First Time Foster

[StefanZ]

Your resident went on just a few days ago. MommaCat_2018 .

I do sometimes believe in wandering of souls. This happens more often than being a pure coincidence.
Thus, having 7 kittens at home, each in perfect position to perhaps receive the soul of the late darling...

Look out if any of them behaves alike your late resident. This kitten probably wont be his bodily copy - this is set from before. but receiving of the soul is wide open.

Pray, and it may happen. Pray and it may be given.

Of course, the momma can herself be a Godsend in her own right, with your resident as intermediate.

This is mysteries we can never know in full, but the chances are much better than a pure coincidence.

I'm so sorry about the death of your little boy. I have neutered so many and have never had problems, so it is a shock when I hear of things like this, my heart goes out to you. Let the miracle of birth help lift your spirits, these little ones will help you pass on his legacy of love, he is purring with happiness over the births and the feelings of happiness you are sending his way!

 

[MommaCat_2018]

Thank you! And I was wondering about the placenta eating. #7 was a very small placenta from what I could see. And... there feels to be another in tummy! momma is doing good but is SO tired! Is there anything I can do to help?
I think Tango will surely be living on through these kittens. The first one that wasn’t solid black has a real firecracker personality!

 

[StefanZ]

You can smear some water with honey or with white caro syrup on her lips and gums.
If she manages to drink, you can give her to drink of course.

Gives quick energhy.

 

[StefanZ]

Having 7 or 8 kittens, you must help organize evertything.
Weigh them every day, so you are sure everyone is adding as they shall.

You will probably want to rotate them, 4 on eating, 4 off sleeping in an extra little nest... And change every two hours.

 

[Sleepyhead]

Huzzah! What a big litter. When you can, get a kitchen scale to weigh the kittens every day. With that many kittens, they might have to vie for a chance to nurse and you may have one or two runts who don't get fair access to a nipple. I would watch everyone's weights closely and perhaps keep a can/canister of Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) on hand in case you need to supplement some of the kittens. I don't know about the heating pad - I've heard from some people that there is too high a risk of overheating or even electrocution if a cat/kitten chews the power cord. I would think as long as you keep them in an indoor space that's room temperature, like shorts-and-a-t-shirt warm, mama cat's body heat in a cozy nest box should keep them warm enough? I hope a more experienced member can chime in on this.

It's good to know about the correlation between placenta eating and diarrhea. Our mama already has loose poo so we'll certainly do anything we can to prevent more.

Are you going to keep mama and/or any of her kittens? We were able to find a sanctuary rescue - no-kill - that will "intake" our kittens when they're old enough to go to their new homes. They'll be fixed and get their first round of vaccinations, and then the rescue staff will contact our family and friends who want to adopt. It's a win-win because we'll know the kittens are healthy and will not be breeding and contributing to stray overpopulation, and our friends who want kittens will get a lot of vet care out of the way first thing as a steep discount. I'd recommend looking in to options like this in your area. The sanctuary was totally cool with us fostering mama and her kittens, and bringing in kittens who will technically already have homes. They're really motivated to prevent unplanned breeding!

 

[MommaCat_2018]

Thank you! Not sure #8 is going to make it. Momma couldn’t break sack and he got a lot of fluid in lounges. He is cold and his breathing seems shallow but he cried a couple times after I blew into his mouth/nose. How can I help him? He is very weak

 

[Sleepyhead]

.

^My vet recommended this video for a quick tutorial on getting fluid out of lungs and the airways. You can firmly, gently rub the kitten all over with a soft, warm, dry washcloth. You can give him a little diluted corn syrup and water - I think 1:4 corn syrup:water is recommended for kittens. I've seen a human caregiver tuck a kitten into her shirt (like right above her heart) so the kitten stays warm. Kitten kangaroo care!

Good luck with this little guy especially.

 

[StefanZ]

After this slunging as above is done, keep him warm - kangaroo method perhaps. Massage him. Smear some water with honey or white caro syrup on lips and gums.
Pray.

 

[MommaCat_2018]

God pulled #8 through! Everyone has been moved to a new and cleaner nest. I’m sitting with them with a small heater on for now, but will turn off before I catch some Zzzzs! Thank you for everyone’s help! I have some homes lined up and I have three shelters willing to help with spay/neuter, rejoining and however they can!

 

[di and bob]

Poor mama will have her paws full! And so will you! What an absolutely beautiful family. Mama must be absolutely exhausted. Definitely keep an eye out that all kittens are getting to eat. These first few days are critical with a litter that large. She only has 8 nipples. Weighing them daily to make sure they are eating and getting enough is a good idea, maybe essential. Mama needs LOTS of kitten replacement or goats milk and kitten food to keep up with all that milk making. My little girl had 7 and did fine, I'm sure yours will too. All the luck, I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers!

 

[ileen]

Look at all those babies! Congratulations! I guess papa was a black cat?
From reading other threads here, I can attest to the importance of weighing them every day, hopefully at the same time each day. To keep track of who is who, you can use different color nail polish on one nail of each kitten, or use the same color on different paws if you don't have eight different nail polish colors - I know I don't.

 

[MommaCat_2018]

We still have all 8 kittens! Weighing was really tricky and trying to identify who is who was making me loose my mind! We have one kitten I am concerned about who wouldn’t take from the bottle and mom kept getting up when ever it would finally latch. Tonight I tried using a small medicine syringe and kitten got some KMR and then momma came in and baby latched right away and stayed on for the longest I’ve seen it feed yet! Yay!!

Biggest issue is momma cat doesn’t like my other cat! I’ve kept them completely separate and then they had an accidental encounter that didn’t go well. Momma is VERY aggressive and even chased me into a corner. I’ve heard that momma may calm down after being spayed. Any advice! Momma is a sweet kitty, but I can’t have her chasing off the cat that was here first forever. Until babies are grown I will continue to keep them separate... but it makes me sad other cat is scared to come inside now.

 

[di and bob]

A mother's instinct to protect her kittens is one of the strongest in existence. she will continue to do so until the kittens are gone. Then there may be a friendship formed between the two. She may become calmer with being around your other cat more, she considers it a threat right now because she is not friends.Spaying will definitely calm her down, hormones play a big part in aggressiveness and nervousness. I had one cat that was a terror when she had kittens, she attacked everything in site that came close. This changed when I spayed her and she didn't have to worry about kittens anymore. so it will be a pain for a while, but I would keep them separated for a while longer. All the luck!

 

[ileen]

Photos please!

 

[MommaCat_2018]

We still have all 8! One little black kitty is very thin and gaining but still very small! Will not be ready to go home at the same time as the rest!

 

[ileen]

Gorgeous!

 

[di and bob]

I'm so happy for you, well done!

 

[ashade1]

Wow! So happy that all 8 pulled through! We had a litter of 8 once and all pulled through, but not without a LOT of supplementing! They all look very healthy!