This cat is psychotic. How can I calm her down? (She's pregnant.)

[roxymomma]

Hi all, long story short? We adopted a cat and her two 12 week old kittens a few weeks ago. At the time it was unbeknownst to my family and myself that the cat, Roxy, was pregnant. Yes, pregnant again. I deduced and the vet confirmed that she got pregnant from something called "baby heat", where an animal goes immediately back into heat after giving birth.  Among a lot of things this began to explain why Roxy was and still is having a difficult time adjusting to our lifestyle and our other animals. (Three dogs, two older cats, along with her two kittens and herself.) We could have halted the pregnancy and had her spayed, but since we chose to take on a new cat we're sticking it to the end. We have found eight possible homes, double the estimated litter count, all of whom already have rescued pets and all of whom are very close to us personally. Anyway.

We don't know how far along this cat's pregnancy is, and even though we've been saying "any day now" for the last week since having taken her to the vet she still hasn't popped and it doesn't look like her belly has officially dropped. With each passing day she gets a little more psychotic. And I do mean psychotic. She's attacking her own shadow, hissing at any animal that enters her line of sight. She's begun hissing at us humans, before turning right around and loving on us. She hisses while she cleans herself and god forbid you touch her belly. There's a lot of speculation on our part, namely that she's going to pop any day now and that she's uncomfortable or perhaps the kittens have been moving and she's in pain.

The question is, how do we get her to relax and stop stressing herself out? She's taken over the entire sun room, but has to be crated at night due to her typical hiding spots including trying to climb a chimney or finding holes to climb into walls... and letting her into the main house seems to do nothing but set her on a rampage to clear everyone out of the house and into tiny little corners. :/ We don't have any other rooms that she can keep to herself and the kennel will have to be her nesting box for the reasons listed above. Please help!

 

[StefanZ]

Tricks to calm down? Feliway is nr 1. There are also essences, like Dr Bach´flower essence, but as I understand it, there are some similiar but different too.

Calming soft music is never wrong, preferably harp music  (there is a clistered thread in Feral forum).

Perhaps even a tv being on, so she has something to do, something else to focus on...  Or a food table for birds, immediately outside the window.

What makes me wondering, if she is in pain, more than the usual high preg.  Cats in pain dont have the same patience as usual, and thus are teaching lessons for free.  You did consulted your vet, right?

Last.  If she come to you with her 12 weeks old kittens several weeks ago, she cant have become pregnant immediately after delivery. The pregnancy is 9-10 weeks.

Even it you meant the kittens are 12 weeks today, it is not this immediately after birth.

Not that is makes any practical difference.

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!

ps.  With a little luck, this MAY be an entirely normal variation, although into the extreme.

I mean, most high pregs get extra gently and friendly.  But some get touchy, and even their belowed caretaker can get herself a swip or two if she isnt quick thinking.   And this mecanism isnt peculiar, in the open they must be more defensive, defending themselves and their kittens more forcefully and aggresively than othervise.  These hormon surges arent making it easier either.

This here behavior is thus not unheared of, just a couple of steps more.

 

[roxymomma]

Hi Stefan, thanks for taking the time to answer.

We've been trying some soft music for her, which has seemingly taken some of her edge away. She's less aggressive toward us humans as of 4/30, and after busting out the laser light and letting her get some exercise she's definitely taken a chill pill. The interesting thing is that she won't play unless someone is in there making her, which of course could be a side effect of the pregnancy.

Even with this update she's still aggressive with us should we attempt to touch her stomach, hips, tail, or back legs. Her head, shoulders, front legs, upper back, and chest are not tender at all. Yes, we have consulted with our vet, who has pretty much told us that this behavior should be fairly common with cats that don't trust the people they're around. I'm not sure I believe that trust is the only issue causing her aggression toward humans when it comes to touching those areas. 

You do bring up a good point; it may not have been immediately after birth that she got pregnant. Since we haven't been able to get a hold of the people we got her from we can't confer with them to try to decipher how far along in the pregnancy that Roxy is we do think that they knew prior to us arranging pick-up that she was pregnant. She was already beginning to show when we got her; her nipples were hard and her belly was firm.

I'm really hoping that this is an entirely normal variation, and that her aggression towards us and the other animals is because we're unfamiliar, our house is unfamiliar territory, and she's just protecting her unborn babies. We don't need a c-section sized vet bill!

Many thanks.

P.S. If seeing a photo of her in her current gestation stage does anyone think they'd be able to estimate how far along she is? I know it's a long shot, but I'd kick myself for not asking.

 

[StefanZ]

P.S. If seeing a photo of her in her current gestation stage does anyone think they'd be able to estimate how far along she is? I know it's a long shot, but I'd kick myself for not asking.

Photos are always welcome, we love photos. But we cant promise anything about the day and hour, not even with good quality photos. As you have surely noticed looking at our multiple threads, this is the perhaps most common single questions our forumists do have... "The waiting game" is one of our most popular pastimes... NOT. 

They kittens do come when they come. Hopefully all went well, in other cases sometimes not so well, and the caretaker hopefully was there to help out.  More than once a resolute emergency help by the owner (or vet) was necessary.

Keep reporting and questing!

Good luck!

 

[kcmama]

My pregnant cat has alotta moments like that i think its just some good oldfashion pregnancy hormones...just be patient with her my kc is getting calmer now hopefully ur roxy will levle out soon...goodluck!!

 

[roxymomma]

Hey all,

Photos are always welcome, we love photos. But we cant promise anything about the day and hour, not even with good quality photos. As you have surely noticed looking at our multiple threads, this is the perhaps most common single questions our forumists do have... "The waiting game" is one of our most popular pastimes... NOT. 

Exact ETAs are not necessary, we're patient people. At this point it's more for curiosity's sake that we'd like to know, and we could always have a betting party here on the forums. I'll do my best to get a photo of preggers today for you all. Hopefully the rest of her pregnancy will be a normal one!

KCmama, it's good to hear another pregnant cat has been psychotic and it's good to hear that she's calming down. It does make me hopeful!

 

[roxymomma]

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• roxymomma
• May 2, 2013

YinYang.jpg

• roxymomma
• May 2, 2013

Hey Guys! Thought you all might like to see Roxy and her (current) babies, the ones that we adopted with her about four weeks ago.

The first photo is one very, very, pregnant kitty relaxing and cleaning herself. If anyone can guess how far along she is (as I said, I know it's a long shot) I would be very grateful!

Below Roxy are her two current kittens - 14-16 weeks in age and scheduled for a neutering when we take Roxy in as well. The previous owner said that Roxy's first litter had the same genetics as these two do, and by process of elimination we're thinking the next litter that she has (the one that is currently growing in her belly) might have the genetics as well; hinting toward a possible same couple mating. But until the little rugrats are born we just won't know.

 

[eb24]

How long have you been feeling the babies moving? In general once you start to see/feel movement you are about two weeks away from delivery. 

It sounds like you are not able to confine Roxy to one room but you need to come up with a way to keep her completely separate from her kittens for several reasons. 1) Some cats can be threatened by and therefore harm young kittens. 2) The presence of other cats may cause Roxy extra stress and lead to an increase in aggression/more frequent den moves. 3) Your kittens can come into sexual maturity at anytime. After kittens are weaned both they and the mother cat no longer recognize the parent/child bond. They may still be close but they don't necessarily identify as and mother and child. As you know, Roxy can go back into heat at anytime after giving birth and If either kitten is male they won't hesitate to mate with her. It's a risk you for sure don't want to take!

I use a large dog crate for my Queens and have great success with it. But, I don't keep them caged all the time, just at night. Perhaps you can move her crate into one of the bedrooms? Or, confine the older kittens to just one room? Regardless I probably wouldn't wait to have these two neutered. They are plenty old enough to have it done now so you may as well just remove the temptation. And, you avoid the possible behavior problems (such as spraying) that males develop once they reach sexual maturity. Once those behaviors start they are hard to stop, even after neutering. Just remember that males are still fertile for several weeks after their surgery so some separation is still needed. There are solutions you just have to get creative! 

 

[kcmama]

Shes a doll!!

 

[roxymomma]

Hello EB, thank you very much for this response. Unfortunately because of the aggression towards humans that Roxy is still displaying whenever we attempt to touch her belly we haven't been able to feel the kittens moving, but I do believe that one of our family members witnessed them moving two or three days ago, when we locked everyone up and let Roxy have her nightly stroll around the living room. Which is more for our benefit so that we can see her and how she's doing without stressing her out too much by entering her area.

We have confined Roxy to a room; it is our sun room just off the dining room that closes off with a sliding-glass door. Truthfully she began confining herself to it the first night we had her, and unfortunately she was confining herself to dangerous areas that we didn't realize she was getting into, or know she could get into, until we witnessed it first hand. Since those nights we've eradicated the problem to the best of our ability, which hasn't stopped her from trying to get back into those areas. This does include a hole in the foundation and a fireplace chimney that's been out of use for at least four years.

We have called the clinic, moved up the kittens' snipping and will be confining them whenever we have to go out to the sun room with many thanks to your advice. We didn't want a pregnant cat in the first place and we most definitely don't want a pregnant cat twice in a row; let alone incest among them. Yikes!

We've been locking Roxy in a large sized dog kennel at night, typically starting shortly after sun set with a nice, thirty minute break in the middle before bed. It's also in the sun room. All of her in-house nesting areas, unfortunately, are in high traffic areas, or they're in one of the older cats' dens where there's already no room for a kennel as it is. The sun room is the -only- area we have to spare at this time.

Thank you very much for your response!

And thank you, KCmama.

 

[eb24]

I think that the sun room is a perfect place to confine her- especially since she's already comfortable there. I just use my dog kennel as the nest, and make it extra private by covering it on all sides with a sheet. I only cover the front about halfway so that there is still some air circulation and so that the Mom can see out. In terms of setup, I cover the bottom of the whole crate with soft blankets and towels. Then I put the litterbox and food and water dishes in there. I went and bought a couple of "donut" beds at Petco and cover those with a soft towel. Most of my Queens love the donut beds as their prime nursing area, and covering it with the towel makes keeping things clean a breeze (I just pull off the towel and wrap it with a fresh one- that way the beds don't get all gross). 

During the day I leave the door to the "nest" open so she can come out and stretch her legs if she needs to, but at night I close it up same as you do. Especially for Queens who are skittish like Roxy I think they like the privacy and safety of having everything they need in the "den". I guess what I'm saying is that I think just confining her turf to the Sunroom for now is exactly what she needs. 

Hopefully her aggression will subside over time but I don't really blame the poor girl. It's nothing you guys have done or haven't done. From her perspective, she's already had to go through a labor and delivery AND raise a litter of kittens. Just when she thought that was over she gets knocked up again, and just when her hormones are going totally crazy she gets taken to a new home. That's a lot for any cat, let alone one who is pregnant!!!! 

Really, her reactions are similar to what I often see in my pregnant fosters. They are scared, confused, and hormonal and don't realize that they are in a good, safe place. If I may make a few other suggestions: perhaps she would benefit from just having one or two people interacting with her at this point. Having multiple new people in and out is probably only adding to her stress. The time will come when she is ready to assimilate to the family, but right now the focus needs to be on getting her as comfortable as possible. Having fewer people in and out may really help with that. Also, Is there a way you could hang a curtain (or even just a sheet) over the sliding doors to the sunroom? The extra privacy would probably be a huge benefit at this point. 

As far as blocking off areas: after many, many, MANY failed attempts and blocking off places I don't want Queens to go I have finally found the ultimate solution in plywood. I just bought a couple of sheets at the local hard wear store (super cheap) and cut them to fit. If you make it snug enough it's almost completely impassable. It may not be pretty but it will work. As far as the fireplace, does it have the mesh covering on the front? If it doesn't blocking with plywood is probably your best bet but if it does a friend of mine had the genius idea to just use paperclips to tie the mesh down. Again, it's impassable! If yours is like mine I would be happy to take a picture so you can see what I mean. 

I'm glad my you found my previous post helpful and I do hope you didn't read any criticism in it. I was so focused on the content that I spaced reminding you that what you guys are doing for her is an incredible thing. It's always hard bringing in a new cat, let alone one who is pregnant. She is very lucky that you are not giving up on her despite her cantankerous behavior. And, most people, myself included, always assume that a Mother and her Son would never mate. Seriously, that's like a super twisted episode of Jerry Springer! But, cats don't recognize familial bonds and when they are ready to get down they will get down with anyone who will have them! 

 Good for you for taking the extra precautions and moving up their neutering. 

All I can say is I am really impressed by your receptiveness for help and advice and I do hope I (and other users) have provided you with some. Please, don't hesitate to ask more questions as they come up. Anything we can do to get you through this phase so that Roxy can become a loving member of your family we will do it. I know at times it's extremely frustrating but don't give up on her. Even if she can't express it right now she is so lucky and so appreciative of all you are doing for her. Don't lose sight of that! You may have to have a more "hands off" approach to labor and delivery than is advised, but you really just have to follow her lead. If she doesn't want you handling them at first then that's okay. She will do what needs to be done. All you can do is your best to accommodate her and make the room as safe as possible. She just needs time to deal with all the changes that are happening in her life. 

Sorry for the novel- keep up the good work and keep the questions coming! 

 

[eb24]

Because I haven't bombarded you with enough- 

I went back and read through your thread again. In addition to StefanZ's great suggestions you may want to add some interactive toys and things for her in the Sunroom. Having a scratching post and a few small toys to chase around could really help with her neurotic shadow chasing. I'm also a big fan of making up my own toys. I stuck a couple of nails in one of my walls and hung a wand toy made from a stretchy material from it. This way, my cats can chase it and bounce it and it moves in all sorts of directions. It's great for self play! 

I really do think a lot of her aggression is from hormones and from all the changes. Most Queens don't like having their bellies touched so that's not totally out of the ordinary. For now I would just keep her in the sunroom and let her do her thing, with one or two people at most checking in on her a few times a day. Try tempting her with some treats and a little playtime when you are in there to increase her bond to you. Over time I think she will calm down and be able to join the rest of the family, but for now she needs her private space. 

 

[roxymomma]

Hey! It's been a while, busy busy busy here where I'm at. I figured I should come update you all, and thank you EB for your information!

So I've spent some time digesting all of what you had to add and have made some good use of all the advice you had to give. After reading your advice initially, it was decided among me and the family that it'd be best if I were the only one interacting with her. We had already sort of been doing this, since I was the only one scooping her litter boxes, keeping her kennel clean, and I was spending the most time with her in general. Roxy responded fabulously to this change; she simply bloomed when it came to her personality. She became much more lovey toward me, playful, and trusting. Over the last two weeks she's even begun letting me touch her stomach, the two upper nipples, and her tail, without even threatening to attack me! It was incredibly exciting.

We tried closing the curtains and got a strange response from her. We would close them and she'd begin *frantically* clawing the sliding-glass doors. You could hear her nails scrape down the other side of them, there was a high-pitched squeal. So we opened the curtains again, and she stopped doing it. Until she saw one of the kittens, or the other animals. At which time she'd begin hissing and attacking the glass door. In the end, we decided to leave the curtains open and see if she calmed down about it. Luckily she did! She doesn't hiss so much at the sight of the other animals, but she does still freak out when we try closing the curtains on her. Perhaps we're her kitty entertainment.

We actually figured out how to get the fireplace closed. We found the doors for it (my mind blanks what they're really called), which are glass and can lock together, we put them back on the fireplace and she hasn't been able to figure out how to get into it! Thankfully. The hole in the foundation was fixed, believe it or not, with a window. It's a long flat piece of glass that serves as a seasonal window for our screen doors. It fits right over the hole and is now held in with heavy boxes, it shouldn't work as well as it has been, but it does. With summer coming around our parts, we won't need the glass until well after she's given birth, so the glass can stay there as long as necessary. There's some holes that we have to worry about and will be investing in plywood for, but that's a project for the near future.

We put some interactive toys out in the sunroom for her, but she's not incredibly interested in any of them. She doesn't play or even remotely interact with them unless I'm out there with her. So we tried a homemade bird feeder (pine cones, peanut butter, and birdseed, say thanks to first grade) out one of the windows. She seems to enjoy it but doesn't spend much time watching the birds come and go. It seems that after blocking off her other "escape" routes, she settled on an area back behind the couch as her nesting area. She rarely, if ever, leaves that spot. Which is worrisome, if she chooses to birth during the day when she can go into labor and deliver out of the kennel, she may birth there. Which defeats the purpose of the kennel. (Everything out there is wood, and from experience the wood sucks everything up...)

As for her current kittens, they are neutered!!! We took them in on Monday, and I know they're still at risk of being fertile after she births (yes, Roxy is still *very* pregnant) at least they won't be as fertile as they would if they were intact.

And thank you, I appreciate the kind words! We do love her, she's just a psycho and it doesn't help that we had absolutely *no* time to get to know her. The previous owners had said she was good with other pets (we "rescued" her, she just never made it to the shelter. That was her next stop if we couldn't take her.) So hopefully she is and we'll get to keep her, but she's exhibited so much aggression toward our two older cats that we're not sure if they'll ever make friends. Smokey and Attitude run the other way when they hear her meow when I open the sunroom door in the morning to go out and visit her. It's quite sad/pathetic. D:

 

[roxymomma]

Hey guys urgent answer needed,

Bad news and big questions! ): I just got back from helping my grandmother move some things out of storage and went to check on Roxy. She's almost ok, no babies have been born, but one of her nipples is torn and is bleeding, it has also turned purple. We had to work as a team to check on the nipple, you can bet she was "thrilled" about that, and we've cleaned it. What should we do about this? We're thinking a trip to the vet but we don't want to aggravate her anymore than she already is. She's confined to her kennel as of having cleaned the area, but she won't let anyone approach her now. 

I have no idea how her nipple was torn, but I do know that she's about to pop and that a suckling kitten would probably do some serious damage to her.

Help!

 

[bella wella]

I would say straight to the vet to make sure it doesn't get infected and just get them to check her over, my cat bella is due any day now and she is the same one min she is fine but if I try and touch her past a point on her belly if I don't move my hand off her quick she would take my arm off, so I tend to just talk to her quietly and be as gentle as I can with her, I also got her a scratch box with catnip in which she is going crazy for and seems to have perked her up a bit.

 

[eb24]

I agree this is something that needs immediate vet attention. Yes, the trip will stress her out but it's better than it becoming infected. 

I have to say I was so excited reading your first post. It sounds like you guys have really done the legwork and she is growing leaps and bounds in terms of her comfort level. Given everything that has been going on that is no small feat and you should all be very proud!

As for her interactions with your other animals- I still wouldn't worry about that part yet. She is in full Momma mode from her last litter, not to mention the hormones of this current one. She sees everyone and everything as a threat. I really do believe that once she is spayed and her hormones settle so will she. And, in the meantime she has ample opportunity to get to know you better and that is more on an incentive to get along. Don't hesitate to talk to her. I don't necessarily believe cats understand our every word, but I do strongly believe they pick up on our subconscious body language that we emit when we speak out loud. Keep telling her that this is her home but, when the time comes, she must share it. More time and a slow introduction is going to be the key to that one. And, when the time comes, we will all be here to walk you through the introduction step by step. Many people on this site have done pet integrations and almost all of us have been successful. The key is to be slow and consistent. If you do the work on your part I know Roxy will do the work on hers. She's gotten accustomed to this cushy lifestyle- no way she wants to give that up! 

Hopefully she is not too badly hurt- please do let us know, okay? 

 Vibes for you guys today! 

EDIT: Did you check the glass you guys put down to make sure she didn't break it? That's the first thing I thought of when she said she was cut. Based on how far along she is I'm guessing she's heavily into the nesting phase and willing to do just about anything to get somewhere dark and cozy. Once you are back from the vet you may want to kennel her full time until she has her kittens to make sure she doesn't inflict any more damage to herself. You may also need to keep that nipple bandaged, checking each day for signs of mastitis. Hopefully the vet can advise further. 

 

[roxymomma]

Hey guys,

Well, thankfully we got into the vet this afternoon!! It was *not* easy convincing her to let me touch her, let alone coax her into the cat carrier, and there was a lot of growls, but I suppose all things happen for a reason. We got the last available appointment at 4pm, and thankfully it's only a superficial cut!! The amount of blood wasn't because it's a deep cut, but simple because Roxy was so busy cleaning it that it never got the chance to clot. The purple color was discoloration from the loss of blood and irritation from her constantly licking it and not leaving it alone. I can't tell you what a "phew" moment that was! After some poking and prodding the vet determined that Roxy set herself up for uncomfortable nursing, but thankfully didn't amputate her own nipple. It was also determined by the vet that it looked more like she accidentally nipped herself, after we all witnessed Roxy redirect some frustration on her moving kittens - almost biting the nipple that's parallel to the one that was bleeding. We ended up putting her in an e-collar for a few hours (supervised) so that she would leave her nipple alone and let it clot, but it was decided not to bandage it since it's so superficial and she's so close to popping. I have been put under strict orders to keep an eye on her and the nipple for the rest of the night. Which I will most gladly do! She will be on kennel lock down for the remainder of her pregnancy though, since we don't want her jumping on something that *might* aggravate the now tender, but cleaned and taken care of, spot. She's so close to popping that the vet didn't want to deny any of the kittens the nipple in case she does have a bigger litter than anticipated. (We never know!)

The vet was very, very surprised that Roxy is still with child. When we last brought her in, Roxy was about to pop by not one, but three different vet's opinions. (A crowd of people fawning over a pregnant cat, it was a wonderful sight.) That was a month ago. We're not sure how far along she was then, we're not sure how far along she is now, but boy do we hope she pops soon! The vet was able to confirm another heart beat, upping the count from four to five. We're betting on six kittens, the vet is betting on eight. You can bet we're excited to have a head count!

EB my first thought was all the glass that is around Roxy's area as well, but after literally tearing the room apart and moving furniture looking for broken glass I just couldn't find any jagged shards of glass, any loose nails, nothing that looked even remotely sharp or pointy. The only thing I found to be really concerned about was at the highest part of the ceiling, where she can't reach anyway. The window that is in front of the hole in the foundation is almost flush with the wall and held in place with a box just a tad taller than it (that never went flush with the wall, the cat could still fit behind it) that's so heavy I can barely move it, but it won't let the glass piece move at all. She did try her luck with it immediately after we put the solution in place, but she gave up quickly with it. (Or at least she seemed to!) The fireplace too. She's really in love with her new spot on the window-seal, and the strawberry box we gave her. I'll take a picture of her kennel when I go out there next.

I'll try talking to her about having her stay, mostly I tell her she's pretty, very pregnant, and well loved. I'll definitely stop worrying about her interactions with the other animals, it is kind of expected anyway and she's sort of quieted down about it (minus a few hectic moments where she just can't stand anyone anymore, which is normally when we close the curtains -- which makes her flip out more). Any tips for what we should do about her and the curtain when she *is* out of the kennel and in freak out mode? Like I said, I think she likes watching us interact. But at the same time, she freaks out at the other animals. And when she does we close the curtains, which only causes her to start scratching the glass doors even worse than before. I really hope that the spaying will help her calm down, but that's a bridge to cross when we come to it.

I'll be sure to keep you updated! Thank you very much for everything so far!

 

[eb24]

Whew! I'm SO glad to hear it's only superficial and that she didn't completely tear it off. Excellent job on erring on the side of caution and taking her in, and taking the extra precaution of just kenneling her full time until they do come. Hopefully she will wait another day or so to have the kittens just so it has a little more time to heal. But, I can't imagine she has much longer to go than that. 

Yes, you don't need to be giving yourself anymore stress than what you already have. Cross the integration bridge when the time comes. I wonder if maybe there is a way to partially block the sliding glass door. What if you taped shut a couple of large moving boxes and set those directly in front of it on Roxy's side? This way none of the animals can sneak a peak at her when she wants her privacy, but she could climb on the top and watch what's going on on the other side when she wants to. Also, having her on top of the boxes would give her the height advantage- cats tend to feel more secure when they can look down on things. She may feel less threatened if she can observe on her own terms from a higher vantage point. It doesn't have to be cardboard boxes that is just a cheap solution that popped into my head. Maybe you have an old bookcase or coffee table or something you could use? If whatever you decide on has an opening at the bottom just drape a heavy blanket over it so they can't see through it. It's just a thought but may be worth trying. 

Hang in there- you are doing absolutely amazing with her. I know today was rough but you have all made such progress. 

 Vibes that the babies come soon and that they are all happy and healthy. Can't wait for the next update on the little nutcase! 

Oh, and I'm putting my chips on six kittens too. Though mentally I'm with the vet- I was pretty surprised to read she was still pregnant. Poor thing must be absolutely miserable with so many crammed in there. If it's not in the next few days I will be totally shocked! 

 

[roxymomma]

Hey!

I will definitely keep in mind the boxes and try them out. We've decided to move a shelving unit out to the sun room when she can explore again, so that she can perch high and look down on everyone, if it's still necessary. We're thinking of trying a scent thing - letting Smokey and Attitude's scents be in the sun room with Roxy but not necessarily letting them see each other. We won't have to worry about that for a little while yet.  EB you were definitely right, Roxy popped, and she popped today! It was quite the surprise to find her curled up in her potty box (it isn't a true litter box, any litter box bigger than the potty box she accepted was rejected and dumped regularly to prove just how much she rejected the boxes..) purring like a motorboat this morning. Poor thing's water broke on her pillow, so she refused to lay on it until I pulled the pillow out and filled her box with the pellets we've been using.

Roxy's birthing process started sometime before 10:30 and her first baby came out at 10:37am. Roxy let me stay with and assist her with no complaints through the whole duration of her birthing process! It was a good thing, two of the babies got stuck by the head in her birthing canal, where she did nothing but lay down and start to sleep. I ended up having to pull them and the placenta out, gently of course. Two of her babies were born with absolutely no sacks around them? They came out without any sacks (or maybe the sacks tore really early) and they were not attached to the placenta bag? I have no idea if that's normal in big, big litters? I did not get to weigh the kittens, because Roxy pretty much had me assist her in pushing (where she grabbed my hand with her front paw and wouldn't let go until I rubbed her belly with gentle pressure from the shoulders to the rear after a contraction) or helping her expel a kitten, but then told me to leave her be to clean them. I did weigh the first kitten, he came in at a healthy (I think) 106grams, and the last kitten came in at 80grams, but I didn't get to weigh anyone else.

Ah the last kitten. He's been quite appropriately dubbed "Little Fighter," He was born last, almost two hours after everyone else and almost still born with as little and as often as he'd stop breathing, and Roxy was just so tired. She basically pushed the kitten out, left the placenta in, and cleaned the kitten. She ignored his face, cleaned the blood off of his rear and around the umbilical cord, then she tried to sleep! Thankfully I was there, I managed to clean his face and a contraction from the tired kitty got the rest of the stuff out. I moved him straight in front of Roxy, she woke up and cleaned him, barely bit off the umbilical cord, and went back to sleep. Little Fighter crawled along her belly for the better part of five minutes looking for a nipple quite pathetically, but every time he got to one he didn't seem to register that he was supposed to suckle on it. He continually wound back up at her vagina. I ended up pushing the other kittens out of the way and clearing nipples for him, putting him next to them and trying to coax him to suckle while the folks had to run out and buy kitten formula, worried that he wouldn't take to the teat. While we waited for them to get back, Little Fighter stopped breathing once (I did the thing where you rub him firmly but gently to get him going), and realized that he couldn't even open his mouth! He moved his jaw in attempt to open but he just couldn't, I ran on instinct to take an eye-dropper and gently apply pressure to his lips until he worked with me - by attempting to open his mouth. The little gap that formed when he attempted to open his mouth was just enough for the tip of the eye dropper to slip in, and from there he was *thankfully* able to put his mouth around the whole thing and open his mouth. I did leave him alone for a good half-hour before trying this, I wanted to let nature take it's course. It just needed intervention. When the folks arrived with the formula and happily a bottle, we made some up and fed him. Even after getting his mouth open he wouldn't take to the teat and we were getting seriously worried, the folks suggested leaving him be with Roxy. Which I did, but it didn't work. The older kittens pushed Little Fighter away from the teat when he did try, and when he did make it to a teat he continued to pass by it. Since feeding him initially (only a few suckles from the bottle), he seems to be fighting to stay up with his litter mates I believe he's been suckling but I just don't know. I'll be checking on him religiously throughout the night. He was born at 3:37pm.

Roxy and I had a great bonding day, she hasn't offered a dirty look or growl since this morning and she perks up when I say "Hi Roxy" when I go out there. Of course that could very well be because she's not got a bundle of babies beating her insides up and she's calming down a bit. But I'm excited either way.

Whew, what a novel. I could go on and on but I'm sure pictures will speak a thousand words for me! So without further adieu,

eight beautiful babies!

Eight Pretty Babies.jpeg

• roxymomma
• May 19, 2013

Seven Pretty Babies.jpeg

• roxymomma
• May 19, 2013

And one, very, very, pregnant Roxy, the night before she gave birth, in the photo below.

Mama Before.jpeg

• roxymomma
• May 19, 2013

PS - I will be here with *Lots* more questions and to keep you guys updated most definitely. And when I can get an individual picture of Little Fighter, I will!

PPS - I will update you with Roxy information as soon as I know more about her situation! She's mostly been sleeping off baby stress and cleaning - which I'm sure is the standard for after-birthing processes!

 

[roxymomma]

Hey!

Time for the Roxy specific update, a full twenty-four hours after birth. Roxy is doing pretty well on most accounts, except for the fact that she has pretty bad diarrhea. There's no special qualities to the diarrhea other than its smell. She's passing the runs on a schedule similar to the schedule she was on before giving birth, which is regularly but not enough to make me worry too much about her. We have a call into the vet (they wanted an update on the kitten's birth as well) who told us not to worry too much, unless it lasts more than three days after giving birth, so we'll go with that. I'm sure she's sore though, if any of the kittens venture past her back legs toward her birthing canal she seems to scold them, or she gets up and moves with a loving but strict growl towards the eight silly things.

Roxy is a very protective momma, she growls at every sound that isn't her kittens mewing or a human voice. Nothing too severe, it's more like a mild warning, something that says "don't come too close 'cause I will get you." I have noticed that she only seems to eat a significant amount of food when I'm out there, and she stops eating when I get up to leave. After she stops eating she simply goes and lays down with her kittens. I don't know what this says, so maybe you guys have an idea? In the photos in my last post you can see that the water and food are *seriously* within her reach, she doesn't even have to leave her box. And yes, Roxy's new box lips go far enough past the lip of the water bowl, so there shouldn't be any accidental drownings for this week and next week. After that I'll be moving them and possibly opening the kennel for Roxy, but for now she has to be kept in. We don't want to risk losing her and the kittens because she decided to move them.

Roxy's behavior toward me is very lovey and almost trusting. She's relatively comfortable with me reaching into her kennel to pull her potty box out for scooping (which, because of the runs, is happening regularly. It's not the most efficient litter box in the world) or to freshen her water and check her food for any vomit. (Which she's buried under the other food before.) She does stand guard over her kittens if I accidentally touch her box, but other than that she's showing a vastly different personality compared to the angry, attack-all, psychotic cat she was while pregnant. Her guard-standing is quite alright, I'm sure I've had to help her handle those kittens enough for the week. Especially with all that I had to do for Little Fighter. (Who, by the way, made it through the night and looks like he's gained a significant amount of weight. Meaning, I believe he's been eating!)

There's a slight swelling in her stomach, probably from carrying so many babies. But last night (until about three am) I did notice she was having very light, contraction-like pushes. Was this just her working to expel the afterbirth? Thanks!