Mother Cat Not Accepting Babies

[Mredsaidthat]

I have a young mother cat who just gave birth an hour ago and instead of licking the kittens clean as a mother cat should do she has been trying to kill them. I took them away and began bottle feeding them. I don’t know what to do. Do I try to introduce them to her later or not? Please thoughts?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I have no experience with this, but I know other members on this site will be able to offer some advice once they see your post.

Be patient if no one responds right away. And, in the meantime, keep feeding those babies and away from mama.

 

[Fish Em]

What is she doing that makes it look like she wants to kill them?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Do you know how to assist the kittens with pooping and peeing? If not, there are excellent videos on Youtube by The Kitten Lady, who is VERY knowledgeable about these things. They will need to be kept warm...a heating pad on LOW, well-wrapped in a couple of layers of toweling, and in a box large enough that they can crawl onto and off of the heat as they need will work very well. Feeding schedule should be every two hours at this point. If you are not feeding with KMR, get some ASAP. This is a complete cat mile replacement.

StefanZ , we need you on this! Also, Sarthur2 , @Kieka, and @rubysmama! I'm good with the very basics, but you guys can fine-tune and add the 1000 details that I missed!

 

[StefanZ]

Im wondering if momma is stressed out by anything. She perhaps isnt done with delivery?

 

[abyeb]

Like StefanZ said, maybe there are more kittens on the way. Hopefully, after her stress level decreases, she’ll nurse the kittens. Until then, you will need to bottle feed them, and stimulate them, like Mamanyt1953 mentioned.

For bottle feeding, you’ll need a special bottle for young kittens that you can find at a pet supply store. At this age, the kittens might still be too weak to bite down on the bottle, so you can also feed them with a needle-less syringe. You should give them KMR or goat’s milk (not cow’s milk or “cat sip” milk). Feed the kittens belly side down, head slightly elevated, like the position they would be in while nursing mom. If the kittens are feisty or hard to handle, you can wrap them up in a towel or blanket like a burrito.

This article has more info: Hand Rearing Kittens: What You Need To Know To Save A Newborn's Life

Try to feed around 8mL of KMR or goat’s milk per every 30g of bodyweight daily. Feeding every other hour should work well. Weigh the kittens every day at the same time. Having each kitten gain 8-10 grams daily should be the goal.

See this article for more details: Weighing Newborn Kittens (and How This Could Save Their Lives)

Please do keep us updated!

 

[Sarthur2]

How is the mama cat doing now? This sounds hormonal. Hopefully she will calm down over the next 24-48 hours. Her milk will come in too.

When you do put the kittens with her, do not leave them unsupervised.

In the meantime, the kittens need feeding around the clock. Here is a helpful video:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

Please keep us posted!

 

[ArchyCat]

M Mredsaidthat -- Any updates? Has mom delivered more kittens? Has she started to produce milk?

Please keep us posted!