My kitten had kittens...have a ?

My kitten that is about 9 or 10 months old had kittens this afternoon. She had them in the kitty condo and everything appears to be fine. We fixed up a box for her with old towels and she has moved herself into it. After about an hour she has appeared to have moved one of the kittens in with her and is currently nursing that one. The other 3 are still right next to the box in the kitty condo. My question is should I move the others to her, or just let her take care of it. I am afraid the others will not have enough food or will get cold. Any advice greatly apreciated. Thanks

You need to move the other kittens in with her, so they don't get cold. Perhaps you could move her into a bathroom or closet so she is enclosed and can't move her kittens around.

I would try to put them in with her once, and keep an eye on her to make sure she is taking care of them. If she moves them out and back into the condo, then take the box away, put a layer of paper or regular towels in the condo and let her stay in there. If you take her where she doesn't want to be, she'll keep moving them all around, and that's not good for them.

Are there any other animals in the house, or young children? Both of those could cause a queen a lot of stress, to move kittens around, and sometimes even abandon them, even if they were used to them up to the point she gave birth. If so, I would recommend separating them for a few weeks.

9 or 10 months is a bit young for a cat to have kittens, and sometimes a cat that young could not only have difficulty giving birth, they may have some trouble getting with the program. lol I'm glad everything turned out okay so far, and hopefully simply putting them with her once will kick in the instincts better. I hope you're planning on spaying her right after this.

Good luck with the babies.

Originally Posted by Rudolphmomof2

My kitten that is about 9 or 10 months old had kittens this afternoon. She had them in the kitty condo and everything appears to be fine. We fixed up a box for her with old towels and she has moved herself into it. After about an hour she has appeared to have moved one of the kittens in with her and is currently nursing that one. The other 3 are still right next to the box in the kitty condo. My question is should I move the others to her, or just let her take care of it. I am afraid the others will not have enough food or will get cold. Any advice greatly apreciated. Thanks

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Yes...you need to move the other 3 to be with her...they need to nurse. Is the place where you have them a fairly quiet location?? Mom's are often easily spooked and will try to move their kittens if they feel they are threatened. Some people have placed mom and kittens into a room that is secure so that they cannot be disturbed and mom cannot move her kittens into other rooms. Also, I don't know the background of your mom's pregnancy..but she needs to remain indoors only and away from intact males until kittens are weaned and she can be spayed. Welcome to TCS.

Katie

She is quite young and more than likely overwhelmed by more than one kitten. The others need her warmth and milk, please put them together, and confine her in a small room with them. If she keeps moving the same two kittens after you have intervened once, get those babies to the vet now. Often, when cats/kittens are allowed to breed indiscriminately outside, the kittens can be born with diseases. They smell off to the mom cat and she senses they are sick and will sacrifice them for the others in the litter. Hopefully though, she is just overwhelmed. Please make plans to spay her when the kittens are old enough. If you find you have to become a bottle feeder www.kitten-rescue.com will help you with that

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have moved the other 3 in with her and all seems to be going well so far. I will definitely be taking her in to get spayed as soon as I can. I had intended to all along until she went into heat and the kids accidentally let her out one evening. Again, thanks so much for all the help.
Tracy

keep us all up to date. Sending prayers all stays ok..

I'm glad to hear they're doing better and she's taking care of them.

I don't know if you are aware of this, but she can get pregnant immediatley after giving birth, and doesn't even have to be in heat for it to happen. She could also go into heat even a week after giving birth. So please be very careful and make sure she doesn't get out again, or around an unfixed male, until you can get her spayed.

Originally Posted by Rudolphmomof2

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have moved the other 3 in with her and all seems to be going well so far. I will definitely be taking her in to get spayed as soon as I can. I had intended to all along until she went into heat and the kids accidentally let her out one evening. Again, thanks so much for all the help.
Tracy

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Keep her in until she can be spayed, or she can get preggers again real quick. Usually when she starts to wean the kittens, about 6-8 weeks is when she would get spayed.

I'm glad she is taking care of everyone now! Just keep an eye on her...I had a foster kitty (Sugartoes) who kept moving kittens for her first few weeks. I ended up shutting her in a dog crate to ensure no kittens got left out!

How is everyone this morning.

Everything seems to be going well this morning. When I peeked into the box all were lined up with mom and nursing. Mom has gotten out of the box a few times today to use the litter box and eat. She seems to be doing a good job despite the fact she's so young. Thanks for asking and for all the help.

That is why we are all here to help with the worring and caring I am glad it is going well..