My "Preggers" having her kits!

[tmj31]

Hello, Ive been trying to post here for over a week, but was getting some sort of message i was waiting to be activated even though i went through the entire procedure, so i made a new account and it worked like a charm... odd.


anyways getting on subject.
My gf and I brought in a stray cat a month or so ago-- very loving (at least towards her and i, not so much our 3, 7 month old cats) well she was very large when we brought her in, obviously pregnant, but we had no way to guage when she would have them... well today was the day as she showed all the tell tale signs (which i learned from all your posts!)

my question is this... she had 3 kittens, in a period of about 3 hours, maybe less.

She is still breathing more heavily than normal, i am wondering if we can be expecting any more? she even got OUT of her box once to go nibble a couple kernels of food and drink some water about half a hour ago--- then even laid down OUTSIDE her box and didnt come back till her kits started crying for her.

so far she seems to be a great mom, my only concern is that on the third kit, she was so preocupied eating the placenta, etc... that she didnt totally uncover the mucous and deal with the umb. cord. and i was worried the kit wasnt able to breath or anything, so i had to take matters into my own hands and basically save it.

I am confused why preggers (thats our name for her, we dont plan to keep her forever, so giving her a real name would just attach us unneedingly) did not "take" to the 3rd kit as quickly as the others... she also had no problem letting me handle any of them. so when i took #3 and helped to start it breathing and also get all the wet off it, she just let me.

im a total newbie at this, and my gf and i knew we were in deep when we took her in, but i could NOT stand to let her have them out in the wild here in LA, or to take her to a shelter where i had no guarantees.

so any tips on what i can expect, and what to do... now and during the next weeks would be GREATLY appreciated.

also i will post some pics when i can--- all i can offer is grainy cell phone pics, but they will suffice

thanks!
-Tyler

 

[poohandwendy]

Hi,

First of all, thank you for taking Preggers in...she and her kittens have a much better chance of survival being in a safe place with people who will care for them. Very exciting day at your house, eh? Congrats!

I'll give you my opinion to your questions, but I am a newbie to this too as I also took in a stray who had 8 kittens who are now 7 weeks old...so take my words for what they are worth, LOL.

It is possible that she could have more kittens or maybe not, from what I have read they can take breaks in between that can last quite a few hours. But, unless you see her having contractions and pushing without progress or in distress, I think nature will take it's course all on it's own and time will tell. Do you see any more kittens moving in her? Does she seem like she is still having contractions?

My momma cat had her kittens before I came home and the last 2 were ''not cleaned yet'' and still had placentas attached to them. Quite honestly, I think she was just really tired by the whole ordeal and didn't have the energy to attend to the last 2. I also think at least the last 2 were born within a close time frame because they both seemed in the same exact state of 'newness', so to speak.

My momma cat panted off and on for probably a few hours after the last one was born, again...I think she was worn out by it all. So, I don't know that it is necessarily an indicator that there is another baby due to be born. Contractions and movement of an unborn kitten would be the best indicator, IMO.

Unless she rejects the last one by moving it out of the nest or ignoring it, I really woudn't worry about it. I think the fact that she allowed you to handle the kittens is a good sign that she trusts you. That is a good thing. Does she seem attentive with all of them now? If so, relax.

You really don't need to 'do' anything at this point but keep fresh water and food near her nest (obviously you have that covered). But, she will continue to eat LOTS because she is feeding all of the kittens, she should have constant access to food and water. (I also feed my momma cat a can of kitten food per day too) Also, make sure she has clean bedding in the nest...being careful not to use anything that the kittens can snag their little claws in (terry cloth towels have little loops that they can get caught in). I used old bed sheets and pillow cases for the nest, after she gave birth.

A few suggestions:

-Get a small kitchen scale to weigh the babies ( in grams). I found it very beneficial to weigh the kittens every day to know if they were all gaining weight evenly and at a normal rate (about 10-20 grams per day is normal). Then again, my cat had a litter of 8...so them all being fed enough was a concern. A loss of weight (or failure to gain weight) is not normal and definitely indicates that a visit to the vet is in order. It can be the first sign of trouble...before things are really dire. Again, just a suggestion.

-It is always good to have kitten milk replacement and small nurser bottles on hand (I found the powered to be the most practical). I added some of this formula to my momma cats canned food, it is beneficial for her too.

-Take lots of pictures (and post them here, LOL!)...they grow like weeds!

I am hoping you have taken her to the vet already to be screened for disease? If not, set up an appt. Also a good time to discuss having her spayed in a few weeks (he vet will tell you when it is appropriate). Even if you don't plan on keeping her...I hope you consider getting her spayed or finding a low cost shelter who will do it before you place her in a forever home. (There is a thread with a list of clinics in your area at the top of the page here) I just would hate to see her in the same vulnerable position again. I am sure you feel the same way.

Again, congratulations! I am sure you will get better (more informative) responses from the other more experienced 'veterans'' here, LOL. This is a very helpful and informative forum. I am so glad I found it!

 

[tnr1]

Welcome...I think that poohandwendy has given you some great advice. The only advice I would add is that initially, you may want to have mom and kittens (with food, water and litterbox) contained in one room that doesn't have a lot of traffic. That way, she won't feel the need to move them because she is scared by all the activity. Also, please keep her strictly indoors until she is spayed as cats can go back into heat shortly after giving birth. She can be spayed once the kittens are weaned from her which is around 6 to 8 weeks of age. By LA, I wasn't sure if you meant Louisiana or Los Angeles..but in either case, you can find a list of low cost clinics by going to this link:

http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html

And scrolling down until you come to your state. I know that California has a very long list of low cost clinics.

Make sure you feed mom kitten food as she will need the protein right now....when I had foster kittens I fed mom both canned and dry kitten food and made sure they were within easy reach for her so she wouldn't have to leave her kittens. I kept the entire family in my bathroom.

If you have any further questions, just let us know.

Katie

 

[tmj31]

Here are some pictures of the kits, they are about 5 days old now.

This is "Preggers" a couple days before the birth of the 3 kittens!
Shes sooo small, I am very curious how old she is.

And here is the whole happy family, resting and feeding 2 days after birth.

This black kit is named Renegade. Gave him this name because he came out feet first and definately had a very "James Bond" entrance. Preggers did not take to him at first as quickly as the other 2 (Renegade was born last) and therefore I had to intervene and basically save his life. I was freaking out, but it was worth it because he is sooooo precious.

The grey one is aptly named "Ash". He is the oldest, and is very very cute. He is definately the whiniest little bugger out of the bunch though, has a good set of lungs on him

This black kit is named Chubbs, because unlike renegade (who looks similar), he has more girth than length, and all he EVER does it sleep and eat. I only kid though, Chubbs is the calmest of the 3 and he will no doubt turn into a wonderful kitty.

(I joke about Chubbs' behavior only because renegade spends a good deal of time running around all over the area we have for them, with me having to replace him by mommy every few minutes, lol)

The whole littler, this is shortly after birth, I'd say 2-3 hours. When mommy first left the box to get some food and drink.


So there ya have it. I'll be honest, I do wish Preggers would have had one or two more kits stuffed in there somewhere, because they are so precious and fun. But we love the 3 we were blessed with, and I hope you enjoy the pictures and stories behind them all

-take care

Tyler

www.TylerMichaelJonsson.com

 

[lorelei]

They are precious. And Preggers is adorable. I was the telling my boyfriend that I would love to go through the whole process of a mommy having her kittens at home. He looked at me like if I have three heads. With all the work I already have with Montgomery and Maximo, and now the little rescued one! Good luck! You and your girlfriend are amazing when you took in a pregnant mamma! Keep us posted!

 

[lizk729]

Wow What an awesome birth story.

Congratulations!! They are all absolutely adorable...... Mom is beautiful!!!

 

[dragonstar]

SO Cuteee!!! Are any opening their eyes yet? My little Toby being seven days old has one eye all the way opened and one half way. Babies are just so adorable!!!

 

[tmj31]

Nope no eyes open yet, they just shed their umbilical cords

I am definately watching for eyes open though.

Have you noticed, can yours really actually see now, or does that take longer yet.

 

[dragonstar]

I can't tell on that. Momma suddenly got very protective of them and won't let me near them. If I go to touch one she will pick it up in her mouth and move it. She sure wasn't like that at first..