Hi all. I am a cat and kitten foster. I currently have a momma cat that gave birth to 3 babies on March 20th. Today I took in a 2 day old abandoned kitten to see if mom would accept the baby and accept it to the litter. She is nursing it and grooming it, however, she kerps taking it out of the birthing box and putting it on a cold floor. I have to stay with her so the baby doesn't die from hypothermia. I have tried to hand feed the baby but he/she will have none of it. Has anyone dealt with this issue? Will she eventually accept it?
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Fostering momma and babies
- Thread starter Kindrie
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Is that kitten thriving or no? I had a mom cat who did that to her own kitten the day before he died 
Female cats will abandon their kitten if they know it won't survive sadly.
Female cats will abandon their kitten if they know it won't survive sadly.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
The kitten is very fiesty and seems to be thriving. It seems strange that she moves the baby and then lays down to nurse it right away. I am wondering if she might be trying to protect it from the month old kittens. I tried to feed it from a syringe and it goes crazy. Its pretty strong for being so young. What I have been doing tonight is letting her nurse all the kittens then taking her out if the room while the kittens are sleeping. I don't know what else to do at this point.
Who are you taking out of the room?
Ideally, mom will accept the baby and keep it with her. It may take mom a couple of days to fully adjust to the new kitten.
Ideally, mom will accept the baby and keep it with her. It may take mom a couple of days to fully adjust to the new kitten.
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- #5
I let the mom feed babies and then while they are sleeping give her a break. It seemed to have worked. Last night when the newborn cried for food I let her back in and she nursed and cleaned the baby and did not try to take him/her out of the nest. She did however take it out this morning when it was crying. She has totally accepted it as her baby. I think she might be moving it just outside the nest to be with the rest of the litter when they are playing. I have been watching every minute. No sleep for me last night!
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- #6
One of the issues is that the litter is 1 month old and the orphan is a few days old. The kittens are trying to play with it so I am watching every minute to make sure it is safe.
The age difference does present a problem. Do the four-week-old kittens have toy mice, balls, and things to climb on?
Do you have a heating pad set on low in the nest? This will help for when mom is on a break.
You need to sleep, so set your alarm for every couple of hours to check on the baby. Spread a blanket in front of the nest in case mom puts it out. At least it won’t be on a cold floor. Is the room itself warm?
K Kindrie
Do you have a heating pad set on low in the nest? This will help for when mom is on a break.
You need to sleep, so set your alarm for every couple of hours to check on the baby. Spread a blanket in front of the nest in case mom puts it out. At least it won’t be on a cold floor. Is the room itself warm?
K Kindrie
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- #8
Yes there are alot of toys in the room and several climbers. There is a heating pad under half of the nest. There is carpet in front of the nest but the foster room is in our basement so around 71 degrees out of the nest and the floor is not warm enough for the newborn. I think i will be able to sleep a bit tonight as Sabrina has accepted it now. She just took it out when the other kittens were out playing. They stay in the nest throughout the night. I will add a couple more layers in front of the nest in case she takes it out again. What a strong little baby! Thank you for the advice.
Do you have a ceramic space heater you could run that would warm the room a little? 
Also, keep us updated on the kitten’s progress!
Also, keep us updated on the kitten’s progress!
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- #10
What a beauty mom is! 
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- #12
Sabrina is the best!!!! You did a great job at introducing the tiny. I am looking forward to updates!
