Newborn of two weeks.

Question
My femaile cat has given birth to just one kitten.  She has been trying to coax it out of the bed where she nurses it. She is playfully swatting at it, and lightly mouthing it.  I'm worried she will get to the point of flinging it in the air like a toy. I understand that she is trying to get it to move more than it does aleady.  He/she moves towards it's mother when she is ready for it to nurse from her.  Is this normal for a mother cat to do?  I have had many cats before (on a farm), but I have never seen this side of a mother cat.

Also, it's cord fell off but still feels like a slight bump, is this normal?  And the kittens eyes haven't opened yet, should I encourage this by wiping it's face with a warm cloth?

Answer
Angela,

Generally, I tend to leave the kitten and mama alone.  Believe it or not, she knows what she is doing. Kittens do not get vwery active until they are about 3 weeks of age.

Kittens eyes generally open at 10 days to 14 days of age.  Unless they are caked with puss, I would tend to leave them alone.  If they are caked with puss, you can use a soft, warm damp cloth to gently remove the caked on puss.  I would then get an ophthalmic antibiotic drop from your vet to treat the kitten's eyes.

The slight bump is normal.  If it does not disappear in a week or gets larger, it may be herniated which, in general, is no big deal.  The vet can repair a herniated naval once the kitten gets to about 4 months of age.

Best regards... Norm.