How often should Mama cat nurse babies?

Hi! My cat Baby had her kittens yesterday- 4 little ones - I haven't tried to check the sex yet- figured I'd give that a a few days. There are 2 cream colored and 2 black with tan tiger stripes. They are so adorable

Anyway- how often shoyld they be nursing right now? Baby will nurse them for quite a while and once they are done- she leaves the box and comes into the rest of the house and I swear she forgets they are there. Since I didin't know how long they should go between feedings- I've been picking her up and taking her back to the box every 2 hours or so after she has finished nursing them. Is that a good time amount between?
I'm hoping she gets the idea to go check on them herself after the first few days but until then I'll keep bringing her back to them. Once I bring her to the box she hops right in and lays right down for them.

Thanks for the help!

You need to confine mom and kittens in one room. She will be able to get out of the nesting box and go lie on a chair, but don't let her just take off around the house and not care for these babies- without her, they may become chilled, and young baby kittens cannot stay warm on their own, their shiver reflex isn't developed right yet. Also your momcat will go into heat so that is another reason to keep her in the same room with the kittens. It's imperative that you do.

Well, looks like she's caught on by herself. She's pretty much staying in the backroom with them and going in herself to the box to feed them.
I really have no where else I can confine them and her- they are in my walkin closet now our house is very open - there aren't really any doors except for the bathrooms and they are very small- not enough room to keep them in.

My Mom Comes And Goes But Stays Near And Knows When To Return. My Question Is About Staying Warm--how Long Do They Need Mom By Them To Keep Them Warm? My Siamese Had 10 Kittens And Now At 4 Weeks The Kits Huddle And Mom Lays Apart From Them Unless Feeding, Also Her Nipples Are Scabbing So How Can I Help Her And Not Affect The Babies? Should I Put Vaseline On The Nipples?

Originally Posted by vjneville

Well, looks like she's caught on by herself. She's pretty much staying in the backroom with them and going in herself to the box to feed them.
I really have no where else I can confine them and her- they are in my walkin closet now our house is very open - there aren't really any doors except for the bathrooms and they are very small- not enough room to keep them in.

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Just be very careful then to ensure she cannot get out of your house. Hissy is correct, she can go back into heat and get pregnant again while she is nursing the kittens she already has..so it is imparative to make sure she doesn't have that opportunity. I had a mom and her kittens in a small bathroom and it worked out fine...I figured it was better for them there were I knew mom couldn't get out. Also...you may want to talk to your vet about the proper time to have the mom cat spayed after her kittens are weaned and placed. Here is a list of low cost clinics in Florida:


FLORIDA...Low cost or free spay/neuter info and programs: ARRANGED BY AREA CODE:

Lee County Animal Services
Fort Myers FL
239-432-2083

Humane Society of Greater Miami
Miami FL
305-238-8322


The Cat Network, Inc.
PO Box 593026
Miami, FL 33159
305-255-3482
www.thecatnetwork.org
For stray, feral, and abandoned cats, this program offers low cost spay/neuter through certificates that can be used at over 40 Miami-Dade County veterinary clinics.

Miami-Dade Police Dept Animal Services Unit
7401 NW 74th Street
Miami, FL
305-884-1101 ext 249
Low cost or free spay/neuter for all pets of county residents. Services at a clinic, at a travelling clinic, and at participating vets.

Florida Aid to Animals
Spay/Neuter Medical Facility, Inc.
741 Creel Street
Melbourne, FL 32935
321-242-9826


Titusville SPCA
Titusville FL
321-269-0536

Feral Cat Network(FCN)
Cocoa FL 32923
321-633-2040
Web: www.spacecats.com

United Humanitarians
Cocoa FL
321-636-7002


Marion County Animal Center
Ocala FL
352-245-0908


Alachua County Humane Society
2029 NW 6th Street
Gainesville, FL 32609
352-373-5855
For Alachua County residents and Humane Society members, ACHS sells low cost spay/neuter vouchers that are accepted at almost all vets in the county.

Operation Catnip of Gainesville
PO Box 141023
Gainesville, FL 32614
352-380-0940
web site
Free spay/neuter and vaccinations for feral cats and strays cats.

PetLuv S/N Clinic
Brooksville FL
352-799-9990
Call to ask about any discounts on spay/neuter.

Humane Society of Marion County
10699 SW 105th Avenue
Ocala, FL 34481
352-854-8230


ARNI (Animal Rescue, Need & Intervention)
Daytona Beach FL
386-267-0277
Web: www.arnifoundation.org

Halifax Humane Society
2364 W. LPGA Blvd
PO Box 9035
Daytona Beach, FL 32120
386-274-4703

SPCA of Central Florida (Seminole County)
Sanford FL
407-323-8685

SPCA of Central Florida
Orlando FL
407-351-7722 ext 226
Web: www.ohs-spca.org

Orange County Animal Services
Low cost or free spay/neuter clinic
Orlando, FL 32839
407-352-4390

City of Boca Raton Animal Shelter
Boca Raton, FL
407-351-8771
Low cost spay/neuter for pets.

CARE Feline Rescue Inc
Orlando FL
407-522-2617
Low cost or free s-n for feral or abandoned cats in Orange County FL.

Spay Shuttle Program
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control
7100 Belevedere Rd
West Palm Beach, FL 33411
561-233-SPAY or 561-233-1261
For cats and dogs of low income county residents who provide proof of residency and income, the Spay Shuttle provides very low cost spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, and a county license tag. People must go to the Spay Shuttle between 8 and 9 am with their clean, leashed dogs or cats in carriers. Pets go home in the afternoon. Call for details.

Animal Rescue League
3200 North Military Trail
West Palm Beach, FL
561-686-3663

Palm Beach Cat Rescue
292 South County Road, #247
Palm Beach, FL 33480
561-655-8245
Low cost spay/neuter program for ferals.

Safe Harbor Animal Rescue
Jupiter FL
561-747-1598
Low cost s/n for cats and dogs.

Pinellas County Animal Services
Largo FL
727-582-2600
Has mobile clinic for low cost or free s-n.

SPCA of Pinellas County
9099 130th Avenue
Largo FL
727-586-3591
Low cost for pets of people with limited income.

Pasco Animal Welfare Society Inc (PAWS)
Port Richey FL
727-819-1910
Low cost for pets and feral cats.

SPCA of the Treasure Coast
Jensen Beach FL
772-334-0636
Low cost s/n for pets of residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties.

Highlands County Animal Control
Sebring FL
813-655-0743
Spay neuter assistance for pets of low income people.

Humane Society of North Pinellas
3040 State Route 590
Clearwater, FL 33759
813-797-7722
Low cost spay/neuter for pets, priced according to owner's income.

Animal Coalition of Tampa
Tampa FL
813-818-9381
Sponsors a very low cost spay/neuter day once a month for feral cats residing in Hillsborough County.

Humane Society of Tampa Bay
3607 N. Armenia Ave
Tampa, FL
813-876-7138

Animal Aid Spay & Neuter Center
2270 Boone Boulevard
Tallahassee, FL 32303
850-386-4148
web site
Low cost spay/neuter and lower cost vaccines, flea preventatives, and heartworm preventatives.

Panhandle Animal Welfare Society
W.F. Thorne Clinic
752 Lovejoy Rd
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549
850-243-1525
web site
Low cost spay/neuter and other veterinary medical services at low cost.

Kritter Kastle
Mobile s-n clinic
863-439-7729
Non-profit service that visits neighborhoods to do animal spay-neuter in their clinic in a van.

Polk County Animal Services
7115 DeCastro Rd
Winter Haven, FL 33880
863-499-2600 ext 188
Free spay/neuter and rabies vaccination for pets of people on government assistance.

SPCA of Polk County S/N Clinic
Lakeland FL
863-646-7722
Offers free s/n for pets of people on public assistance. Also offers LOW COST s/n for pets of everyone else.

Clay County Humane Society Animal Clinic
426 Blanding Blvd
Orange Park, FL
904-276-7729


Bear Foundation
100 Lamplighter Lane
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
904-285-4687
Low cost spay/neuter for ferals and for pets.

Flagler County Humane Society
1 Shelter Drive
Palm Coast, FL 32137
904-445-1814
Call for information.

First Coast No More Homeless Pets
888-spayfla - counties surrounding Duval County
Duval County FL - 425-0005

Offers help to people according to their income.


St. Augustine Humane Society
Theodore Webber Program
1665 Old Moultrie Road
St. Augustine, FL 32086
904-829-2737
Low cost s/n for pets of residents of St. John's county.

Humane Society of Lee County
941-332-0364
Low cost s/n for pets of county residents.

Planned Pethood Low Cost S/N Clinic
1710 Santa Barbara Blvd
Naples, FL 33699
941-353-2273

St. Francis Animal Rescue of Venice
1925 S. Tamiami Trail
Venice, FL 34293
941-492-6200
www.stfrancisar.org

Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic
13422 N. Cleveland Avenue
N. Fort Myers, FL 33903
941-652-0596

S.P.A.Y.-L.E.E. Inc.
PO Box 6577
Fort Myers, FL 33911
941-936-2727 (message line)
941-939-3680
This group provides information about low cost spay/neuter and vaccination programs.

Humane Society of Polk County
555 Sage Road
Winter Haven, FL 33881
941-324-5227

St. Francis Animal Rescue of Venice
PO Box 563
Nokomis, FL 34274
941-492-6200

Sun Coast Humane Society
Englewood, FL
941-474-7884

Animal Rights Foundation of Florida
Broward County
Mobile s/n clinic travels to various low income areas in the county.

Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County
3519 Drance Street
Charlotte Harbor, FL 33980
941-625-6720
Sliding scale discounts on spay/neuter for pets, depending on owner's income.

Animal Rescue Coalition
Sarasota FL
941-957-1955
Web: www.animalrescuecoalition.org
Low cost s/n for residents of Sarasota County.

Broward County Animal Shelter
1870 SW 39th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL
954-359-1313
Low cost spay/neuter for pets of low income people.

National Humane Society Mobile Clinic
Deerfield Beach, FL
954-425-0316
Pet Aid League
5950 W Oakland Park Blvd #102 Lauderhill, FL 33313
954-463-7729
Call here for information about low cost or free spay/neuter services in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties -- for feral cats and pets.

M.A.S.H.
Humane Society of Broward County
2070 Griffin Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
954-266-6826
Van that travels throughout the community offering spay/neuter at a reduced cost.

Animal Birth Control of Broward, Inc.
850 Washington Street
Hollywood, FL
954-962-0825

Discount Spay Neuter Vaccination Clinic
6902 Stirling Road
Davie, FL 33024
954-989-9879
Their mission is to "drastically reduce the rate of euthanasia by providing affordable spay/neuter services."


Katie

Our cat too gave the impression of forgetting about her kittens.

In fact, now they are walking about she is taking more intrest in them than ever before.

I found that if I put her back in the box she would start feeding, a little stroking also went down well, something I wasnt expecting.