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- Oct 8, 2012
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Hello all! This is a long story, but I need help with newborn kittens! I included as much detail as possible so that someone can better help me!!! If you would like to just read the questions, I have the paragraph marked with ***.
I recently moved my horse to a new barn, and there are several barn cats there. The majority are semi-feral and fixed, but there is one pregnant mom who is fully feral and cannot be caught. I walked into work today to hear little squeaks. My barn owner (and boss) said that the feral cat had had her kittens on Sunday (yesterday) in one of the horse's stalls in the hay. Luckily the horse was not inside at the time. Anyway, as soon as the owner looked into the stall, the mom took off and left her babies. The owner quickly put together a large multi-level cage and set out a very thick blanket, food, water and a litter box on the bottom floor. She moved the kittens inside and hid, waiting for the mother to come back. The mother came back a little while later and tried to carry one of the babies into the hayloft. She did not have a grip and kept 'chomping' on the babies neck to get a better hold on it. She ended up dropped it down a ramp, and the owner caught the baby before it hit the floor. There are no signs that the baby is hurt. She then put the baby back in the cage, and the mother slowly went inside and the owner shut the door. They are now all locked in the cage, and the bottom level is rather small so she has to stay near her babies at all times.
Today, the owner told me all of this. This is what I observed myself... She has them in one of the aisles of the barn not used by horses, and keeps a thick blanket over the entire cage to keep the warmth in. The days here are in the 50's and 60's, and nights hover around freezing. The wind picks up sometimes, but lately it hasn't been bad and the area where they are is not terribly drafty. However, it is a busy thru-way for foot traffic, as it is by the bathroom, utility room, hose, feed bin and steps to the hayloft. It is a wire cage, and I noticed that the bars were cold to the touch this morning. The mom is less than a year old, and this is her second litter. She aborted her first litter, but they were unable to catch her before she got pregnant again. Now that she is in a cage, she will be spayed before being released back onto the property. I was at the barn for about 3 hours this morning, and the babies cried a lot while I was there. The owner checked them out when she arrived; she held all four of the babies and put them next to the mom so they could nurse. The babies would often roll onto their backs, but the mom would not help them back to her nipples. She was very nervous and skittish, and pretty much ignored all of the kittens. The owner covered the cage after placing all the kittens back next to the mom, and my mom saw that the mama cat was kneading the blanket. We did not check on them before we left because we didn't want to disturb them, but I am sure that the barn owner checked on them before leaving the barn tonight.
I have raised nearly every animal you can think of from a few days old to geriatrics. I recently rescued a sick and skinny four-week-old kitten at the end of June from a nasty man, and raised him to be a happy and healthy little boy. I already have three cats, and am not looking to add anymore to my little family. However, something about the way the mama treated her kittens bothered me greatly. She does not seem to be paying much, if any, attention to them and I am greatly concerned for their health.
***What signs should I be looking for that point to her rejecting the kittens or not caring for them properly? Are they okay out in this cold being just 24 hours old? Is the mom not caring for them properly already? With my experience, I am completely confident that I am more than capable of raising these kittens myself for eventual homes. When is 'enough, enough' in regards to raising them myself? The barn is half hour away, and I am there 5 days a week for a maximum of 3 hours in the morning. It would be difficult to supplement their feed because I am only there for a short time, and that time is almost completed dedicated to the horses. Another concern is the fact that they will not be socialized properly. What are your opinions on this? Anything is very much appreciated!!! Thank you!!!
I recently moved my horse to a new barn, and there are several barn cats there. The majority are semi-feral and fixed, but there is one pregnant mom who is fully feral and cannot be caught. I walked into work today to hear little squeaks. My barn owner (and boss) said that the feral cat had had her kittens on Sunday (yesterday) in one of the horse's stalls in the hay. Luckily the horse was not inside at the time. Anyway, as soon as the owner looked into the stall, the mom took off and left her babies. The owner quickly put together a large multi-level cage and set out a very thick blanket, food, water and a litter box on the bottom floor. She moved the kittens inside and hid, waiting for the mother to come back. The mother came back a little while later and tried to carry one of the babies into the hayloft. She did not have a grip and kept 'chomping' on the babies neck to get a better hold on it. She ended up dropped it down a ramp, and the owner caught the baby before it hit the floor. There are no signs that the baby is hurt. She then put the baby back in the cage, and the mother slowly went inside and the owner shut the door. They are now all locked in the cage, and the bottom level is rather small so she has to stay near her babies at all times.
Today, the owner told me all of this. This is what I observed myself... She has them in one of the aisles of the barn not used by horses, and keeps a thick blanket over the entire cage to keep the warmth in. The days here are in the 50's and 60's, and nights hover around freezing. The wind picks up sometimes, but lately it hasn't been bad and the area where they are is not terribly drafty. However, it is a busy thru-way for foot traffic, as it is by the bathroom, utility room, hose, feed bin and steps to the hayloft. It is a wire cage, and I noticed that the bars were cold to the touch this morning. The mom is less than a year old, and this is her second litter. She aborted her first litter, but they were unable to catch her before she got pregnant again. Now that she is in a cage, she will be spayed before being released back onto the property. I was at the barn for about 3 hours this morning, and the babies cried a lot while I was there. The owner checked them out when she arrived; she held all four of the babies and put them next to the mom so they could nurse. The babies would often roll onto their backs, but the mom would not help them back to her nipples. She was very nervous and skittish, and pretty much ignored all of the kittens. The owner covered the cage after placing all the kittens back next to the mom, and my mom saw that the mama cat was kneading the blanket. We did not check on them before we left because we didn't want to disturb them, but I am sure that the barn owner checked on them before leaving the barn tonight.
I have raised nearly every animal you can think of from a few days old to geriatrics. I recently rescued a sick and skinny four-week-old kitten at the end of June from a nasty man, and raised him to be a happy and healthy little boy. I already have three cats, and am not looking to add anymore to my little family. However, something about the way the mama treated her kittens bothered me greatly. She does not seem to be paying much, if any, attention to them and I am greatly concerned for their health.
***What signs should I be looking for that point to her rejecting the kittens or not caring for them properly? Are they okay out in this cold being just 24 hours old? Is the mom not caring for them properly already? With my experience, I am completely confident that I am more than capable of raising these kittens myself for eventual homes. When is 'enough, enough' in regards to raising them myself? The barn is half hour away, and I am there 5 days a week for a maximum of 3 hours in the morning. It would be difficult to supplement their feed because I am only there for a short time, and that time is almost completed dedicated to the horses. Another concern is the fact that they will not be socialized properly. What are your opinions on this? Anything is very much appreciated!!! Thank you!!!