Did she kill her own kitten?

raebekah

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A couple of weeks ago my neighbour asked me if i would take in her pregnant cat as she could no longer care for her.

I agreed immediately as the poor little cat was not vey well looked after.

The cat was originally a stray that several people on my street would feed. She is constantly pregnant.

I thought if I took the cat in I could let her have her kittens and then (finally) get her neutered.

This is a cat that to my knowledge, has never seen the inside of a vets, nor had any vaccinations, flea or worm treatment or proper food.

Luckily, mummy cat trusts me and so moving her in was no problem. She settled right away and made herself at home.

I have been able to see the kittens moving in her tummy for around 9 days so I knew she didn't have long to go. She was having trouble walking as she was so big.

Yesterday she began nesting in earnest and decided on the laundry basket laid on its side.

I thought that perhaps she might be more comfortable in my room, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life so I went upstairs this evening to sort out a quiet space for her in there.

When I came down to get a drink, she had already given birth to one kitten!

A few hours later and we had three babies.

At this point it was around three in the morning and I fell asleep on the sofa.

When I woke up I checked on mum and saw a fourth kitten. I noticed it wasn't moving at all so I took a closer look and realised this kitty wasn't breathing.

I scooped it up and tried to warm it by wrapping it in a little towel and gently rubbing. The kitten felt so cold.

On closer inspection I noticed that the babies tummy had a gaping hole in it around the umbilical cord.

Did mummy cat do this chewing through the cord? Or was it born with this hole?

Also its now been almost 4 hours since the last kitten was born and no more kittens have arrived. How do I tell if she has more in there waiting to be born and how long do I leave it before seeking help from the vet if there are more in there?

Now I know that in the past four years, this little cat has had one litter after another. Surely she knows what to do by now and so she wouldn't have chewed through this babies cord causing a fatal injury?

 I have offered to pay for her neutering but her 'owner' didn't want it doing. So I have had to sit by and watch this little girl be repeatedly pregnant and never receive any care.

So ultimately im asking, did she hurt her kitten if so why would she do this and how do I tell if she has anymore in there and how long do I leave her before taking her to the vet?

Thank you in advance x
 

StefanZ

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A couple of weeks ago my neighbour asked me if i would take in her pregnant cat as she could no longer care for her.

I agreed immediately as the poor little cat was not vey well looked after.

The cat was originally a stray that several people on my street would feed. She is constantly pregnant.

I thought if I took the cat in I could let her have her kittens and then (finally) get her neutered.

This is a cat that to my knowledge, has never seen the inside of a vets, nor had any vaccinations, flea or worm treatment or proper food.

Luckily, mummy cat trusts me and so moving her in was no problem. She settled right away and made herself at home.

I have been able to see the kittens moving in her tummy for around 9 days so I knew she didn't have long to go. She was having trouble walking as she was so big.

Yesterday she began nesting in earnest and decided on the laundry basket laid on its side.

I thought that perhaps she might be more comfortable in my room, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life so I went upstairs this evening to sort out a quiet space for her in there.

When I came down to get a drink, she had already given birth to one kitten!

A few hours later and we had three babies.

At this point it was around three in the morning and I fell asleep on the sofa.

When I woke up I checked on mum and saw a fourth kitten. I noticed it wasn't moving at all so I took a closer look and realised this kitty wasn't breathing.

I scooped it up and tried to warm it by wrapping it in a little towel and gently rubbing. The kitten felt so cold.

On closer inspection I noticed that the babies tummy had a gaping hole in it around the umbilical cord.

Did mummy cat do this chewing through the cord? Or was it born with this hole?

Also its now been almost 4 hours since the last kitten was born and no more kittens have arrived. How do I tell if she has more in there waiting to be born and how long do I leave it before seeking help from the vet if there are more in there?

Now I know that in the past four years, this little cat has had one litter after another. Surely she knows what to do by now and so she wouldn't have chewed through this babies cord causing a fatal injury?

 I have offered to pay for her neutering but her 'owner' didn't want it doing. So I have had to sit by and watch this little girl be repeatedly pregnant and never receive any care.

So ultimately im asking, did she hurt her kitten if so why would she do this and how do I tell if she has anymore in there and how long do I leave her before taking her to the vet?

Thank you in advance x
Te important first.  What to do when you arent sure if she is done or not.    Especielly as pauses, shorter or longer, are not uncommon.

The question isnt unusual at all.  The answer is usual easy - it depends on.

If there are no visible problems,  no active labor,  no hard panting, no bleeding (some red colored discharge is common), no vever, happy busying herself with her alive kittens - you can wait and see.  Be observant, as the situation is somewhat touchy and it can develop problems in a short notice, but - you dont need to panic.

If there ARE visible problems of any sorts - phone your vet ASAP and be ready to rush in...

OK, re the kitten.  Bot possibilites may happen.  She may have bitten off the cord wronlgy, however experienced...   And the kitten may have had some fault.

We camt know which as it seems you cant see if it was chewed on, or just has an opening in there...

As luck is, it doesnt matter much here, really.

Your instincts to try and warm up and rub warm the stillborn kitten was correct, that is the try to do - sometimes it succeeds.

Also your other plans and ideas seems sound and what we would recommend.

Please come with reports and further questions!

Good luck!
 
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raebekah

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thank you so much for your reply!

well she hasn't had any more kittens and she seems very settled. She has had something to eat and drink but hasn't used the toilet as yet.

Im finding it hard to believe that she only had 4 babies there as she was absolutely huge. I mean she could barely walk these last few days because she is so big! Then again, she was so under nourished that her frame was quite literally skin and bones and then this huge round bump!

I have been feeding her kitten food as and when she demanded feeding and I have also been giving her cooked chicken, the odd sardine and kitten milk after speaking to the vet about her and explaining how thin her frame was.

The kittens that are here look to be quite healthy. She has cleaned them and feeding well and vocalising loudly!

Im going to keep a close eye on her and see if I an have a feel of her tummy. She is happy for me to stroke her and purrs when I do.

She went for a little walk a while ago around the house but before she went she dropped her kittens at my feet. Im assuming she was asking me to kitten sit!

I feel so guilty that I fell asleep. I keep thinking maybe if I had stayed awake I could have saved the lost kitten.

Im not sure what to do with the little one that died. do I bury him/her? do I take the body to the vet?

Mum had laid her to one side away from the others and had tried to cover him/her with a blanket.

Thank you again and I will keep you posted if she has anymore. I will also try and get a photo!

They are so sweet. They look to be grey and tabby striped. I know who their daddy is as he is also a stray that I feed. They look just like him!

I hope I can find good homes for them. If not they will just have to live with me. As im sure you will agree, there is no hardship in loving cats!
 

Sarthur2

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No hardship in loving cats at all! Beautiful sentiment! You have a lovely heart to take in this gentle cat that you now can have spayed in a few weeks when her kittens are older.

Sorry about the kitten that did not make it. It happens. Mom may have had a painful contraction that caused her to accidentally bite the kitten while trying to chew the cord. She sounds like a loving mom otherwise.

If you can, just bury that kitten in your garden.

Enjoy your mama and her babies! Mama will need lots of extra nutrition while nursing, particularly since she was undernourished to begin with. Thank you for giving her such a good home and care! :)
 
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