About To Give Birth

[Sarthur2]

It sounds like mom is eating what she wants and needs, and it sounds like plenty.

Whatever you decide, just make sure the dog can't get to the kittens.

I would hold off on putting the cat tree in their area until the kittens are biggger.

 

[susan d]

Ok,good- I was afraid she maybe not getting enough to eat because she eats so much less than she did during her pregnancy

The kittens are starting to climb out of the crate/nest,but it makes her anxious. Up to now I have put them back in,but is it something they need to do for their development purposes? Should I let them roam? They are 12 days old.

 

[Sarthur2]

Roam where? They need to stay fairly contained right now. Kittens don't need to roam much until after 3 weeks.

 

[susan d]

Mama is restless beginning in the sleeping hours of last night. She talks a lot,and kept waking me up. I would check on the babies,and they seemed fine and she had food so I would just go back to sleep. It has continued,and while I was outside this morning she moved one of them into the closet,which isn't unusual. No matter what she's doing,she lets out a murmur every minute or two. She got up on her kitty tree and seemed interested in playing and responded to the cat nip-could it be just penned up energy after two weeks?

 

[Sarthur2]

Moms do start taking breaks between nursing. It's normal and they need them.

 

[susan d]

OMGoodness! I can't believe these little angels will be 4 weeks old on Monday! Everyone is doing really well Is it about time to offer them some soft kitten food? They seem interested in her kibble when it's out,and she is nursing for much shorter periods. I thought I would give them some toys to play with today also.

Is there anything they need to go to the vet at this point? I suspect they may have ear mites. Mom got out last week and they have been scratching at their little ears from time to time. Mom is currently in heat and driving me CRAZY! Either that or the full moon is doing it .

 

[talkingpeanut]

They should go to the vet for ear mite treatment.

Are you certain that mom did not mate when she got out?

 

[Sarthur2]

susan d

Oh boy! You should set up mom's spay appointment for about 2 weeks from now since she has already gone into heat.

You can begin offering the mushy wet food to the kittens anytime now.

 

[susan d]

No,I cannot be certain,but doesn't the heat stop if they have mated? Since she yowels so much,I figured it didn't happen. I didn't realize she was in heat when she got out- she didn't start acting crazy until the day after that. Of course I worried when she got out,but had to be satisfied knowing I would have her spayed either way.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Of course. When do you plan to set the appointment?

 

[susan d]

Can I offer the kittens baby food,and maybe put a tad on their nose,or is that too rich for them? They seem to put everything but the kitten food into their mouths!

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, you can.

I weaned mine on baby food. They loved it!

 

[susan d]

That is awesome news! Thank you

 

[susan d]

I took the family to the vet Tuesday and everyone is healthy- no fleas or ear mites either They have another appt. in a month for vaccines and blood tests for mama. At that time we will also schedule the spay.

How long does heat last for them? Mama is driving me CRAAAAAAAZZZZZZZYYYYYY with her constant yowlling

 

[Sarthur2]

It's good they are all clear!

Heat cycles are awful. They last a full week and occur every couple of weeks.

Are you sure you want to wait that long to spay her?

 

[susan d]

This seems to have been longer than a week! The vet wants to wait until the kittens are weaned to spay her......

 

[Sarthur2]

Alrighty.

 

[susan d]

Hi! I hope everyone is enjoying the 4th OMGosh,I can't believe that these precious angels are 7 weeks old-as of yesterday! I am beginning to have some stress and anxiety about letting them go The last time I had kittens she had 3 and I kept them all and it totally dictated where I was going to live for the next 10 years. Actually,it was more like I spent that time fighting the HOA where I lived!

My current concern is about their eating. Mom has all but completely weaned them-much to their chagrin! She will let them latch on,but for the briefest time. I have been feeding them baby food,and the few times I've attempted to mix canned kitten food in with it,they have turned it down completely. Last night I fixed some fresh fish for Mom and in their bowl I minced it up and added some water to soften it up since they haven't really gotten on to solids,and they rejected that also,but Mom was plenty happy to eat that too! They do nibble on the dry kitten food and a few times have taken a few bites from tryMom's canned cat food,but I'm afraid they are not getting enough nourishment. I did buy some chicken stock,thinking it might be something tasty that I could fool them into eating the kitten food,but have not tried it yet. Any suggestions on what I might try? They are doing everything but swinging from the chandelier and I'm sure their requirements are changing.

 

[Sarthur2]

Ha! My kittens ate baby food for months, plus kitten chow softened with KMR. I really mean months.

They eat Fancy Feast wet food now along with adult dry food.

I kept all 4 of the kittens and their once stray mama, so there was no rush to transition them.

Yours will get there! Hard to believe they are 7 weeks now! How is your dog with them?

What happened to those kittens that you kept?

 

[IndyJones]

Have you had them fixed yet? Pediatric neuter time should be now if they are 2+lbs