How to tell if she is cleaning the kittens

ravendale

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Messages
12
Purraise
4
Our kittens came last night. I found her with them this morning in the litter box. There were five but one little white one didn't make it. So we have 2 white ones and two orange tabbies( I marked the ear of one white one to tell them apart). They are in a crate now and I have been letting her out just to use the litter box so that she does not hide them anywhere.

I was checking them out though and I was not sure if she was cleaning them enough. They are pretty clean but I used some damp paper towels to clean their rears because one had a little poop on it's rear. Two had yellow urine and two had darker yellow urine. I was going to check again in an hour. They are nursing right now. She seems to have no problem laying there with them so I think they are getting enough milk. Their tummies are pretty round. She is a little young to have kittens. I think she is around 5 or 6 months. She was supposed to be 4 months old when we got her and she was already pregnant. She seems pretty playful and loving with the kittens but I am a little worried she might lay on them as well. She was laying on top of the deceased one and she is rubbing her face and chin on them.

She is pretty calm with them. If I hold them she does not mind. If they cry she just rubs her face on them. She doesn't try to pick them up. If I open the crate she'll just wander off and leave them.

How do you tell if she is cleaning enough for their elimination needs?

 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
You can always gently blot their elimination areas with a cotton ball dampened with warm water to clean off anything.  The stimulation will make them go if they need to go, so you might want to have a tampax handy to absorb the pee if there is a lot of it.  A friend of mine who raises bottle babies all the time came up with this suggestion, but of course she has no mama cat taking away any of the fluid, so hers need a lot of absorbency.

The kittens are simply adorable!  Mama should keep them immaculate, so if they show any staining at all, then she isn't quite up to an experienced mom yet.  Nothing cleans a kitten quite as well as a mama cat's tongue.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

ravendale

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Messages
12
Purraise
4
Thanks :)

All their urine seems to be a normal color now. I'm not getting enough I'd need a tampax just enough to get part of a damp paper towel wet. That must be a good sign. Their little bodies are pretty clean. The two white ones are a little off color but I think that's from the fluids in the birthing process. She's doing a pretty good job. I worry a bit much sometimes.
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
Sounds like she's catching on pretty fast and there's nothing to worry about.  If you want to blot them with a paper towel once or twice a day for your own peace of mind, that's perfectly fine.  You should set her up with a better den for them now.  A closet is usually an ideal place, they need the darkness (for when the kittens eyes are first opening, around 10 days of age, they need very low light at first).  You can put down a folded sheet or quilt for bedding and change it every couple of days.  You can also use human incontinence pads as bedding.  I do that later when kittens are moving around more.  Don't use towels, though, as their tiny claws tend to get caught in the loops.  You could move the crate in there at first, and then take her and the babies out of the crate after a day or so.
 

siamese mommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jul 8, 2014
Messages
121
Purraise
15
Location
USA
She is a stunner!  Good for you for being so perceptive and taking great care of her.  She's lucky to have you!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

ravendale

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Messages
12
Purraise
4
Thanks Siamese Mommy.

Red Top. Unfortunately I cannot put her in a closet. All ours are full, and the crate is too big to fit in them. It's an intermediate dog crate. We have a small space. Plus introductions with our dog did not go so well and she tried to attack him a few times so far. I don't want her to be hurt. If she actually got a hold of him he might decide to defend himself. So far we have them separated and might try intro's again when the kittens are older. In a few days I will move them to a larger crate I have.

We are using some absorbent soft paper sheets for them. They are easy to change and since they are white I know they are soiled and can throw them out.
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
Mama cats will attack anything they think is a threat to their babies.  Is there any way you can put her crate in a room where the dog has no access, like put a baby gate on the door to the room she's in?  She will feel more secure that way.  Also, if you cover her crate with a sheet or quilt to make it more cave-like, she will be happier, unless its already a fabric sided crate.  Wide open like a wire dog crate must feel very exposed and scary to her.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

ravendale

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Messages
12
Purraise
4
She is in a room he doesn't normally have access too, but with kids it's hard to make that 100%. He has been in the room once when she was just starting to show . He went in to steel toys, and ignored her. She was not happy about that though. Other times she comes halfway across the house to start something when he is let out to potty. He is big enough to leap right over a babygate, and so is our other dog. Before we were keeping them separated if she is out they were in their crates on the other side of the house. If they are out she was shut in my daughters room. When we got her the people said she was very friendly and they also had dogs and kids but could not keep her because they were moving.

She is in a plastic crate. It only has small slats for ventilation. It's dark inside. She is pretty relaxed.
 
Top