Organized newborn rearing

[Chiltonsdad]

Hey all,

About three weeks ago, a very pregnant cat showed up at my doorstep and I’ve been fostering her ever since. After the kittens are old enough everyone’s getting spayed and rehomed! She’s a small cat and had a small tummy so I was anticipating 4-6 kittens



…she just finished birthing 10.

From my understanding she only has 8 nipples. What are the best strategies for keeping track of everyone’s feeding and being taken care of?

thanks!

 

[Sarthur2]

You’ll need to rotate the kittens in two groups — the five biggest and the five smallest. Rotate every 2 hours around the clock initially. Keep the group that’s not with mom warm in a separate nest with a heating pad set on low under a blanket or towel, with room to move off if they get too warm.

Start a log and weigh each kitten daily in grams using a digital kitchen scale. If any are not gaining you’ll need to supplement with kitten formula and a syringe. Order Miracle Nipples online from Amazon that fit on the tip of the syringe.

Here is a helpful video for syringe feeding:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

Here is an older thread about a large litter such as yours and how it went:

Advice for a large litter - 9 kittens!

Also, mom will need plenty of wet food, dry food, water, and a dish or two a day of kitten formula to support nursing this brood. She needs the extra calcium from kitten formula especially, and she may need daily help with stimulating and cleaning bottoms.

Keep us posted! C Chiltonsdad

 

[Sarthur2]

Part 2: Once you have weighed all the kittens, please post their weights here. You will inevitably have runts, and they will need the most help.

Did mom eat 10 placentas? If so, she may have diarrhea for a day or two and not be as hungry. If she did not eat them all, please dispose of them as ten is too many to eat.

Buy powdered kitten formula in the can; not pre-mixed. PetAg, Royal Canin, and GNC are good brands.

Please post a picture(s) of mom and kittens when you can.

C Chiltonsdad

 

[StefanZ]

I want to add, if they are very similiar, and the weights alike, you may need some trick to see whom is whom... Some use small colored collars. Others have some non poisonous nail polish on a couple of their claws... There may surely be other ideas too...

Momma will need calcium rich supplement. Goats milk is cheaper than kmr, or full fat youghurt should do... Or almost whatever calciumrich you have at hand, and she likes... The need will be even bigger with time as they grows and take more milk from her.
ps. I notice SArthur also talks about this, but without mentioning the word calcium.
With kitten milk SArthur means kmr, not the watery milky costly preparate sold as treat for cats.

A healthy kitten adds typically 10+ grammes a day, sometimes more.
If its much less, you begin to worry and think on perhaps supplementing.

C Chiltonsdad

 

[Sarthur2]

Good catch StefanZ ! I meant to say mom needs to drink dishes of kitten formula — not kitten “milk” as in treat milk. I’ve corrected myself in the post.

 

[Chiltonsdad]

Hey all thanks for your patience. I have the proper food for mom and supplements for babies! I MISCOUNTED, we have 8. Sorry I posted the original RIGHT AFTER birth.
Here are the weights for everyone

A:109
B:100
C:114
D:115
E:125
F:113
G:106
H:108
So I will put the five heaviest in a heated boxes area and let the four lightest feed for two hours? Mom hates the separation.

thanks everyone for your generous help and insights

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, separate and rotate every 2 hours for now. Eight kittens is a HUGE litter. Now, if she has 8 nipples and eight kittens, it’s possible to put them all together at night so you can sleep. The problem may be with kittens getting bullied off nipples and not getting enough, which is why you’ll be weighing daily.

It’s great that you already have supplies on hand.

The kittens’ weights are excellent for 8 kittens. I’m actually impressed that all but one are over 100 grams. Let’s see how they do the first 24 hours — who gains and how much — then you’ll know if any need supplementing.

Have all 8 had a fair chance at nursing yet? Have they all latched?

Kudos for giving this stray a home!

C Chiltonsdad

 

[Chiltonsdad]

Yes, separate and rotate every 2 hours for now. Eight kittens is a HUGE litter. Now, if she has 8 nipples and eight kittens, it’s possible to put them all together at night so you can sleep. The problem may be with kittens getting bullied off nipples and not getting enough, which is why you’ll be weighing daily.

It’s great that you already have supplies on hand.

The kittens’ weights are excellent for 8 kittens. I’m actually impressed that all but one are over 100 grams. Let’s see how they do the first 24 hours — who gains and how much — then you’ll know if any need supplementing.

Kudos for giving this stray a home!

Thanks! Will mom and the kitties get over the separations?

 

[Chiltonsdad]

Yes, separate and rotate every 2 hours for now. Eight kittens is a HUGE litter. Now, if she has 8 nipples and eight kittens, it’s possible to put them all together at night so you can sleep. The problem may be with kittens getting bullied off nipples and not getting enough, which is why you’ll be weighing daily.

It’s great that you already have supplies on hand.

The kittens’ weights are excellent for 8 kittens. I’m actually impressed that all but one are over 100 grams. Let’s see how they do the first 24 hours — who gains and how much — then you’ll know if any need supplementing.

Have all 8 had a fair chance at nursing yet? Have they all latched?

Kudos for giving this stray a home!

C Chiltonsdad

Hi just saw the following questions. Yes, everyone’s been seen latching at least once. It’s sort of a feeding frenzy with everyone crawling on top of each other. I’m bringing food up to moms nest and she’s got a healthy appetite

 

[Chiltonsdad]

Oh!! Here’s the family photo

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, they will get over it. Really, the rotation should work throughout the day, then put them all together at night. Check on them a time or two. See how it goes.

Things should settle down in a couple of days, and naturally mom wants all her babies with her, but she doesn’t understand the reasons for the separation. Kittens will claim a nipple and use that nipple and only that nipple for the duration of their nursing days. If 2 kittens “claim” the same nipple (and it’s likely to happen), one will almost always bully the other off. Therefore the rotation (for now) and the supplementing if needed.

It may be that we find they can all stay together all the time soon, but it may result in more supplementing. It’s a wait-and-see situation.

Good that mom is eating lots! She needs it and is also likely exhausted.

Let us know how the rotating nursing is going.

C Chiltonsdad

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh my! What a pile of kittens! Yep, they definitely need to rotate nursing for now or there will be starving kittens.

Mom looks very content. Big adjustment for mom too.

I’m glad you miscounted — 8 is enough! Now let’s keep them all alive and growing.

 

[StefanZ]

Momma is a ticked tabby (diluted).
I think all kittens are ticked tabbies too - which isnt peculiar, because ticked tabby is dominant.

I suppose the black ones are ticked tabbies too, at least, these are where I see the face - which are tabbies...
But they arent diluted, so that is why their backside appears blackish.

We will see later on if really all are ticked tabbies, or if some are solid blacks.

Not that it matters very much, but it may be difficult for you to see whom is whom, as most are alike a couple of others.

 

[Chiltonsdad]

Momma is a ticked tabby (diluted).
I think all kittens are ticked tabbies too - which isnt peculiar, because ticked tabby is dominant.

I suppose the black ones are ticked tabbies too, at least, these are where I see the face - which are tabbies...
But they arent diluted, so that is why their backside appears blackish.

We will see later on if really all are ticked tabbies, or if some are solid blacks.

Not that it matters very much, but it may be difficult for you to see whom is whom, as most are alike a couple of others.

Oh love this, thank you! We were calling her a gopher

 

[Chiltonsdad]

We made it through the first night!

todays weights in grams

A:114 (+5)
B:108 (+8)
C:121 (+7)
D:120 (+5)
E: 132 (+7)
F: 116 (+3)
G: 116 (+10)
H: 116 (+10)

How do these numbers look?
everyone seems so peaceful and harmonious

how do I deal with kitten defecation? How do I know I need to stimulate it?

 

[Chiltonsdad]

fyi these weights were taken about 12-14 hrs apart

 

[Sarthur2]

Weights are excellent! Were the kittens all together with mom all night, or were you rotating?

You’ll want to change and wash the bedding regularly for keeping things sanitary. Wipe all their bottoms a few times daily with a warm damp cloth to help mom with stimulating and cleaning. This will also stimulate them to pee and poop. Keeping behinds clean is very important so they don’t get urine or poop burn, and so they each get stimulated to go.

Have you had to supplement yet? Is mom eating and drinking well?

 

[Chiltonsdad]

I did not rotate over night, everyone slept together. The one that gained the least amount was latched on this morning during the weighing. I have not supplemented yet, should I start?

mom is great and a voracious eater still. This morning , during the weighing, she used her litter box.

 

[Chiltonsdad]

 

[StefanZ]

You can wait a little with supplementing, and see if the raise continue.

We know these of whom plussed 10 are reasonably sure, but they tend to lose somewhat the first day after birth.
So adding even a little is really better than it looks.

For now they are contend as you say, so, look on them one day more....

Supplementing when necessary is wise and good, but it DOES have some risks... Even decently experienced rescuers are known to have hishaps.