Strange Momma Cat

Question
Hi there! I have a 2 yr old female cat whom i adopted about 2 weeks ago. She was pregnant and has since then given birth to 4 healthy and beautiful babies. However, my concern is that for the past 3-4 days(The kittens are 10 days) Momma cat has been acting strange. She walks around aimlessly, meows to herself, has strange eating habbits and even seems to still be tryin to nest. Is this becuase shes at a new home with new family? Or does she have a stillborn? Her stomach also feels a little bloated and makes weird sounds almost like burping or *tooting*. I need help asap!! im realy concerned and any advice is greatly appreciated

           Kelcey <3

Answer
Kelcey,

I think that it's possible that mamma cat has a stillborn kitten left behind that for some reason didn't get born with the rest of the litter. It would account for her anxiety, issues with her appetite and bloating. A deceased kitten left inside of the cat's stomach could potentially cause a life threatening infection as the body decomposes so I'd recommend that this family is assessed by a veterinarian immediately. If the vet finds that a kitten was left behind the likely course of action will be a caesarian delivery of the deceased kitten, in this case I'd recommend that you have the vet go ahead and spay mom at the same time to prevent anymore unwanted litters. When mom goes to the vet it's important to bring the kittens with her, this will allow her babies to maintain their bond with mom and continue being fed, kept warm and cared for by their mother. In the event that a spay caesarian is necessary the kittens should still be able to nurse afterwards, however you may want to request that the veterinarian use tissue glue or buried stitches to close the skin at the incision, this will prevent the kittens from playing with or sucking on the stitches and causing any further complications from the surgery. Mom will likely require a course of antibiotics if there is a decomposing kitten found in her tummy, sometimes the vet can give a long acting antibiotic injection, however it's possible that you will have to give your mother cat pills on a daily basis. Antibiotics don't discriminate between friendly bacteria and bad bacteria that cause infections so diarrhea is often a side effect of their use which can be serious in young kittens and nursing queens. In the event that antibiotics are needed I'd recommend that you give mom a couple of tablespoons of plain, unsweetened organic yogurt for the duration of the antibiotic treatment and continue that for a few days after the drug treatment stops. It's also important to give each kitten about a teaspoon of the same plain yogurt via syringe to help counteract any diarrhea. Yogurt is generally well tolerated by cats, even those that are lactose intolerant. The reason for the recommendation of giving mom and her little ones yogurt is to replace beneficial bacteria that are normally found in the intestinal tract of mammals as the friendly bacteria are often killed by the antibiotics which is what causes diarrhea during treatment.