3 day old kittens and starting to pant

[xbabyg83]

Goooood morning everyone!!! I’m so glad I found this site.
Our almost 2 year old fur baby had herself a litter of kitties about 36 hours ago. She had 5 momma has been doing an amazing job caring for them and has since started leaving them for a little bit at a time to explore & potty and what seems like to just get herself a break lol. When she’s away and starts to hear her babies cry; she’ll start growling under her breathe as she returns to them. My hubby said it’s her basically complaining like can I have just 5 min but babies all seem to be healthy and have been active. We’ve got 1 that’s very vocal lol
Anyways; yesterday evening I noticed that one of them was lifting his head and what looks like panting. Almost like you sometimes do when you’re about to sneeze but it won’t come out. It’s actually quite adorable. I just woke up and went to check on them (momma came out to say good morning and drink her water from our filtered water faucet she’s so goofy) and I noticed one of the other babies is starting to do the panting thing too. I started doing some googling (and found this site ) however I was also reading off of some other sites that it could be a sign that something else is going on. They could be dehydrated; or too hot; or not getting enough milk and a few other things and that we should seek immediate medical attention for all of them. I’m a natural worry wart especially when it comes to all of our babies (both human & furry) and just need some peace of mind and reassurance that what they are doing is normal for newborn kittens to do before I go rushing to the vet. I’m recovering from a hefty back surgery and getting around hasn’t been the easiest the last few weeks.
How do you know if momma isn’t producing enough milk or any milk at all. She’s a huge fluff ball and since we found out she was preggers I’ve been worried about how her babies will find their way through all of her fur. Don’t laugh but I actually asked my hubby if we need to shave her belly so it’ll be easier for them to get to their milk lol
Anyways; I just need some reassurance. Has anyone else who has experienced this with their newborn kitties; did it stop? Did a vet need to intervene?
Thanks so much and congrats to all of the new fur mommas!!

Here’s momma a few hours after she gave birth to her little beauties

 

[Sarthur2]

You can carefully trim the fur around each mammary gland to make it easier for the babies. Kittens normally cry only when they are hungry.

Buy a can of powdered kitten formula (not Hartz) and give mom a dish a day for the extra calcium for nursing.

Is it extremely warm in the room where the kittens are? If you have a heating pad under the blankets it should be set on low with room for the kittens to move away if they get too warm.

Otherwise, if no one appears sick, they sound okay for now.

 

[xbabyg83]

Thanks so much. We do not have a heating pad down. We had actually made a nesting area for her however she did not use it lol. She decided to hop into one of our cloth laundry baskets to give birth. The room she had them in; does tend to be a little warmer than the rest of the house and the basket is in the back corner of the room. Could they be doing the panting because they may be a little too warm? Is it safe for us to move them?
Momma has been letting us slowly touch them but we’ve been trying to not handle them yet in fear she may end up rejecting them. But she seems to trust us. She been letting us love all over her while she’s with them and has been letting us be alone with them while she goes out exploring.
I’m prob just overreacting lol. This is our first time with itty bitty fur babies and I want to make sure they’re safe and healthy.

 

[vince]

The panting might be tiny kitten hisses. It looks the same. Little kitties do it often.

It's probably not too warm for them in that room. Ideally, they should have a spot somewhat around 80 F. Most people don't keep their houses that warm.

I'd give Mom a little more time to decompress from the birthing before trying to move them. Her hormones are all in a tizzy right now. Queens often don't take well to having the nest moved anyway and she might move them back.

Best thing is to weigh the kittens daily to see they are gaining enough. They should average about 10 grams a day, and more is even better. You can see a trend emerging as they grow and you can supplement those that are falling behind.

 

[xbabyg83]

Perfect thanks so much for all of the amazing feedback. We generally keep our house at about 74 but living in Florida and the layout of our house; it’s a little difficult to keep the backside of our house cool like the rest. We generally will put a fan back there if it gets a little too warm but it hasn’t been bad yet since the temps outside haven’t been above about 85 here & there. Momma came out wanting some lovings so We decided to go check on them afterwards and they were all snuggled up in a ball together just sleeping away.
We’re going to go pick up some of the powered milk and a scale here shortly. Even if everything is fine; it’ll give me peace of mind and ease my anxiety. This entire experience has been incredibly beautiful to be part of.

 

[kittiefoster]

The first time I fostered bottle babies I had kittens that I thought were panting I called my foster coordinator and she told me that they were hissing I believe this is correct they are learning how to hit and practicing haha