Stray Cat Had Kittens Need Advice Please!

Pregnant Stray showed up and feeling sorry for her we started feeding her. She was hanging out under our deck and when she went into labor we brought her into our dry semi-finished basement for delivery. Everything went well, she is really friendly and we made her a nesting area out of a large tote. We were even able to handle the kittens from an early age without Mom cat getting upset when changing the bedding.

Fast forward and the kittens are now nearly 4 weeks old. Everything has been smooth except for one thing...Mom cat is not pooping in the litter box we provided her with. She will pee but not poop. I clean it up several times a day and use a natural cleaner to clean it up (she will find another spot and go). We are about to set up a big play yard since the kitties seem to want out of the nesting tote, but my main concern is Mom cat not teaching the kittens to use the litter box. We have four out of the six pending homes already and I want to make sure everything works out without any hiccups.

Any advice on what I should do? Also the kitties seem to be restless during nursing and I am wondering if they are ready to start being weaned.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some advice as I have never experienced any of this before!

Have you tried adding a second box? Some cats don't like to pee and poop in the same place.

Try an extra box with sand in it. You can buy playground sand at stores like Home Depot. She may prefer it to litter for pooping.

You'll be able to teach the kittens to use the litter box easily, by putting them in and taking a little paw and showing them how to dig. Put them in several times throughout the day. They need kitten sized pans initially. You can use disposable cake pans from the dollar store.

Go ahead and try the kittens on pate-style wet food, and leave dry kitten chow down 24/7. They should show interest soon.

A play area is perfect. Thank you for rescuing them. Do you plan to keep mom and spay her?

Thank you everyone for advice! I will go out and get a second litter box today and try that. I will also start trying some soft food and work on litter training with the kittens. Everything I have read online as far as milestones they have done earlier than what I am reading. They were born Sept. 17th and are quite big now. The Mom cat is tiny petite cat and she has six big kittens!

As far as Mom, we plan on getting her fixed however I am not sure of her fate. I would like to find her a home. My husband and I just moved into our first home that we are purchasing from my  parents (kind of like a land contract). They are not cat people at all so I was surprised when they allowed us to let our six year old male cat move into the house with us. He is fixed and really is no bother at all (very low maintenance touch me not cat) which is why I believe they allowed us to keep him. I thought about putting Mom cat outside and have been researching outdoor cat houses (found a good one using a tote and heating pad) but I still feel bad as winters can get very cold where I live. So long story short I hope to find her a home but I do worry about her litter box issues.

So I will go out today and get a second litter box. Once again thank you everyone for the advice!

UPDATE:

Second litter box is not working, Mom cat still is going around my basement even when I attempt to clean it up or block it the area.

Now she is spending less and less time with the kittens and is acting odd. She will eat their food and her food (and then sometimes throw up), and the poor kittens are mewing constantly. We tried feeding them KMR and kitten chow and they ate it but was shivering as they were eating. However if we leave the kittens and the food the Mom will just eat it all. The Mom cat is not teaching them to use the litter box as well and she in general just seems disinterested in them period. I am really at a loss on what to do, I want them to be normal healthy kittens since we have found homes for most of them.

She started out a good attentive mother, but now she acts as if she could care less that they are around. They are only 4.5 wks old.

Is the mom cat in heat? That could make her less interested in her kittens. Does she still nurse her kittens?

Where do the cat and kittens stay? In the basement? Are they warm enough?

Have you put the kittens in the litter box yourself? You need to several times a day.

The kittens also need wet food several times a day.

Yes to all of the above. Also, was the kmr warm?

Yes the KMR was warm and food was very soft. Our basement is semi-finished (and sealed) and is actually warmer than the rest of the house. Our daily temps are still 75-80, we have had a unseasonably warm fall so far. Last nights temp was 61. They only shiver when they eat and the rest of the time they frolic around playing (we got them a few toys) or sleep.

We are trying the litter box but they just don't seem interested.

I can only come up with three theories the first is from observation. She makes no attempt to nurse them on her own. When we put her in their nesting box and push her down gently she will let them latch on and then meow at them and stand up. When I was feeding them one bit my finger and ouch for 4.5 weeks old they have a mouthful of teeth! So I am assuming they are biting and she does not like it.

Secondly she was a stray that must have grown up outside, for example always watching over her shoulder while eating and then eating as fast as she can. Like a street cat. I have seen her run off a loose neighborhood dog twice her size before...she is a scrapper that is for sure. She has taken to us and is friendly but she seems to always be cautious, always ready to flee and/or hide. After she had the kittens she was a lot more relaxed and gentle (mainly I think because we brought her inside to have her kittens instead of under our house). She was very nurturing and took to motherhood very well. Other than a litter box problem all was good. Now she is back to that street cat eating fast (ant the kittens food) and just being cautious. It is like a complete personality flip. I don't believe she is heat though.

And lastly I fear that our interaction with them might have given her the "well here you deal with them" attitude. I read it can happen if you handle the kittens frequently. We didn't really handle them so much in the beginning but as a stay at home Mom I checked on them several times a day. She has never had a problem with us interacting with them but I fear maybe I have caused this? Two of the prospective owners have stopped by and handled them in the past week, picking out the ones they want me to reserve for them. So could us kind of being in the picture all the time done this?

I have never experienced any of this and I am a person who worries all the time...so I am making myself crazy over it. My biggest fear is someone taking one of the kittens and then something being wrong and they take one of them to the pound. Watching them grow has be amazing, I would keep them all if I could!

So should I give Mom and kittens more space or is the damage done? If they are biting I would guess that is why she doesn't want to nurse? How often does a kitten need to eat and be put into a litter box? When is it okay to separate them and get Mom fixed?

Also thank you all for the help! It is much appreciated!

N nb0203

First of all, try to worry less! You have not caused anything bad or irreversible to occur. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Kittens need to eat every 4 hours at this age. They need access to dry kitten food 24/7.

The stray I took in ate her food and the kittens' food too. They can't help it initially because they are conditioned to not know where their next meal is coming from. I kept the mom and all 4 of her kittens, who are now 18 months old. Mom eventually realized there would always be food, and she stopped eating their food. In the meantime, I kept the dry food bowls full, and served frequent wet meals.

Working with a former stray takes patience. The more she is around you and interacting, the more she will domesticate and learn trust.

My guess is that the mom in your basement is nursing her babies when you are not around, so they are probably still getting plenty of her milk, but do need to begin eating solids now too. They shiver when eating because they are excited. Mom also needs unlimited food herself while nursing.

I think mom may be marking her territory by eliminating around the basement. The kittens, however, should easily learn the litter box over the next couple weeks if shown. They are on the young side at 4.5 weeks, but should be ready very soon. Keep putting them in before and after meals.

Mom should be spayed when the kittens are 8 weeks old, so you've got about 3 more weeks. She will continue to nurse her kittens, and should stay with them for 10-12 weeks.

Once mom's hormones calm down after her spay she will relax and become a different cat. Many a former stray has turned into a well-fed, happy house cat! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

Can you post pictures of mom and her kittens for us please? We love pictures!

Thank you so much! You have answered so many of my questions!

So today has been a lot smoother, feeding every so often and the litter pans. I bought two cake pans and realize I need another. In one days time (I put the litter boxes...or cake pans last night) they have really taken to the litter box. It only took me putting each one in and scratching with their front paw. I am cleaning it out frequently as well.

Here is the strange part...So far today Mom has not had an accident today either. I moved the two litter boxes around and she seems to be happy with this (even farther away and far apart). I hope it lasts!

When I go feed them next I will snap a pic!

This is terrific news! You may want to go ahead and invest in a full size box for mom now too.

Keep me posted on how things go! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

So overnight we had some accidents in their nesting box. As I was cleaning up their area Mom had an accident right by her two litter boxes. Then water got spilled and they all got into it and they had to be dried off. So today has been kind of chaotic.

I am using a play yard like this but ours is bigger:


However I am wondering how to keep it more organized. At first we were using like Depends bed wetting pads but the little boogers are now chewing on it? So I laid down newspaper but between the water and food bowl it is already soiled. My basement is concrete and I sweep their area everyday but I hate to just let them play on it. Is it okay? I mean I know kittens born outside have to deal with the terrain, but I just want these little guys comfortable in my care at least.

I now have four big cake pans with non-clumping litter in their area. While I feel like that is a lot (but probably necessary) they still have an area for their bed toys and open space to play.

I am sorry to post so much and seek advice...I just really want their new owners to be happy with them and not have any problems. Like I said in an earlier post my greatest fear is one of them ending up in the pound. They are kind of like my babies too...lol.

Speaking of which since I did more cleaning and accident control I will defiantly  try to get some pics at the next feeding!

The penned in area sounds excellent!

Use a heavy enough bowl for water that will be harder to spill, but realize there will be accidents and messes for awhile.

I thought the messes would never end, honestly, when my 4 kittens were weaning and learning. I put towels under the water and food bowls, which got plenty messy but were easy to change and wash. I used doggie pee pads all around the litter pans - also easy to switch out and toss. You can use towels though, if they are chewing the pee pads.

You can buy a large enough piece of vinyl flooring at a floor store to use inside the pen if you want to, so the kittens are not on the concrete. It will be easy to sponge clean.

Additional cake pans are necessary!

It sounds like you are experiencing the normal chaos and work of kittens at this stage! Welcome to the club! You're doing a great job, and all questions are welcome. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Here's a recent thread about a member whose cat had a litter of 9 kittens. Read it in your spare time, and you will be relieved that you have fewer!

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/323928/advice-for-a-large-litter-9-kittens

[emoji]128571[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128149[/emoji]