This might be a long shot since it's Easter but I need help or some advice.
Last night my cat, Yoonbum, started giving birth around 9 PM in the litter box in the kitchen. We tried to move her to a big box with blankets but she didn't take to it. We tried to put blankets on the floor because we thought maybe she just didn't like the box and she didn't take to that either. She gave birth to the first kitten in the kitchen and the second kitten in the living room. She eventually settled herself into an empty bottom shelf we have in the living room. She had her first two kittens about half an hour apart. She seemed to be done but she seemed rather disinterested in the kittens when we took them to her. She tried to cover them up with the blanket we had placed under her like they were poop.
We cleaned them up with towels since they were still wet. We did this in front of her and placed them with her again. This seemed to kind of give her an idea of what she should be doing and groomed them for a bit. An hour passed and everything seemed to be okay so I hopped into the shower while my sister hung out in the living room. When I came out of the shower, one of the kittens was in the middle of the hallway bleeding and struggling to breathe. It was around 2 AM at this point and my sister had dozed off so she didn't realize what had happened. We rushed the kitten to Emergency Care and they said that because it was so young there wasn't anything they could do and that the best recourse was to put it to sleep since it was suffering. We took her other kitten with us because we were afraid she might end up hurting it too and there also seemed to be blood on it. They had a look at it and said that it looked like it was doing fine. They said that sometimes first time moms accidentally hurt their young because they don't know their own strength.
When we came home Yoonbum was sitting in the litter box in the living room. Eventually, she came out but kept going back in. Around 5 AM she gave birth to a third one inside the litter box.
It's around 3 PM now and she hasn't given birth to another one but she still looks pudgy. Less pudgy than before but like there might still be one or two in there. Also, we moved the kittens to my sister's room because it's quiet and private and have them in blankets and we tried to bottle feed them but they don't really seem to be taking to it. They'll drink a tiny tiny bit but I don't think they understand how they're supposed to be going about it. Earlier this morning I let Yoonbum in so she could be with them (we didn't want to leave her alone with the kittens since we don't know if she might end up accidentally hurting them again) and she tried to grab them, but I don't know what exactly she was trying to do. If she was trying to take them somewhere or what? Later we tried again to lay her down on a blanket and tried to latch the kittens on for nursing but the kittens still don't quite seem to understand how to do it. She also doesn't seem to be lactating? We tried rubbing her nipples to stimulate them but nothing seems to be happening. Additionally, she keeps trying to bite down hard on the kittens. So I don't know if she's trying to groom them or do something motherly but just has no idea what she's doing or if it's something else. She does seem to be distressed by her kittens' cries.
I called our vet's office for help and were told that they would send a message to a vet so we should get a callback. But I don't know if we'll really get a call today since it's Easter and everyone is probably with their families and we're just very concerned with our cat's and the kittens' behavior and health. Any advice would be so welcomed!
Last night my cat, Yoonbum, started giving birth around 9 PM in the litter box in the kitchen. We tried to move her to a big box with blankets but she didn't take to it. We tried to put blankets on the floor because we thought maybe she just didn't like the box and she didn't take to that either. She gave birth to the first kitten in the kitchen and the second kitten in the living room. She eventually settled herself into an empty bottom shelf we have in the living room. She had her first two kittens about half an hour apart. She seemed to be done but she seemed rather disinterested in the kittens when we took them to her. She tried to cover them up with the blanket we had placed under her like they were poop.
We cleaned them up with towels since they were still wet. We did this in front of her and placed them with her again. This seemed to kind of give her an idea of what she should be doing and groomed them for a bit. An hour passed and everything seemed to be okay so I hopped into the shower while my sister hung out in the living room. When I came out of the shower, one of the kittens was in the middle of the hallway bleeding and struggling to breathe. It was around 2 AM at this point and my sister had dozed off so she didn't realize what had happened. We rushed the kitten to Emergency Care and they said that because it was so young there wasn't anything they could do and that the best recourse was to put it to sleep since it was suffering. We took her other kitten with us because we were afraid she might end up hurting it too and there also seemed to be blood on it. They had a look at it and said that it looked like it was doing fine. They said that sometimes first time moms accidentally hurt their young because they don't know their own strength.
When we came home Yoonbum was sitting in the litter box in the living room. Eventually, she came out but kept going back in. Around 5 AM she gave birth to a third one inside the litter box.
It's around 3 PM now and she hasn't given birth to another one but she still looks pudgy. Less pudgy than before but like there might still be one or two in there. Also, we moved the kittens to my sister's room because it's quiet and private and have them in blankets and we tried to bottle feed them but they don't really seem to be taking to it. They'll drink a tiny tiny bit but I don't think they understand how they're supposed to be going about it. Earlier this morning I let Yoonbum in so she could be with them (we didn't want to leave her alone with the kittens since we don't know if she might end up accidentally hurting them again) and she tried to grab them, but I don't know what exactly she was trying to do. If she was trying to take them somewhere or what? Later we tried again to lay her down on a blanket and tried to latch the kittens on for nursing but the kittens still don't quite seem to understand how to do it. She also doesn't seem to be lactating? We tried rubbing her nipples to stimulate them but nothing seems to be happening. Additionally, she keeps trying to bite down hard on the kittens. So I don't know if she's trying to groom them or do something motherly but just has no idea what she's doing or if it's something else. She does seem to be distressed by her kittens' cries.
I called our vet's office for help and were told that they would send a message to a vet so we should get a callback. But I don't know if we'll really get a call today since it's Easter and everyone is probably with their families and we're just very concerned with our cat's and the kittens' behavior and health. Any advice would be so welcomed!