I am kind of new to have kittens. I had kittens when I was little but I don't remember much. I have a outdoor cat named Daisy that just had 5 kittens yesterday. She is a new mommy. I ended up bring Daisy and babies into the house because it is to chilly for them to be outside. Daisy has never been inside my house. She is doing really well with the kittens and being in the house. Last night she jumped on my bed and so I got up and let her outside for about a half hour. My question is how often should she be away from her kittens? I am just afriad that she is away from them for to long. Any suggestions?
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New Mommy
- Thread starter meldonn
- Start Date
Daisy and/or the kittens should not be let outside at all, actually. Daisy not until she is spayed when the kittens are weaned. She can get pregnant right away, any time. It's ok for her to take a break from the kittens for a few minutes, but not long enough for them to get cold.
You were very good to bring Daisy and the babies in, but now you have to keep Daisy inside at all times until these kittens are weaned and you can get Daisy spayed. Not only is the risk of another pregnancy very, very high, but also ... what would you do if something happened to Daisy and she could no longer care for her babies???
It is normal for a queen to leave her babies for short bursts of time. But make certain they are in a nice, warm, clean, dimly lit area away from the normal traffic and noise patterns of your house. If Daisy is leaving them too often for too long, you may have to confine her in with them. I use an extra-large dog crate for this with my kittens and it works well.
It is normal for a queen to leave her babies for short bursts of time. But make certain they are in a nice, warm, clean, dimly lit area away from the normal traffic and noise patterns of your house. If Daisy is leaving them too often for too long, you may have to confine her in with them. I use an extra-large dog crate for this with my kittens and it works well.
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- #4
Thank you for your help. I will try to keep her inside as much as possible. I did notice yesterday that she has become very protective of her babies. We plan to get her fixed after the kittens are weaned. I also noticed that our other cat that was a stray and adopted us is starting to get fat around the belly so she might also be pregnant too. She is also an outdoor cat.
Meldonn....it is really important that both cats remain indoors only until they are spayed. Cats are induced ovulators which means they do not have to be in heat in order to get pregnant. If you think there is any chance for Daisy to get outside....then I would recommend getting a hold of a large dog crate and placing her and her kittens in the crate with food, litter box and nursing box. This should be kept in a room that is closed when you change the food or litterbox or even let her stretch a little. Believe me, cats do get pregnant as early as a week after giving birth and I'm sure you do not want to have to raise litter after litter of kittens.
You will also need to bring the other outdoor cat indoors....if she isn't pregnant now....then every time she is outdoors is another opportunity for her to become pregnant.
BTW..are there a lot of strays in your area?? If there are...I'd like to see about getting you some help with getting the cats fixed.
Katie
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- #6
For the most part I am keeping her inside. My husband is going to pick up a litter box today for me so she will not have to go outside anymore. It seems like to me that she only goes outside to go the the potty and then to rest in the sun. We live on a large piece of land and she does not go far from the door. Since she was raised outside since she was 6 weeks old it seems to me like she misses being outside. What can I do besides locking her into a cage to keep her from wanting to go outside? She really is not a playful cat and is not use to playing with toys. I did make her a aluminum foil ball and she likes to chew on it but that is it. Any suggestions?
Meldonn...unfortunately the fact that she is intact is attracting an (or several) intact males. Even if she isn't going far...she is highly suseptible to becoming pregnant again every time you let her go outdoors. The key will be to keep her indoors until she is spayed. Once she is spayed, she will no longer need to remain indoors only and can enjoy her time outdoors.
I know that Beckiboo lived on a farm...so she may have some ideas about keeping Daisy entertained indoors.
BTW...Welcome to TCS.
Katie
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- #8
Ok...Thank you for your advise. I will keep her inside the house until I can get her spayed.
Great...I would also do the same with the other stray who has adopted you...if she is indeed pregnant....she will also need to remain strictly indoors until the kittens are weaned and she can be spayed.
Sounds like you are going to have your hands full for a bit (oh..and we LOVE pictures!!!)
Katie
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If you have a walmart ... they have these cubes that you can connect for a hide away for her ... they run like 4 dollars so they are inexpensive...
I adopted a feral that was socialized at my local shelter ... she didnt understand toys either but she liked to climb and hide..
I adopted a feral that was socialized at my local shelter ... she didnt understand toys either but she liked to climb and hide..
I, too, brought a pregnant stray cat into my house, and once the babies were up and out and she was spayed, she turned into quite a playful cat. She loves catnip and little furry mice, a lot of cats like feathers, too.
Favorite toys in my home include those little furry mice (we call them "Rats" - there is Red Rat, Blue Rat, Green Rat, Tiger-Striped Rat, Leopard-Print Rat ... you get the picture ...) and anything on a stick. Those stick or Fishing Pole type toys go over way big around here with Lexus, my one and only furry little Flying Wallenda. *grin*
Sharky ... tell me more about these cubes? Do you have a picture or something that would help me identify it at my local Wally-World?
Sharky ... tell me more about these cubes? Do you have a picture or something that would help me identify it at my local Wally-World?
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Have you tried "Da Bird"? It's a fishing pole style toy that's really good. Drives my cat nuts!
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- #14
Thanks for all the advise. I guess I need to make a trip to the local Walmart this weekend and look around for some toys. So far Daisy is only playful in the morning for about 5 minutes. I think my kids make her nervous and so she wants to get back to her babies. I did have to move the babies today because my middle child scared Daisy so bad that she took one of the babies and tried to hide it but she left the other ones. When I found her she would not even let me touch her or the kitten. I finally was able to calm her down and get both Daisy and the baby back in the box with the others. She seems to be a lot happier now where I put her and safer. I do have on other question. Is it normal for her nipples to be red and have a redish bruise on them. It almost looks like they are raw. Is there anything I can do for her. She wants me to rub her belly but I am afraid of hurting her. Any suggestions?
I would say to just make sure its not an infection, hot to the touch, etc...if its that bad, then a call to a vet would be in order..
But if it just looks chapped , dry, cracked, or raw, you can use what they call bag balm, its made for cows when they are raw from being milked.
They should have that at walmart or any pharmacy, its in a little green tin, almost like vaseline. No scent or anything, that way I think it would be safe to use on her while she still is feeding the babies.
But if it just looks chapped , dry, cracked, or raw, you can use what they call bag balm, its made for cows when they are raw from being milked.
They should have that at walmart or any pharmacy, its in a little green tin, almost like vaseline. No scent or anything, that way I think it would be safe to use on her while she still is feeding the babies.
