New mama

[Tambrey]

Yeah...it is that time of year....I went out this afternoon and heard a kitten mewling...I finally found it in a box nearby (we never throw boxes away because the cats....inside and outside...love them!)
There was blood with it so we knew it was new...even though it was dry and fluffy.....looked down on the ground nearby and found one that had not made it .... so wondered about how long this one had been alone...

Hubby and I looked around and found a gray cat we knew was pregnant busy licking herself with a bit of blood on the sidewalk beside her....

We held down the baby and she sniffed it, then went back to licking...at this point we were not sure if she was interested or if we would be bottle feeding...so hubby set it on the ground beside her and we watched a moment...as other cats came to investigate, she got possessive of it...finally...and picked it up...heading back towards the box we took it from...so we KNEW it was hers for sure...

However, she was dragging its little bottom on the sidewalk, so my husband (who hates cats...whatever!) petted the mama and said he would help...the next time she set the kitten down, he picked it up...she let out a yowl and jumped up at his hand...he held the kitten at her level, and slowly walked back to the box with it and lowered it in...she purrrrred and jumped right in with it and started nuzzling and cleaning it while it snuggled in to nurse...

throughout the day, we have checked her...she still only has the one...we did find another one that had expired, so we assume she had (at least) 3 and only the one made it...

So as soon as she is done nursing it...she will be the next to be spayed as we do not need to keep letting her have babies that are not healthy...actually not at all...but having babies die has to be stressful on her too...poor thing....

But the one she has is very vocal and very pretty....dark gray near the head, fading down to light gray at the tail....


ggrrr...storms have come in....even up under the porch her box has gotten wet...could not risk moving it tonight, so I just grabbed a plastic trash bag and fashioned a safe cover over it....plenty of air..she can get in and out...but the side the rain is blowing in from will not get any wetter at least....and she was still dry inside the box...but will need to get her into a new one tomorrow

[Traci]

Newborn kittens need dry and warmth - especially when the mother leaves the box - put a fleece blanket in it at least! Then in the morning, check it - a trash bag covering could make it extremely hot in sunlight. Lastly, provide a new box, you can't risk wetness, mold, mildew, etc with a newborn, viruses thrive in moist environments.

[Tambrey]

oh yeah....she will definitely get a new box in the morning...this one she is in now will be trashed so she cannot move into it again...and the porch is on the east side of the house so it will be checked early on....

I have since gone and gotten an old towel for her and the baby....so they will be fine for the rest of tonight...and the wetness had not seeped into the box...yet...but I know it will throughout the night....and it sounds as if the major part of the storm has passed already and the winds have died down....which i a relief as well....

[Tambrey]

Well...after much doting from me...the little one did not make it....

I gave Mom a new box...twice...she would grab her baby and move back to the ratty one....she was not producing enough milk...I was supplimenting her and the kitten with KMR...

but she also doted on her baby...she did sleep with it....cuddle with it...purrrr and love it...I was even putting food and water in the box for her so she did not need to leave to eat...she just was not able to provide,....or maybe something was wrong that I did not notice...the only thing I did notice was that sometimes when I was feeding it, I would need to use my finger to unstick its tongue from the roof of its mouth...I have never seen a kitten keep its tongue up like that...and it had a very narrow, very thin face and mouth...so perhaps was not able to suckle enough...

Anyways....it is at peace now...

[Traci]

I thought you were getting rid of the original box?

Could have been cleft palate. Could have been anything from poor nutrition to a virus to bacterial to anything else.

If the mom is in good health, get her spayed promptly, but only if in good health.

[Tambrey]

I tried to get rid of it...she was wandering around where it had been with the kitten dangling in her mouth...so I finally put it back for her because she was stressing...I left the new one there hoping that she would move over...and I tried a couple more times...she wanted the old one...period...

yes...she is in good health, so as soon as her mammaries go down, she will be in to get spayed....