Out of Africa!

My daughter just completed two and half years of service in the Peace Corps teaching in a remote village in Burkina Faso, West Africa.  We are thrilled to have her home again and of course, very proud of her work!  While there, she adopted a small kitten who she named Diaba ("onion" in the local tribal language). Diaba is about one year old now and spent her first year in a home contained in a courtyard with no other cats.  Unbeknownst to my daughter, a large tom cat got into the courtyard in the last days of her service.  

So by now you have guessed our story--after an 8000 mile journey involving 12 hours on a bus and 24 hours of plane travel, our Illinois vet has now confirmed Diaba is pregnant with at least two kittens.  Diaba is tiny herself (3-4 pounds) so I am hoping its just two babies but we'll see.

Our family has always had cats but we are strict spay/nueter advocates so we have never had a pregnant cat before now.  I have been reading the threads on how to watch for signs of delivery and how to assist (if needed) but  admit to a certain amount (lots!) of apprehension.  I am concerned that the stress of the extensive travel could have had an adverse effect on the kittens although they seem to be growing steadily.  With Diaba's young age, first pregnancy and super small size, I am also worried about complications during the delivery.  She will be spayed as appropriate after this litter is born.

Any suggestions of what to look out for and what feed Diaba at this point?  She has been getting regular high quality cat food in the two weeks we have had her home--a big improvement over the limited dried fish available in Africa.  Her coat looks healthier than it did when she arrived.  

Another big issue is that we already have five rescue cats and a dog in our small home.  Diaba and one of our cats were supposed to go to live in Boston with my daughter but with the upcoming delivery, those plans have to be on hold.  We are keeping her in an upstairs bedroom/bath away from the other animals and plan to continue that for the foreseeable future.  

The vet expects the kittens in a week or two.   Eeeek!

First, she is ADORABLE! How long did it take to get her into the country?

She needs to be switched to kitten food. With the babies in her womb, they press on her tummy and she can't eat as much and kitten food has more nutrients. Keep her on Kitten food while she's nursing her babies as well. You can give her some KMR, she'll love it. Also an occasional piece of boiled plain chicken.

Okay!  That is really helpful.  She had quite a trip, first by bus by herself and then 24 hours of plane travel in the cabin with my daughter.  She had her own e-ticket!  Cats are sometimes seen as food in the village that she came from so I am glad Rebecca decided to bring her home.  We weren't counting on kittens though!  I am hoping the babies were not adversely affected by the travel and stress.  We will go get kitten food and KMR (need to look that up) tonight.  Thank you!!

KMR is kitten milk replacer. if Mama rejects or the runt isn't getting enough milk, you will need to syringe feed, using a 1 or 2 mL syringe. If mama rejects, you will need to keep babies warm using a heating pad, or a hot water bottle, or hot rice in a sock, but put a towel between the heat source and the babies so they don't get burned. in the case of mama rejecting, you will need to help the babies potty, by taking a damp towel and rubbing their tummies and just above their anus. Gross, I know, but they can't poo or pee on their own.

As for the birth, mama should sever the cord herself and eat the placentas. Don't let her eat more than 3 or 4, diahrea will happen if she does. In the case she completely ignores her newborns, gently tear the placenta away from babies' face and tie the cord about an inch from the kitten's body with unwaxed dental floss. Tie it TIGHTLY. Then cut the cord and toss the placenta. If the baby isn't breathing or seems dead, rub it briskly with a tomwel, blow gently into its face or nose[GENTLY!] to see if it revives.

Feedings will have to be done ever 1-2 hours and I suggest you get a scale to weight the kittens once or twice daily. Keep track of weights. If everything goes perfectly and she only DOES have one or two kittens, she should be able to take care of them herself without one not getting enough milk. Keep mama and babies in a box, or tub lined with towels so the babies don't get lost.

This is also her first litter, you may have to show her what to do. Like, help the baby potty in front of her, then push baby's butt in her face. Before she gives birth, cats usually become extrememly affectionate and clingy, meowing if you leave their sight. Honestly, the few days before she has her babies, you[or whoever she wants] may have to lay on the floor beside her nest touching her to keep her happy.

Speaking of nests, create a few nests for her. Dark, safe, quiet places for her to have her babies. She'll choose where she wants them. Change the bedding after babies are born, trying not to disturb mama much. Make sure she stays with her babies, they can't control their body temperature and will, so to speak, freeze to death without mama. Turn any fans off and close any windows. She may move her babies around the room.

Excellent information @Stormy Bledsoe. I think you touched on it all. 

Last bit, if you DO hand feed the babies, hold them tummy down, head up.

Also, with her being a first time mama, she might not know how to nurse them. If she doesn't let them nurse, gently push her on her side and place the baby to the nipple. If she gets up and leaves them, start hand feeding.

Thank you!  This is all so helpful.  She is a sweet little thing and we want to take proper care of her and the babies.  Your thoughts are sincerely appreciated!

She is extremely tiny, and judging by the looks of her paws, has quite a bit of growing to do herself.

She may turn out to be a great mom, or not. Sometimes kittens this young do not do well as moms, and other times they are excellent.

She does need kitten chow as well as wet cat food, such as Fancy Feast, where the first ingredient is protein. A steady diet of this will keep her healthy and growing. Doubtful the travel harmed the kittens. The KMR is excellent nutrition for her to lap daily as well. It gives her needed calcium.

Here is an article to read about delivery. We have many informative articles regarding pregnant cats and kitten care.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/help-my-cat-is-having-kittens

You've been given good advice. Please ask questions as they arise.

she IS itty bitty. She's tinier than my six month old kitten!

Eli41863 said:

 
Okay!  That is really helpful.  She had quite a trip, first by bus by herself and then 24 hours of plane travel in the cabin with my daughter.  She had her own e-ticket!  Cats are sometimes seen as food in the village that she came from so I am glad Rebecca decided to bring her home.  We weren't counting on kittens though!  I am hoping the babies were not adversely affected by the travel and stress.  We will go get kitten food and KMR (need to look that up) tonight.  Thank you!!

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There are many brands of kmr, some good, some not good.

KMR is perhaps the best of them. its made by PetAg, and the in powder is best. the ready made liquid isnt as relia ble, by some unclear reason.

Royal Canine makes also a good kmr brand.

GNC is a third.  GNC is made on goat milk as a base.

Goat milk in itself is useful emergency kmr for kittens, and a good supplement food during the cats whole life.

Raw goat milk is best - fresh or frozen.  But full fat bottled, cartooned or powdered, works nicely too.

What is worrying me here, if the tom was a large one, and she is a tiny one,  the kittens may be biggish  And if so, she may get difficulties delivering them.

So, prepare on signs for difficult delivery,  and have tel phone and route clear to a good surgeon vet, ready to make an emergency  cesarean.

If your budget is tight, there is some sort of  vet care card, which allows you to  get a repayment plan...   I myself dont know the details, Im not living in USA.

It is called the Care Credit card. Most vets accept it. You can apply online for it. Very helpful in paying vet bills.

sarthur2 said:

It is called the Care Credit card. Most vets accept it. You can apply online for it. Very helpful in paying vet bills.

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I have to agree. I have a Care Credit card that I use strictly for my vet bills. I love it. The payments are very reasonable. Also if your bill is over $200 you have 6 months to pay it off with no interest added.

Thanks to all for your thoughts!  Diaba is tiny but she's a little bigger than the two photos showing her paws as those were taken in Africa when she was younger.  Her most recent photo is the head shot I used for the avatar.  I'd estimate she's normally between 3.5-4.0 pounds, probably 5 pounds now that the kittens are growing.  That being said, I am worried about a difficult delivery and don't know all of the signs to look for.  We do have a Care Credit card--it's really a godsend when cash flow is tight!

Here are a few articles that should be helpful.  There are more at the top of this forum.
[article="29720"]Pregnancy And Delivery In Cats  [/article][article="31379"]Pregnant Cat What To Prepare For The Birth  [/article][article="31496"]How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth  [/article]

Thank you to each of you who weighed in with advice and articles to recommend.  I am pleased to report that Diaba had two kittens yesterday morning after a fairly short labor.  We have a tri-color girl and a tabby boy (I think) 78 g and 86 g respectively.  The female came first and Diaba handled it very well although we did have to cut the cord.  The second kitten came out tail first about 40 minutes later and his head got stuck.  Thank God I read all of those articles and several threads on this site!!  She panicked after several minutes of the kitten's body hanging out of her and got up to leave the nest.  It was touch and go for a few minutes there but with lubrication and gloves I was able to help her deliver the head.  He was lifeless after the struggle but he revived with stimulation and she attended to him nicely after that.  Here are some pictures.  





The tri-color although smaller is very vigorous so I could only get a decent picture of her when we weighed her.  I have read that Mom can be spayed at 8-10 weeks after delivery.  Do you agree?  The kittens will only go to homes that agree to spay/neuter.  One is placed already with a very close friend.  One more to go!

Also, any advice as to kittens this size is more than welcome.  Are these considered small or just average?

One more update!  Just weighed them again today (one day old) and the tri-color girl gained 18 grams and the tabby boy gained 16 grams.  Not bad for our little first time Mom!!

YAY!!!

It seems Mama is doing everything and doing it right too. Has she been helping them potty? If not[she may not know], hold the baby in front of her and gently tap its anus and rub its belly and genital area. Then stick baby's butt in her face so she'll lick them.