Cat Has Just Given Birth: Advise Needed

spike7451

Congrats on your new furrballs! I cant offer advice other than may I suggest you pop over to Purrs 7 ask the very helpful chaps & chapesses there.

Merv

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php

kiraroo

hiya

I foster pregnant cats and kittens. If Dora trusts you and likes you, I would consider moving them to somewhere safer. When you can't see them, it's hard to know if they are all ok and feeding. There's also the possibilty (not certainty by any means) that one might of died and it's not good for that to be round the other kittens. Also unsurprisingly the birth is quite messy and whilst Dora will have eaten the placenta they'll be blood and muck which isn't good for the kittens to be on.

If you have a quiet room, like a spare bedroom, somewhere warm and calm, then this would be a good place to move her to. If you can, set the room up with a blanket in a nesting box area. These are ever so easy to make, just need some cardboard, in fact the fruit boxes from supermarkets are ideal for this, or those boxes you get printer paper in, anything about 15cm high should be enough. Just construct it about a metre square, i just cut the boxes up with a penknife and sellotape together. And then pop the blanket in there, do this all before you move her! Try to use an old towel or a fleece type blanket, as kittens are born with their claws permanently extracted which means they get them caught on knitted or crocheted blankets. Having this nesting box area will mean the kittens cannot wriggle too far away as they'll be relying massively on Dora and each other to keep warm and heat is essential. It'll also mean, Dora can be in there with them and hop out to eat, use her tray etc. Also it's good to have a water bowl where the kittens can't get to. Don't give her cows milk, it's too high in lactose and will probably give her an upset tummy.

Dora will need lots and lots to eat. Let her eat as much as she likes, leave her food down overnight and when you go out. I've had mother cats ripping open sachets of catfood because they've got hungry before! She'll eat betwewn 5-10 sachets or catfood or 1-2 tins and give her biscuits too. Her body will be under a lot of demand and it's important to keep her nourished.

I hope this helps. I have moved kittens after foster cats have given birth in silly places and this is when the foster cats have only known me for a week or so. Cats can be extremely trusting to their owners in these situations I have found. Also if you stroke her first before touching the kittens that will keep her scent on them instead of yours.

I will try and post a picture later of the nest i have made for my current foster kittens so you can see what i mean. And also as another poster said, keep her indoors now until she is spayed otherwise she can get pregnant straight away.

harveybobbles

wrkactjob wrote: »

Cat Has Just Given Birth: Advise Needed

Claim on the insurance for a new wardrobe, perhaps...?

peachyprice

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

My advice is to keep her indoors till you can get her speyed - cats can get pregnant surprisingly soon after giving birth I believe.

Most vets won't want to spey her until she's stopped nursing.

Lil_Me_2

One would hope that by this point Dora has come out of behind the wardrobe and the kittens are ready for new homes!!

lisawood78

Yup, this thread is 3 months old people