My Cat gave birth and not sure what to expect

nss008

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My cat gave birth to 4 beautiful kittens. After giving birth she moved her kittens to my closet as its dark and quiet and has been feeding her kittens. Its been almost 18 hrs and she hasnt eaten much. she drank milk but very small amount. I'm bit worried. Is it normal? Moreover she didnt leave her kittens at all. She hasn't even gone to poop or anything. I seriously dont know what to do
 

StefanZ

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My cat gave birth to 4 beautiful kittens. After giving birth she moved her kittens to my closet as its dark and quiet and has been feeding her kittens. Its been almost 18 hrs and she hasnt eaten much. she drank milk but very small amount. I'm bit worried. Is it normal? Moreover she didnt leave her kittens at all. She hasn't even gone to poop or anything. I seriously dont know what to do
She surely ate up the placentas, this is why they often dont need to eat the day after delivery.  While others do eats anyway.

She is used to drinking milk, and it doesnt harm her?  Good, if so, proceed with milk.  You can use some low lactose to be extra safe.  Be sure there is also fresh water accesible.

What other food does she gets now?

She is apparently a good mother.  But good you are concerned, and willing to help her.

Have her food and water place right in the closet, so she doesnt need to outside.   And also her litter somewhere nearby, by the same reason.  Although not very near the food nor the self nest. 

Be sure she isnt stressed by sounds or visitors.  Only you her  beloved Ma/Dad should go near and handle the kittens - carefully and respectfully.

IF  you notice everything is OK and she is at ease, you can allow also others to visit her, respectfully.   But not before you see she is OK with that.

Does she allows you to come in and look see the kittens?   Its good you do weigh them in grammes every day.  This way you can easier notice if something not so good is happening.  And vice versa, be decently sure things are going ok and forward.

Im pasteing in our links about pregnancy and kitten care.  You will see yourself which of them are about kitten care as  the actual for you.

Please, dont hesitate to come with reports and further questions.

Good luck!

Most of these links have been readied by our forumist  Red Top Rescue:

We have a good collection of articles in the Cat Health section which you can access by scrolling up to the brown bar, clicking on Articles,and then choosing the Cat Health section and scrolling through the choices.  To make this super easy for you, I am copying the links regarding birth, delivery and newborns for you here.  After reading this information, let us know if you have any more questions.  And good luck with your approaching new arrivals.

 Birth, Delivery and Newborns

How to Tell if My Cat is Pregnant?

Cat Pregnancy

How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth?

Pregnant Cat? What to Prepare For the Birth

Help! My Cat is Having Kittens!

Premature Kittens

Post-Birth Complications in Cats

And also:

http://www.icatcare.org/advice/my-cat-having-kittens     ( This is a link to a group of articles on cat pregnancy, birth and kittens.   Read the ones on normal cat birth and on " when to wait and when to worry"  )  

Fleece or flannel good to use in the bedding for kittens.
 
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nss008

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Thank you for your reply. The links were helpful.My cat is a very picky eater. I havent handled the kittens yet because they are so small and i dont want to scare them or the mother. I was concerned about her excreting as she usually uses the litter box atleast once and she hasnt got out of her nesting place since birth.
 

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Don't worry, she's just being a good mother. Sooner or late she'll be hungry or in need of the litter box (They can really keep it in when they just had kittens) and she'll leave the nest. Even if it's just for 1 minute, they will eventually leave.

I would suggest moving her food and water near the kittens. The litterbox should be close by too, so that when the kittens start to walk in a couple of weeks they can check mom doing it and copy it. That way you don't need to litterbox train them most of the times. And for mom it's nice to have everything close by so she doesn't need to stray far away. Don't put it too close by, because kittens can choke on the food and drown in the water if they "accidently" take it when too young. But keep it near the box.

Also, if possible weight the kittens every day on the same time. It's important to make sure they are growing properly and getting enough milk. You do want to weight them daily until around 2-3 weeks, after you can go with once a week or even stop completely.

Good luck, and feel free to share any pictures when you have some!
 
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nss008

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So my kittens are now 6days old. I was wondering when I can hold them and socialize with them. Moreover i was wondering how will the mother cat react to it? I've read in some posts that she might act prtoective or aggressive. How should i deal with all that?
 

detmut

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So my kittens are now 6days old. I was wondering when I can hold them and socialize with them. Moreover i was wondering how will the mother cat react to it? I've read in some posts that she might act prtoective or aggressive. How should i deal with all that?
Kittens go through their socialization period between 2-7 weeks of age. This means that the socialization falls on the breeder. The kittens should be exposed to everything possible from metal food dishes dropping, to vacuums, garage doors opening and closing, thunderstorms, sirens, garbage trucks going past, dogs and other pets, car rides, etc. Do not try to keep the area quiet during the day. The kittens need to get used to normal household noises. Children should be allowed to play with the kittens with supervision. Everything the kittens are exposed to now will help them become well-socialized, unafraid adults. Each kitten should be handled 30-40 minutes a day between 2 and 7 weeks of age. This time should consist of petting, playing, and talking with them. The kittens learn by imitating the queen. They will learn to fear what she fears. They learn to hunt by watching her and then practicing with prey she brings back to the box.
 

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Hi there,

It is recommended waiting until the kittens are 2 weeks old before handling them. I usually don't wait this long, but it has alot to do with the mom, and handling her precious kids so soon will sometimes cause her to react, move them, become very protective. 

Some are easier going then others, it depends on the mom cat and how well she trusts you.

By 2 weeks she is not in quite the high alert mode as she was. 

I handle the babies as young as day 1, but usually it's because they may need fleas removed, etc.

But tend to leave them alone as much as possible at least until their eyes are open.

When changing bedding or feeding mom I will talk softly to her and touch her babies then too.

After 2 weeks you will want to handle them each daily, to be sure they are well socialized to people.
 

catwoman707

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So my kittens are now 6days old. I was wondering when I can hold them and socialize with them. Moreover i was wondering how will the mother cat react to it? I've read in some posts that she might act prtoective or aggressive. How should i deal with all that?
As far as how mom will react, you will be able to tell if she is unwilling to allow you to handle them, by hovering on the rest, or trying to grab the baby from your hand, any small aggressive moves from her, so basically test her out to see how it goes.

It's good to practice by starting off touching the kids, then try picking up one and see how she reacts. If she is trusting of you she should be fine, maybe a n=bit nervous but soon enough will see you are putting her baby right back and not trying to take it away from her.

You will notice once you put the baby back with her she will clean your scent off of it :)
 

di and bob

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I have always handled the babies from day one, usually by just stroking mom and them at first. The mom will act nervous, but hold the baby up to her so she can see it. If it cries too loudly put it back right away, there is no use upsetting mom that much! I just can't stand it, I HAVE to hold them up to my face and have those tiny, blind, defenseless little things hiss at me, and they always do! It is priceless!
 
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nss008

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As far as how mom will react, you will be able to tell if she is unwilling to allow you to handle them, by hovering on the rest, or trying to grab the baby from your hand, any small aggressive moves from her, so basically test her out to see how it goes.
It's good to practice by starting off touching the kids, then try picking up one and see how she reacts. If she is trusting of you she should be fine, maybe a n=bit nervous but soon enough will see you are putting her baby right back and not trying to take it away from her.
You will notice once you put the baby back with her she will clean your scent off of it :)
The thing is the mother cat was a stray. She never became that fully pet cat you know. She always maintained this boundary with us. She would come up to us and snuggle or lay on top of me. But the moment I would pet her for some time she would just leave. For the past couple of days I did pet her and talk to her but I haven't touched her babies yet. So i guess next time I'll do little bonding with them too. I touched one of them little bit and she didn't do anything. So let's see.
 

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The thing is the mother cat was a stray. She never became that fully pet cat you know. She always maintained this boundary with us. She would come up to us and snuggle or lay on top of me. But the moment I would pet her for some time she would just leave. For the past couple of days I did pet her and talk to her but I haven't touched her babies yet. So i guess next time I'll do little bonding with them too. I touched one of them little bit and she didn't do anything. So let's see.
Yes, she can be tested a bit to see how she will react, touch the babies after you pet her a bit, continue to talk to her to reassure her, if she seems fine with you touching them then try picking one up and showing her, see how she reacts.

She will probably be okay with this, maybe a bit nervous still but eventually will understand you are not taking them from her.

If baby starts to cry when picked up, just put him back with her right then so she won't stress out thinking he is being hurt, etc.
 
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nss008

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So my 4kittens(one of them
Is missing in the picture) are 2months old. My friend wants to adopt one of them. I just wanted to know if its okay to give one away. And the mother cat is also there so how will she react? [emoji]128522[/emoji]
 

mwallace056

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If you trust your friend and know they will take good care of it then i say it ok. She probably will become depressed for few days or so but should evenually go bqck to her normal self. Keep a eye on eating as sometimes they don't eat
 
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