Is this normal mother cat behaviour?

[CharlotteK]

MOD NOTE. This post was originally in another thread.

In-home Pregnant Feral


I followed everyone's advice and separated pregnant mama cat from the rest of her family when they returned from their visit to the vet for spaying/neutering, testing and vaccinations. They turned out to be two roughly 9 month old kittens (that may or may not be hers biologically since they look nothing like her) and a 6 month old kitten which we are 99% sure is hers because she is a spitting image. Thank you! They all seem to be much more at ease - mom can relax without those rambunctious teenagers running all around her!
Mama gave birth to three healthy little kittens 4 days ago. For the first two days she was with them constantly, leaving only to eat or use the litter box. However the last two days she has started leaving them around 6:30-7:00am - going to another place in the room - and not coming back for several hours. Yesterday we had to syringe feed them twice before she finally rejoined them around 3pm and stayed with them all night. Today she left them just after 7am, we fed them around 10am because she still hadn't joined them, then she came back around noon and fed them and then left them again after about an hour and then returned to them around 3pm and has been with them since. When she is with them she is a very good mom! Feeding them, cleaning them, gathering them if they aren't close enough to her, but she seems to have decided that she has her limits during the day which is the time that she would normally be sleeping. Is this normal? This is my first experience with kittens. The kittens seem to be growing fine. They were all around 115g on the second day and around 135g today. All putting on about 25-30g over the last two days. We have them in a card covered cardboard box with a self heating pad and we're keeping the room a little warmer than normal so I don't think they are getting cold when she leaves them, but I don't know.

 

[StefanZ]

This behavior perhaps not the mostcommon, but out in the free momma must often leave them to get food. Of course the weaker ones tend to not make it.

 

[Sarthur2]

Mom’s behavior is normal and the kittens sound as though they are thriving. Their weights are very healthy — over 4 ounces already at 4 days old is excellent.

Continue supplementing if the kittens are hungry between mom’s feedings. Do the kittens have room to move off the heated pad area if they get too warm, and is the pad set on low and under a blanket?

The room itself should not be overly warm so that mom is not uncomfortable.

I’ve not read your other thread yet but will. Have or will the older, now separated kittens, be spayed or neutered?

 

[CharlotteK]

The kittens are now 6 days old and all seem to be growing fine. They are all putting on more than 10g a day and will probably all soon be over 200g. She seems to have developed a habit of leaving them around 6:30am and then not returning until around 12:30 or 1:00pm. From that point she seems to stay with them except to leave to eat and use the litter and maybe walk around for a little bit (not longer than 1/2 an hour or so). We've been supplementing their feedings around 10am, but honestly we haven't been able to get more than about 2-3ml in each time. They are not crazy about the fake nipples as I'm sure it just feels very unnatural to them. They are all resting quietly when she's not there and not meowing for her so I don't know that they are actually getting hungry. Today she left at 6:30am and returned just after 11:30am (before I could get home to supplement).
The pad is self heating (reflects their own body heat) so it shouldn't get too warm. The cardboard box is covered and only open at the front, which is in turn open to a covered enclosure that mom uses. She naps on an upper level of the enclosure where she can see them.
The room is probably somewhere between 70-75F degrees during both the day and night depending on the outside temperature.
I'm wondering if maybe it has to do with her milk supply. Maybe she leaves so that she can rest and let her milk replenish? She's obviously providing them with enough milk overall. I'm just wondering if not feeding them for 5-6 hours is okay at this age. This isn't her first time as a mom to kittens, but it is mine! Lol!
Yes, the other three older kittens were spayed and neutered a couple of weeks ago. I certainly don't need anymore kittens! Mom will go when the new kittens are old enough to be on their own for 24 hours.

 

[Sarthur2]

Mom should be spayed when her kittens are about 8 weeks old. You probably no longer need to supplement. It sounds like they are getting what they need from mom. Since she is nearby, she will go to them on instinct when it is feeding time or when they cry for food. She is clearly meeting their needs as well as getting her rest. Nursing is hard work!

Thank you for your diligence, and we’re here for your questions as they arise!

 

[CharlotteK]

Thank you! I will continue to weight them everyday to make sure, but I also think that she's been doing a great job.