Mom not staying with kittens

[PaleBlueDot]

Hello! My 1,5 year old cat gave birth to her first litter on wednesday through a c section and there's been a bit of trouble. During the first day she would pant constanly while with her kittens and when i took her temperature she had a 40 degree celsius fever so i took her to the vet and she got antibiotics. Her temperature hasn't been as high since then and she's eating and drinking fairly well, she has barely used the litter box though.

I'm having trouble getting her to stay with the kittens, she usually comes when they start crying and lets them nurse but leaves as soon as theyre done. I have provided them with a heating pad. She doesn't clean them either so i've been trying to stimulate them to pee and poop myself.

So far they've been steadily gaining weight so i'm wondering if this behavior is ok as long as they keep gaining weight?

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, it is. The situation not ideal, but such happens.
How much a day are they gaining? If its 10g or more a day, you may be reasonably calm. If its much less, time to worry....

 

[PaleBlueDot]

yes all 4 have been gaining around 10+ each day

 

[Sarthur2]

Buy a can of powdered kitten formula and mix it and give mom a dish or two a day through her nursing days. She needs the extra calcium for nursing. I suspect her panting was from a combination of low calcium and anesthesia wearing off.

If your cat had a C-section, she is sore and exhausted and still recovering, much like a human mom with a C-section. Did the vet send you home with pain meds for mom? If not, she needed them for 3 days post-surgery, and either way she’s dehydrated, so mix the powdered milk with unflavored Pedialyte to begin hydrating her.

If she’s eating wet food, begin adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil to her food. This will soften her poop and get things moving. Drinking the milk made with pedialyte instead of water should get her peeing more soon.

The bottom line is that anesthesia and opioid pain killers tend to dehydrate. The vet could give her sub-q fluids for hydration if things do not improve, though usually cats (and people) will begin to turn the corner after 3 days, and the milk along with the oil added to her wet food should help.

Most importantly, she is caring for her kittens when they cry, and she should start cleaning their bottoms when she feels better. Continue helping her out in the meantime.

The heating pad should be set on low and under a blanket, with room for the kittens to move off if they feel too warm. As long as they are gaining weight daily they should be okay.

Boil a chicken with salt only and give mom shredded pieces with broth. A bit of boiled rice can also be added. Some cat moms enjoy scrambled eggs or plain, full fat yogurt.

Hopefully, mom’s fever will return to normal and she’ll feel like new soon! You were lucky to get all healthy kittens from the C-section.

Do keep us posted, and if mom does not feel better soon, get her back to the vet. I’m betting you’ll see improvements soon. She needs 7-10 days to recover. Was she also spayed during her surgery?

Do keep us posted! P PaleBlueDot

 

[PaleBlueDot]

Thank you for all the great advice! Her fever is completely gone today and she's been using the litterbox. I think she has gotten better caring for her kittens too and she has been cleaning their butts.

I declined when the vet asked about spaying her, i'm not sure why and i guess i have my sleep deprived brain to blame. I will spay her as soon as possible though.

 

[PaleBlueDot]

Hello again! She isn't very attentive to the kittens but they're still gaining 10-20 grams each day. I got her to to lick their bums by putting liquid treats on them and i think i saw some poop in the nest. One of them is quite round though so im worried that he's constipated, what's the best and easiest way to go about this?

 

[PaleBlueDot]

She's also seems to be quite anxious while in the nest even though im using feliway.

 

[Sarthur2]

Give her time - first -time moms are inexperienced and often nervous, and she is still healing.

The weight gains indicate the kittens are nursing and growing well. Kittens on mom’s milk do not usually get constipated. Little round tummies are normal and indicate a kitten is well-nourished.

Take it upon yourself to stimulate the kittens and clean their bottoms yourself 3 times daily with a soft warm damp cloth. Change the bedding as necessary. Seeing poop on the bedding is not a problem.

Try not to worry so much unless the kittens are not gaining weight.

P PaleBlueDot

 

[PaleBlueDot]

Mama cat moved her kittens to a really narrow space where she can't stretch out or properly clean her kittens. One of the kittens lost a bit of weight and one didn't gain much Is it worth a try to get a soft kennel and move the kittens there?

 

[Sarthur2]

Definitely get a decent-sized crate and put mom and babies inside for now. Mom can come out for breaks, but she should stay in one room only with her kittens for several weeks anyway.

 

[PaleBlueDot]

Thank you so much i will give that a try!

 

[PaleBlueDot]

Hi again! I just wanted to post a little update I tried moving her and the kittens to a crate but she didn't accept that at all so i'm just letting her stay in her corner now. She has been getting better at caring for the kittens but since her space is so narrow there's always one kitten that isn't getting enough milk, so i gave in and started syringe feeding the smallest one. Otherwise things are going well with mama and kittens!

 

[PaleBlueDot]

Today ALL of the kittens have barely gained any weight. I've been supplement feeding them but it's almost impossible to get them to eat and they haven't gained anything from that either. They seem healthy and lively as usual. Not sure what the issue is and what i can do.

Forgot to mention that I'm using royal canin baby milk, i tried with both a miracle nipple on a syringe and a bottle.

 

[Sarthur2]

The kittens do not have to “take” the syringe. You wrap them up like a burrito, with only the head out, and very gently, open the mouth, and put a drop in the SIDE of the mouth. Let kitten swallow and breathe, then go again. Try to give 1mL at first. Over time and repeated feedings - every 2 hours - the kittens may begin to actively suckle on the syringe. Use a tiny 1mL syringe. A pharmacy can usually give this to you for free (needleless, of course). Always feed a kitten tummy down, never on the back.

P PaleBlueDot

 

[catsknowme]

How is the little cat family doing? Is the little one gaining weight? How is mama kitty?

 

[PaleBlueDot]

Hey! Things have been going really well until the past 2 days where their weight gain has been pretty terrible. Mom seems to be completely done with taking care of the kittens and i have to comfort her everytime the kittens feed so she doesn't immediately get up. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have mastitis and there doesn't seem to be any other issues with her. Kittens seem very healthy too despite the weight gain not being ideal.

I've started weaning them, 2 eats from a saucer, 1 has tasted a bit from a spoon and the 4th one isn't interested at all. I'm wondering how much wet food they should be eating per day at 1 month? I'm feeding them royal canin mother&babycat.

 

[Sarthur2]

They need to eat 6-8 times per day if they are only 5 weeks old. It sounds like a couple of them need to continue nursing. Kittens normally wean between 6 to 8 weeks old. If mom stops nursing, you may need to bottle feed the babies who are not ready to wean.

Is mom in heat again? This could contribute to her lack of interest in her kittens.

 

[HeyKat]

Have you tried feeding the kittens formula in a saucer? The ones that aren't ready for wet food might be willing to eat that. If it works, you can slowly mix in the wet food to the milk. Otherwise, you may have to continue bottle feeding them for now.

 

[PaleBlueDot]

They need to eat 6-8 times per day if they are only 5 weeks old. It sounds like a couple of them need to continue nursing. Kittens normally wean between 6 to 8 weeks old. If mom stops nursing, you may need to bottle feed the babies who are not ready to wean.

Is mom in heat again? This could contribute to her lack of interest in her kittens.

Thank you! I will make sure to feed them the proper amount of times. Mom let them nurse quite a bit today and they've gained decent weight. I don't think she's in heat but i will keep an eye on her.

Have you tried feeding the kittens formula in a saucer? The ones that aren't ready for wet food might be willing to eat that. If it works, you can slowly mix in the wet food to the milk. Otherwise, you may have to continue bottle feeding them for now.

I tried giving the formula a few days ago and they didn't show any interest, but it doesn't hurt to try again.