Hot Pepper Is Due Any Day Now And...

[Sleepyhead]

talkingpeanut , we have to take Hot Pepper in for her rabies vaccination soon after the kittens are born anyway. She was found as a stray and she got the other vaccinations but the rabies one is not safe for pregnancy. The vet said rather than separate her from her newborn kittens for the appointment, to bring them in together. I don't believe the vets would recommend this without assessing the risks.

If she is still pregnant on Friday, she will be at minimum 69 days pregnant and that’s if she mated on the same day my friends took her in. If she was already some days along then, she’d be 70+ days pregnant, a week past the average.

Obviously, no kittens this morning! I’m hopeful they will arrive shortly.

 

[2azwildcats]

Your cat can only contract rabies by being bitten by another animal that has rabies. If you are keeping the mom in the house and away from other animals, it can not contract rabies. I have 2 indoor cats and I don't have them vaccinated for rabies (it is not a legal requirement for cats where I live - dogs yes but cats no). So I would hold off until the kittens are older. As your cat was a stray, you may be concerned that it had been exposed to rabies but I am pretty sure you would know it by now as it is a fast acting disease.

I had a vet that recommended that my cat get vaccinated for rabies and I asked her how my cats would get rabies in the house and she said that a rabid bat could get in my house and bite my cat. That is when I switched vets. My current vet who is a cat only vet has never recommended a rabies vaccine.

Good luck with the kittens! (when they arrive).

 

[Sleepyhead]

I understand how rabies is transmitted. Rabies is a required vaccine where we live, due to the (hypothetical) risk of a rabid animal getting into the house. I’m not here to get an earful of non-vet’s opinions on vaccinations, so I won’t reply to further comments on that particular subject.

If anyone wants to advise on the (also hypothetical) risks to the kittens if transported to the vet’s office with their mama, I’m happy to address those concerns with the vet prior to the appointment on Friday.

Sitting tight with Hot Pepper still. Mammary glands are full and a bit of colostrum is leaking out. Any time now, I guess!

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would suggest you ask your vet if they would be comfortable waiting to give the vaccine, given the situation.

 

[Sleepyhead]

talkingpeanut, can you please expand upon the risks at which we’re putting the kittens by bringing them along for the ride? I’m genuinely curious about the concern and willing to bring it up over the phone with our vet before the appointment. Without more information, I don’t know what to ask, and as our vets are aware of the whole situation, I really do trust that they’ve weighed the risks versus the benefits for Hot Pepper and her kittens.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Sure. For one, transport. The kittens have to have a heat source, so you either need to put them in the carrier with mom, or in their own carrier. If they are in the carrier with mom, she could become stressed in the car and hurt them. If they are in their own carrier with a rice sock or something, you could stress mom substantially by separating them.

And then the second issue I would worry about is exposure to anything at the vet's office. They don't have immune systems and are so, so fragile. There could be exposure to illnesses, fleas, parasites, you name it. There just really isn't any reason to bring them in unless you have a reason to be concerned.

I would also be worried about doing anything for mom that would make her feel unwell or stressed, and the vet visit and side effects from the vaccine could do both. She has an important job to do right now.

I'm sure your vet means well, but I also doubt that they are kitten experts. A lot of vets have little experience with newborns.

 

[Sleepyhead]

talkingpeanut , thank you for going in to detail. I kinda figured those were the concerns but wanted to be sure I wasn’t missing one when I called.

I do believe mama cat is in labor! She spent most of last night rummaging around in our bedroom closet, finally settling on the floor in a corner under some stacked chairs. I’ve put some old sheets and towels in there. She’s been having contractions - her belly will get very hard and she’ll let out a meow - and I noticed some clear discharge left behind after she came up on the bed for a cuddle. If I leave the room, she comes meowing after me until I come back, and then goes straight to the closet.

I’ll keep updating!

 

[Sleepyhead]

First kitten born at 10:16! A red tabby! He’s making little noises and mama did a great job cleaning him up!

 

[ileen]

Wonderful! Thanks for keeping us apprised of the latest news - good luck to Hot Pepper!

 

[Sleepyhead]

Second and third kittens born one right after the other: a black one and a tortoiseshell. I’ll keep a close eye on the tortie because she seemed stuck in the birth canal for a minute - I think a hind leg was caught up with #2’s cord and placenta.

Mama cat is licking the placentas more than the kittens. All the kittens are moving, meowing, and trying to latch on.

 

[Sleepyhead]

The fourth kitten is another red tabby! I gave Hot Pepper some KMR to give her some energy. She’s been working hard! All four are meowing and moving around. The first three have nursed already and number four is working toward it. Just waiting on number five!

 

[ileen]

I can't wait to see the photos of these babies - go Hot Pepper!

 

[Sleepyhead]

The fifth kitten was born at 11:52! Mama is purring away and all five are working on latching on to get some milk!

Mama did growl at me when I tried to move her. They can’t stay in the closet - it’s open to the bedroom and I don’t want our dog or our toddler harassing her and the babies. Any advice on moving a mama who’d rather not? I just want to move them into a clean nest box and bring that to the guest room so they can be clean, dry, and in a safe, quiet space.

 

[Willowy]

I'd close the bedroom door for a few hours and let her recuperate a bit. After that she should be more agreeable to moving.

 

[maggiedemi]

How is the Tortie doing?

 

[Sleepyhead]

Hi all,

We ended up with an unexpected adventure. Hot Pepper had her five kittens in just about two hours, but I thought I could still see fetal movements, and half an hour after #5 was born, Hot Pepper delivered a stillborn kitten. #6’s placenta was slow coming out, until MEOW a very lively #7 came out. Hot Pepper seemed exhausted and I wasn’t sure if the seventh placenta came out or not. Some of the kittens were still attached to theirs and I was worried they would get tangled before mama got to chewing through the cords. I called the vets up and told them about the extra kittens, the stillborn, and the missing 7th placenta and the still-attached others. They said bring everyone in - since we couldn’t be sure now that all the kittens were born, and mama seemed to be flagging. Off we went to the vets’ office. The vets detached the placentas, gave the kittens some glucose, and gave mama some oxytocin. They asked to do an x-ray and lo and behold, there was an eighth kitten still unborn. They asked to keep mama and babies in the office for observation and to see if #8 could be delivered with some help from the oxytocin. Just as we were discussing when to perform a c-section and the possibility that the 8th kitten was stillborn as well, Hot Pepper delivered the last kitten, ALIVE.

We’re now home, and the kittens are nursing and Hot Pepper is purring. We have two red tabbies (one darker than the other), two tortoiseshells (one with a red face, one without) and three dark kittens, maybe all black. The tiny stillborn was a grey and cream tortoiseshell. The living kittens seem strong so far and Hot Pepper has good instincts.

 

[maggiedemi]

Good job Hot Pepper. That was a lot of babies! Can't wait to see pics of the Torties.

 

[ileen]

Hot Pepper is a champ! She and you will have your hands (paws) full with seven babies.

 

[Sleepyhead]

I was able to weigh everybody while Hot Pepper was out of the nest eating and drinking. A closer look at each kitten gave me more confidence about telling them apart, mostly.

Big Black Kitten 101g
Orange Tabby Kitten 98g (the lighter-colored)
Red Tabby Kitten 91g (the darker-colored)
Torti w/ Lighter Arms and Face Mask 87g
Little Black Kitten 80g
Torti w/ Light Chin 73g
Torti w/ Red Face and White Belly 60g

Obviously I’m most worried about Hot Pepper’s mini-me, the smallest of the litter. She might just take after mama (a comically petite cat, now that she’s not full of kittens), but this is the same one who got tangled with another kitten’s placenta right at birth.

 

[Sleepyhead]

Awful quality but LOOK AT THESE SWEETIES!