Worried about stray mother cat

[AnimatedLyric]

I rescued a pregnant stray and today she gave birth to 4 little babies, she allowed me to help her and cried if I left the room, everything afterwards was going well but now she has started panting/heavy breathing again and won't stay with the babies unless I am also in the room, if I leave to go to the toilet she follows me. I have rescued cats before but never dealt with a pregnant cat so this is all new to me and I don't know if the panting is normal
It's been 7 hours since the last kitten was born, all 4 placentas were also seen
1 of the kittens is extremely tiny and not thicker fur like the others so I have been making sure he is latching on and feeding

 

[di and bob]

The panting may be she has another kitten in there and can't get it out, or she is low on calcium, which birthing causes. it can cause panting and shaking. Give her some goats milk (Walmart has both) or better yet some KMR, kitten milk replacement, to get some calcium in her. NO cows milk, most cats are lactose intolerant when grown. Sardines and full fat yogurt are low lactose too. That is very important. If she is vocal and not calming down, something is wrong. A vet visit may be needed, or at least call them. A normal birthing is when they calm down and feed, clean their babies. Does she calm down when you are near, and stops panting?

 

[AnimatedLyric]

The panting may be she has another kitten in there and can't get it out, or she is low on calcium, which birthing causes. it can cause panting and shaking. Give her some goats milk (Walmart has both) or better yet some KMR, kitten milk replacement, to get some calcium in her. NO cows milk, most cats are lactose intolerant when grown. Sardines and full fat yogurt are low lactose too. That is very important. If she is vocal and not calming down, something is wrong. A vet visit may be needed, or at least call them. A normal birthing is when they calm down and feed, clean their babies. Does she calm down when you are near, and stops panting?

She calms down when I am in the room and will clean and feed the babies but still breaths fast, she also has been eating and drinking fine,she isn't vocal but I can't leave without her wanting to follow me
Could she still be in labour and just having a stalled labour? I haven't felt her tummy as I don't want to upset her or hurt her plus

 

[di and bob]

Yes. Feel her abdomen to see if you can feel any more babies in there. The fast breathing may be from calcium being too low. Get some in her. Ill notify our experts and see if they come on. StefanZ , abd Sarthur2 .

 

[Sarthur2]

She needs extra calcium. Please buy a can of powdered PetAg kitten formula and give mom a dish or two daily through her nursing days.

Also, mom’s hormones are in high gear right now from labor, delivery, and starting nursing. Most new cat moms are very clingy to their human the first 2-3 days after birthing kittens. She will calm down soon, but in the meantime, try to stay with her as much as possible — read and sleep in the room. Praise her for a job well done and give lots of reassurance.

Good you are keeping an eye on the tiniest baby. See that this kitten gains at least 5-6 grams per day, or more. Weigh daily in grams with a digital kitchen scale. If baby is not gaining, syringe feed with kitten formula.

Here’s a helpful video:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

AnimatedLyric

 

[AnimatedLyric]

Thank you for your replies, mother cat is doing really well, she didn't end up having any more kittens thankfully and after some kmr she stopped panting, she still doesn't like staying with them while I am not in the room. The little one is about half the size of the others and I am really surprised he is still hanging on but he does manage to suckle and I have been supplementing with the kmr but I really don't have high hopes with how small he is, he is literally the size of a mouse

 

[StefanZ]

Thank you for your replies, mother cat is doing really well, she didn't end up having any more kittens thankfully and after some kmr she stopped panting, she still doesn't like staying with them while I am not in the room. The little one is about half the size of the others and I am really surprised he is still hanging on but he does manage to suckle and I have been supplementing with the kmr but I really don't have high hopes with how small he is, he is literally the size of a mouse

Does the little one add anything? If not, supplement him even more. Because its quite common they seems too suckle, but are too weak to suckle efficiently... And often it helps to handfeed them a couple of days, they add their 10g a day; and suddenly they manage to suckle on their own...

How much exactly does he weigh? The rule of thumb is 8ml kmr or goats milk, to 28 grammes body weight. So if little he weight say, 60 grammes, he will need 16-18 ml kmr / goats milk, during the day... More if he wants, but shouldnt be much less.
(I presume he doesnt manage to get much from momma).

also, be extra sure he doenst get cold, for example when you weight him or handfeed him. An IR-warming lamp is often useful. Such as rheumatics use, or in lizard terraries... Perhaps some neighbour has?

If necessary, give him own qualtity time with momma, so he doesnt need to fight of bigger littermates.

 

[AnimatedLyric]

He weighed 43 grams at birth and now is 47 so a very small gain but for the first 24 hrs he didn't gain anything
I feed every 4 hrs but should I be doing it maybe every 2?
Here is a picture up against his sister who is the second smallest kitten

 

[AnimatedLyric]

Such a small little guy

 

[StefanZ]

He weighed 43 grams at birth and now is 47 so a very small gain but for the first 24 hrs he didn't gain anything
I feed every 4 hrs but should I be doing it maybe every 2?
Here is a picture up against his sister who is the second smallest kitten

Yes its a good idea. Its in fact often our advice with the weak, whom dont manage to get much at one time... 43 is very little; so I understand you arent hopeful... but he lives, he adds. As long he continues to add there is hope...

 

[StefanZ]

Get home glucose sugar / dextrose... It may be difficult to get in USA, so rescuers typically use white caro syrup. A droplet in the gum may give extra extrenght... The glucose sugar in caro syrup comes quickly into blood already in the mouth...

Also, in critical condition, when the digestion isnt no longer working, you can sometimes buy time by giving a homemade pedialyte; some glucose sugar and a tiny sprinkle of salt in water...


Give him a strong name.... Heroes and saints of our time are ukrainians... Perhaps Dmytro, after Dmytro Kozatskyi, the inspired
photographer from Azovstal?

Otherwise a nice alternative is Vaska, the cat from Leningrad whom kept his(!) humans alive through the famine during the siege in WW2, by hunting and bringing them mices and rats... But Vaska works of course nicely for female cats too.

Pray.

AnimatedLyric

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, supplement 1mL every 2 hours. Every 4 hours is not enough. Hopefully, he is a fighter and will pull through.

 

[AnimatedLyric]

Just a update as it's been awhile, I have been supplementing the little guy every 2 hrs and he is growing nicely, has his eyes open now and is just a laid back little boy although still tiny compared to his siblings. Trying to convince my husband that we need to keep him as I have fallen in love

I do have a couple of questions though regarding colour, is he going to be grey or will he be black and white like his brother and just appears lighter atm because of how little he is(have attached pictures)

Also we are trying to trap dad to get him neutered, mother cat is a seal point of some sort, I assume because she is a stray that she would be classed as a seal point domestic short hair as breed or breeds are unknown, we have 3 males that hang around, a big black guy, a classic tabby and a orange and white tabby,all 3 will be trapped and released but I am assuming as 2 of the kittens are calico that the orange must be the dad?

 

[Margot Lane]

Of course you need to keep him, runts are the best. Keep fighting, lil guy!

 

[AnimatedLyric]

Of course you need to keep him, runts are the best. Keep fighting, lil guy!

That's what I keep telling my partner. I have invested so much time into this baby by syringe feeding around the clock that I can't possibly rehome him now, he is my baby lol

 

[StefanZ]

Nicely done! 43 grammes is possibly a record... Congrats, Maa´m.

There is still some danger he may be more fragile than siblings, but now he and Life had got a fair chance...

Yes, I agree, the red and white is the main suspect. All three may have been upon her, but its the red and white whom will get the verdict to pay for the kids.
As none of the kids is a tabby, he is probably no true tabby either, just ghost stripes. ("All reds are tabbies"; but some are tabbies for real, and many solid, and have just the ghost stripes, very visible on reds)...

Its quite possible little man will remain grey... If both momma and daddy are carriers of the recessive diluting gene, 1 of their kids may be expected to be diluted, grey in this case.
Its almost as with the point gene, its recessive.



Ps. Have you given him his name?
AnimatedLyric

 

[AnimatedLyric]

I have decided to go with one of your suggestions and call him Vaska. I really didn't think he would make it this far as he was so little and had barely any fur but Mum has done a fantastic job, she seems to know he needed extra as I have seen her a few times feeding just him. I know he isn't out of the woods just yet but his chances are definitely a lot higher now that he is growing and has just opened his eyes

I am also hoping to keep mum, for a stray cat she is very loving but she is not overly keen on my children so we will see if that changes once the babies are older, I want the best for her so if that means having her homed into a child free house then that is what I will do but she will be sterilized as soon as the babies are weaned. It's going to be so hard letting any of the babies go to be honest as I have fallen in love with all of them but I also do not need 5 cats

 

[StefanZ]

I have decided to go with one of your suggestions and call him Vaska. I really didn't think he would make it this far as he was so little and had barely any fur but Mum has done a fantastic job, she seems to know he needed extra as I have seen her a few times feeding just him. I know he isn't out of the woods just yet but his chances are definitely a lot higher now that he is growing and has just opened his eyes

I am also hoping to keep mum, for a stray cat she is very loving but she is not overly keen on my children so we will see if that changes once the babies are older, I want the best for her so if that means having her homed into a child free house then that is what I will do but she will be sterilized as soon as the babies are weaned. It's going to be so hard letting any of the babies go to be honest as I have fallen in love with all of them but I also do not need 5 cats

Vaska is from Vasilij, I believe... Vaska is a good name for both males and females.
Its perhaps magical thinking, but I believe a strong name may be the last penny helping out, sometimes...

I understand momma cat (what is HER name?) is a very good momma... Its common cats abandon a weak kitten; biologically, they dont want to risk littermates, so they cut the losses... But some, alike your momma cat, instead take extra care on the weak one...
The fact she knew her family was safe from predators, had shelter, food etc, tx to your good care, did surely helped her in this decision.

Anyway, if you keep her, in the future I hope you and she as a team, will take on yourself the task of being foster parents to orphans... As you both are high above the average. Cooperate with some good rescue organisation perhaps?

I hope, almost think, once her kids are grown up more, and or are adopted out, and she no longer needs to be protective for her kids, I hope and think she will settle down, and accept also your biological children as a loved part of her family... She will probably always be a little shy to visitors, but with any luck she should be able to accept your biological children and hubby, as part of her family.

 

[Sarthur2]

I know the feeling! I took in a pregnant stray several years ago who gave birth to 4 kittens. I ended up keeping mom and all four kittens. I just could not part with them. All are very sweet cats and I don’t regret it at all. Those kittens turn 8 years old next month!

 

[Margot Lane]

Keep sending us photos of Vaska as time goes on. He’s got love on his side and sounds like a lil fighter. Glad both you and mom are keeping him warm & safe.