worried about new mom and kittens!

Hello. I'm worried about my new mom cat and her two kittens. She had them today as seen in my last post. 2 tiny ones, and 2 stillborns. The one tiny one seems to have a problem getting 'connected' to the nipples, so she yells alot. she just keeps yelling. if I hold her head up to a nipple she will grab on for a little while but then she moves around and isn't stuck on anymore, and can't find one again. The other kitten is doing just fine with the nipples.

I'm also worried about her sitting on the kittens. When she gets out to eat and goes back in the basket she sits right on them. They wriggle their way out but I'm afraid they might not be able to get out at some point. Unfortunately I can't watch her 24/7 because i have to work tomorrow, and I have to get some sleep tonight also. I'm just so worried about them, they're so tiny and fragile. I probably won't be able to get any sleep all night anyway.

Please let me know what I should do. Thanks.

tricia.

When the little one cries like that, what does Mommy cat do? Does she try to bring her closer in to a nipple, does she groom or lick the kitten?

My 1 day old kittens do the same thing. 2 of them can't seem to get a nipple and stay with it for long. They finally ate and are sleeping now all piled up together. I also had the concern about the mother cat sitting on them. When I look in her box she starts to roll on her back and the kittens start falling over and getting stuck under her.

she appears to nudge the kitten with her nose when the kitten starts crying. I can't say exactly where she is trying to nudge it to but it could be to her belly. She also seems to like to keep the kittens inbetween her front paws when she's laying down. Is this OK (the kittens don't seem to mind)? How long should the kittens typically be nursing per hour? They move around SO MUCH and i'm just concerned because they don't look like the kittens that everyone posts pictures of. Not lined up in a row facing moms belly.

thanks.
tricia.

How are they this morning, Tricia? Can you see if they are nursing at all? Do you have a little kitchen scale that weighs in both grams and ounces? If not, Wal-mart carries one you can get for about $10 or so. I highly recommend you pick one up - this will really assist you in being able to tell if the babies are getting a good amount of nutrition.

Maybe you can post a picture to us so we can see why you think they look different. Ploease post us an update Thank You.

ugh. Ok, now mom has moved the kittens to the litter box.

I've picked them up to move them back 2 times, and now she's getting kind of nasty with me. She bit my leg, not too bad but still. She gets even angrier if I go anywhere near her food which makes no sense to me. Last night i brought the bag in to the room to pour some in the bowl. She would NOT let me take the bag back out. she was throwing a fit. On the bright side they do seem to be nursing much more. I'm worried that she's not going to let me anywhere near the kittens, I was planning on weighing them today, and she can't be putting them in the litterbox. Has anyone ever had their cat turn really aggressive? I don't know what to do. She already hates my boyfriend so I'm the only one in the house she even likes. help!

tricia.

Originally Posted by s0nya

ugh. Ok, now mom has moved the kittens to the litter box.

I've picked them up to move them back 2 times, and now she's getting kind of nasty with me. She bit my leg, not too bad but still. She gets even angrier if I go anywhere near her food which makes no sense to me. Last night i brought the bag in to the room to pour some in the bowl. She would NOT let me take the bag back out. she was throwing a fit. On the bright side they do seem to be nursing much more.

I'm worried that she's not going to let me anywhere near the kittens, I was planning on weighing them today, and she can't be putting them in the litterbox. Has anyone ever had their cat turn really aggressive? I don't know what to do. She already hates my boyfriend so I'm the only one in the house she even likes. help!

tricia.

Click to expand...

Tricia....it's probably a combination of hormones (since she is still intact) and that she is a new mom. If you can...you may want to get your hands on some Feliway....it's a spray you can buy (it also comes in a plug in) and my understanding is that it works wonders for calming cats. Cats are very "scent" based and I'm sure with everything that has been going on..there are a lot of nervous scents in the room. Also...if mom moves the kittens into the litterbox again...I'd suggest just letting her keep them there...I'd probably put a towel on top of the litter just so the kittens don't eat it and I'd bring in another litterbox for mom to use...no sense int getting her angry.

Katie

Has the mom been pottying ok? Is the spot where she and the kittens lay clean and or dark enough? Just some thoughts while waiting for the experts!

she was laying in, and had her kittens in a laundry basket with towels. We put a huge cat carrier in the same room incase she wanted more privacy. She hasn't chosen either of them. I do have some of that cat calming spray so maybe I will try that. She might be aggrivated because it looks like the kittens pooped on the towel in the basket, I was trying to rotate and the others were still in the dryer so i haven't been able to change them again yet. But she was so content in the basket up until this afternoon. (She was in the basket all night and when I left for work).

tricia.

My momma cat's kittens nursed from any old which-a-way they could get , and she constantly freaked me out by laying on them, but they all survived . She also CONSTANTLY moved them-every three days or so on average, usually in the middle of the night . Very often to inappropriate places! (She would also leave one half way for the dog -our Cardigan Corgi we had- to watch for her while she got the others! Our poor dog would look at the kitten, and then look at us like "What am I supposed to do with this?") She'll probably move them again, soon. I don't think new cat mommies are that much different than new people mommies-we're all nuts! You can try to out smart her a little though, by thinking like a momma cat and set up places she might investigate and like-that worked occasionally with ours! What was odd to me though-our other two cats who had kittens later, didn't move theirs! They stayed in the closet, in the basket where they were born! Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question , but have you cleaned thoughly where she had them? My cat was always wanting clean towels,too. She was determined to make sure no "predators" could find her kittens! Oh, I also left her food, water and litter where it was easily seen from her nest, but not too close if it bothered her. She may settle down as they get older, she won't have a choice when they start running around ! I hope something I said helps. Sounds like she is just being the best momma cat she can! Maybe someone else has more .

I do not think it is ok for the baby's to be in the litterbox. That we know for sure is dirty. HMMM maybe put her back in the basket with it all nice and clean. Just do not risk getting bit.

Have you tried putting a box for her near the litterbox? Right next to it?

She may not want to leave the kittens, so that could be one reason.

Also, too much light is not too good for them right now. Is it darker where her litterbox is?

Is it warmer where she's bringing the kittens?

Does the area have less activity or traffic?

Are you fussing over them a lot now?

She might be trying to avoid any of these situations, so if any of them ring a bell, maybe you can set her up to give her what she seems to be looking for.

I like the idea that she's trying to mask their scent from predators. That makes sense. I can't figure why she had the deal with the food bag. I assume she's getting enough to eat.

I think she isn't trying to be mean, she has just had a lot of changes. My current foster was an outside cat, and she is acting so different from the housecat fosters I had before! She is extremely protective of the kittens!

I think your kitty is just doing her best! Maybe she doesn't like the towels being changed, because it changes the smells? I would try giving her another laundry basket with towels, so she can move them into it when she is ready. Also, be sure to close her into the room she is in, so she can't take them and hide them where you can't find them!

And just try to handle the babies as little as possible, for her comfort. I wonder if when you fed her, it made a noise that scared her?

Hard to try to see things from a kitty's point of view. You are wonderful to bring this poor kitty inside. Just think if she were still outside! She might have lost all of the babies! Thanks for being there for this girl! (And remember to keep her inside, because she could get pregnant again really soon if she goes out!)

Thank you all! some answers:

yes she is kept in the room @ all times. We closed her in because we have another curious cat and I don't need any kitty fights right now!

The litter box is right next to the basket. so is the water and food bowl. It's only like two feet away from where the basket is! So I can't see why she keeps carrying them over there.

I haven't fussed over them much at all, I was at work most of the day so her and the kittens were in the room by themselves all day.

Thanks again. If you have any more advice let me know!

tricia.

do you have a place you could put her that the door is shut and placing a blanket over the top of basket or box helps as it makes mummy cat feel secure and inclosed, my cat moved her baby into the cat house as it is enclosed only with a small hole to get out and warm...if she is moving then then she feels threatened and unsafe in someway...dont worry about the mother laying on them, they all do that!! LOL and my one day baby looked confused by nipple too but day 3 all id fantastic

What's in the basket? Is there a scent to it that perhaps she doesn't like? What kind of bedding do you have in it?

Have you been disinfecting it? Sometimes the smell of the disinfectant can bother them.

Try to find a clue as to what she is getting in the litterbox (or not getting) that the box isn't offering.

Some more updates: So far since about 7 she has kept the kittens in the basket again. The kittens are properly feeding now so I'm not worried about that anymore! Thanks. And I'm not so worried about her smooshing them because it seems when she lays on them they yelp and then she gets up when she realizes, so hopefully they'll be OK with that. I sprayed some of that cat calming stuff and it seemed to calm her down a bit. I went back in the room for a while and she let me sit by her and pet her face for a while, and let me take pictures. I'll post some pictures here:









And here is one close up from yesterday, the one will let me hold it the other one yelps too much:



If this link works: there is a slide show of all the pictures from today and yesterday (and some of other things not kitten related!) slide show

thanks!
tricia.

I had forgotten about the towel over the top of the basket! It has been a long time ! You may want to fix her up a new place like that, with a little open spot for her to get in. She may take to it. Maybe next to the litter box like was suggested? Mine liked closets and under chairs-under the chairs was nice and dark and snuggly, until the kittens wiggled out. She'll sort it out.It sounds like you are doing everything just fine, judging by my litters. Just help her keep them safe and it will be fine . In a few weeks, you'll be sending us adorable pictures of them playing and trying to eat momma's ears and tail , right? Congratulations and Enjoy! I miss having kittens!

Now I REALLY miss having kittens! I was typing while you were putting the pictures up . I'm so glad she's settled down-Oh, so cute!!!