The mother-to-be will probably keep you guessing as to her condition during the first four weeks after mating. Allow her to have exercise and routine activities. Pregnancy lasts for 60-65 days.
The pregnant cat should be treated normally. Untill the last week of her pregnancy, she can run and play as well as ever. From this point on, it is not wise to allow her to dash madly up and down stairs or to jump on and off furniture or other high objects. Take care that she does not become wet and chilled. Exercise on a scaled-down basis must continue through until the time of delivery.
The Maternity Box:
During the last week of her pregnancy, your cat may often appear restless, roaming back an forth throughout the house in search of a safe place to bear her young. At this point, you should introduce her to the maternity box.
A maternity, or queening box, should be used while the kittens are being born and during the time they are nursing. A suitable one is easily constructed from a large cardboard carton. The entrance side over and have a barrier from three to five inches high which makes it easy for the mother to step over and still keep the kittens in. The box should be large enough so that she can stretch out at full length on her side and have room to spare at both head and tail. The top should be left on the box so that it will be dark on the inside, but it can be cut on three sides, with the forth acting as a hinge for easy access into the box from the top. The floor of the box should be lined with shredded paper and a clean towel. Make sure you place the box in a quiet, warm, draft-free location, out of the family's usual traffic pattern.
The Labour Period:
About a day before the kittens are due, the female's abdomen will drop considerably, and a few hours before giving birth, you may notice a slight vaginal discharge. This is the time to make sure she returns to the box you've prepared. Pet her reassuringly and leave her on her own. She may stay in the box; on the other hand, don't be surprised if she doesn't. The best thing to do at this point is to do nothing. Keep quiet and do not attempt to help her. Mother Nature usually takes over at this point.
The first pains may make her uncomfortable and she will lie on her side and strain to bring about delivery. If she has been having strong contractions for more than two hours without any results, contact the Humane Society immediately Emergency line 725-15321. In between labour contractions, there may be panting and she may consume quite a bit of water. Let her walk around and do not insist that she stay in the box. She will return to it in plenty of time. Usually there will be a discharge of mucus, which is nature's way of providing lubricant. If you sense a prolonged labour period (18-24 hours), contact the Humane Society immediately Emergency line 725-1532.
1. It is a requirement of the Foster Program that all medical problems be reported to the Humane Society immediately. We will obtain expert advice or provide treatment.
Note: A precautionary measure which should be performed prior to delivery is to clip any hair around the nipples and then use a good disinfectant recommended by your veterinarian.
Delivery:
The average litter consists of three or four kittens and a normal birth of four kittens takes about two to three hours.
The normal birth is head first with paws alongside the head. Breech births, that is, buttocks first, are not uncommon, but they can be fatal to both mother and kittens. If you suspect trouble, you should contact the Humane Society Immediately Emergency line 725-1532. Each kitten will arrive completely enclosed in a semi-transparent membrane. Although the sacs are rather tough, occasionally they rupture during delivery. As a kitten emerges from the virginia, a bulge will be seen first and then the whitish membrane sac. Immediately you will see the kitten and then the umbilical cord, to which is attached the placenta or afterbirth. The female will tear the sac from around the kitten, nip the umbilical cord with her teeth and eat the afterbirth. This is normal procedure. She will clean the kitten's nostrils of mucus with her tongue and lick the little fellow from stem to stern — Drying it off. Don't be alarmed if she seems to rough it up. She is stimulating the kitten's circulatory and respiratory systems.
If a newborn kitten doesn't start to breathe before the next one begins to arrive, you should now take a hand. While holding the head, swing the little fellow gently by the back legs and tap lightly on his back until he gasps for breath. If the umbilical cord is not cut close enough, (that is, within an inch or less of the body), it is desirable to tie a thread around the cord about half an inch from the body and nip off the longer portion with a dull pair of scissors, then apply iodine to the end of the cord.
When the second and subsequent labour pains occur, the mother will usually move away from her first kitten but watch carefully to see that during the next birth she does not crush or damage the kitten. Resist the urge to help unless you see the kitten is in danger. Your good intentions may be more disturbing than helpful.
If for some reason the new mother is reluctant or unable to take care of the kittens and you have had some experience, you may want to help her by removing some of the membranes and cleaning the nostrils in order to prevent suffocation of the newborn kittens. Some females will not take care of their kittens but will resent outside assistance. You may help overcome this if you will leave one or two of the kittens with her while helping take care of another.
If you have been present during the entire delivery, be sure to count afterbirth to make certain that all of them have been expelled. A retained afterbirth can mean serious difficulties for the new mother. A dark red discharge after the delivery usually means all afterbirth have been expelled; bright red indicates danger of haemorrhage and a discharge of any other colour, particularly greenish, may mean one of the afterbirth has been retained and an infection has set in. Any of these can be fatal if not given prompt medical attention. Contact the Humane Society immediately Emergency 725-1532. Do not attempt to treat the female yourself.
After the births are completed, the mother will prefer to be left alone for a few hours. At first, feed her in the box with the kittens. She needs to nurse them frequently and usually will come out only to use her litter tray.
Kittens are born with their eyes closed and they will remain so for about ten days, so they should not be exposed to bright light. You normally don't have to worry about kittens learning to eat. They will crawl by themselves to the source of the food supply, even thought they are both blind and deaf, and they have no trouble in doing what comes naturally to them at this stage of their life.
Cleaning:
After the entire litter has been born, resist temptations to do any housecleaning in area or to attempt to pick up the new kittens.
You can clean the box after the third day. By then, the mother cat will welcome your housekeeping. She'll do her part to keep the nursery tidy by washing the kittens and disposing of their waste.
The All Important First Week:
Make it a rule – and stick to it – that no visitors will be allowed in the nursery for the first week. Keep children away until the new mother has everything under control and is sure her babies are safe. When you allow visitors, admit only one at a time and caution them t be very careful of the new arrivals. Some mothers become very upset over strangers handling their young and are apt to hurt the kittens or perhaps the visitors. In this case restrict all visits except maintenance. Children should not be allowed to handle kittens.
The greatest kitten mortality occurs at birth or within the first week. Keep a close watch on the babies to see that each one is getting its share of feed and growing normally. If necessary, you may want to help the little fellow who seems to be crowded out, to get his fair share. Mother should be confined to the kitten box as much as possible. She should feed the kittens once each hour or two, therefore her food should be placed in or near the maternity box. Continue to keep the box in a darkened place. Light irritates the eyes of newly born kittens, even thought the eyes are not open. After about ten days the kittens eyes are open and the amount of light can gradually be increased.
Feeding Mom and babies:
In the early period of pregnancy, it is not necessary to feed a mother more than her usually ration. If she is being fed a completely balance diet you can expect that the kittens will be normal and healthy. During the last 20 days of pregnancy, she will normally increase significantly over the amount she has been eating. At this point, you should be feeding her kitten food on a continuous basis. She should be able to eat all she wants.
During the first 2 or 3 days after the kittens arrived, the new mother will not be too interested in eating, but never the less, you will want to be sure that she has plenty of fresh food and water daily. As her appetite returns feed her all she will eat for entire nursing period. As stated before, she should be eating kitten food. Mother must be able to have enough nutrients to supply her own body with resources as well as make the large quantities of milk required to keep the kittens growing and healthy.
Eclampsia (milk fever) is occasionally seen following birth or during pregnancy, and this occurs when pregnant or nursing mothers become depleted of calcium. The signs are restlessness, refusal to eat or to allow the kittens to nurse, trembling, and eventually convulsions. This condition can be fatal within a few hours, but response to medical treatment from a veterinarian is as dramatically swift as it is life saving.
Weaning:
Normally the first week, the kittens should be fed by the mother every two to three hours around the clock. After one week of age, the night feedings can usually be discontinued. When the kittens are two and a half to three weeks old put a little water around their mouths. By licking the water of their faces, the kittens will learn how to lap water from a saucer. When they start showing an interest in solids, (at about 3 weeks) you can begin switching them to all meat varieties of baby food. At about 4 weeks, feed them a nutritionally balanced kitten food (canned) later you can add a little water to moisten the hard food to make it easier for kittens to eat. Since milk may cause diarrhea in cats, please do not give them any milk. By about 6th week the kittens should be able to eat hard food on their own.
Kittens are great imitators and as they observe their mother eating they will become curious and try the food themselves. By the time they are weaned at 7 to 10 weeks they will have become accustomed to a solid ration and can adjust to it. Kittens teeth and jaws are stronger than you would expect, so they can easily consume dry cat food at a very early age.
To reduce the milk pressure, it is recommended that all food be removed on the day the kittens are weaned. Then on the second day feed the mother cat about 1/4 of the normal amount, 3rd day feed her ½, 4th day 3/4. By following day she will be able to eat the same ration as before littering. We caution you not to over feed her at this time because it will be very easy for her to put on excess weight. The severe cutback in daily rations will help prevent the intense production of milk, which can cause the new mother problems.
The Next Heat:
Most people do not realize that many cats can come into heat again as soon as ten days after delivering a litter of kittens. If the nursing mother breeds at this time, she can end up with a second litter before the first one is fully weaned!! You must take precautions to ensure that the cat does NOT breed and arrangements will be made to have her spayed.
Sick and Orphaned kittens:
Sick kittens stop nursing, do not move about, and deteriorate rapidly unless they receive prompt attention. If in doubt, contact the Humane Society immediately Emergency 725-1532.
Lack of milk from the mother is the most common cause of death in kitten, so check if the mothers breasts are producing milk by gently squeezing them. Hungry kittens cry a lot at first, their bellies sink in and are not full or rounded as they should be. They will lose weight instead of making the approximate ½ ounce per day gain healthy kittens make in the first week.
Other causes of sudden losses are feline panleukopenia (feline distemper). This should not occur in nursing kittens if the mother vaccinations status is up to date (e.g. has been booster within the last year), since she will pass on immunity through her milk in the first few days of nursing that last approximately eight to ten weeks.
Respiratory infections, parasites (including fleas), bacterial infections, too cold a nest, and congenital defects are all problems with serious consequences. However, prompt care can save many kittens with such problems. Most of these tragedies can be averted by making sure the mother cat is healthy, that she has good prenatal care and diet, and that she has a clean, warm environment in which to raise her kittens.
Care of Orphaned or Rejected kittens:
Orphaned or rejected kittens are quite a challenge to care for, and the chances of saving them are directly proportional to their age when abandoned.
Occasionally a mother cat will reject one or all of her kittens. Rejection of the whole litter is usually due to stress, fear, or some other psychological problem. If only one kitten in the litter is rejected, it is usually found to have some serious defect, and seldom survives even if it is given intensive care.
What and how to feed Orphaned kittens:
Today, fortunately, there is a canned formula called "KMR" (Kitten Milk Replacer, by Borden Chemicals) available from a veterinarian or pet stores. This is a replacement for the mother cat's milk. Directions for use are on the can. The Humane Society will usually suggest that you try this milk substitute or either "esbilac" or "Feline Mammillea". Contact the Society for more information, if required.
Other milks are not as rich in protein as a mother cat's milk, but if you have nothing else available, a number of temporary formulas can be made up:
How much and how often to feed:
Kittens should weight at least 3 ½ ounces at birth. Here is a guide to quantities you should feed during the first three weeks, but the ultimate judge of quantity is the kitten itself, which will let you know you have fed enough at any one time by refusing any more:
AGE Weight of food per day
For example, if the kitten weighs 5 ounces at birth, feed it about 1 ounce of formula over 24 hours, up to 3 days old. (There are about 30 "average" droppers full in 1 fluid ounce.)
Kittens should be fed at least 6 times a day (24 hours) and more frequently if they are very weak. The daily quantity of food should be spread over 24 hours so that 1 ounce of food would become one-sixth ounce per feeding, or about 5 average droppers full. After 4 weeks, 4 feeding in 24 hours should suffice, and you should be weaning the kittens by this time. From eight weeks to six months, 3 feedings a day are advisable.
When the Orphan grows up:
Saving an orphaned or rejected kitten is quite an achievement, and most people are extremely attached to the kitten if it does survive. Unfortunately, these kittens do not make satisfactory pets when they mature. No doubt, the artificial early upbringing and lack of maternal contacts cause severe psychological problems and these cats often turn vicious, cannot relate to other cats, are often physically defective or less than robust, refuse to mate, and generally, are not desirable or pleasurable as pets. The owner of such a cat is always confused and upset by this "ungrateful" behaviour.
Not all orphaned kittens are so damaged psychologically or physically and it appears to be a proportional in its severity to the age at which they are orphaned. The younger the orphan, the less chance of satisfactory outcome.
Another thing to remember before taking on the upbringing of a rejected kitten is that the mother cat frequently refuses to care for a defective or weak kitten, and deliberately allows it to die. This is one of many natural mechanisms that maintain the vitality of a species by eliminating the sick and defective. Any large-scale intervention by man to thwart this system could, conceivably, be a genetic disaster for Felis Catus; the domestic cat.
General Care:
Form this feeding schedule, it is obvious that caring for orphaned kittens is quite demanding and time consuming undertaking. However, more care the mere feeding is needed, and it makes one realize what excellent mothers cats are.
Make sure the kittens are awake before you start feeding. Burp them, as you would a human baby, after they have fed, Stroke their stomachs to stimulate urination, and once a day massage the opening of the kitten's rectum with a cotton applicator stick (Q-tip) dipped in mineral oil to help bowel movement. Once the eyes are open, make sure they are kept clean by a light daily washing with water. Rub baby oil not the skin if it is dry or urine stained.
Keep the kittens warm (about 80oF) for the first week. A heating pad at the "low" setting is usually satisfactory. Gradually reduce the temperature to 70o over a six week period. Always handle the kittens very gently and allow them to sleep except when they are being fed, for the first few weeks.
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