My Cat Is About 4 Weeks Pregnant And...

[Kieka]

Congratulations!

Since the point gene is heat sensitive and mom's inside is toasty warm, pointed kittens are always born white/cream. People usually say white but since you have a solid white and point in play you are probably noticing the difference between true white and baby point. The white ones may be solid white and take after Dad. The cream ones are most likely your points that will develop their color as they age. I would expect you to start seeing color and pattern in the next week or two, at the latest six weeks out.

 

[10009891]

Thank you. I am a bit emotional by the way she performed this pregnancy. She was fine this morning, behaving like always, then I come home and she's all ready and done with her labor, kittens, and all. Now she's drinking a lot of water and eating food.

I am hoping then to have a blue point mitted. I would keep that one. The mother of Ruby was a seal point mitted. The sire's father was blue point. The rest of the kittens, some of my family members and friends want one.

 

[10009891]

So how often do kittens latch onto their mother to drink milk during the day? Would she walk away for a while and leave them alone or will she stay nursing them most of the day? I hear them meowing already!!

 

[Kieka]

Newborns will be either sleeping or eating. If they start meowing she should go back to nurse. If a human was feeding them it would be every two hours, but Mom feeding isn't such an exact number.

Do you have a scale? You should weigh them daily to make sure everyone is gaining weight. With them all being similar in appearance right now it will be a little more difficult to tell them apart. Since they are light colored you can use food coloring to color a paw or tip of tail or under an arm.

 

[10009891]

Interesting. Thanks!

 

[10009891]

I am a little concerned that while I am asleep, not all kittens will be able to latch onto Ruby.

 

[rubysmama]

Awww... beautiful kittens. Congrats from me and my Ruby girl, to you and your Ruby "Mama".

How's everyone today?

 

[Suziethekitty]

Congrats!
While my cat gave birth I'd always find a few of the kittens (mostly the females) somewhere around the room I don’t know how do they escape or if she put them there but I’d always put them back to their mama and she’ll groom them. She had 5 kittens 2 males and 3 females. the females were so hyper x) since they were newborns

 

[10009891]

I tried to put the kittens in their box in the living room from the seclude laundry room. Ruby then decides to pull them out of the box and place them under the sofa. Not sure why she did that, maybe she wanted privacy for them? I had to put the kitten back in the laundry room. What are your comments about this?

 

[Kieka]

I tried to put the kittens in their box in the living room from the seclude laundry room. Ruby then decides to pull them out of the box and place them under the sofa. Not sure why she did that, maybe she wanted privacy for them? I had to put the kitten back in the laundry room. What are your comments about this?

She will put the kittens where she feels most comfortable. The couch probably isn't the safest option but that depends on it's construction and size. My couch has recliners on either end so mechanical moving parts, I wouldn't let a kitten stay under there. If you want Ruby to keep the kittens in a particular room you will likely have to limit her to that room. She might want a covered spot so if the box you've put them in isn't covered try one that is.

One thing I see fosters do frequently is set up a low pet fence around the area the kittens are. Something Mom can get over but the kittens can't until they are a little older. Then once the kittens can get past the barrier on their own they open up the whole room.

 

[Suziethekitty]

I tried to put the kittens in their box in the living room from the seclude laundry room. Ruby then decides to pull them out of the box and place them under the sofa. Not sure why she did that, maybe she wanted privacy for them? I had to put the kitten back in the laundry room. What are your comments about this?

Kieka is right
Mine used to put them wherever she felt safe no matter where you are gonna put them she’d still put them where she feels safe, make sure the room is safe and there’s no place the where the kittens would stuck in at least in the future

 

[lutece]

When I have a mother cat that wants to move her kittens out of the nest to an inappropriate place, I put mom and babies in a large octagonal mesh dog playpen (for some reason the amazon link doesn't work so I edited it out, but I'm putting a picture in).

I use the large 61" size. I also use this for cats recovering from surgery.

 

[Kieka]

How are the kittens doing?

 

[10009891]

Thanks for the mesh information! The kittens appear to look great. They all weight about the same 4.1 or 4.2 oz. Is this normal for 2 day old kittens? I have no idea how they are nursing when I am at work. They must be. The one that's a bit bigger is making a periodic breathing noise, with its mouth open. I think that it may be that he's looking for mom's nibble. But that's only intermittent. Every time I pick up a kitten, the mother gets a little edgy. One question, can I feed the kittens KMR even when they're apparently nursing? I just want to make sure they're being feed appropriate, for as soon as I come home from work, she dashes out of the box, leaving the kittens alone.

 

[10009891]

The 2 white ones are getting whiter, and the 3 cream ones remain the same. I want pointed ones from this litter. I am waiting for the points to show.

 

[talkingpeanut]

You need to weigh the kittens daily. If they are gaining between 6-10g per day they don’t need supplementing.

 

[10009891]

Thanks!

 

[Kieka]

Thanks for the mesh information! The kittens appear to look great. They all weight about the same 4.1 or 4.2 oz. Is this normal for 2 day old kittens? I have no idea how they are nursing when I am at work. They must be. The one that's a bit bigger is making a periodic breathing noise, with its mouth open. I think that it may be that he's looking for mom's nibble. But that's only intermittent. Every time I pick up a kitten, the mother gets a little edgy. One question, can I feed the kittens KMR even when they're apparently nursing? I just want to make sure they're being feed appropriate, for as soon as I come home from work, she dashes out of the box, leaving the kittens alone.

If your scale has a gram setting that may be more accurate for right now.

In ounces,

I want to say you want to see a half ounce a day in weight gain. I wouldn't try to supplement them unless they are gaining less wieght. The litter size isn't too big for Mom to reasonably handle.

I am a little concerned about the one. But it could be reflexive hissing at you or searching for Mom. If other kittens start doing it or that one isn't gaining weight you may want to contact a vet just to be safe.

Any photos?

 

[Kieka]

Ragdolls are pointed, even your male who has white masking is pointed under the white. It is genetically impossible for two pointed cats to produce anything but pointed cats. Cream isn't bad right now, I've know dilute points who don't start showing color until they are several weeks old.

From a quick search, these two are two weeks old and are just getting their points. The one in back barely shows it too.

 

[10009891]

Here is a new photo,