I have a question on premature kittens even though I never dealt with one before. My friend's cat gave birth a few weeks ago(prematurely) underneath their house. She said she and her family could hear the preemie kittens meowing frantically, but faintly since they were, well, underneath the house. And their cat wouldn't go to them. Her uncle went under to try to find them and he realized they were in a tube that led up to the vent (somehow the mama squeezed in, gave birth, and ditched them) and he couldn't get in. So he left them there and a few days later, they were silent. Her cat gave birth yesterday to seven healthy kittens, thank goodness. But my friend and I have a few questions.
1) Why didn't she go to her babies? Her uncle did try putting the mom by the tube and she heard the babies... but was not interested....even though she was able to go up the tube though, since she's small.
2) How did the babies die... starvation, right? Did they suffer?
3) What caused her to give birth early?
I feel so bad hearing this from my friend, that they gave up trying to get to the babies, but her mom said they may have not been fully developed, but I disagree--they were able to cry out. There were maybe 3, they said, by the sounds of the cries. I can't help feeling angry that they left the kittens to suffer in the tube, instead of somehow trying to get in there.
It's just so cruel! So please tell me... was it just a lost cause anyway? What would YOU have done?
Thanks everyone!
1) Why didn't she go to her babies? Her uncle did try putting the mom by the tube and she heard the babies... but was not interested....even though she was able to go up the tube though, since she's small.
2) How did the babies die... starvation, right? Did they suffer?
3) What caused her to give birth early?
I feel so bad hearing this from my friend, that they gave up trying to get to the babies, but her mom said they may have not been fully developed, but I disagree--they were able to cry out. There were maybe 3, they said, by the sounds of the cries. I can't help feeling angry that they left the kittens to suffer in the tube, instead of somehow trying to get in there.
It's just so cruel! So please tell me... was it just a lost cause anyway? What would YOU have done?
Thanks everyone!