stillborn and death of kittens

Question
QUESTION: Hi I am not even sure where to start with this question but I hope you can answer something for me.  My 14 year old daughter had taken in a kitten 3 years ago.  This kitten was starting to be rejected by its mother, (which was an outdoor cat,) so my daughter decided to take over.  She adopted this kitten and took care of her and made sure she would survive.  Well we noticed that this now 3 year old cat of ours was pregnant in April sometime.  Well on MAy 20th, 2007 she went into labor and was "freaking out". She was running all over the house meowing and screaming not know what was going on then she dropped a stillborn kitten on my kitchen floor.  She then when into the living room and had another one in the corner which I had to pick up and rub to get it breathing, the mom cat then took it from me and had another two under my daughters bed.  My daughter who themom cat trust very much took them and put them 3 and the mom cat in the box we had made up for her a month ago.  Well the next morning the littlest died:( 5/21 there are two left alive until that night  another died.  We have one left this morning which was the last born and seemed the stronget died in the afternoon.  Why did this happen?  Was it because they were premature.  Did the stillborn cause her to go into labor to early?  I had been checking her nipples a few days before her delivery and they were not producing milk.  I actually checked them toady before the last one died and it seemed like she was not producing then either.  It looked like she had a lot of milk in them but if you stimulated them and tried to get milk from the they did not leak.  I am just so upset and really want some kind of answer so I can help my daughter understand this more.  I am sorry it is so long but I tried to explain it all so you could understand it all.  Thank you very much for reading this and hopefully helping me.
Christy

ANSWER: Hi Christy, Thank you for the question. I love these tough ones! Although you gave me lots of information there are still a couple of questions I would like to know. Is this her first litter? Did she have any vaginal discharge when she was pregnant? Not being able to get any milk from her really doesn't mean much as the first day or two they just have colostrum and it usually does not leak and it can be really hard to get out of the mom,,, unless you are a kitten!
SO, it is possible the kittens were premature but you would have noticed things not quite right.. like less hair on them, very small etc. If that was the case then they could have been premature and it is nearly impossible for premature babies to live with mom the only one taking care of them. They need lots of help and they can still die. If they weren't premature she may have still had some kind of uterine infection that killed one kitten and weakened the rest of them so that they were not strong enough to nurse.
OR, she could just be a really lousy mom cat. Not all cats are good mothers. Perhaps she wasn't keeping the kittens warm and cleaning them enough. Perhaps she wasn't staying still for them to nurse. If this is her first litter I would say that there is something not quite right. Any cat that is 3 and is only getting pregnant for the first time could have cysts and fibrous masses in her uterus which could cause early delivery or incomplete umbilical attachment etc. I would certainly recommend you spay her to save any more of this hearbreak again.  She is obviously not  a good cat to be breeding.
Teresa

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Wow thank you for the quick response.  Yes this was her first litter and you know when they were born she only showed a little interest.  She really looked like she was confused.  they had hair but their legs were bald and you could see their ribs.  Like I said before she was a sickly cat from the beginning and her mom was not a real good mom.  She was born outside frma wild outdoor cat.  I just feel so bad for her.  Yes I will be getting her spayed soon. At what time can I do this after her delivery?  Thank you for all this information.  I just hope it was not her fault and it was just nature.  Christy B.

Answer
Hi Christy, I don't think we can blame the mom for anything. She is an animal acting on instincts or lack of instincts in her case. You should be able to get her spayed very quickly. I would call your vet and get their opinion and make an appointment. Personally I would say within the week she should be fine for surgery.
Teresa