Got my first Foster. Mom and 5 babies

milkshake · May 17, 2016

I got my first foster today. Its a mom and 5 babies. I was always under the impression that mom won't stray far from the babies.I left mo and babies in the crate i brought them home in and opened the door so mom has access to her food, water and litter box. The way our closet is, there is access to behind it and she wen in there about 27 min ago. Is this normal? She seems to be a pretty good mom and has been nursing. The babies are quiet and I haven't heard them meowing at all. Is it normal for her to be away from the babies that long, especially in a new place? I have been watching the babies and they are content in the crate. I haven't seen them open their eyes, so real new babies.

red top rescue · May 17, 2016

I suspect she is scoping out the place to find a better nest for them, and if there is a dark cave-like space behind your closet, that's probably where she will move them. You should put bedding in there, like a quilt or blanket covered with a sheet (so you can wash the sheet every day or so without having to wash the entire quilt or blanket). If the space behind your closet is so small you can't access her in there if she moves the kittens there, then you need to block it off ad maybe you could just set her up to have her save nest in the closet.

milkshake · May 17, 2016

Red Top Rescue said:
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milkshake

May 17, 2016

talkingpeanut · May 17, 2016

Is there a way that you can keep her totally separate from your cats for now?

milkshake · May 17, 2016

I had mom separated most of the day in my room but she wants to be around people. She is very friendly and loves to be petted. For a while we were all up in my room with her and the babies but it is more comfortable in the living room if she wants to be around everyone. For the most part my own cats doesn't bother with her, but they are curious and will sniff her every once in a while. I have been cautious not to leave the room unless someone is also in the same room. Just to be safe. Since bringing mom and babies downstairs, my own cats haven't bothered them

talkingpeanut · May 17, 2016

If she is nervous when your cats get too close then this sounds like way too much exposure to me.

milkshake · May 17, 2016

talkingpeanut said:
If she is nervous when your cats get too close then this sounds like way too much exposure to me.

Ok. I will stick her back up there then. I just feel bad leaving her there by herself

talkingpeanut · May 17, 2016

Can you spend time with her up there? Maybe she could share a room with your kids?

milkshake · May 17, 2016

talkingpeanut said:
Can you spend time with her up there? Maybe she could share a room with your kids?

can't spend time with her for a while. Getting the kids settled and cooking dinner then baths and bed. I just peeked in and she is resting and nursing so I guess she is ok for a little while on her own.

talkingpeanut · May 17, 2016

Yes, she sounds quite content. And obviously wanted to mention that she should only be allowed with your kids unsupervised if they're of an appropriate age. But I'm sure you thought of that already!

red top rescue · May 17, 2016

All the rescues I know, including me, believe the foster mom and kittens should have their own room with their own litter box and food and water dishes. Cats are like kids in nursery school -- each is fine in their own family, but when you put them together, often they get sick from each others germs. Mom and babies have probably not been vaccinated yet, but vaccines don't cover everything. Also, if she came from a rescue, there is no telling what she may have been exposed to. All should be well, but it is best to keep her separated for at least ten days tomake sure she isn't incubating a cold or something. You would hate for her to come down with something and then your cats might catch it too.

skidmoresusan3 · May 17, 2016

The stray mama cat I am fostering has my bedroom and adjacent bathroom entirely to herself..my cats arnt allowed to even paw under the door. I think the mama would hurt them! She is a sweet cat..but still..I give her privacy
.she eats kitten food while nursing..they are 10 days old..I don't touch them..not yet!! Dark and quiet.

.

milkshake · May 18, 2016

So today is my first full day with them and I have been noticing that 1 of the 5 babies seems to have issues nursing. I don't know if she just keeps getting pushed off the nipple or if she isn't latching but after all the others are done nursing I have been making sure momma gives him/her some extra time.

Also this is the same one that seems to always be in the nest by him/her self. It looked this morning like momma pushed it away, but since she is a good mom thought maybe it was a fluke thing. But a few times today I have come in and this one has been off the nest on its own.

Anything in particular I should watch for or pay close attention to? I have been trying to make sure mom feeds it some extra after the others are done. And if I pick him/her up and put near mom she will like hug and lick it, even if its out of the nest she won't pick it up to bring it back, but she will just look at it.

I emailed the rescue to ask them as well but was hoping to get a quicker response by posting here. Is it true if this happens there is something wrong with baby?

handsome kitty · May 18, 2016

While it true mom sometimes separate a kitten that they think has something wrong with it, she will take the kitten back once it is on the mend. you may need to supplement this kitten. Have you weighed them at all? The easiest way to keep track of a kittens health is to weigh it. If they are not gaining at least 10 grams a day they need help,

milkshake · May 18, 2016

Handsome Kitty said:
While it true mom sometimes separate a kitten that they think has something wrong with it, she will take the kitten back once it is on the mend. you may need to supplement this kitten. Have you weighed them at all? The easiest way to keep track of a kittens health is to weigh it. If they are not gaining at least 10 grams a day they need help,

No I don't have a scale and when I picked them up yesterday, i asked if i would need a scale but, since mom is usually good about nursing they said i wouldn't need one. I've been trying to be there when she nurses them so I can put that 1 back on after I move the others. Mom is good about staying there when I do put it back on but I am not able to get there every time she nurses. They do have a check up next week, but I di'nt want to wait a week if there is something I could be doing now.

I will definitely get a scale tomorrow. And hopefully they will get back to me in the morning so I will have more to go on.

Sarthur2 · May 18, 2016

Weighing is how we would know if the baby needs supplementing. Do you have KMR and a needleless syringe in the house?

When you say he is out of the nest, how is that happening? Are they not in a box with sides? A 10-day-old kitten should not be able to wander out of the nest yet.

It's very important that the baby stays warm. Kittens cannot regulate their own body temperature the first 3 weeks, so they need to be in the nest with each other. When mom is out of the nest, the kittens need an additional heat source, such as a heating pad set on low under the blanket, with room to move away if they get too warm. In lieu of an electric heating pad, you can use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, or a sock filled with raw rice and microwaved for 5 minutes.

So it's vital that we know weights daily, that the kitten stays in the nest, and that there is a heat source. The kitten needs to be warm to have energy to suckle.

milkshake · May 18, 2016

sarthur2 said:
Weighing is how we would know if the baby needs supplementing. Do you have KMR and a needleless syringe in the house?

When you say he is out of the nest, how is that happening? Are they not in a box with sides? A 10-day-old kitten should not be able to wander out of the nest yet.

It's very important that the baby stays warm. Kittens cannot regulate their own body temperature the first 3 weeks, so they need to be in the nest with each other. When mom is out of the nest, the kittens need an additional heat source, such as a heating pad set on low under the blanket, with room to move away if they get too warm. In lieu of an electric heating pad, you can use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, or a sock filled with raw rice and microwaved for 5 minutes.

So it's vital that we know weights daily, that the kitten stays in the nest, and that there is a heat source. The kitten needs to be warm to have energy to suckle.

When I say nest I am mostly talking about the crate that I picked them up in, because that is where mom usually is. The rescue told me today they are about 1-2 weeks old, but some of them are starting to "scoot" around some. And trying to stand and walk.

I don't have KMR but do have syringes. Its 10 pm here now so I would have to wait until morning to get any. I was unsure if baby was getting out from scooting until I saw what looked like mom pushing it out, then I thought maybe it was a fluke when she did, but she didn't try to get it and put it back in and through out the day it was out a few other times as well. So now I am getting worried. Will keep putting it back on her nipple when the others are done help, atleast until morning when the stores are open? It does appear to nurse some, it is just real slow to get latched and start and with the others all nursing too, i think it just makes it harder for it and when the others are all done mom thinks they are all done....

Another question. Its not meowing, if it was hungry and not getting enough to eat would it meow?

Sarthur2 · May 18, 2016

Perhaps you need to put them in something besides the crate. The crate does not sound big enough.

Do you have a heat source?

You'll need KMR, preferably powdered by Pet Ag. If mom is rejecting this kitten you'll need to supplement constantly. Again, this is where weighing will tell us if he's getting enough from mom.

If he's not meowing, it could be that he's full, or just a quiet kitten. Or, the kitten could be cold and lethargic, which makes suckling difficult.

It sounds like the mom may be trying to reject the kitten and it needs supplementing. Making sure it gets a nipple is the best you can do tonight. You may need to set your clock to check on this kitten through the night.

milkshake · May 19, 2016

sarthur2 said:
In this pic its the one furthest from the group

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milkshake

May 19, 2016

talkingpeanut · May 19, 2016

How did the kitten do through the night?

Also, did you other cat end up being pregnant?

Got my first Foster. Mom and 5 babies

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