Help!!!

About a month ago, i got a kitten nammed truck from a lady who listed them in the paper. He got really lonely, so i drove by the house to see if his brothers were still there, because the lady told me to come by if i ever wanted another. Well, there was a for sale sign on the house! So i called the number, and tomake a long story short, the lady selling the house has my kittens mom, and she just gave birth to 5 kittens 6 days ago.

So i have this mom cat, 5 kittens, and my original kitten, truck. I

Truck was my first cat ever, so i dont know how to handle baby cats. I'm just worried that the mom will be destressed from moving here, and she wont want to feed the babies. She hasn't eaten or gone to the bathroom since she got here which was about 8 hours ago.

I just need any advice you can give about kittens, and what the next steps are that i need to take in caring for these little ones.

Also, how long do i wait till i can hold them? Their eyes arent open yet, and tomorrow they will be one week old.

You can reply, or e-mail works better. [email protected]

Thanks so much!!!!!


-Jacquie Mulcahey

Hey Welcome!! I will email you too.

First off put the momma cat and her new kittens in a bathroom or laundry room, somewhere quiet, dim the lights, play soft music, put down kitten food for her at all times, wet food is great too. Put down a litterbox with non clumping litter and let them be to settle in. Check on them and make sure the momma is nursing and eating and keeping the kittens warm.

Start there. How old is Truck? I have a feeling he is too young to be away from mom, but since there are newborns it may be best to seperate him unless he is extremely young and get just be added right back in there with his mom. I can give you more advice for him but I need to know is approx. age.

Watch the mom carefully. It is really unhealthy for her to have kittens so close together like this. Hopefully all will go well. This is a lot of responsibility for a new cat owner but that is great you are doing this.

You will need to start putting aside money to first of all spay the mother so she doesn't have to go through this again. Eventually, when the kittens are 10-12 weeks old they can be rehomed. They will need vaccinations and deworming and altered too. There are low cost clinics everywhere to help afford this. Google search or ask and we can help you find one.

Oh and you can hold them now but make sure the mother is okay with that. If she is hesitant towards you then I would hold off a little bit until she gets to know you better.

As long as the mother stays with the kittens and cares for them and everything, you can sit in with them and talk to them and bring her treats or wet food, etc. Make sure she is eating high quality kitten food, not grocery store Friskies or Whiskas or Purina. She needs high quality food especially since she had two litters so close together. Nutro, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul, etc...

Thanks so much for the reply! Truck is about 4 months old. I got him about a month ago. I have to keep him and his mom seperated because when i introduced them, they hissed at eachother and its gone down hill from there. I think she is just trying to protect her kittens. So i keep them in seperate rooms. He isn't taking it very well. He wants to be friends, but she isn't interested in it at all. I gave her some wet kitten food and some dry food her previous owner brought over. I will go tomorrow and get her some better food. I put the kittens in a box with a hole in it, and the mom goes in and out, but i kinda want to move them. She wont leave the corner ( its in between my two couches). I was thinking about moving her into my laundry room, but i dont think she will have that. She is very very timid and i want to leave her where she is comfortable. I dont know, maybe I'm being over careful, I've just never had kittens before and I heard that sometimes moms neglect their kittens if they are distressed or dont feel safe. It really would be more convenient if i moved her.
I am also worried because I havent got truck neutered yet, i looked up some low cost clinics but they arent to helpful here. I am worried that if they do start getting along, they might mate. I dont know if thats possible, but I thin I'll keep them seperated until i get my next paycheck. Do you think if I let him around her, she will feel too threatened to go in and nurse the babies, cause she feels like she has to keep a look out for truck? Also, about how old are kittens when they open their eyes and start walking? And when should i bring them into the vet to get shots and things? I still haven't brought truck yet, a friend of mine said that cats arent like dogs, and that its not absolutly necessary for cats to get shots but i have a feeling I should do it just incase.

Well, thank you very much for your advice!!!
-Jacquie

I think it is best to keep Truck and his mom seperated. I think the mom deserves a nice quiet room where all she has to do is focus on her kittens. I think Truck needs to be neutered...because even if he isn't furtile now, he soon will be. Having intact cats of different sexes around each other is simply asking for trouble...best to have him neutered now and have her spayed once the kittens are weaned. Another thing is to make sure to keep the kittens until they are between 10-12 weeks of age...it would be ideal if you could have then spayed/neutered prior to going into homes.

I am also worried because I havent got truck neutered yet, i looked up some low cost clinics but they arent to helpful here.

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I'm not sure what you mean by they were not helpful. Were they too expensive??

Katie

also he does need his vac's espically if he is gonna be an outdoor cat and since momma had to have gone outside to get pregnant she may carry a virus so i wouldn't allow ur kitten to go near mum as yet least not untill his had his shot's

Cats deffinitely needs shots, even if they are indoors (just in case they get out). It is required by law that you get a rabies shot for the cats. Kitten boosters are also very important and then another booster at 1-year. There is some debate on if it is necessary to continue the booster after the 1-year shot but most vets will recommend every year so that is what I do. Regardless they will need rabies shots.

i havn't got the problem with the rabies shot as were in london and as far as i'm aware the cat's don't need it here if i'm wrong correct me

Originally Posted by XxtashaxX

i havn't got the problem with the rabies shot as were in london and as far as i'm aware the cat's don't need it here if i'm wrong correct me

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I'm not sure what the rabies requirement is in the UK...in the US all cats must be vaccinated against rabies.

Katie

Doesn't the UK not have raccoons? It seems this is the most common carrier/transmitter of rabies. Though fox and anything else can carry it...it always seems the raccoons to be the problem. Maybe that is why it is not required in the UK if rabies is not a big issue. In the US there are frequent occurances of bold rabid animals and occasional bites, making it very important to vaccinate against.

My kittens opened their eyes between 10-14 days. Usually around 2 weeks. If I remember correctly they start walking between 3-4 weeks. There is a good chance that she will find another place to move them in a week or so. So make sure you secure any places in your house that you wouldn't want her to move her kittens.

i phoned up the local vet after i posted lol they said they don't do the rabie's shot as they have hardly been any report's in england for it i was gonna say when i take my cat's up for there boster the only thing they noramly ask me about is if i would like the fel vac as well , alway's say yes to that one, 1 less thing to worry about then , also my mamma's kitten's are 3 week's old and since she had them she hasn't tried to move them atall

Originally Posted by SolarityBengals

Doesn't the UK not have raccoons? It seems this is the most common carrier/transmitter of rabies. Though fox and anything else can carry it...it always seems the raccoons to be the problem. Maybe that is why it is not required in the UK if rabies is not a big issue. In the US there are frequent occurances of bold rabid animals and occasional bites, making it very important to vaccinate against.

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LOL no, no raccoons here.

There is no Rabies in the UK.

No animal is vaccinated against Rabies unless it is being taken abroad. We haven't had a case of Rabies in something like 30 years, and have stringent animal import regulations to prevent it from arriving on our shores. There are benefits to being an island