Long enough to feed her babies unless I pet her or at least have my hand on her, she acts like the babies drinking is the best feeling in the world, if I try to pet the babies she nudges her head under my hand to pet her, I have never seen a cat act like this before.
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Momma Kitty Won't Lay Still....
- Thread starter sabbyjake
- Start Date
It might feel good or be a relief.... just like it is for human moms. Cats will coparent their litters with their mom or sister or best female bud. Chances are she views you like that. I vote love on her during nursing and weigh each baby every day at the same time. If one kitten is not gaining weight properly you can bottle feed them, to supplement. I would suggest getting a bottle kit and formula now just in case you need it (especially if you can return it to your pet store for a full refund or credit exchange within a month.) I would also buy a small liquid medicine syringe just in case you need it.... very young kittens need those syringe nipples (and very careful feeding) but you can use the syringe to give the kitten milk drop by drop .... and later use it for medicine for your cat if need be.
Next is she licking each kitten’s private bits after they eat? If not you may need to help mom by helping the kittens go to the bathroom after each meal.
I would also suggest you watch a video or two of the kitten lady, where she explains how to care for orphaned kittens. It is handy knowledge to have, just in case.
Unrelated can we see pictures of mom and the kittens, just because they are super cute?
Take tons of pictures, they grow up so fast! I would suggest weekly pics by the same object (coffe mug, Teddy bear, beanie baby?) so it really shows their growth! They grow insanely fast those first 3-4 months!
Next is she licking each kitten’s private bits after they eat? If not you may need to help mom by helping the kittens go to the bathroom after each meal.
I would also suggest you watch a video or two of the kitten lady, where she explains how to care for orphaned kittens. It is handy knowledge to have, just in case.
Unrelated can we see pictures of mom and the kittens, just because they are super cute?
Take tons of pictures, they grow up so fast! I would suggest weekly pics by the same object (coffe mug, Teddy bear, beanie baby?) so it really shows their growth! They grow insanely fast those first 3-4 months!
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Oh my goodness look at that tiny little baby! She is so sweet in her mini basket! (Is she named River after River Song from Dr. Who?)
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I'm so sorry to hear that. Is she a young first-time Mom?
Did you see her do it? I say this because I don’t think mother cats suffocate kittens to death. Personally I would move mom/baby/birthing box to the quietest room possible. I would also have someone awake monitoring the mom to make sure she doesn’t kill the second one. I would also take the surviving kitten (and mom in case she needs to be seen) to the vet today, as soon as the office opens. Mom cats will sometimes kill some/all their kittens if they are: to stressed, kittens sick, to much noise, mom to young, not enough milk, predators near by, not enough food for mom.
*** if you saw her kill the kitten, I would remove the surviving kitten and foster it .... not letting mom in the same room as the kitten just in case!!!
***Male cat’s will kill kittens by biting their necks/choking them to death with their mouth. You should not let any other cat be in the kitten room.
My gut is telling me that she is a first time teen mom and is overwhelmed. If it was me I would bottle feed the remaining kitten with a syringe nipple (you can order them off amazon and over night it) KMR and bottles .... lots of nipples. Watch videos carefully to see how to care for the kitten. Hopefully mom will supplement care/milk but again if she is killing kittens I would not trust her alone for one minute with the kitten. The poor orange kitten may have died of disease, which is why I said you need to take the remaining kitten to the vet now!
I have never heard of a mother cat suffocating a kitten to death. Eating a kitten? Yes. Clamping their teeth on the kitten and killing it that way? Sadly yes. (If I saw her mouth going around the kitten I would scruff her immediately and pry her jaws open like you do when you give a cat a pill. I would then seperate mom from all her kittens, until the kittens are 12-16 weeks old!)
Maybe other people can way in on mom cats smothering their kittens to death?
*** if you saw her kill the kitten, I would remove the surviving kitten and foster it .... not letting mom in the same room as the kitten just in case!!!
***Male cat’s will kill kittens by biting their necks/choking them to death with their mouth. You should not let any other cat be in the kitten room.
My gut is telling me that she is a first time teen mom and is overwhelmed. If it was me I would bottle feed the remaining kitten with a syringe nipple (you can order them off amazon and over night it) KMR and bottles .... lots of nipples. Watch videos carefully to see how to care for the kitten. Hopefully mom will supplement care/milk but again if she is killing kittens I would not trust her alone for one minute with the kitten. The poor orange kitten may have died of disease, which is why I said you need to take the remaining kitten to the vet now!
I have never heard of a mother cat suffocating a kitten to death. Eating a kitten? Yes. Clamping their teeth on the kitten and killing it that way? Sadly yes. (If I saw her mouth going around the kitten I would scruff her immediately and pry her jaws open like you do when you give a cat a pill. I would then seperate mom from all her kittens, until the kittens are 12-16 weeks old!)
Maybe other people can way in on mom cats smothering their kittens to death?
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I'm so sorry. It would be best to get her spayed as soon as the one kitten is done nursing. If you need help finding a low cost spay neuter, we have members that are very good at that. 
I’m so sorry you lost Simon. I know you love him and must be distraught over the loss. I should have given you my condolences first but I was focused on saving River. I would still google panleukopenia (feline distemper) and check the signs for kittens. It is highly contagious and kills kittens. At that age they are so fragile. They get sick and can die so quickly.
Hence my better safe then sorry view of taking River to the vet now. 
I just thought of Fading kitten syndrome, it could have been the cause of death. If a kitten gets sick, orphaned or is born with a heart birth defect for instance .... they get lethargic and you can barely get them to nurse/drink any milk. If left untreated the kitten dies and looks like they died in their sleep. I had one kitten that had it and she pulled through and in another litter I had one kitten (the runt) who started off lethargic and barely eating (he lived on my chest and lap for the first 10 days or so.) He pulled through and thrived.
Sadly not all kitten stories have happy endings.
