Nursing Mama With Fleas / Continued Questions

[Irunwithscissors]

What color is the mama cat?

Honestly, at first glance they all look like boys to me. I'll see if I can enlarge the pictures and get a better look.

Mama is a grey tabby and daddy is a red tabby.

 

[Irunwithscissors]

Spay Neuter Idaho Pets | Low Cost Spay and Neuter Services
This place is $30 for males and $50 for females.

Low Cost Spay and Neuter - Idaho Humane Society
$45 for females and $35 for males

Low Cost Spay & Neuter Clinic at Emerald
This practice seems to have occasional low-cost spay/neuter/vaccine days. Might be worth having as a back up.

Thank you! I'll give them calls on Monday!

 

[GoldyCat]

Mama is a grey tabby and daddy is a red tabby.

In that case, if the mother has any red in her (red, calico, tortoiseshell) it's possible to have some red girls. You'll probably have to wait until they're older to be able to tell for sure.

If you can get some pictures that are sharply in focus we'll be able to see them better, too.

 

[Willowy]

The mama must be a torbie; red boys only come from red or tortie/torbie/calico mamas. But that means that she could have boys of either color. Doesn't narrow it down very much, lol.

I think the cream one is actually cream (dilute red) and the white one will be pointed.

Yeah, some clearer pictures, taken directly from the back, with the kitten on his tummy with his tail held up, might make it more obvious.

 

[Irunwithscissors]

The mama has to be torbie, even if it's not obvious, or she couldn't have red/cream babies.

I think the cream one is actually cream (dilute red) and the white one will be pointed.

These are such cool pieces of advice you all have! All of them are literally puff balls aside from the little red one. He/she has a shorter? Coat... I'm still trying to guess their sexes!

 

[Kieka]

The mama must be a torbie; red boys only come from red or tortie/torbie/calico mamas. But that means that she could have boys of either color. Doesn't narrow it down very much, lol.

Yeah, some clearer pictures, taken directly from the back, with the kitten on his tummy with his tail held up, might make it more obvious.

I though it was red girls that need both parents to carry orange. Red boys can happen with just Dad being orange. That's why solid orange boys are common and solid orange girls are uncommon. If a girl doesn't get orange from both parents she is tortie or calico.

 

[lutece]

I though it was red girls that need both parents to carry orange. Red boys can happen with just Dad being orange. That's why solid orange boys are common and solid orange girls are uncommon. If a girl doesn't get orange from both parents she is tortie or calico.

Red (orange) is on the X chromosome. A boy gets his X chromosome from mom, so his color (red or non-red) always comes from mom, not dad

 

[Kieka]

Red (orange) is on the X chromosome. A boy gets his X chromosome from mom, so his color (red or non-red) always comes from mom, not dad

Thanks

 

[Irunwithscissors]

Ok, so mama and the kittens live in my walk in closet. 3 wks old. One of them made it out of the nesting box today. It climbed the fabric we have stretched across really high and apparently climbed on over. I bought a baby gate today to set up across the closet dooor way. Do I now remove that fabric so they have run of the whole closet? Will they still sleep in the box if I do that? If mama has unlimited freedom will she move them? We've had to shut the closet door so she doesnt move them like she's tried before. I also bought kmr. Do I give this to her or to the kittens? If to the kittens, do I bottle feed it?

 

[Kieka]

KMR goes to Mom for now, just a dish of it once a day. You only need it for the kittens if they stop gaining weight. You can also mix it with their wet food once Mom starts weaning them to make the food a little easier to lap up without loosing nutrition.

Three weeks old is about the age they start exploring their world. Most Mom's will tolerate a bit of wandering from their kittens and allow them to explore within reason. It's good for their little muscles and minds to see new things and move around. I'd go ahead and let them have run of the whole closet at this time. This stage is where most foster mom's give their kittens more space but still keep them confined. Just because you don't want a wobbly kitten literally underfoot on accident. At about 5-6 weeks old they will be ready to explore the room outside the closet. Since the kittens have been in the closet this long, I don't think Mom will try to move them but you'd probably have to play that by ear.

Please remember that Mom can become pregnant again so keep any unaltered males away and Mom in the house. She can be spayed once the kittens are weaned. If you are rehoming the kittens, please let them stay with Mom until 10-12 weeks old so they get full lessons from her on how to play, potty in a litter box, are fully weaned and have time to learn how to cat properly. If you are keeping them, don't forget to spay/neuter before they are 4 months old to avoid any early heat and negative behaviors.

 

[Irunwithscissors]

KMR goes to Mom for now, just a dish of it once a day. You only need it for the kittens if they stop gaining weight. You can also mix it with their wet food once Mom starts weaning them to make the food a little easier to lap up without loosing nutrition.

Three weeks old is about the age they start exploring their world. Most Mom's will tolerate a bit of wandering from their kittens and allow them to explore within reason. It's good for their little muscles and minds to see new things and move around. I'd go ahead and let them have run of the whole closet at this time. This stage is where most foster mom's give their kittens more space but still keep them confined. Just because you don't want a wobbly kitten literally underfoot on accident. At about 5-6 weeks old they will be ready to explore the room outside the closet. Since the kittens have been in the closet this long, I don't think Mom will try to move them but you'd probably have to play that by ear.

Please remember that Mom can become pregnant again so keep any unaltered males away and Mom in the house. She can be spayed once the kittens are weaned. If you are rehoming the kittens, please let them stay with Mom until 10-12 weeks old so they get full lessons from her on how to play, potty in a litter box, are fully weaned and have time to learn how to cat properly. If you are keeping them, don't forget to spay/neuter before they are 4 months old to avoid any early heat and negative behaviors.

And if I add in a little litter box for them will mom use it? I already have her litter box in there too. And thank you SO much for the great advice!

 

[Kieka]

They will start copying Mom and using the litter box soon, probably next week or two. You'd want something big enough for Mom too because they learn by emulating so you want Mom to be able to use it too. Probably a low sided litter box (or a cardboard box top works) with a non clumping litter. Kittens are a lot like young children and they like to taste things to see what they are. You really don't want kittens eating clumping litter and having problems as a result.

 

[Irunwithscissors]

One of my little 3.5 week kittens looks cross eyed? Is this something it will out grow or should I be concerned? I read another post on here back from 2010 lol that said blue eyed cats look like this and it's just an illusion? I tried everything and it wouldn't sit still for a pic. What I do have is attached.

 

[StefanZ]

He is a point. Modern siameses have often crosseyed.

He has perhaps a very recent siamese ancestor.

Talk with your vet to be safe its no other fault - may be.

 

[Kieka]

Cross eye was something bred for in Siamese for a long time, then they started breeding it out. It was natueally occuring to begin with, just not to the extremes some Siamese ended up with. It does still crop up in pointed cats with more recent Siamese heritage (or even distant). Most of the time it isn't anything to worry about. In fact, the cross eyed appearance is to correct for naturally occurring vision problems making it so your cat can see properly.

My boy has crossed eyes, ever so slightly, I think his vision is slightly impacted but nothing that causes him to be unable to see. He just has more trouble then most cats with items closer to him. Which you wouldn't notice unless you watched him closely.

It is a good idea for your vet to do a quick vision test to be sure, but it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[silkenpaw]

the cross eyed appearance is to correct for naturally occurring vision problems making it so your cat can see properly

Can you elaborate on this? What’s the naturally occurring vision problem and how does being cross eyed correct for it? I am fascinated by Siamese cats because of their partial albinism.

 

[Kieka]

The very simple explanation is that the gene that makes their coloring heat sensitive is a variation of albinism. In addition to affecting the coat and eye color it also affects the neural pathways for vision. Causing their internal structures to be misaligned and their vision off. The crossing of the eyes is to correct the misalignment allowing them to see better.

This article goes into the scientific explanation of why albinism and crossed eyes are linked. Visual And Auditory Anomalies Associated With Albinism by Donnell J. Creel – Webvision

 

[Irunwithscissors]

More questions! The kittens are nearly 4 weeks old now. Today we offered a wet kitten food just to see. One of them literally inhaled it. The others couldn't care less. Do I just keep offering every day?

Mama cat is skinny. I've tried scrambled eggs and kmr. They're a no go. Now what can I do?

 

[Willowy]

Yep, just keep offering the food, they'll all get the hang of it eventually.

Nursing babies takes a lot out of a mama. She'll put on weight once they're weaned. You don't have to do anything special. Just make sure she has unlimited access to kitten chow.

 

[Irunwithscissors]

I very much appreciate this site and all of the great advice! I also wanted to show my kittens off. I call this Kitty Tetris...