mama seems ok with me touching her kits!

So it is not my cat or my families cat.
It's my boyfriends. We dated from June to September 2014 and now again January till present this new year. Irbay (err-a-bay) is very comfortable with me. I made her nest and began spending time with her in it a few days before she gave birth.
sadly I was at work when it happened, but my boyfriend was their with her.
when I got back I immediately noticed their blanket had not been changed, so I had to move her babes. She seemed a bit anxious and cleaned them a bit after but went back to nursing on her new clean bed.
I have been spending time with her since, petting her head, rubbing her back. She purrs away and doesn't react when I pet her kittens too.
they came out very big, I feel like she may have been quite a bit past her due date. They seem very developed. Plus, my boyfriend pointed out her initial pregnancy symptoms early february.
I was wondering if it's possible that they could be unhealthy, or if she could be, because her pregnancy was so long. She has no issues yet it seems, same with her kits.
Also, is it safe for me to continue petting them if my hands are clean?
Irbay is an outdoor cat and has been trying to leave to get outside, once or twice successfully for a couple hours already. If they cry for her while she's gone should I consider buying a newborn supplement for thsee times? She nurses often I'm just worried she'll start going outside for longer periods and her babes won't get all their nutrients. She's nearly impossible to stop as the outside is her litter box.
Thanks everyone!

blaqcats said:

So it is not my cat or my families cat.
It's my boyfriends. We dated from June to September 2014 and now again January till present this new year. Irbay (err-a-bay) is very comfortable with me. I made her nest and began spending time with her in it a few days before she gave birth.
sadly I was at work when it happened, but my boyfriend was their with her.
when I got back I immediately noticed their blanket had not been changed, so I had to move her babes. She seemed a bit anxious and cleaned them a bit after but went back to nursing on her new clean bed.
I have been spending time with her since, petting her head, rubbing her back. She purrs away and doesn't react when I pet her kittens too.
they came out very big, I feel like she may have been quite a bit past her due date. They seem very developed. Plus, my boyfriend pointed out her initial pregnancy symptoms early february.
I was wondering if it's possible that they could be unhealthy, or if she could be, because her pregnancy was so long. She has no issues yet it seems, same with her kits.
Also, is it safe for me to continue petting them if my hands are clean?
Irbay is an outdoor cat and has been trying to leave to get outside, once or twice successfully for a couple hours already. If they cry for her while she's gone should I consider buying a newborn supplement for thsee times? She nurses often I'm just worried she'll start going outside for longer periods and her babes won't get all their nutrients. She's nearly impossible to stop as the outside is her litter box.
Thanks everyone!

Click to expand...

Ok, its swell she doesnt mind you handling her kittens, nor petting her.  They DO usually allow, its just rabbits who are touchy, not cats.  But some accept happily, while others are more grungidly  (more nervous).

Moms teeth and mouth arent sterile, so you dont need to overdo the sterility.  Its enough its clean, and your hands are clean.  Completely enough for everday use.

They being somewhat late is no disadvantage, there is no danger because of it.  The danger is any, is they may be difficult to deliver if they are big.  But as a whole, cats tends to manage late birth better than humans, so no worry now.  

If she nurses them, supplements shouldnt be necessary, even if she is away a couple of hours.

But the wise do get some gears, just if...  Kmr, kitten mothermilk replacement.  Goat milk is fine too.   So I would suggest you get goat milk, you can use it yourself if you dont need to the kittens.

IF they need supplement.  The best way to know is to take their weight every day.  They shall gain at least 10g a day.  Such biggish not less, but may get more...

If they add less, consider strongly supplementing. 

The problem here, is the mom goes outside.  Its dangerous, she will probably get into heat soon.   Cats arent protected by lactacing, like humans are.

So she will get pregnant anew quite soon.

Also, being in heat, they aret as cautious as they usually are.  Quite a few moms has disapperared in this situation, leving her litter in the hands of their owner to raise on her own hand...

So, the best is if you make her a litter or two inside!   And keep her inside....  Please, try.

Proceed with reports and further questions!

Good luck!

Any other opinions on if I should help her nurse? She's not doing a very good job being a mom. Laying on her babies, only nursing for short times and then leaving the nest. Its not that she's uninterested..she's just the kind of kitty who likes her alone time. Should I be worried her babes won't eat eNough?

Is the babies crying?

catwoman707 StefanZ

blaqcats said:

Any other opinions on if I should help her nurse? She's not doing a very good job being a mom. Laying on her babies, only nursing for short times and then leaving the nest. Its not that she's uninterested..she's just the kind of kitty who likes her alone time. Should I be worried her babes won't eat eNough?

Click to expand...

The answer if they get enough or not, the easiest way is to weigh them every day, and see if they gain.  The smallish born shall add 6-8 gram a day as a minimum, the normal weight born 10+ grammes a day.   The biggish shall probably gain even more, but they do have some reserves, and thus they afford to gain less a couple three days, if so is.

If you by any reason cant weigh them, try at least to look and see.  This is almost impossible to get good measure if not very experienced... but still, better than nothing.

If they babies are crying much, may be an indicium they dont get enough, as MWallace hints.

If in doubt, yes begin to supplement.  At least, get home the gears.   A needleless syringe on 1ml.   Learn how to use it properly.

My favorite is raw goat milk, if you can get it.  But there are also some good  kmr.   Ask if you want  examples.

mwallace056 said:

Is the babies crying?

catwoman707 StefanZ

Click to expand...

They cry briefly when she leaves and comes back, but they don't cry much for her while she's away, only when they wake and realize she's gone.

StefanZ they don't look to me like they've gotten any bigger, they are 3 days old. Maybe the slightest but more plump but it's only noticeable on one of the 5 I think. I'm also bad with visual judgements of size and distance though haha.

Do you have a scale to weigh them?

This is your sure bet to know if mom is being a bit TOO careless is to weight them on a gram scale.

It's normal for them to be quiet while she's gone, then when they hear'feel her approaching, will cry to let her know where they are.

(I know, nature's way

Moms usually won't allow them to starve. Even though she is preoccupied with going outside, which I highly suggest against too.

She will be prego again SO fast.

Okay so my momma cat isn't being a good mom. She always comes back within an hour but she left 3 hrs ago and we can't find her anywhere.
her 4 day old kittens are SCREAMING, climbing everywhere, when I try to relax them they try to nurse and panic when they cant. I've decided that since she'll probably be gone for the next 6 hours at least I'll have to buy kmr as soon as the store opens in the mirning, hopefully she'll be back before then.. if not I'll have to take the motherhood into my own hands..
they don't seem as plump as they should be, I'm not sure if Irbay has been producing enough milk to begin with.
will they survive until I feed them in the morning if she's not back? Will they die overnight? What can I do to help them right now? I'm so stressed about these poor babies

They can't go long without food and their mother warmth

StefanZ catwoman707

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/
http://www.kittenrescue.org/index.php/cat-care/kitten-care-handbook/
http://www.hdw-inc.com/glop.htm
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/hand-rearing-kittens

blaqcats said:

Okay so my momma cat isn't being a good mom. She always comes back within an hour but she left 3 hrs ago and we can't find her anywhere.
her 4 day old kittens are SCREAMING, climbing everywhere, when I try to relax them they try to nurse and panic when they cant. I've decided that since she'll probably be gone for the next 6 hours at least I'll have to buy kmr as soon as the store opens in the mirning, hopefully she'll be back before then.. if not I'll have to take the motherhood into my own hands..
they don't seem as plump as they should be, I'm not sure if Irbay has been producing enough milk to begin with.
will they survive until I feed them in the morning if she's not back? Will they die overnight? What can I do to help them right now? I'm so stressed about these poor babies

Click to expand...

new babies have a 2 hour window of processing milk, in 2 hours time after they eat, what was consumed is digested and gone, they have no reserve what so ever. What that means is, no water reserve at all, so dehydration sets in fast, within hours.

This is why when people care for orphaned babies it is stressed on how important it is for them to feed every 2-3 hours, no more.

Waiting all night would mean you will have a litter of babies on a real downward slope, it can kill them.

From here on out, when mom comes back, and she will, that's just how they are, she must be kept inside! Even if it means containing her, closing her in one room, bathroom, whatever.

That is just too long for them to have to wait, for her to be back from strolling around leisurely

They need their mama!

blaqcats said:

Okay so my momma cat isn't being a good mom. She always comes back within an hour but she left 3 hrs ago and we can't find her anywhere.
her 4 day old kittens are SCREAMING, climbing everywhere, when I try to relax them they try to nurse and panic when they cant. I've decided that since she'll probably be gone for the next 6 hours at least I'll have to buy kmr as soon as the store opens in the mirning, hopefully she'll be back before then.. if not I'll have to take the motherhood into my own hands..
they don't seem as plump as they should be, I'm not sure if Irbay has been producing enough milk to begin with.
will they survive until I feed them in the morning if she's not back? Will they die overnight? What can I do to help them right now? I'm so stressed about these poor babies

Click to expand...

With a tlittle luck they will survive till you have got good kmr or goat milk, but you must help up their chances.

1. Keep them warm.  Ie they should have some mild heat source.

2.  Give them water, so they dont get dehydrated at least.   About 1 ml a time to begin with.

If you dont have a needleless syringe, use a dropper. or have some drops on your finger, and let them lick off.  You can even try with a straw.  Train on the straw first, so you do have some control.

The kitten on the tummy, head up, may be a little diagonally up.  In the corner of the mouth, slowly

Please update!!!

Kittens are a lot tougher than we give them credit for. I hope everything went well.

M mwallace056 mama came back about an hr after I made the post. She's been better since (but because I only let her leave to use the litter, no where near the door!)
I weighEd the kittens but they were very squirmy. I would estimate they weigh between 125 and 175 grams. I feel like they should be a lot heavier..should I pick up supplement?

blaqcats said:

@mwallace056mama came back about an hr after I made the post. She's been better since (but because I only let her leave to use the litter, no where near the door!)
I weighEd the kittens but they were very squirmy. I would estimate they weigh between 125 and 175 grams. I feel like they should be a lot heavier..should I pick up supplement?

Click to expand...

You dont give their starting weights at birth.  But now 4 days later.  If we try count backwards, presuming they add 10g a day,  The biggest prob somewhat more.

the smallest had OK birthing weigh, no fortune, but oK.  the otheres were over 100 grammes.   I think they add decently.

As mom come back, and if they seem to eat well, I dont think supplementing is necessary as yet.  But keep eyes on the weight gains!

And good you DO have the gears ready - IF you can begin administer at once.

Good luck!

StefanZ said:

You dont give their starting weights at birth.  But now 4 days later.  If we try count backwards, presuming they add 10g a day,  The biggest prob somewhat more.

the smallest had OK birthing weigh, no fortune, but oK.  the otheres were over 100 grammes.   I think they add decently.

As mom come back, and if they seem to eat well, I dont think supplementing is necessary as yet.  But keep eyes on the weight gains!

And good you DO have the gears ready - IF you can begin administer at once.


Good luck!

Click to expand...

It's important for me to add that I used a small scale and their limbe sometimes hung over the sides, displacing the weight whigh means they're more likely at the lower end of my estimate

blaqcats said:

It's important for me to add that I used a small scale and their limbe sometimes hung over the sides, displacing the weight whigh means they're more likely at the lower end of my estimate

Click to expand...

Use some sort of a mixing bowl to weigh them in, so you just put in them whole in a piece, so to speak.

Easier to weigh!

The same advice later on when they got bigger, and dont any longer get place on the scale.  Have them in a bowl. one at a time.

With all due, no they aren't, they're fragile.  And I think a lot more of them survive by reminding people to be vigilant.

People are used to relying on external cues to tell them they've screwed up.

That helpful feedback is almost always absent when it comes to kittens.   Squeeze the bottle a little too tightly so the kitten inhales the milk, it'll take a few days before you know what you did and then it's too late.  Figure you'll keep the formula around because you mixed up too much, you won't see the bacteria that grows in it. 

They need to be reminded that yes, it matters if you sleep through the night even though you were supposed to get up every four hours.  Because otherwise you're just slowly starving them to death or making them weaker so they can't survive any set backs.

In sum, I think it pays to be both encouraging and specific about the need to worry about everything -- it's not about the try, not by a long shot

.