I'm afraid kittens will die!!!

I didn't get much response from my previous post, so I thought I would change the title to show what I'm afraid of happening here.

My momma stray had a c-section/spay about 4 hours ago and she wants nothing to do with her kittens!!! She has 6 little kittens that were close to not making it this far to begin with (only 1 had a heartbeat at birth....other 5 were revived). All the kittens are hanging in there so far, but that won't last long if she doesn't feed them. Is this common behavior after a section for a momma? When do they typically come around? How long can babies go without eating? At what point should I intervene? She is not even laying in the box with her kittens. She has not spent ANY time with them.

Now, she was sick after I brought her home. She was vomitting and still appears to not feel well. I'm hoping that her maternal instincts kick in soon!

You should intervene NOW! Start bottle feeding the babies and making sure they stay warm. www.kitten-rescue.com will guide you and good luck!

Do you have bottles and milk replacer for them on the off chance she doesn't get back to nursing them? Goat's milk is a good substitute as is the Hertz Kitten Milk Replacer (both easily found at your local Wal-Mart). These babies will need to eat about every two hours in order to survive. This is a good web site for you to look at in the event you need to take care of them for her - www.kitten-rescue.com - check it out.

Hi Hissy - glad you are on the spot, ladybug.

sending {{{prayers and vibes}}} to mama-kitty and the babies!! I THANK HEAVEN that you were able to get her the veterinary care that she so desparately needed - I shudder to think of her fate if she didn't get the C-section. I pray that she recovers soon, poor baby, and that you are able to help the little ones. May God bless you all.

Originally Posted by gayef

Hi Hissy - glad you are on the spot, ladybug.

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I am not going to ask you what the voices are telling you to do Gaye

Originally Posted by hissy

I am not going to ask you what the voices are telling you to do Gaye

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It's probably a good thing, Mary Anne. *grin*

my mamma cat had to have a c section and she acted like she wanted nothing to do with her kitten for the first day i had to keep the kitten warm by placing a small heating pad under some towl's turned down to low setting but made sure there was a space where it didn't stouch so if it got to warm the kitten could move away from the heat i had to but lactol kitten replacment witch my vet advised b4 i even left the vet's with them as he said it often happen's after section's the kitten might not take to a bottle so i had to use a medcine srynige to drop the milk in his mouth tiny bit at a time and make sure when u feed them they are in this position kitten's on there stomach head tilted pp right slighty as though they would if feeding of mum as u can get milk in there lung's and this is deadly to themu may also have to stimulate there bowl's as they cannot go on there own , get a warm wet cloth and just wipe underneath and it will help them to go as this is what mum would normally do as for how much to feed them check the tin of kitten replacment it will guide u , also get some good scale's so u know they are putting on weight make sure u weigh them the same time daliy i would phone ur vet's if ur mamma still isn't to good as she may be having a reaction after the section , i hope all turn's out well keep us posted
alos i had to feed every hour i did this for 4 day's unfountly he died on the forth day but i think he was prem so he could have had other thing's wrong with him i was like a zombie this was only because lilly's milk didn't come in for the first cupple of day's and he was to week to suck from her , wishing u luck with these little babie's

Originally Posted by barton93

I didn't get much response from my previous post, so I thought I would change the title to show what I'm afraid of happening here.

My momma stray had a c-section/spay about 4 hours ago and she wants nothing to do with her kittens!!! She has 6 little kittens that were close to not making it this far to begin with (only 1 had a heartbeat at birth....other 5 were revived). All the kittens are hanging in there so far, but that won't last long if she doesn't feed them. Is this common behavior after a section for a momma? When do they typically come around? How long can babies go without eating? At what point should I intervene? She is not even laying in the box with her kittens. She has not spent ANY time with them.

Now, she was sick after I brought her home. She was vomitting and still appears to not feel well. I'm hoping that her maternal instincts kick in soon!

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Just wondering how come your momma cat had to have a c-section?
ABK

Hi everyone! Well, things are finally looking good. I went and got kitten formula and some bottles and began feeding all 6 kittens. I'm happy to report that they made it through the night ok (of course with my help). Now, this afternoon momma began showing some signs of feeling better, so I put one of the kittens by her and she began doing everything that momma's should be doing. So, now all 6 kittens are being taken care of by mom and all are doing well.

ABK.......she needed a section because her water bag was partially hanging out of her and she couldn't pass it on her own and she would NOT let me assist her as she was in so much pain. So, I ran her to our local vet's office and he tried as well and of course he had no luck. Because she had been this way for a couple of hours, he decided the best thing to do if we wanted live kittens was to do a c-section. So, we went with that. Only 1 kitten had a heartbeat and the other 5 were worked with tremendously.

Also, because I took her to the vet after hours, the vet had nobody to assist him, so he called in his son for help (we live out in a small town that sits in the middle of nowhere......and all of his workers live far away). He then asked me if I had a weak stomach and I told him no. He then asked me if I would be interested in being in there while he performed the surgery so that he has his son and myself to help with the kittens. So, I decided to stay and help. It was amazing. I myself took on 3 kittens with no heartbeat and by the time I put them down (about 10 minutes after being born) they were screaming!!! That was a great feeling!!!

Thanks to everyone for all of your advice and support. I don't know how I would have gotten through this without all of you. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated and I will definately post some pictures.

Wow, what an experience! I am glad it had a happy ending for you, I was worried all last night about what I would see when I logged in this morning.

Continued best of luck, although it sounds like these little guys are real survivors.

~g~

Aww so glad to come back on here and see good new's hope they continue to be well

Originally Posted by barton93

ABK.......she needed a section because her water bag was partially hanging out of her and she couldn't pass it on her own and she would NOT let me assist her as she was in so much pain. So, I ran her to our local vet's office and he tried as well and of course he had no luck. Because she had been this way for a couple of hours, he decided the best thing to do if we wanted live kittens was to do a c-section. So, we went with that. Only 1 kitten had a heartbeat and the other 5 were worked with tremendously.

Also, because I took her to the vet after hours, the vet had nobody to assist him, so he called in his son for help (we live out in a small town that sits in the middle of nowhere......and all of his workers live far away). He then asked me if I had a weak stomach and I told him no. He then asked me if I would be interested in being in there while he performed the surgery so that he has his son and myself to help with the kittens. So, I decided to stay and help. It was amazing. I myself took on 3 kittens with no heartbeat and by the time I put them down (about 10 minutes after being born) they were screaming!!! That was a great feeling!!!

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Wow that's crazy. I hope we don't have to go through that with Misty. I am glad that everything is alright now though! Hope you'll post some pics when you get a chance! Take care

How are they? Is momma interested in them now? Have you called the vet to get advice?

Sending good vibes to momma and baby....

Just wondering how things are going with the momma and babies... hopefully still well! I can't wait to see pictures.

Hissy, I'm not sure if I should suggest this but what about some kitten glop for momma cat maybe that would make her feel a tad bid better, I fed it to my momma stray while she was pregrant and of course after she had them and then to the kittems and her when she brought them out? Just a suggestion or really a question, mine did so well on it, I know these babies are to small for sure just thinkng about momma,,, Hope its not way off kilter

Wow I'm just glad the vet was able to help your cat....it must have been an amazing feeling when you brought the kittens to life. I hope all is well with the mom and kittens, please post pictures soon!

Wow, what a great story!! I sure hope everyone is eating good....it sounds like momma finally got the hang of things Can't wait to see pictures of the little guys

I'm starting a new thread. I have some new info to report. Some good, some not so good.