My beautifull Kittens are finally here, but I'm worried

I'm new to this forum I have a 3 year old cat and I just brought in a stray which I new was pregnant and she has seen the vet but the vet said it was too soon to tell. I've been a pet owner for only 3 years and all has gone well upto now.

The cat I just brought in, is about a year old. She just had 5 kittens and she is now taking great care of them. They are feeding constantly and the queen doesn't leave them. The kittens are now 6 days old and they are getting big, they look healthy but I have a few concerns. Prior to the Kittens arrival I asked the vet many questions on what to expect and what I had to do and they told me not to worry, I didn't have to do anything because the queen will do it all.

This is what happened when she had her kitties. She had her kittens on the cold basement floor instead of the warm cozy boxes I prepared for her and just left them on the floor. I had to take the sack off of one and cut 3 cords.

I prepared formula and started dropping formula around their mouths, and everytime I did this the queen finally started to lick them. So I put drops of formula on their bodies for a good 20 minutes and the queen began to lick them consistenly. Yahoo, she understood. Three of the kittens barely moved but did cry every once in a while.

I left them for 15 minutes and when I returned the kittens were gone and I freaked out. Three were on the other side of the basement and 2 I finally found under installation two hours later. She wasn't taking care of them.

I picked up 1 kitten at a time and started feeding formula with a dropper and trying to keep them warm. The Kitten I removed the sack from wasn't moving but cryed out every 5 minutes. After about three hours of this the queen finally took over.

Concerns:
1. When I stepped in because the queen wasn't doing anything an hour to 2 hours had passed after the first kitty was born. Even though they are thriving now could their be any complications because I didn't react quick enough?
2. The two kittens I found under the installation, they were there for about 2 hours could they end up with health problems?
3. The kitten that was left on the floor with the sack(30 min) still around it and didn't move for 4 hours, could a problem arise?

I'm already attached to these kittens and the queen,and I'm worried even though when I check on Kittens and queen they are doing great for now.

Can anyone help? Should I be looking for anything unusual?

1.) I don't think any health problem will become from you not reacting quick enough, I think you did react fast, you helped to get them stimulated and cut cords, moved them, and got them some place warm. You did what you could do as soon as you can, so it's up to mom now.
2.) I don't think the kittens that were didn't eat for the 2 hours should develope any health issues either, 2 hours between feedings is ok, as long as they didn't get too cold there and are now eating and doing good.
3.) I don't know about the little one not moving for 4 hours, though. Is it warm and eating now? was the sack over his head and face? he could still breeth alright? He and all the rest as long as they are warm and being fed now should be ok. they are fragile little bodies, but are tough little souls, you have done good with them so far, first of all by taking mom in. There is a some links people usually post with all kinds of info that may be useful to you, read it over and if you have any further questions, some one will be happy to answer if they can. The only thing you haven't done yet that you can and should, is to post some pictures, we all love those!
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74659

Actually, you did the right thing. The first thing to do is try and get the mother to take over, even if it takes a little time. Since they are still alive, the couple of hours didn't seem to hurt. Same with the kittens being gone for a couple of hours.

Also, that was very clever, the way you got the mom to start licking the kittens. Good thinking.

I have a few questions.

If the basement floor is cold, what is making the area where the boxes are toasty warm? You may not be aware of things that to a queen, can be very stressful or possibly dangerous. Is it near pipes, or a water heater? Both make a lot of noise, and that might be scaring her and its not good for the kittens.

Is it very damp and cold down there in general?

You seem to have open insulation, and since it's a basement what else is down there? Cats have extremely sensitive noses, and it could be a smell that's bothering her, so she will think its bothering the kittens. Plus are there other places she can get into and bring the kittens too that can be potentially dangerous? What aobut when they get older and start going around by themselves.

I'm less concerned about the 2 hours they were under the installation (or is it insulation?) than I am about the stuff itself, what they may be breathing in, getting on them, ingesting, which could cause health problems.

Also, doesn't insulation have poisons in it? Kittens will eat anything. I'm really concerned about what they can get into when they start moving around on their own.

Is there any way you could bring her to a safer place, maybe in your home, in your room or a closet? I'm concerned about the dangers kittens could face in a basement that we may not realize.

Are other people going down there, or other animals? Is there a lot of noise? If a queen thinks her kittens are in danger she might abandon them. Since she's been with you a very short time, this is a new place for her and she doesn't feel safe to begin with. It's hard to realize sometimes, but "safe" to a cat is familiar, and if she's familiar with the outside even if its in the middle of a busy highway, that's what they consider safe. So it's important in a new environment to be extra careful to keep her in a quite place.

There also shoujld not be strong direct light.

How are mom and babies doing today...

Thank you for the replies.

The reason I picked the basement for Cleopatra to have her kittens is because I have a three year old female cat Sadie that has never been friendly, she hates to be touched or if you try to play with her, she scratches and bites. Cleopatra on the other had is very social and very friendly. She has never taken her claws out or hissed or bit anyone. In Cleopatra's early stages of pregnancy Sade would nip at her and Cleopatra would hiss and scream out but never fight back.

I felt that for the first couple of weeks of the Kitties lives they would be saftest in the basement. They are keeping warm because I have put a heater close by, which Cleopatra hasn't bothered with. I also have 4 children from ages 2 to 17 which could get pretty noisy. I don't have any spare rooms either. But I know I have to think of moving them within the week. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking of putting a cage on the first floor so Sade couldn't get to the kittens while we were out. The garage could be another choice but I would need to kitty proof it.

Right now my children are not allowed to go see the kittens and Cleopatra unless I'm there. Again there are 6 of us plus 2 cats and 5 Kittens and the basement is the quietest and saftest for now.

My son(baby) loves both cats, he knows not to play with Sade and Sade knows that she cannot bite or scratch my son.

The Kittens are now 7 days old and they are beautiful. A couple of he kittens have opened their eyes. I took some pictures but its hard to get them all in. For now I have name the mother cat Cleopatra because of the beautiful marking on her face. My children insist on the name Mittens but this does not suit her at all.

As soon as I figure out how to add pictures to this reply, Iill send it.