Foster (maybe Feral) Mama Not Cleaning Newborns (and Other Behaviors)

[adrianehere]

Hi new kitty community!

I'm fostering for the first time ever (YAY!) and have some concerns about mama and kittens. She's a beautiful tortie who was called "shy" by the shelter but seems almost lethargic to me. I wouldn't call her completely lethargic because she has very alert eyes and if i pet her head too much or try to move her to a different spot she will hiss and claw. However, she's not extraordinarily attentive to her 4 kittens.

They seem to be feeding ok, but she doesn't open herself up to them or draw them in to feed. They have to meow a ton and crawl around and force their way into her belly to get to feed. We just got them yesterday (the shelter thinks they are about 8 days old) and I've already had to retrieve two of them several times because they were outside of the nesting box or under mom in a way that they couldn't seem to get out. They'll go through periods of mewing a lot and then feed and sleep and repeat, but I've read online they shouldn't be mewing much if they are well taken care of.

Another thing is that mama won't let me near her enough to check for mastitis. She's eating well (about 1.5 cans per day so far) but she hasn't used the litter once and I don't see evidence that she's gone anywhere else. (They are all contained in a big puppy pen so I feel like I'd see if she peed or poo'd anywhere else).

I have KLR if I need to supplement and will weigh them today to get a baseline, but I'm not sure if I'm being a nervous nelly or if she's kind of rejecting them. I make sure to handle the kittens with gloves to not accelerate any neglect or rejection, but how do I know when to intervene, if at all?

Thanks so much!

 

[Sarthur2]

Try to relax! It sounds like the mom is frightened of her new environment and needs to acclimate. Poor kitty, give her time. Things sound mostly normal otherwise.

 

[adrianehere]

Thank you Sarthur! I guess I'm just concerned that if she's not cleaning them they're not evacuating correctly... Le sigh. I am a worrier, though, and first time foster parent so yes, I probably just need to relax.

 

[lacy2000]

I've been fostering for two years and I still freak out over the smallest things lol! So I completely understand why you’re stressing. I would allow mom to settle in and make sure she has dark, warm places to hide and feel safe with her babies. It's ok if they cry for a minute until they get to her. The big concern would be if they were constantly crying and not sleeping much.

 

[adrianehere]

Thank you so much, lacy2000! So great to hear that I'm not the only one.

I just weighed the kittens and I'm concerned that they are under weight. I'm waiting to hear back from the shelter to see if they took their weight yesterday (because they did not list it in the paperwork they gave me). One just started opening its eyes, so I think they are about 8 days old. Here are the weights:

Orange #1: 3.95oz
Orange #2: 4.45oz
Black #1: 4.95oz
Black #2: 3.9oz

What do you think?

PS - I'll update photos later but that set up that you see in the photo was temporary while I switched some boxes in and out. They're in a bigger box now with a hiding spot for mama.

 

[Sarthur2]

Kittens should weigh about 4 ounces at one week; 8 ounces at 2 weeks; 12 ounces at 3 weeks; and 16 ounces (one pound) at one month. They should then gain about a pound a month for the next 6 months.

So if they are just over a week they are in good shape so far!

Does the rescue know their exact age?

 

[adrianehere]

Oh that's great to know! So helpful! I'm still waiting to hear back from the rescue but will report back as soon as I can!

 

[adrianehere]

Update: Apparently the rescue never recorded their weights when they first came in. I've created a graphing chart and have been supplementing and monitoring. Mom has relaxed, begun to use the litter and eat more regularly.

Two of them are doing really well - gaining an oz a day. Two of them are more difficult to supplement (they won't take to the miracle nipple/syringe) and are gaining more slowly but I think are still in the safe .5 oz/day range.

Thank you for all the help and reassurance everyone!