Mom gave birth but would rather have attention

mase dexter · Dec 28, 2014

About a month ago, we had a stray come up to our house, and low and behold she was going to be a mom. She instantly wanted in the house and was super friendly, so figured some a-hole didn't want a pregnant cat and did a drop off (I live in a pretty rural neighborhood). I have worked at a veterinary hospital and helped deliver puppies via caesarian section, but never kittens. Well we kept momma nice and warm in the bedroom, gave her blankets and a box, and yesterday around 4:30 my boyfriend called saying there was a kitten. Well he went to check on her a little later and there were three, but as soon as she saw him, she instantly ran over and wanted attention. He hooked up a camera so he would watch her on the TV without being there but from that point on, she just clawed at the door and meowed. She moved the one kitten but the other two just stayed in the turned over box. I raced home around 6:30 and found one that didn't make it, and the other two very cold and not moving. I put them in a towel and thankfully got them warmed up but even then mom had no interest in babies she just wanted to nuzzle and be pet. I pet her and got her to lay on her side to the point I could see her nipples and started massaging them, putting one of the babies close to see if they would latch but wouldn't. She started kicking her feet and leaped up. We put everyone into a carrier in the bathroom where we turned the heater on and put blankets down, put food and water for momma and set up baby monitors all over so we can see at each angle. We ran to the pet store and got KMR and a bottle and when we came back, another kitten had been born, but did not make it. We offered the milk and neither were interested so we are hoping she let them nurse, although we couldn't see definite on the video. They made it through the night and offered milk this morning which both drank, we burped them, then tried to get them to go potty-they peed but no poop. The one is very vocal able to move around more, while the other is more so quiet and moves around but not as much. The first one cries when he is away from his brother-they are both boys.

Is there something else we should be doing? The vet is about an hour away and they told us there is nothing they can really do because they don't have the staff to care for kittens. Is there a way to get her to bond? I know when she cleans them after birth its a bonding moment but is there something more? Or if not what should I do about caring for them myself? When we leave her alone she will lay in the crate with them but doesn't seem to be interested in them. Sorry for such a long post but I consciously cannot give up on these kittens, I want to try everything I can. Any and all help is much appreciated.

StefanZ · Dec 28, 2014

Mase Dexter said:
About a month ago, we had a stray come up to our house, and low and behold she was going to be a mom. She instantly wanted in the house and was super friendly, so figured some a-hole didn't want a pregnant cat and did a drop off (I live in a pretty rural neighborhood). I have worked at a veterinary hospital and helped deliver puppies via caesarian section, but never kittens. Well we kept momma nice and warm in the bedroom, gave her blankets and a box, and yesterday around 4:30 my boyfriend called saying there was a kitten. Well he went to check on her a little later and there were three, but as soon as she saw him, she instantly ran over and wanted attention. He hooked up a camera so he would watch her on the TV without being there but from that point on, she just clawed at the door and meowed. She moved the one kitten but the other two just stayed in the turned over box. I raced home around 6:30 and found one that didn't make it, and the other two very cold and not moving. I put them in a towel and thankfully got them warmed up but even then mom had no interest in babies she just wanted to nuzzle and be pet. I pet her and got her to lay on her side to the point I could see her nipples and started massaging them, putting one of the babies close to see if they would latch but wouldn't. She started kicking her feet and leaped up. We put everyone into a carrier in the bathroom where we turned the heater on and put blankets down, put food and water for momma and set up baby monitors all over so we can see at each angle. We ran to the pet store and got KMR and a bottle and when we came back, another kitten had been born, but did not make it. We offered the milk and neither were interested so we are hoping she let them nurse, although we couldn't see definite on the video. They made it through the night and offered milk this morning which both drank, we burped them, then tried to get them to go potty-they peed but no poop. The one is very vocal able to move around more, while the other is more so quiet and moves around but not as much. The first one cries when he is away from his brother-they are both boys.

Is there something else we should be doing? The vet is about an hour away and they told us there is nothing they can really do because they don't have the staff to care for kittens. Is there a way to get her to bond? I know when she cleans them after birth its a bonding moment but is there something more? Or if not what should I do about caring for them myself? When we leave her alone she will lay in the crate with them but doesn't seem to be interested in them. Sorry for such a long post but I consciously cannot give up on these kittens, I want to try everything I can. Any and all help is much appreciated.

reading, I will write too, hold on

StefanZ · Dec 28, 2014

The easy answer, is some moms do like the company of her beloved caretakers. Sometimes its enough to have the nest at the bed. Some must even make a little nest in the bed.

But here it does seems to be even more serious.

A combination. Healthy kittens doesnt die off in just a couple of hours just because it isnt very warm. So the first dead was probably not well - and most cat moms would abandon it.   Such kittens may sometimes survive if the human caretaker fights vigoruously, but the chances arent brilliant. Not seldom they are directly doomed by some grave birth fault.

Next factor, she was still in labor progress, and this added to her not managing to care for the others. The question is, if she is entirely healthy now, and done with all deliveries - or if it just the mothernal instincts kicking in late.

Anyways, you must proceed to continue to help her and take care. If they take bottle, nice and good, but otherwise its often easier with a syringe or even a dropper. make sure they arent dehydrated.

Weight them every day (twice a day now as everything is floating), in a scale weighting in grammes - they shall gain, at least 6 grammes a day, preferably 10+.

There are articles on caring for orphans in our site. a good site to take ideas from is www.kitten-rescue.com.

Some you surely know from your earlier experience.

Hopefully, her mothernal instincts will kick in with time. You can of course try to swap scents,   swap her over with a clean cloths, and afterwards swap the kittens, so they get her scent. Also, use her own milk and put on them some, may be another idea.

Last. Its true, vets usually dont help much with orphaned or weak kittens. Very few do take care of them! At best, they can give good help and advices, but the caretaker must herself do

main bulk of job and everyday care.   Quite a few vets actually dont know how to help weak kittens.

Good luck!

mase dexter · Dec 28, 2014

Thank you. We are going to buy a scale so we can weigh them. As of bow we have two- one gray tiger stripe and one black with white on his chest. As of now we are refering to them by their colors- it will be heart breaking enough to lose one, let alone giving them names. After the first three, we thought she was done-she was rolling around and jumping off the bed (which caused my heat to stop every time) after we found the fourth I f her belly and it wasn't as hard as it was before. I read they usually won't nurse or clean until after final delivery. We have been monitoring her through the cameras and she had been grooming black while he whines and while laying curled up, he tried squeezing in between her behind and her tail. It was pretty cute but also *omg don't hurt yourself little one!* she hasn't done much with gray, he just lays to the side and will make noises every once in awhile. At first they wouldn't take the bottle so we used a syringe and slooowwwly gave to them, then burped them and they will pee but no poop. Is that normal this young? Thanks again for the info!

StefanZ · Dec 28, 2014

Mase Dexter said:
and they will pee but no poop. Is that normal this young? Thanks again for the info!

yeah, there is not much yet to poop out...

a trick for severe cases which Catwoman707 introduced here, is to let them in under warm running water, their lower halfs. You hold them in one hand, and tap slowly not too hard on the anus with forefinger of the other... It feels for them like mom licking... And they pee, poo, and are washed simultaneously. No risk either they get irritaded skin by the stimulating...

Of course, it must be warm there, no draught, and be dried off properly...

Perhaps some of your neigbours has an useful scale? Also, if you happen to have access to fresh goat milk, its much useful. Even bottled goat milk is better than a so so kmr. (Its the brand KMR you got? it should be good, especielly the powdered stage one version is excellent)

Good luck!

mase dexter · Dec 29, 2014

Gray baby passed last night. He was acting weird when I tried to feed him around midnight and when I woke up at 3 mom was laying on him and he was against the carrier. I tried to get him to start breathing but it didn't work. She is "caring" for black. She will actually snuggle with him and groom him. We kept waking up and finding him behind the toilet so we went back through and watched and she picked him up and moved him there. Not sure why. We have a syringe and good KMR and are feeding him- he gets to the point where he sucks so hard and quickly he actually pulls the plunger- we don't have to push it. We are still working on getting him to poop but he tinkles fine. Hopefully he will make it.

biancavd · Dec 30, 2014

I'm very sorry to hear about the gray kitten passing

It's good to hear mom is caring for the other one though Is it the kitten she moved from the start? It is possible that the gray one had issues the mom sensed and therefore didn't care for him. Cats do that a lot. I think the black one will be okay, but make sure to keep a good eye on him and continue what you did until he seems to pull through fine with only mom mothering him. Weight him every day and make sure he gains weight and is not losing it.

For the pooping, make sure you are massaging his lower abdomen as well. However, as you said mom is grooming him, it's possible he does poop but at his mom

Mom gave birth but would rather have attention

mase dexter

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StefanZ

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mase dexter

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