Awoke this morning to find cat had given birth in the foyer of my home to 6 beautiful kittens. Mother cat was just standing away from the kittens. My husband and I dried them off and placed them in a box. Now Mom won't have anything to do with them. She has eaten but when I take her to the box or bring a kitten to her she just hisses. Don't they need to nurse soon? What can I do to enhance bonding?
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New Mom Help
- Thread starter snicks
- Start Date
Maybe you should try confining her to one small place - a bathroom or a large box, and leave her with the kittens for a while. Only check occasionally to make sure she isn't actually attacking them, when you would have to step in and bottle feed. See what happens after a few hours. Is the mom very young? She may not know what to do and be scared of the kittens. Is she your cat or a feral? That may affect how much you can do.
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- #3
She is about 18 months old and has lived with us for a short while. I have placed them in a small room. I have the kittens in a box. They all seem to be in good health. Should I run to the store just in case I need kitty formula? How long should I give her? I can see in the room without her being aware.....she's lying across the room still not interested after 30 min. Kittens are sleeping too.
Check out Gayef's links from the top of this board.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46247
And it sounds like you may need to be prepared to hand raise these babies. Make sure they are warm!
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46247
And it sounds like you may need to be prepared to hand raise these babies. Make sure they are warm!
Just an idea....but since you touched her kittens and you are foreign to her...she may no longer recognize these babies as hers. Can you take a towel and rub her with it and then rub each of her kittens. That way, they have her scent on them. KMR is good to have on hand just in case. The can will give you directions on how often to feed them. I do hope she begins to feed them though. BTW...thank you for taking care of this family. Also, keep mom indoors until she can be spayed.
Katie
Make sure that though the kittens are in a box, that she can see them - put the box on its side. If hte kittens are sleeping that sounds as though they are not starving yet.
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- #7
Well, we have survived for this long...I have gotten KMR and fed them once when they started crying. Mom cat loves on me when I am in there with her. After feeding placed them by her. No hissing this time but still minimal interested. She is rubbing against the box. I will try turning it for easier access next time they rouse up for a meal. Thanks for everyone's help. I will update. If anyone has any more suggetstions, please let me know.
