Most interesting day.... ever???

Okay - it all started out normal. 7:30 wake up call from my son, daycare by 9. I decided to go grocery shopping after I dropped him off and get something production done while I was half asleep. Brought my groceries home, and put them away. Cool.
My friend calls me to ask me if I would like to get together and whatnot, and I said sure. "Now I just have to find something to do with this ca....." he says. "The what? Did you say Cat????" said I.
"Yah, I found a cat at citgo late last night that was really skinny with a collar, and really sweet. I think it belongs to someone, but my mother really freaked out when I tried to bring it home last night. It's in my car now"

Ooooook, I can see where this is going. "Bring it over heeeeeere..... we'll try to find it's owner." I can't leave the darn thing in the car???

So, some time went by, things happened.. blah blah blah. We finally get the cat over here. My cat sammy, who I was told by the shelter hated other cats, is really interested in just being her buddy. Phew, that's one hurdle - the other is the slight fact that my boyfriend, who I share this home with, is in St. Maarten. He's gonna kill me when he finds out about this. She sure is a cutie ...

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...unknown001.jpg

but wait, what's this? Her tummy...feels... like.... oh man.
My stray kitten that needs to find her home just turned into a pregnant kitten in my home who will never find her other home because she's obviously pregnant, even in the picture.

Crap. Now my boyfriend is really gonna kill me. LOL. "Huuunny ... theres a new kitty in our home....but that's not all....."

lol - it went from " That cat better find its home before she gives birth" to "now my cat has a girlfriend that im going to have to fix..." :D I love my boyfriend. But anyways.

So I go to get my son from school and come home. That cat is meowing like crazy -

her butt is all....
gooey.

you've GOT to be kidding me.
Seriously - you have GOT TO BE KIDDING.

She happily has me follow her to her 3 new kittens in the darkest, hardest to get to by humans spot she could find in my house.

Okay, NOW my boyfriend is going to kill me.

"Now we might have to keep one, but I dont know. Leave me alone till i get back" lol - he was just kidding about the leave me alone part - he's getting used to me bringing home animals.


Has anyone had kittens before? How long does it take for momma to take care of them? I cant tell if they have eaten, I havent seen them latched on yet. I bought some formula just it case. I dont know what to look for??

I just can't believe this all happened in one day. UN-freakin-believable,

Im excited :D

wow! triple-whammy! congrats on the insta-family! lol! mama will usually start weaning around 4 weeks but the kittens will try to milk her for all she's worth (haha) as long as she let's them. mama will also clean up after her kittens and teach them all about the litter box! (YES!!!) really, my only problem with kittens is them being always under foot and into anything. but, this is easily remedied with some kind of child-proof gate or something... until they learn to climb....

LOL, thanks :cool: I've done snakes and rats, but kittens is def. a first. I think this is going to be a very exciting experience!! I just cant believe it happened all in one day.


She is laying with them in "her" place ( that she stole from my boy kitty!!) - which I guess is a good sign. I can finally see her tummy, and it doesn't look wet at all - im really nervous that these guys are getting anything to eat.
I will be heartbroken if they dont make it. I have the formula, ready for combat!! I just dont know when I should declare war.

hello,

I just had the same situation happen to me about 4 or 5 months ago. Took in a stray kitty, who was pregnant also, and ended up with a momma and 4 kittens. But they are pretty self sufficient, I didn't notice the kittens latched on right away either, but they will eventually find their way. I would basically just keep and eye out but leave them alone for the first few days(the kittens). I am sure that they will have no problems. Feed the momma the kitten formula dry food and just be aware that she may eventually try to relocate her kittens. So if you come home and the kittens aren't where they were before you left, she probably moved them. And yes, when they begin to walk around, they become little handfuls, and it is def. worse when they learn to climb. You can't keep them in one place for nothing!!! LOL But kittens are totally adorable, and I am sure your kittens will do just fine!!! And yes, you should start offering the kittens some moist kitten food at around 4-5 weeks, they will show an interest in it when they are ready. The kittens that we had were weaned and litterbox trained completely by 6 wks,but you should wait until the 7 - 8 wk. point to find them homes. Oh, one more thing, watch your toes!!! LOL The kittens we had here were born in my closet (of all places) and when they were about 5 weeks, they learned to all hide under the bed and pounce on your toes/feet when we walked by. But as long as you take care of the momma, she will do all the taking care of of the kittens. You basically just have to love and enjoy them!!!! Good luck and keep us posted!!

I have played grandma to many a litter of kittens in my time. Since momma actually came to you and led you to her babies, that's a good sign that she is comfortable with you and trusts you with and around her babies. If she is indeed young, she might not really know what she's supposed to do with these new little things. Check her teets first and make sure they are elongated. If they are real small and set close to the skin, she might not be lactating. If that's the case, the vet can usually give you some good pointers to help that along.
If her teets look good and, upon lightly squeezing them, you get milk, all should be good to go.

One of my fosters who was young and gave birth didn't really know what she was supposed to do with these little things, however, she trusted me and felt more secure and at ease when I was in the room with her so I would sit with her, scratch her under her chin until she laid down and got comfortable, then I'd put the kittens to her belly. From that point the kittens knew what to do. It was Momma who needed the reassurance that yes, it's ok for them to do that.

I would just keep an eye on the kittens over the next few days. If their little tummys aren't getting fat then you might have to bottle feed them. If mom is spending quality quiet time with them, just peek in on her and see if the little ones are nursing. Generally a mother will nurse every couple of hours.

Good luck and post some pictures of the babies when you can.

what a beautiful little girl there!

just be sure to keep the kittens warm & the activity in that area kinda quiet. momma cats love to move babies if they get in a busy space.. :3

cats, for the most part it seems, somehow always have a way to find a good loving home right about the time they decide to have a batch of kittens.

Okay, mom is spending her time with them, but I really dont think she is lactating. I searched everywhere for more reading on this , and im having a hard time.

She was bone thin when she came in, and it wouldn't suprise me if she wasn't nutitionally sound enough to lactate.
I squeezed one, and im not getting any milk, I dont think the kittens can find them underneath all that fur. And if she were lactating and the kits were feeding, wouldnt her belly hair be wet or something? Im freaking out

If she is lactating and nursing then you should be able to tell because the teets would most likely be obviously sticking out. Maybe you should take her to a vet to have her looked over and see what the vet says. They could tell you for sure if she is lactating or not. And then they could also tell you how to feed the kittens also should you need to. And if the kittens are nursing, the fur won't necessarily be wet, depending on when they last nursed. Are the kittens looking okay? I would probably see if you can't get the cat to a vet maybe tomorrow, the kittens are only going to last a few days if they aren't nursing at all.

Hey we need some pictures of these kitties. :) How are they doing today?

yeah! where's our update?