Can I move the kittens?

Question
I just noticed that my cat was pragnet and I wanted to bring her in the house befor she had her kittens. I did not know how far along she was and I had just noticed today, that she had them in our garage. It is pretty cold outside right now so I was wanting to know if I could pick them up somehow and bring them and the mother in the house so they are all warmer? She had 4 alltogether but two seem to be dead.

Answer
Crystal,

I would strongly suggest that you bring the mother and any living kittens inside the house as soon as possible. The best way to carry the kittens is by the scruff of the neck at this age. They have very loose skin and that is how their mother carries them. Newborn kittens feel calmer when they are lifted by the scruff of the neck and they will tend to accept handling much easier. I would strongly suggest that you take mom indoors and try to bring all of the living kittens (you will need to check all of the little ones for signs of life and follow your local regulations for disposing of any deceased babies) inside at the same time so that they are not left vulnerable to predators. An ideal way to do this would be to bring mom into the house inside a cat carrier and put her babies inside the carrier with her. You will want to make sure that you do not allow mom outside until the kittens are weaned and she is spayed. There is a serious pet overpopulation problem and many cats and kittens face euthanasia in shelters simply because there are not enough good homes for all of the kitties who need a home. There are many benefits to spaying or neutering cats besides the obvious control over breeding. Cats who are altered tend to be at much lower risk for infections and cancers of the reproductive organs and mammary glands. There is also a marked decrease in undesirable behaviors like urine spraying, fighting, caterwauling, and wandering. When you bring your mama cat and her babies inside you will want to make sure that they are warm and safe in a quiet, dimly lit room where they can be warm and quiet. You can make up a bed for mom and babies with a fair sized cardboard box lined with clean old towels. This will keep the babies from wandering and getting into any kind of trouble and if the area is low traffic enough mom will feel fairly safe. You will need to provide mom with food, water, a kitten sized litter box, a few toys and a good quality hard kitten food. You may also choose to offer soft kitten food once or twice a day. The reason that female cats who are pregnant or nursing must be fed kitten food is so that they can keep up with the significant demand that growing kittens place on their bodies. Hopefully this information helps. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.