Kittens Cause Head Scratching

Question
QUESTION: Dear Tabbi,

Thanks so much for taking the time to help people understand their felines actions. I have always been a "cat person" and considered myself somewhat knowledgeable regarding cats and their behavior - but I'm in new territory and could really use your help.

Princess was a rescue and I was told she was spayed by the people we "rescued" her from. Surprise! Since I keep her inside, this was never tested - until she escaped a couple of months ago. Almost 72 hours ago, she gave birth to 5 adorable kittens. (No stillbirths & all seem to be growing - even within only 3 days!) She gave birth in my closet (right next to her queening box, of course!) and I moved her and her brood to the shallow plastic bin that was supposed to be her queening box. It is covered in blankets and remains in my closet.

I woke up this morning to find 2 of the kittens "missing" - and after 20 min of searching, I found them sleeping on a plastic cape on the bottom shelf of a cart in my closet. I'm positive they didn't get there by themselves. I moved them back to the bin - and all have remained there today.

Why would she move only 2 of her babies? And then leave them there alone? She eagerly welcomed them back when I picked them up and put them back in the bin - but I'm worried it may happen again.

Is it "normal" for her to go from never eating wet food prior to having them, to *only* eating wet food after? She won't touch her normal food since she gave birth - but literally inhales the food as soon as I bring it to her.

And my last issue...we have another cat (spayed female) who lived with us for about 2 years before we got Princess. (Just FYI, Princess has been a resident for about 4 years now.) We kept Sweet Pea away from the closet while Princess gave birth. Princess began coming out of the closet for little walks today - and as soon as Sweet Pea saw her, Sweet Pea FREAKED. She began hissing and running away, ears back and tail puffed. The two have always been friendly - so this is a 180. How do I get them together - or should I just leave them alone to work it out on their own?

Princess will be spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned (now that we know she wasn't!) - and I'm enjoying these little guys. Shouldn't they be around 4 weeks before I let other people see them or allow my kids (15, 12 & 8) to pick them up?

Thanks again - this is a great site and I really do appreciate your help!

Take care,
Katherine :)

ANSWER: Katherine,

Moving the kittens at least once is normal behavior. A first time mother will sometimes do some bazaar things though that only she knows why she does them. If the babies had of cried she probably would have gone to them to nurse, or brought them back to where the others were.

A nursing mother cat needs to eat at least 4 times the amount of food that she normally would eat to keep up a good flow of milk and to replenish what the babies deplete from her. It is good to feed her a good quality kitten chow (if she will eat it) until the babies are weaned. It would give her the extra protein and nutrients that she needs.

Sweet Pea probably thinks that Princess is a new cat. Since giving birth Princess smells different than she used to. Cats have recognition by smell and not by sight.

The first week at least is the most important time for the mother to bond to the kittens. She should not be disturbed, or the kittens handled, at least through that period of time. Sometimes the mothers will get nervous and stressed when someone handles the kittens which can affect her milk production, other mothers like to show off the kittens and don't mind (as long as you don't take them away). It will all depend on her personality, temperment, and level of maternalness (hmmm, is that a word?).

The kittens should be with the mother for 8 weeks and handled 5 minutes a day (when she allows it) until they are 7 weeks old. That will make for more socialble kittens. From 8 to 12 weeks is when the mother teaches kittens about life (like the litterbox, etc.). Let them nurse as long as the mother lets them, even if they are eating solid food. It is comforting to both the mother and the kittens.

Here are some informative links for kitten development that may be helpful to you:

http://www.angelfire.com/il/kimlance/development.html

http://www.catchow.com/KittenChowPlanner.aspx

I hope this helps answer your questions.

Tabbi



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

QUESTION: Thanks so much for the information! I was thinking the same thing about Sweet Pea's reaction to Princess - but I wasn't sure. I feel a lot better about it now and will just let them be for now. If things don't slowly improve then I can re-read what you said about introducing a new animal.

I'm a little confused - I should wait to handle the kittens until they are around 2-3 weeks, correct? Princess and I are very close and I'm the only one she'll let into the closet without trying to rip off my face. I've been feeding her the wet food on a plate in the bin so she doesn't have to get up and leave the kittens. After she eats, I've been helping one of the kittens to find a teat since it doesn't seem to be able to do it very well by itself - and always gets kicked off by the other kittens. She doesn't seem to mind me doing that - but I try to move slowly, speak softly and not move the kitten away from her.

She had been on Kitten Chow during the end of her pregnancy - but she won't touch it now. I've left a bowl of Iams (which is her "normal" food) and a bowl of Kitten Chow in the closet - but since she isn't eating it, I keep bringing her plates of wet food. The last two days she's eaten 2 cans/day. Is that "wrong"? I also have some KMR but haven't offered it to her since I didn't think she needed it.

Thank you again for your help - I am much more confident now. She currently has everyone hidden under a baby blanket in the bin - but I'm chalking it up to first time maternalness (word is right!).

Thank you again - I appreciate it!!

Katherine

Answer
Katherine,

No, you can handle the babies since she knows you and trusts you, (and you feed her!). Just keep them in her sight. You can also change her bedding if you do it quickly. It's strangers to her that will upset her and can make her feel as if her kittens are in danger. She may be protective of the kittens from other cats in the family too. Although, spayed females (even some neutered males!) will sometimes help take care of the kittens. That is normal for some cats. Whether she will allow it, or whether Sweet Pea will want to will remain to be seen.

Watch to see if the kitten that gets kicked off is one that she previously moved (or moves). Sometimes, if there is something wrong with the baby, the mother instinctively knows it and will ignore it. Unfortunately it's true that "only the fittest will survive".

It's OK to let her eat as much as she wants. Try putting some of the KMR over the kitten chow and see if she will eat it then. Be careful though that if it is hot that it doesn't spoil.

Personally, it's not a good idea to have any bedding that the kittens can get under. Cats do not have any reasoning ability and she will not know that if a kitten crawls a little bit too much away that it can suffocate, or that all of them can suffocate if she decides to lay ON TOP of the blanket!

Note to keep in mind: cats can go into heat (and get pregnant) in as little as 48 hours to two weeks after giving birth!

I hope this is helpful. And congratulations on your new 'grandkitties'!

Tabbi

Additional note: telling her she has 'beautiful babies' often should make her puff up proudly. I know my cats loved it when I told them that!