Can you tell how pregnant a cat is if you've just met her?

splishsplash

djp64 wrote: »

I thought it might help if I posted a few of the developmental highlights in the first 3 or 4 weeks so you can be prepared :-)

As well as being born blind they are also deaf. They get some hearing after a week or so but it isn't fully developed until they are 3 / 4 weeks old. As they are completely reliant on their sense of smell, when you handle them or stroke mum you may see them look like they are panting / hyperventilating. They are in fact hissing at you - but no sound comes out :-) This is why I stroke mum before touching them so they aren't so startled by a strange smell.

Their eyes will be open after 7-10 days. They can't see properly until 3 / 4 weeks again but they see things as large blurry shapes. At first their eyes will be jet black and then quickly change to baby blue. They get their final eye colour around 7/8 weeks.

They cannot regulate their own body temperature for 3/4 weeks so it's important to keep them at a reasonably steady temperature and out of draughts. This is why you usually see them in a pile / heap when they're not feeding. Every so often the one at the bottom of the pile will move to top to cool down and a cool one will burrow under all it's littermates.

They don't make much noise - other than when they're hungry or you pick them up. If mum is feeding regularly but they start crying soon after feeding then it's a good sign that mum is not making enough milk. The regular weighing will help reassure on this point.

By 2/3 weeks they will attempt what I call wobbly walking. By 3/4 weeks they should be walking reasonably well and at around 4 weeks it's a good idea to introduce a small litter tray. Don't use fuller's earth cat litter as they quite often like to eat and it can cause digestive problems. Once they start using the litter tray it's a good idea to leave it a little dirty / soiled as they can then home in on the smell and this encourages them to use it.

By 4/5 weeks all hell breaks loose as they can walk and start to climb etc :-)

Thank you for all the information, it’s reassuring to hear they are born deaf, because we were frightened of upsetting them by making noise.

So, we have four kittens, three of them weigh between 130g and 140g, the fourth one weighs 100g. I'm really glad now that I know who to keep an eye on... so thanks for the tip to weigh them, it's not something that would ever have dawned on me to do! They do seem to be happy with the level of feeding, although they are so rough with each other when they fight over a nipple!

Mum seems to have accepted the new bed, although she spent a few minutes running from bed to box and back again while I was making it. At least if she does move them back onto it, the bed is clean and fresh and I've made a nice cave-type area with the duvet that she can move them back into.

Thanks again for all the wise advice - we seem to be doing ok with all the help! Without it, I think I'd be a nervous wreck by now.

splishsplash

patchwork_cat wrote: »

...snip...
Mum will be looking to move her babies soon, so you could try and pre-empt her.

I think if she settles in the box with them, we're going to move them into the room we want them in tomorrow or over the weekend.

Does anyone know roughly how often the mum will want to move the babies? Is it the norm to move, or a sign that she's unhappy with the accommodation? I'm just worried that she'll move them in a few weeks - when they're more mobile - to an area that's going to put them at risk from our dog or one of our other (three) cats.

hostertlady

it is sooooo exciting reading this...

I LOVE cats... ( i had 5 and then we took a stray Tom in last year and so now i have 6) i have posted about the one we took in and what has happened to him!!! but .........

this is a happy thread and i am not going to bring the mood down....

congratulations on your new arrivals....

and please DONT TELL ME WHERE YOU LIVE...:D..

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

splishsplash wrote: »

Lol, fine, one each for gettingready, Jojo and rising from the ashes...
just let me know when you'll be calling to collect them...

... Oh btw, I'm in the southwest corner of the Republic of Ireland, lol.

Ah.

[looks into possibility of Fedex'ing kitties to London]

I'll be generous and let the others help out this time!

sugarmuffin

djp64 wrote: »

Hi
They're adorable :-)

I handle all my kittens from day one :-) provided that the mum is of the right temperament. As I foster the mums when they're neglected / ill treated I usually get them shortly before the kittens are due and have a chance to assess them. If they're happy with humans, glad to be stroked, given attention etc and they don't try to hide the kittens once born then they're usually fine with kittens being handled.

For the first few occasions I make sure my hands are just washed and free of any hand cream / other smells. Stroke mum first several times to get her scent on you and talk to her (I just tell them how beautiful their babies are) :-) You can then pick up and move babies etc and change the bedding. I always talk to mum so she feels reassured. I also move the kittens to one of the birthing boxes so that they are safe / warm and out of any draughts etc. Provided mum feels safe / comfortable she shouldn't mind too much. For the first few days I cover the box with a spare towel / sheet so it's a bit darker. What mum will want most is reassurance - I usually put their food / water / litter tray nearby. If you're going to move them then try to make the box smell familiar by using as much of the original bedding as possible.

I weigh the kittens when they're born and then every few days to make sure they're putting on weight and that mum isn't having a problem feeding them. They should double their weight in the first week. I don't handle / hold the kittens for long - just long enough to move them / weigh them. Handling them from an early age gets them used to humans and all of my furry 'babies' can be held, have their tummy's tickled and be carried in the new owner's arms by the time they leave.

I will post some pictures of one of my foster mums and babies from last year. At one point in time I had 17 babies and 3 mums!

Hope this helps

Debbie

I am SO glad I found this thread and I hope you don't mind me hijacking it ... a little black cat followed my boyfriend home 2 weeks ago and he decided to adopt it, as it looked very neglected and skinny. We took it to the vets to check it wasn't chipped and I asked around all the local cat resuces etc. We took her to the vet and they gave her vaccinations and we've booked her in to get neutered in 2 weeks. HOWEVER, we have now discovered she is PREGNANT! We are going to look after the kittens with all the great posts here! But we are beside ourselves with worry about whether the vaccinations will have harmed the unborn kittens!!!! What does everyone think? She's going back to the vets next week (the PDSA) but they said they don't get involved with pregnancies ... so looks like we're on our own ... do you think the kittens will be OK?

OnAndUp

splishsplash wrote: »

I did call to the vets this evening, no-one has asked about my poster, and she also told me not to bother bringing the cat in to be scanned, as no-one round here chips their cats (I live in a one-road-in-one-road-out kind of place, so they would know most animals here). She did give me six bags of Burns and a big bag of Hill's free gratis though!

That's a terrible thing for someone in a Vets to say! :mad: What is the point of microchipping then?? The cat could have wandered from far away who knows plus they can't possibly know everyone in the area? When things settle down I would take her to be scanned just in case there could be someone out there worried sick because their pregnant cat went missing.

It's great to read all your updates, you are doing a fab job by the way - bet you never thought you would be rearing kittens a few weeks back!!

Keep us informed & more photos please?!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I can feel the chip in my cats. Roughly twice the size of a grain of rice, like a humungous splinter, just at the top of and between the bumps at the back of the neck. Maybe when she is next up for a cuddle and fuss, you could gently roll the skin between your thumb and index finger?

juliebunny

splishsplash wrote: »

Thank you for all the information, it’s reassuring to hear they are born deaf, because we were frightened of upsetting them by making noise.

So, we have four kittens, three of them weigh between 130g and 140g, the fourth one weighs 100g. I'm really glad now that I know who to keep an eye on... so thanks for the tip to weigh them, it's not something that would ever have dawned on me to do! They do seem to be happy with the level of feeding, although they are so rough with each other when they fight over a nipple!

Mum seems to have accepted the new bed, although she spent a few minutes running from bed to box and back again while I was making it. At least if she does move them back onto it, the bed is clean and fresh and I've made a nice cave-type area with the duvet that she can move them back into.

Thanks again for all the wise advice - we seem to be doing ok with all the help! Without it, I think I'd be a nervous wreck by now.

Oh cute cute cute!! You should not be afraid to make normal noises around the kittens. If you bring them up in too much of a sheltered way they will end up timid. Once they are around 3-4 weeks I start to leave a radio on (voice channel) and don't worry about banging doors etc etc - toughens them up and makes them easier to home as more social...you ARE going to home them....??! LOL!

SnowyOwl_2

OnAndUp wrote: »

That's a terrible thing for someone in a Vets to say! :mad: What is the point of microchipping then?? The cat could have wandered from far away who knows plus they can't possibly know everyone in the area? When things settle down I would take her to be scanned just in case there could be someone out there worried sick because their pregnant cat went missing.

It's great to read all your updates, you are doing a fab job by the way - bet you never thought you would be rearing kittens a few weeks back!!

Keep us informed & more photos please?!

My vet said more or less the same thing to me when I had my three kitties chipped. He hadn't chipped cats before because nobody had ever wanted it done! Amazing really that this sort of attitude exists amongst cat owners (not lovers obviously). But one by one we can change attitudes ourselves. I would say that it would be worth insisting that the vet scans this new mummy cat. It doesn't cost anything to do a scan, is very little effort and could mean the world to someone who is very concerned about their cat.

If she is not chipped have you thought about what you will do? Maybe have her chipped yourself with your details recorded??

djp64

Sugarmuffin

How do you know your little adoptee is pregnant? Is this based on her size or has it been confirmed by the vet?

I'd love to say that everything will be fine but... a vaccination of a live vaccine in the first four weeks of pregnancy can cause foetal damage / defects. A dead vaccine has less risks and in the second half of the pregnancy the risks are significantly reduced. Do you have any idea how many weeks pregnant she is?

Debbie