Trying To Keep And Tame A Stray, Very Young, Pregnant Cat -need Advice

[Dianarose]

Here’s Mochi with her 4 kittens! I brought her both KMR and kitten wet food and she devoured them. I have a few more questions- I appreciate your advice so much!
1- she moved the kittens from the cozy place (seen above) to a plastic bin with no towel (I had removed the towel to use during her labor in a cardboard box under the bed). She looks perfectly happy there. But the poor kittens are slipping and sliding while they move. She does not want me moving the kittens, and since this is her 3rd change of nests, I don’t want to stress her by trying to put a blanket or towel under her and the kittens. Should I leave them be? The room is cozy with no drafts..


2. Do you recommend I stay the night in that room where she is? Or do I not need to worry anymore about the kittens nursing or being harmed? I know me, and when I hear the kittens mewing it stresses me out because I think they are not getting fed.... should I just leave her be or spend the night with her? She’s a young mom- I actually needed to break the amniotic sacs for two of her kittens that delivered, because she was not doing it. She was busy cleaning the other two kittens and hadn’t even realized when number three and number four came out… And she’s already moved them (pretty forcefully!) to change up nests. Hence my worries on leaving her alone for the night. Would love your advice.

Thanks again!

 

[golondrina]

THANK YOU FOR THE PHOTO! I am glad that Mochi is eating so soon after delivery. With four kittens to feed she needs to be well fed herself. Regarding your question I think you should take a good merited rest tonight and recover the strengh you will need tomorrow and the following days. Mochi and the little ones will be alright over the night I am sure.

And now I will be going to bed myself as it is already over midnight over here. Sombra, my cat, is impatient wondering what is keeping me since she sleeps with me. Good night then. Have a good rest.

PS. Regarding question N° 1 perhaps it would be as well to let them be for the night as Mochi has chosen and try to make them more comfortable tomorrow.

 

[DreamerRose]

If it makes you feel better to have her nearby, go ahead and sleep in the room with her, but it's not necessary. She sounds like a very good mother. Nothing will harm her or the kittens if she is in the house. Don't try to put a towel underneath her since it upsets her. Let them all be for the night. You can put a towel in tomorrow. You might want to feed her again before you go to bed.

 

[StefanZ]

How are the kittens looking? Fully done? I dont see om little photo and my Iphone.

Good to weigh them every day so you know for sure their development and if they get mommas milk.

 

[golondrina]

Good morning Dianarose. I hope you had a restful night after yesterday's emotions. If you havent yet read them please note that you can find helpful information under the Cat Care Forums particularly on the subjects "Pregnant cats and Kittens Care " and "How Old Kittens Have To Be To Leave Their Mother"
I very much look forward to your new posts and pics.

 

[Dianarose]

Hello! Thanks for all the advice and tips. Mama and for babies are doing great today! They all seem to be nursing, although they are extremely mobile climbing all over each other when trying to find the perfect latch- sometimes it takes a couple of them a while to find it!
Another question- the mama, Mochi, seems to be back to her normal self, meaning she has left the nest a few times to come socialize with me, get love, and even play. After about 15 minutes I have her follow me back to the room and then she goes back to her nest. What is the longest time she should be away from them when she has her “breaks”? Thanks!

 

[DreamerRose]

What a cute bunch of cuddlebugs! They are going to be gorgeous cats. You shouldn't have to worry too much about how long Mom stays out of the nest. She will go back if they start to mew or she gets tired.

That reminds me of a story about a cat I had many years ago. She had a litter of kittens that we kept in the laundry room which was quite large. I walked in one day just as Mom was coming out, and she looked at me, then looked at the kittens as if to say, "Don't wake up my babies! I just got them all asleep."

 

[Dianarose]

Love how they all pile up when mama leaves for a little break

 

[catsknowme]

wow - I am finally catching up on this thread. I am sorry that I wasn't able to post or keep up with the events as they were happening - BUT you and Mochi did an OUTSTANDING job during the labor and deliveries.
Such a very lovely group of kitties - congratulations and Welcome to TCS & to the world, Little Ones~ I am looking forward to more pictures of the little cat family

 

[Dianarose]

Hello again! So how can I tell if Mama cat Mochi is properly stimulating all her kittens enough to pee/poop? I've seen her do it a few times, but not a ton - and obviously I'm not watching 24/7 so she could be doing it just fine, but at Day 4, their bellies do look very round...and this morning, I was watching them as they nursed, and saw one of the kittens "pee" clear liquid on her own while nursing...it just dripped right out of her, without being stimulated. Is that normal? Should I try to stimulate each of them to pee, with a warm, wet cotton ball -or just leave them be, hoping Mama is doing it? Thanks! I'll attach pics.

 

[Dianarose]

Here is a pic of the kitty I saw peeing clear liquid on her own today. She does have a round belly: Normal or not??

 

[Dianarose]

Another round belly pic- but also so cute. I was thinking they are just healthy, but started reading how they can get bloated, either with gas, constipation, or worms. How would I discern normal belly from bloated one?

 

[Dianarose]

wow - I am finally catching up on this thread. I am sorry that I wasn't able to post or keep up with the events as they were happening - BUT you and Mochi did an OUTSTANDING job during the labor and deliveries.
Such a very lovely group of kitties - congratulations and Welcome to TCS & to the world, Little Ones~ I am looking forward to more pictures of the little cat family

Thank you so much! I ended up needing to help her with the last two kittens during delivery because she did not lick or break their amniotic fluid-filled sacks - I don't think she even realized they had come because she was busy licking the first two kitties. So thankfully I had prepared by watching videos - put on my gloves, and broke the sacks carefully, wiped their faces with my soft cloth, stimulated them with the cloth, and then (using the cloth) brought them up to Mochi's face so she could see them and begin taking care of them. Talk about stressful!! But I'm so thankful for all the articles and videos people wrote showing how to do this, otherwise I would have had no idea, and they might not have made it. She's such a young mama - I think about 8 months old, so she's doing great for being just a kitten herself!!

 

[catsknowme]

The babies look like they are doing great. Do the little tummies' fullness go up & down? Are the babies very fussy? If their tummy just gets bigger & bigger & harder, and the kitten meows a lot, then there might be an issue. You should very lightly "pinch" the baby's side by almost lifting it, with your thumb on one side & your index finger on the other - test the hardness/turgidity of each one, just so you learn what "normal" feels like. And those little floods are a pile of Super-Cuteness

 

[Dianarose]

So I tried the pinch test you described- skin is pliable, and round tummies are soft. But is it normal for a 4-day old kitten to pee on her own without stimulation? Clear pee was dripping from her while she nursed. And I just don’t see mama licking them there much. She sleeps while they nurse. Then when they are all sleeping she leaves the nest to take her break. I’m wondering if I should stimulate them to pee each time she leaves as a precaution? Or leave it be?

 

[talkingpeanut]

It sounds like mom is taking care of the kittens re: feeding and potty. You should weigh them daily to make sure they are gaining enough.

No Dianarose you must let mother cat deal with the umbilical cord and the placenta.

I am late to this thread, but wanted to address this quote. If mom is not cutting the umbilical cord, it's important that you do intervene. I would give her around a half hour, and then pinch the cord off about an inch from the belly. Kittens can get tangled if the cords aren't cut. If mom doesn't eat the placenta, it can be taken away. Many moms do this instinctively, but some need help, and that's ok!

 

[golondrina]

Hi talkingpeanutt I agree whole heartedly with your advice to Dianarose that "if mom is not cutting the umbilical cord it is important that you do intervene" but normally the mom cat does take care of both the umbilical cords and the placenta and there is no need to intervene. When I wrote my post there had been no indication that mother cat was neglecting her duties.

I had at the time drew Dianarose's attention to our forums dealing with the subject of the care of pregnant cats and the new born kittens which I hope she found helpful.

 

[ileen]

What cute kittens! Please continue to update us on their progress.

 

[Dianarose]

Hi all!! The kittens are doing wonderful and we are in love with all of them! They just turned 3 weeks yesterday. A couple questions:
1. When should I place a litter box in their vicinity to train them? The mommy, Mochi, has been taking care of bathroom issues marvelously so far. Some articles say 3 weeks, so should I place a shallow pan close to the nest? Mochi’s litter box is further away in the guest room because she wouldn’t use it when I had it close to the nest area (guest bathroom).
2. When should I introduce them to the mixture of formula with kitten food? They are all nursing well and getting big. They are teething.
3. When should I take them all in for a wellness vet visit? The mama cat was a stray, so she’s never been to a vet. I will get her spayed once the kittens are weaned or once I’ve adopted them out at 8 weeks old. She’s extremely protective of them and I don’t want to separate them too soon. What kind of treatment / tests do I need to do? Worms, FIV,... anything else?
4. Any advice on adopting them out/ separation anxiety?? (For them, mama cat, and me! I want them all, but I already have 4 other cats! I will be heartbroken when I have to give them up.) Thank you!!

 

[Safaria]

View attachment 254376 View attachment 254377 View attachment 254378 View attachment 254379 View attachment 254380 View attachment 254381 View attachment 254382 View attachment 254383 View attachment 254376 View attachment 254377 View attachment 254378 View attachment 254379 View attachment 254380 View attachment 254381 View attachment 254382 View attachment 254383 Hi all!! The kittens are doing wonderful and we are in love with all of them! They just turned 3 weeks yesterday. A couple questions:
1. When should I place a litter box in their vicinity to train them? The mommy, Mochi, has been taking care of bathroom issues marvelously so far. Some articles say 3 weeks, so should I place a shallow pan close to the nest? Mochi’s litter box is further away in the guest room because she wouldn’t use it when I had it close to the nest area (guest bathroom).
2. When should I introduce them to the mixture of formula with kitten food? They are all nursing well and getting big. They are teething.
3. When should I take them all in for a wellness vet visit? The mama cat was a stray, so she’s never been to a vet. I will get her spayed once the kittens are weaned or once I’ve adopted them out at 8 weeks old. She’s extremely protective of them and I don’t want to separate them too soon. What kind of treatment / tests do I need to do? Worms, FIV,... anything else?
4. Any advice on adopting them out/ separation anxiety?? (For them, mama cat, and me! I want them all, but I already have 4 other cats! I will be heartbroken when I have to give them up.) Thank you!!

Keep them until 12 weeks so they get all the social skills they need from their momma
Also make sure the people you adopt them out to are in it for the long haul and are willing to take care of them (getting them fixed and what not) they are all just so cute
When you give them away Id refer the new owner to a low cost clinic to get them spayed/neutered I had I believe it was talkingpeanut who helped me find a low cost option for $40 to get my animals fixed
Although I could be wrong Im just going off of my memory haha