intervene if she doesn't, which makes sense, but then, I've never had kittens!!!

I hope everything goes really well, please let us know what happens!!!

...oh, as for screening potential cat families, I have a friend from whom I brought 2 dsh kittens, she always said she would charge for each kitten, no matter who it was to, even if it was just enough to cover the vaccinations. she said that way she knew that the kittens had been vaccinated, and that whoever brought them was prepared to pay for that kind of thing! Simple but important!  

Good luck!!!

@mickNsnicks2mom
Thank you so much for the help and welcome! I was beginning to worry that I'd committed some kind of forum faux pas and that was why I wasn't getting responses.

tulosai said:

1. There is no need to time it nor is there really (usually) a kitten related sign to intervene.  Usually the mom deals with the placenta very quickly though.  If it's been 10 minutes, for sure, I'd go in and cut the cord.  It is very unlikely anything will happen that will permenantly negatively impact kittens or mom before that though. You might want to go in sooner though... it will usually be obvious when mom isn't going to do it. She just won't seem interested at all.

2.  I'd consult with your vet about this.  There is no real 'urgent need' to do this though as the kittens will need to grow some first.

3.  How old are your kids? For socialization honestly the most important thing is simply that they are handled/interacted with as often as possible.  Around 3 or 4 weeks is when it starts to make a huge difference.  If your kids are super young, though, honestly, it might be best if they are simply never exposed to the kittens.  I love kids dearly but they don't always have a good radar for how vulnerable small things are.  It is okay if only adults are handling them as long as they are handled  frequently.  

Click to expand...

Thanks for all the detailed info!
My kids are 17, 11, and 2. We have a litter-trained miniature rabbit who has free range of an entire floor of our house, so we're pros at keeping things separate! It sounds like we should aim for the baby-gated areas that our little one isn't allowed in.

hoshimi said:

Oh my goodness!

Congratulations!!!


Ok, I really can't be much help, but the reading up I have just done says to leave the cord cutting for 5 minutes (read that a few places now), so I guess, at least you have a number, my understanding is that its to give time to allow the mother to do it herself, and only intervene if she doesn't, which makes sense, but then, I've never had kittens!!!

I hope everything goes really well, please let us know what happens!!!


...oh, as for screening potential cat families, I have a friend from whom I brought 2 dsh kittens, she always said she would charge for each kitten, no matter who it was to, even if it was just enough to cover the vaccinations. she said that way she knew that the kittens had been vaccinated, and that whoever brought them was prepared to pay for that kind of thing! Simple but important!  


Good luck!!!

Click to expand...

That's really great advice about how to choose families! Thank you!

My pleasure    happy to help!

hoshimi said:

...oh, as for screening potential cat families, I have a friend from whom I brought 2 dsh kittens, she always said she would charge for each kitten, no matter who it was to, even if it was just enough to cover the vaccinations. she said that way she knew that the kittens had been vaccinated, and that whoever brought them was prepared to pay for that kind of thing! Simple but important!  

 

Click to expand...

Yes.  This is a good advice working as a good rule of thumbs.  Almost the only exception is if the kitten is given and received, as a precious, rare, gift to someone who will appreciate this gift dearly.

If asking for money is awkward, an alternative it to ask for a donation.  I recommend a donation in the cats name.  So it will not be apparent its the adopter who is the donator.  

If the adopter doenst have lotsa of  cash, but is probably a good owner, an alternative may be he does something in natura.   Like fix your car, or fix your fence.

Or drives two hours to collect this kitten (and dont does have other errands in your town!).

Someone who is willing to drive two hours to your town, just to collect the kitten,is almost surely a serious animal owner.

Good luck!

ps  surgical scissors are blunt.  You shall NOT use common, sharp scissors to cut the cord.   But you can use your own nails if it becomes necessary, its ok.  The problem many people find it unpleasant.   Cat moms teeths arent sterile, so its enough your hands are clean.

Another trick of trade, which isnt mentioned everywhere, is.   If the kitten is born lifeless, but isnt apparently premature.

An easy and basic try to pick life back is to warm it up.  Massage it, warm it in your hands...   Sometimes its enough.  Compare with the scene in "The 101 dalmatian dogs".  Pig fFarmers use to submerge lifeless piglets in buckets with warm water.   An easy done try to save what can be saved.

If the kitten seems to have gotten fluinds in the lungs (not uncommon), you can try and slung it, or to suck out these fluids.  But its a more complicated - and may be dangerous if done unskilled.  So do it just to save a life you think is probably otherwise forfeit...