Mother Cat Eating Kittens

[rubysmama]

Condolences on the loss of the 2 kittens. RIP sweet babies.

Poor mama cat. She doesn't look happy at all. I'm glad you are there to supervise and supplement feed the remaining kitten.

Sending vibes that everything goes well from now on.

 

[Dave226]

Condolences on the loss of the 2 kittens. RIP sweet babies.

Poor mama cat. She doesn't look happy at all. I'm glad you are there to supervise and supplement feed the remaining kitten.

Sending vibes that everything goes well from now on.

Thanks I don't trust mum cat unsupervised with the kitten but with her feeding and me feeding the bottle stuff the kitten is now gaining weight amazingly so much so I wonder whether it's passing urine OK and it's not just backing up According to my cheap scales the kitten gains 18 grams per day and is 232 grams a week after birth.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Are you stimulating the kitten to pee and poop?

 

[Dave226]

Are you stimulating the kitten to pee and poop?

That is the main reason I persist with the mother cat she licks the area in question vigorously even makes it a little red. I am not confident i could do a better job.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Why are you concerned that the kitten is retaining urine?

 

[Dave226]

Why are you concerned that the kitten is retaining urine?

Because it's belly seems large and it's weight gain seems at the top end of the kitten weight charts i researched so basically to good to be true.

It should be noted I have no experience with week old kittens and the scales came free with some cooking utensils

 

[pippapurring]

A round belly is a good sign at that age. The kitten is likely at the top end of the scale because you're supplementing with kitten milk and it doesn't have to compete with its siblings for mum's milk any more. As long as the kitten doesn't seem to be distressed in any other way and you know that the kitten is peeing and pooping I wouldn't worry about the belly

 

[Sarthur2]

Agree! A kitten belly is a good thing, and the weight gain is fantastic!

 

[catsknowme]

You have really been dealing with a lot lately - condolences on losing the 2 babies. MamaKitty does look stressed and I salute you for taking her to the vet - most cats don't have that much trouble mothering so the possibilities of something wrong were definitely there.
I am glad that you are helping out. If the kitten's bladder was too full, it would be meowing in discomfort. You are smart to keep MamaKitty with the kitten as she will keep it warm and fed while you are gone.
Since she is stressed, I would just let her keep the baby in whichever nest she chooses; any interference tends to derail her confidence and causes more stress. On that subject, please give her lots of praise and random treats - compliment her on her beautiful baby, tell her how sorry you are that the other babies died but these things happen and you will be there to help the remaining baby, they are safe with you, and anything else you can say that she seems to enjoy.
Myself, I would wait until the baby is done nursing before spaying her. She has already been frightened enough going to the vet and the baby needs his mom to be as calm and assured as possible.
Thank you for keeping us updated! Prayers and vibes for you all

 

[Yanaka]

Poor mom cat. She must be feeling very stressed. Wish you had spayed her right away--plenty of time to do that in the 7 months you had her. Unnecessary pain for everybody.

 

[Dave226]

Do cats have a tendency to over groom themselves after they have given birth? She appears to be pulling the hairs from her butt area as seen in the not very good photo

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would be concerned that something is bothering her.

 

[Dave226]

I would be concerned that something is bothering her.

The veterinary nurse does home visits so I will ask if she will come round and take a look. No touching just looking

 

[Sarthur2]

Right! It may be stress, or she may have a dermatology condition that would respond to medication. She should definitely be seen.

 

[Dave226]

Right! It may be stress, or she may have a dermatology condition that would respond to medication. She should definitely be seen.

You are right the vet/nurse thinks the hair loss is due to the stress of a "outside cat" being kept inside and I should let her come and go like she did before she gave birth so she doesn't go stir-crazy.

The only remaing kitten is doing fair but no sign of walking yet, it's 359 grams at two weeks however due to the lack of veterinary support I'm concerned if something goes wrong over the Christmas period.

 

[talkingpeanut]

The kitten still needs time with Mom. She should not go outside right now.

Do you plan to spay her?

 

[Dave226]

The kitten still needs time with Mom. She should not go outside right now.

Do you plan to spay her?

You are right I let her out in the vets presence and she didn't come back for about a day the kitten only gained 9 grams with my bottle stuff that day.
Me and the GF thought she was a lost pet and someone would come and claim her, but this now seems unlikely and have decided to get her fixed when and if this kitten gets to a safe weight. (We hope to keep the crazy mother and kitten)

 

[talkingpeanut]

She can already get pregnant again, even without going into heat.

You’ll need to go ahead and spay her now if she’s been outside for a full 24 hours.

I would also find a new vet. That’s terrible advice.

 

[lea98]

You are right the vet/nurse thinks the hair loss is due to the stress of a "outside cat" being kept inside and I should let her come and go like she did before she gave birth so she doesn't go stir-crazy.

I also had received similar advice when my cat gave birth earlier this year in May. Of course I didn't let her stay out for 24 hrs, I let her out for a walk once a week for only 15 minutes or so. But just letting her out of that particular room and letting her roam throughout the house will up her spirits and give her break without actually being outside. Just let her in the room every hour or so. After she's done feeding and grooming you can let her out of the room again. Hope everything is going well!

 

[Sarthur2]

Do not let her outside period. Spay her when the kitten is eating soft food on its own at 6-8 weeks.

I do recommend that you let her out of the room occasionally. If the room has windows, make sure there is a table under a window so she can look out.

A Feliway plug-in will help also!