Kittens & Vacation

[haptesthai]

My 1.5 year old cat is pregnant, due around mid-April. Since November, my family and I have been planning on a trip to Disneyland, but were unsure of what dates we would go. Based on our schedules (school, work, and graduation dates), our trip is now planned for May 19th through May 23rd. My kittens will be only around 4 weeks old at this time, and I don't know how they will be while we are gone. I do have someone who has experience with newborn kittens and who can come over and look after them (at least once a day), but I have never personally had such young kittens before and I do not know what kind of care and attention they will need at this age.

Will once a day be all right for them, or should they need to be checked on more? Does anyone have any advice that will make my return home more pleasant?

Thanks

 

[hissy]

That is pretty young to leave them with mom, though she will do all the care that needs to be done (if she is a good mom) But if this is her first litter, she may not be a good mom and then what? I would think it safer to have someone knowledgeable in tiny kitty care to stay at the house while you are away instead of visiting. But that is just my take on things.

 

[rock&fluff'smom]

I agree with hissy or at least postpone your trip till a little bit later....

 

[gurlpower]

Hi and welcome!!

i noticed you are from Northern California. i am from San Francisco. Am i close to you? i live in the Sunset district. Do feel free to pm me if you like.

Personally, if that kitty is mine, i would also defer my disneyland plan. However, i doubt my kitties will have a chance to get pregnant as they are all spayed. would you considering spaying your kitties?

It is pretty heavy responsibility to look after newborn babies. i experienced looking after new borns before, and it is a lot of work -- they basically need you almost 24 hours (like human babies, you know?)

i read from your posting that you have someone who can help. Are you close to her/him? Personally, i would only let my hubby take care of my babies.. i guess the bonding, etc, is there. For kittens, i guess it is okay.

i wish to add a disclaimer : i am only sharing from a personal perspective, so feel free to absorb or dissolve whatever i share here.

Hope all is well. Oh, also, do provide a ticking clock wrapped in a cloth for the kittens, in the event that the kitty mom is separated from the kittens. This way, at least they can hear the "heartbeat" of their mommy and feel secure.

Take care!!

Cheers!

Kisses for the kitties

From another newbie!

 

[haptesthai]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses

Yes, I kind of thought they would be a bit young to be left alone for such a long period of time. I will have to see what is going to happen - it will be hard to change the date of the trip, as any later in the summer is a bad time for us to go, but I'm sure we will work something out.

Hissy,

This is her first litter. Would it be safe to assume that, if she is a good mother during the first 4 weeks, she will most likely be okay while we are gone for a few days? If I were to have someone staying over and not just checking in, what would it entail? What I mean is, would they have to be here all day, or..? I ask because the two people who would be checking on the kittens (mother/daughter) work (7 to 3 at an elementary school), and thus they could not be here all the time during the day.

GurlPower,

I am near Sacramento, so a little bit higher up than you are

I don't know if you mean to get the pregnant cat spayed, or the kittens once they are born? My pregnant cat will be spayed once the kittens are born, and as soon as the kittens can be spayed, they will be as well.

The person that would be watching the kittens is my cousin (age 24) and my aunt. They live right up the street from my house, and as I said before, have had experience with kittens. They have 4 cats themselves (2 of which have had babies), and I do fully trust them with the kittens - they have more experience than I do! I already have it worked out with them to check on my older cats once a day and to clean out the litter box, so now it's just a matter of the kittens.

Thanks again for the help everyone

 

[dragonlady]

I also live near Sacramento! Maybe you could PM me and we can see how far we live from each other! If you are gone for only a few days and the kittens are in a room that has been kitten proofed, everyone should be OK. Make sure there are no curtain cords or electrical cords they can get into. No small spaces they could crawl into and get trapped. No dangling toys that could entangle and strangle them. You will have to lay onto the floor of the room and look under beds for holes in the bottom of the boxsprings and couches they could crawl into, block under dressers they could climb up into from beneath, and so on...
As long as they are contained and safe, and your family knows not to handle the kittens things should be OK. Kittens that young can contract many illnesses from being handled. When they are 6 to 8 weeks old they can get their first shots and can be handled at that time.
Good luck

 

[haptesthai]

Hi!

I live in Orangevale!

So you're right next door to me

I don't think I've ever met anyone so close, I live right off of Greenback and Citrus Heights is only 5 minutes down the street. The closest I've met is in Elk Grove, I think.

Thanks for the advice, it's a little bit reassuring

The kittens and mom will be in my bedroom locked off from my other cat; does that sound okay? I will make sure to put away anything they can get to while I'm gone. How active will 4-week old kittens be? It seems like they must grow fairly quickly, since they are given away or sold at a fairly young age, but like I said before, I really haven't had much experience with kittens before.

Thanks again for the advice!