Mommy cat not cleaning newborn's feces off fur

My cat, Jitterbug, just gave birth two four kittens the night before last.  Everything seems to be going well, except there is poop on the kittens' legs and tail.  Jitterbug grooms them everywhere else but there.  Also, she is very protective of them.  I tried cleaning one of them with a damp cloth, but the poor thing makes such a fuss, and I couldn't get it all off, and Jitterbug was having a conniption.  What is a better way to do this?

Grandkitty said:

 
My cat, Jitterbug, just gave birth two four kittens the night before last.  Everything seems to be going well, except there is poop on the kittens' legs and tail.  Jitterbug grooms them everywhere else but there.  Also, she is very protective of them.  I tried cleaning one of them with a damp cloth, but the poor thing makes such a fuss, and I couldn't get it all off, and Jitterbug was having a conniption.  What is a better way to do this?

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What is a conniption?    Otherwise Im a little surprised she is THAT protective to you her owner and Mom.   Even semiferales usually allow handling of the kittens if its done respectfully.  So you are perhaps not doing it the right way?   Do it near the mom, so she sees you and the kitten, talk friendly and soothingly the whole time. Be sure the damp cloths is warm and nice, so the kitten dont protests and squeaks for momma help...

The same routine weighting them kittens on a scale.  This way momma can observe, but dont have any reason to get worried.

What I refer to a conniption is she gets angry.  I guess I did it wrong.  I closed momma cat in another room so I could deal with the kittens.  The kittens always cry out when I hold them, even though I treat them gently.  Momma heard the kitten crying out and my husband said she was getting really agitated.  I heard her meowing really loud.

I was surprised she was so protective of them.  Before I tried cleaning them, whenever I picked one up, she would put sit up and meow at me.  Then when I put the kitten back down, she would put her legs between me and them.  That's why I tried to keep her in another room to clean the kittens.  I know now that was a mistake.

I'm not sure what is going on with Jitterbug.  I raised her from the time she was weaned, and in fact, when she was going into labor, she insisted I stay in the room with her.

She is being hormonal and protective of her babies.  It's normal.  She is registering cries as distress.  You do definitely need to clean them, though.  You can try holding them in front of mom's face and see if she will lick.  Otherwise, a warm, damp cloth will work.

Can you keep mom inside and away from intact males until the kittens are weaned?

talkingpeanut said:

 
She is being hormonal and protective of her babies.  It's normal.  She is registering cries as distress.  You do definitely need to clean them, though.  You can try holding them in front of mom's face and see if she will lick.  Otherwise, a warm, damp cloth will work.

Can you keep mom inside and away from intact males until the kittens are weaned?

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Thank you for your reply.  I'll try again.  I already tried a warm damp cloth, was just wondering if there was something I could use to make the feces come off easier.

Yes, I'm keeping her inside.  So far, she hasn't shown any desire to go outside.

Cleaning them more frequently will make it easier to clean.

Mom will go into heat before the kittens are weaned. She will try to get out, and she will need to be kept in then too. She can be spayed when then kittens are 8 weeks old. Do you need help finding a low cost clinic?

talkingpeanut said:

Cleaning them more frequently will make it easier to clean.

Mom will go into heat before the kittens are weaned. She will try to get out, and she will need to be kept in then too. She can be spayed when then kittens are 8 weeks old. Do you need help finding a low cost clinic?

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Well, we got them cleaned last night, and it seems Jitterbug is now cleaning them better, because when we were weighing the kittens tonight, they were all clean.  Is it normal for mom not to have eaten all of the umbilical cord?  A couple of them still have like a quarter inch or so hanging out.

Oh, all of them except for one gained 13 grams from last night, and the fourth gained 11 grams.  Is it normal for their weights to be so wide in range?  The smallest is 129 grams, and the largest is 143 grams, with the other two at 136 and 139, and the smallest one is the one who gained 11 grams.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that I'm trying to convince my husband to get her spayed, and if I can, yes, I could use help finding an affordable but good place to get it done.

The remainder of the umbilical cords will dry up and fall off on their own in a few days.

And yes, weights can very widely. Their gains were very good though! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Grandkitty said:

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that I'm trying to convince my husband to get her spayed, and if I can, yes, I could use help finding an affordable but good place to get it done.

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Why doesn't your husband want to spay?

Grandkitty said:

Well, we got them cleaned last night, and it seems Jitterbug is now cleaning them better, because when we were weighing the kittens tonight, they were all clean.  Is it normal for mom not to have eaten all of the umbilical cord?  A couple of them still have like a quarter inch or so hanging out.

Oh, all of them except for one gained 13 grams from last night, and the fourth gained 11 grams.  Is it normal for their weights to be so wide in range?  The smallest is 129 grams, and the largest is 143 grams, with the other two at 136 and 139, and the smallest one is the one who gained 11 grams.

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Everything sounds totally normal. Has she totally taken over cleaning duties now?

talkingpeanut said:

Everything sounds totally normal. Has she totally taken over cleaning duties now?

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Yes, and doing quite nicely, thanks.

talkingpeanut said:

Why doesn't your husband want to spay?

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He has this silly notion that he don't want to do anything to our pets that he wouldn't want done to himself.  While I understand the sentiment, it's not really practical, and downright cruel to the kittens because there are so many unwanted kittens that do not get taken care of like they should be.  I really don't wish to contribute to that.

We also have a strictly outdoor cat that we adopted.  He is a sweet male cat named Milo, and I'm trying to convince my husband we should neuter him.  We cannot let him in the house for an extended period without watching him closely because he sprays.  Also, Jitterbug, whom we had first since she was weaned, hisses and growls at him.  If it were just because of Jitters, we would go ahead and let him in, and try to take steps to get them used to each other (he actually is really sweet to her... the only cat in the neighborhood that treats her nice, and she is a total to him LOL).  An additional reason my husband does not wish to neuter especially Milo is he's afraid that neutering him would make him less likely to fend off the other cats that roam the neighborhood.  To tell you the truth, I don't think we have to worry about Milo in that regard.  Before we adopted him, he had been left to fend for himself in another neighborhood.

So any suggestions on how to convince my husband that spaying/neutering these cats is the best way to go?

Male cats will roam and impregnate females, getting into fights and getting injured. It contributes to the feral cat population. Males spray less when neutered. I have 3 males, all of whom were neutered at 3 months old, and none of them has ever sprayed.

Females who experience repeated heat cycles run the risk of developing pyometra, which is an often deadly infection of the uterus.

Both males and females live longer, healthier lives.

Are you sure it's not about money? There are low-cost clinics available.

Oh, yikes. This is a really difficult opinion to deal with!

For one, cats have no attachment to their testicles or their ability to have children. They do not have emotions in that regard. All they have is an uncontrollable urge to mate and reproduce. Hormones drive them to reckless behavior.

Intact cats spread infection and injure each other. They also contribute to millions of unwanted cats all over the world, many of whom go on to lead miserable lives.

Your male is actually much more likely to fight if he is intact. He will get into trouble with others who are defending their territory, and he will have to defend his. He is also mating indiscriminately. This is how he will get injuried, or a possibly fatal disease. In addition, he will likely stop spraying if neutered. Then he could live safely inside.

Females are very likely to get reproductive cancer of the uterus, ovaries, or mammaries if unspayed. Pyometria is another common infection, which is fatal if untreated. She is also likely to get out again. Cats are very determined when in heat.

All in all, your cats are uncomfortable and in danger if intact. It's part of responsible cat ownership, and I hope you can convince him of that.

talkingpeanut said:

Oh, yikes. This is a really difficult opinion to deal with!

For one, cats have no attachment to their testicles or their ability to have children. They do not have emotions in that regard. All they have is an uncontrollable urge to mate and reproduce. Hormones drive them to reckless behavior.

Intact cats spread infection and injure each other. They also contribute to millions of unwanted cats all over the world, many of whom go on to lead miserable lives.

Your male is actually much more likely to fight if he is intact. He will get into trouble with others who are defending their territory, and he will have to defend his. He is also mating indiscriminately. This is how he will get injuried, or a possibly fatal disease. In addition, he will likely stop spraying if neutered. Then he could live safely inside.

Females are very likely to get reproductive cancer of the uterus, ovaries, or mammaries if unspayed. Pyometria is another common infection, which is fatal if untreated. She is also likely to get out again. Cats are very determined when in heat.

All in all, your cats are uncomfortable and in danger if intact. It's part of responsible cat ownership, and I hope you can convince him of that.

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 The part I bolded is part of my husband's concern.  Since Milo is used to being outside, and I doubt we can keep him inside, even though he likes to come in every once in awhile, he will have to deal with other toms (and there are several around) who invade our yard.  My husband is concerned that if he's neutered, he won't have the... er... balls, for lack of a better term, to stand up to the male cats that will attack him in our yard.

Grandkitty said:

 The part I bolded is part of my husband's concern.  Since Milo is used to being outside, and I doubt we can keep him inside, even though he likes to come in every once in awhile, he will have to deal with other toms (and there are several around) who invade our yard.  My husband is concerned that if he's neutered, he won't have the... er... balls, for lack of a better term, to stand up to the male cats that will attack him in our yard.

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No, that's my point. If he is neutered, the other males won't perceive him as a threat and he will not be attacked. The testosterone is what sets them off. He also won't initiate fights. Sorry if I was unclear.

He's actually MUCH more likely to be hurt as is.

Yes, I agree with Talking Peanut.

sarthur2 said:

And yes, weights can very widely. Their gains were very good though! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

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This may be a silly question, but is there a maximum of weight that is healthy to gain in one day?  Today, one of the kittens (the one that weights the least) gained almost 20 grams!

Grandkitty said:

This may be a silly question, but is there a maximum of weight that is healthy to gain in one day?  Today, one of the kittens (the one that weights the least) gained almost 20 grams!

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Not a silly question! And no, there's not a maximum. It's really hard to overfeed a growing kitten.