My cat gave birth to three kittens

[Sarthur2]

I would allow mom another week with the kittens. It sounds like she is still trying to be a good mom.

Can you put a tube of Advantage II on her neck? It will kill her fleas.

Now that she is spayed and accustomed to being fed, she will probably be fine as an indoor/outdoor cat, but I would continue to feed her.

Do the kittens have fleas too?

 

[the catsage]

Yes they all do but the local pet stores do not have Advantage or Frontline simply because very few people have pets, they have some cheap brands and I didn't feel like risking. Even the seller told me he wouldn't recommend me getting any of those because he said they haven't been tested for effects on cats, I already knew I couldn't use any on the kittens...but if it's not tested on cats then I cannot risk at all. Hopefully I am going to get my hands to some frontline or advantage within a month or so, if not maybe I'll consider those pet store brands (btw pet stores here are owned by vets and are connected to veterinary clinics so the sellers are professionals).

I'm a bit stranded on this issue for now, I am going to check for options for buying on amazon but it's going to be tough where I live. A friend in a neighboring country told me he can get me some but I'm still waiting...so until then it's bathe the kittens and comb them, vacuum and steam clean the flooring and apply salt after it's dried. The latter has been working, I've had no bites on me since starting to use that cleaning procedure but the kittens still get fleas directly from the mother. Soon as they have the first contact with the mother after bath I see them scratching their necks (obviously moving fleas). Their number is not alarming, there's usually 1-2 fleas per kitten but still enough to make their lives miserable. Poor tiny things I wish I could do something more on this issue. Their age itself is a huge restriction for now. As for the mother, yes could also treat her, but first need to get some flea killer.

 

[Sarthur2]

T the catsage

Advantage II is available online through Amazon and Chewy.com. You could have it in a few days. It is an excellent product and works quickly. They make it for kittens too.

I do not ever recommend other store products, particularly bad are Hartz and Sergeants. Stay away from those!

The fleas will multiply until they are killed through treatment.

 

[handsome kitty]

Where are you located?

 

[the catsage]

I'm located in south eastern europe where the whole region is pet-unfriendly.

Today their mother came back with a rat in her mouth, I didn't know there were still rats in the area. Soon as she came in, her kittens ran away and our noises scared her so with the rat in the mouth she went outside in a private place to eat it. Felt bad, I think she wanted to share with the kittens, but I'm not letting them eat anything of unknown origin. Ugh, I just hope the origin of the fleas are not rats. I've read lots of things about rat fleas. I'm definitely going to order some advantage 2.

Thanks everyone, just 1 more last question. How does Advantage 2 deal with the fleas? If it's placed on the neck, does that mean the fleas have to bite the cat on the neck for it to work? Or does it spread on the fur? I just wanna know if Advantage 2 working is up to the fleas will or it's something they can't avoid no matter what they do?

 

[Sarthur2]

The fleas cannot avoid it. It gets into the cat's fur and emits an ingredient that paralyzes the nervous system of fleas so they fall off and die.

It does not kill eggs though, so that's where vacuuming and washing come in. I also used a flea house spray that did kill eggs and larva.

Does Amazon deliver where you live?

Also, can you keep mom inside? I'd hate for her to run off and get pregnant again while she already has kittens. And the rats she catches can carry disease.

Is she getting enough to eat in the house?

 

[the catsage]

The mother has been spayed, she's a feral cat that has a passive "compromise" with us, we keep her kittens safe and feed them and her, in return she won't be aggressive. I think she's taken the message pretty well, she rarely growls etc, only when her wild memories come back, still we didn't think it was a good idea to separate her from her colony, I just felt bad for the rest of the cats and the fact that she didn't want to stay inside contributed to the fact. Their colony only consists of 3-5 cats, the rest migrate and come back from time to time so taking 1/5th or 1/3rd of them away would probably make the rest more vulnerable. After a discussion that we had we decided to make the kittens house pets and let the mother live back where she lived the rest of her life before finding shelter under my sofa to give birth which was accidental. She's getting enough food in the house but she lives outside most of the time, since we got her spayed and the kittens started to eat solids we no longer force the mother to stay inside, the first month and few weeks were a nightmare, we were unable to open the door because of her bolting outside. When she did we had to be late for work, school etc to wait for her to come back to make sure the kittens won't starve...I'm glad it's over. And as cat homes are rare in my country, it's not that we can find home for many cats. We barely managed to find home for 1 of the kittens, we're keeping the other 2 even though we'd rather keep 1. We can't, cause nobody wants cats.

Amazon does not deliver where I live but I can order to another country and specify the address, apparently if that country has bilateral agreement with mine then their post service can still bring the stuff to me. I'm going to order today, except that I'm not sure what to order. There are sooo many Advantage 2s...


^Does this one look ok?

 

[Sarthur2]

T the catsage

Thanks for explaining about your feral colony nearby. You've done a great service just by spaying this one female and taking care of her kittens. In fact, it sounds like you went through a lot for her!

Yes, that is the correct Advantage II. I hope you have no trouble getting it soon.

Please let me know if it helps. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[the catsage]

Okay so good news is I am getting Advantage 2 within the week.

Bad news is I bathed the kittens again today with dish soap and they had about 25 fleas ( I didn't catch all) in total, so the problem seems to be getting worse even though I am bathing the kittens every 3 days, vacuuming and steam cleaning every floor daily and I'm spraying salty water everywhere daily. Three days ago I only saw 5 fleas coming out during the bath. Today it's 25. And the mother cat has been visiting them way less frequently, so this must mean eggs are hatching inside now and the whole growth cycle is happening. Still, at the moment I can find dead fleas everywhere where the kittens have been playing after bath, I believe the dish soap poisoned them and now they're finally dying. Rest in hell xD

I'll update after using Advantage, how it gets rid of those little parasites. Lets hope it does the trick.

 

[Sarthur2]

That's great news that it's on the way!

Can you put it on mom too? And the kittens get a small amount each.

Yep, you clearly have eggs hatching. Are you able to get a flea house spray product? Or use food grade diatomaceous earth?

I think you should flea comb the kittens though instead of bathing them every 3 days. All the baths are not good. They remove natural oils. And once you put product on, you should not bathe it off.

 

[the catsage]

Yeah I bought a good comb and some other accessories, but the vet told me not to use Advantage until they're at least 4 months old. I'm not sure why, the label says 8 weeks and older but I'll see. I did the frequent bathing to relieve the poor things a bit, but I guess I can simply comb them off now, human hair comb simply wasn't up for the job even though it looked good enough. I always felt sorry for bathing them but was the only thing I could do to stop them from getting bitten non-stop. But now I believe I have what it takes to deal with the issues without bathing them much. The real battle will now be on the ground

 

[Sarthur2]

You can purchase a flea comb that will work well with its small teeth.

You CAN put Advantage on the kittens now, and you should since your outbreak is bad. You squirt a tube into a cup, and use an ear swab to apply small drops to each of their necks. Or, you can syringe it straight from the tube or cup, and put drops on the necks that way.

This tiny dose will not harm your kittens, and in fact, will help. It does not sound as though you'll get rid of the fleas otherwise, and Advantage works fast!

I've done this with my own small kittens. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[the catsage]

I have a question about food and water. Do you guys give them access to them non-stop 24/7 or not?

At the moment I give them wet food every morning and night and the bowl stays full of dry food all day long, they rarely eat it though.

The water bowl is full non-stop.

Is this too much hydration? They eat wet food twice a day, and they (all 3 kittens) drink about 2 liters of water during the day (they weigh less than 1 kilogram each, so approx. they drink 80% of their own weight, it's like a 80kg human drinking 60 liters of water or something), it's not fun when translated to clumping litter costs. Do you guys actually allow your cat to drink whenever he wants? Is that too much water? Temperatures outside are around 30 degrees celcius nowadays, are they drinking way too much?

Just to clarify the numbers above, approx:

2 liters = 0.5 gallons

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

30 celcius = 86 fahrenheit

 

[Sarthur2]

Kittens need wet food 4 times a day until they are 6 months old, with dry kitten food and water available 24/7.

It sounds like they are filling up on water in between since they are not eating the dry food. This is not nearly enough nutrition for kittens.

Mom may be drinking lots of water too if she is still nursing. If she is, she neeeds more wet food too..

Wer food is much better for kittens and nursing cats than dry.

 

[the catsage]

Update on fleas: Advantage 2 is here! I got 3 pipettes and going to use them tomorrow I believe, I feel like giving the kittens a final bath before applying it. Until now I've kept fleas under control with just combing and vacuuming and bathing every 5 to 7 days. From now on they have a bigger ally on their side

Is there in particular I have to keep in mind? Do I just have to squeeze it in one place on their neck skins or should I distribute it around the neck in a wider area?

Will Advantage protect the kittens completely? Can a flea still sneak into their fur and bite and release eggs before being killed? Or should I not worry about that?

I'm going to continue vacuuming, steam cleaning and combing them, 

Thank you.

 

[Sarthur2]

You part the neck fur so the product goes as much onto the skin as possible. It distributes itself.

And yes, continue your vigilance. Advantage does not kill eggs or larvae, so reinfestation is always possible until everything is dead and gone. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[catpack]

I know it's been a bit since anything has posted on this thread; but, wanted to mention that Advantage II *does* kill flea eggs, larvae, as well as the adult flea. Plus, the fleas to NOT have to bite the cat for the medication to work.

 

[the catsage]

Thank you for the reply

Yes the fleas are completely under control now and the kitties seem to be happy, they are no longer scratching their neck and throat. Two of them are going to their permanent homes in the following days, the other already is in his permanent home. Going to miss the other 2, we all grew attached to them but meh this is life. I'm glad they made it, considering they were the first kittens that we grew up in our home (well cannot say their mother didn't help but yeah, I expected one or maybe all to die). They are very healthy too

 

[the catsage]

Update: First kitten is rehomed now, now she is in her permanent home. Don't remember the last time I felt this sad. Somehow I got attached to all 3 of them more than I should have, I know I gave her to a very loving owner but somehow I feel like I've abandoned her. She looked through the window the last 30 mins of being here then when the car came to pick her up she looked at me and meowed. How did she know? Then she got terrified when she saw traffic for the first time outside then calmed down in the hands of the new owner. The mother is also meowing around and searching, poor kitty. Didn't expect it to be this harsh, considering I always thought my home was just a transit for her. The other one is going soon, probably this week. They are 12 weeks and 4 days old.

 

[Sarthur2]

It is never easy. I'm sorry. I've been there. Check in with the new owner to see how the kitten is doing. That should help.

Are you keeping mom or a kitten?