Hi im new to this site and need some advise

hello there,


I have two female bengal cats one of which is due to give birth to her first litter of kittens in a week or two....... My problem is that you are not supposed to be able to handel them straight away but my cat seems to want to have them in the garden!!!!! She is a very small cat and i think my previous veterinary skills may have to jump into action. The thing is that i can't remeber how you handel them with out causing the mother to either eat them or cause distress..... i may have to help her deliver( not a problem) but moving them to a safe haven seems to be beyond me..... how do i make a towl or my hands smell like her?????? with out rubbing it on her to start!!!! as she seems to be a very stressy mum.

Thanks for any help........ speak to you soon.

Now I am curious! Is that a particular trait with bengals - eating their kittens? And why can you not handle the kittens at birth and shortly after? I have never heard that this is a problem with cats.

Anyway, if you touch the mother with your hands, her smell will be on your hands, and the same with a towel - let her lie on it or something to give it her smell. But I really don't understand that it is a problem.

As for giving birth in the garden - can you not keep her indoor the days prior to the birth? I take it you know the most probable date for the birth? I have never heard of breeders letting their purebred cats give birth outside in the garden without supervision.

Good luck - bengal kittens are just beautiful, I photographed a few just a couple of weeks ago - I may post one of them later today if you like.

I have never heard of queens eating their kittens because you have handled them. You should limit your handling so that mother and babies can bond well for the first couple of weeks. But you can handle them.

Originally Posted by Anne G

Now I am curious! Is that a particular trait with bengals - eating their kittens? And why can you not handle the kittens at birth and shortly after? I have never heard that this is a problem with cats.

Anyway, if you touch the mother with your hands, her smell will be on your hands, and the same with a towel - let her lie on it or something to give it her smell. But I really don't understand that it is a problem.

As for giving birth in the garden - can you not keep her indoor the days prior to the birth? I take it you know the most probable date for the birth? I have never heard of breeders letting their purebred cats give birth outside in the garden without supervision.

Good luck - bengal kittens are just beautiful, I photographed a few just a couple of weeks ago - I may post one of them later today if you like.

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Id love to see the kittens please................ Since angels decided that she likes the garden???? i have also decided to have her fixed after her kittens. Although at the moment she gets very distressed indoors so i may have a room made up for her in the next few days.
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Originally Posted by Bullit

I have never heard of queens eating their kittens because you have handled them. You should limit your handling so that mother and babies can bond well for the first couple of weeks. But you can handle them.

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I've only actually seen it happen once i'm just being a bit wary. thanks

OK, here they come:

http://home.online.no/~agber/Bildekritikk/UngeWeb.jpg
http://home.online.no/~agber/Bildekritikk/UngeWeb2.jpg
http://home.online.no/~agber/Bildekritikk/UngeWeb4.jpg

Originally Posted by Anne G

OK, here they come:

http://home.online.no/~agber/Bildekritikk/UngeWeb.jpg
http://home.online.no/~agber/Bildekritikk/UngeWeb2.jpg
http://home.online.no/~agber/Bildekritikk/UngeWeb4.jpg

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Bless they look just like amber.............just a little lighter
They are so cute i can't believe you got such wonderful photos.......if your not a photographer you should be

Generally only feral mothers will get aggressive with baby kittens if they have been handled to much. If the mother gets stressed from to many kittens, regardless if she is a breed cat or a moggie, she will eat her kittens. I have never heard of Bengal cats having this trait though. What you saw could have been a young mother simply overwhelmed at being a mom. I am curious, you keep saying you are a vet, yet you seem to have very little knowledge on cat care and health? Usually my vets or vet techs are the ones who I turn to when I am baffled about something and they are usually quick to jump in with useful advice. Where did you study?

I am not being argumentative here, just curious about your background. We are always looking to the knowledgeable people that come here to come and help us here, and I ask this question often of people. What is your background of study?

Originally Posted by hissy

Generally only feral mothers will get aggressive with baby kittens if they have been handled to much. If the mother gets stressed from to many kittens, regardless if she is a breed cat or a moggie, she will eat her kittens. I have never heard of Bengal cats having this trait though. What you saw could have been a young mother simply overwhelmed at being a mom. I am curious, you keep saying you are a vet, yet you seem to have very little knowledge on cat care and health? Usually my vets or vet techs are the ones who I turn to when I am baffled about something and they are usually quick to jump in with useful advice. Where did you study?

I am not being argumentative here, just curious about your background. We are always looking to the knowledgeable people that come here to come and help us here, and I ask this question often of people. What is your background of study?

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I understand your confusion, which is why I am now not going to give advise to anyone on this site until I have checked notes and all of my books. In 2003 I had an accident and it caused me to have a severe bend/curve in my spine, last year I had a relapse and could not move for over 4 weeks, I got severe depression and due to this ended up with a breakdown, I apologise if the information I give is not clear or I don't seem to know that much but my memory is bad hence the fact I gave up veterinary and went to retrain as something more home bound. But the thing is I would like to get back in with animals and have cats of my own which is an ideal starting point if I want to get back to my former self i've got to work hard and collect all the information i can. This site has helped me with a few issues and made me realsie that maybe i am no longer cut out to work back at a surgery in the future.
Thank you for the interest and information though.
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Originally Posted by hissy

Where did you study?

I am not being argumentative here, just curious about your background. We are always looking to the knowledgeable people that come here to come and help us here, and I ask this question often of people. What is your background of study?

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I started off studying in Hatfield at an agricultural college before i was due to leave school so I studied animal car and my gsces + a levels here.
Then I moved on to a uni near south mimms and then to one in cambridge in england, It took me 6 years to complete my courses only i now feel it was a waste of time. I care alot for animals of all shapes,breeds and sizes but my knowledge is now limited. I hope this answers a few questions.

It does, and I thank you for sharing it. I understand your struggles, over two years ago I was involved in a horse wreck. I am still suffering residual symptoms of that concussion especially when it comes to remembering short-term things. I have post it notes all over my house to help me.

Under the circumstances, we would not expect you to join the advisor team. It would be to taxing for you. You are welcome to stay here and learn right along with all of us-

Originally Posted by hissy

It does, and I thank you for sharing it. I understand your struggles, over two years ago I was involved in a horse wreck. I am still suffering residual symptoms of that concussion especially when it comes to remembering short-term things. I have post it notes all over my house to help me.

Under the circumstances, we would not expect you to join the advisor team. It would be to taxing for you. You are welcome to stay here and learn right along with all of us-

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Thank you for your understanding.... i will help where and when i can but as i say i will make sure i check and recheck advise before i give any out.... mean while I can read and take in as much info as I can and hopefully will get back to veterinary in a few years time.

If you need any help feel free to PM me.