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?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by adizziedoll

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

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No, not necessarily wet. After a day or two the fur is parted around the teat and there's a ring of skin where the fur is parted and laying sort of flat around her teats.

If the kittens are mewing a lot and rooting around, acting like they're having difficulty, then maybe she's not letting down or milking, but if they're nursing and quiet, or rubbing her belly, the milk bar is just fine.

Be sure to give her lots of protein and calories. Maybe put the food bowl and always fresh, clean water RIGHT NEXT TO the nursery bed. Treats that will encourage her to eat will help her with the lactation, too. She'll need the extra calories and water to help both her emaciated condition & her milk production.

Thanks for all the replies.


After posting, I did some more research and found that these babies were premature - extremely premature. They are supposed to be around 100-110 grams when they are born, and anything uder 85 ish is underweight. These were 52, 52, 62, and 76 grams.
I read that they rarely survive at these weights
And they were right.
I lost 3 out of 4, coincidentally, the 3 smallest ones. They didn't even have the intinct to swallow food.
I do have the biggest one, and he is eating and gaining like a champ. I love him, he is my miracle kitten, and I cant wait to watch him grow.

52 grams each.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...s820.07008.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...s820.07007.jpg

So sad looking
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...s820.07014.jpg


This is the only one I have left. Part siamese???

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...s820.07002.jpg

I buried them all together underneath a nice jap.maple in my yard :tombstone

poor babies! think it was mom's stress over the new place, etc, that made her go into premature labor? so sad! at least there is some good out of this though! are you going to keep both mom and baby? i love his coloring! gorgeous! be sure to keep us updated!


btw- i love watching kittens grow.... maybe some pictures along the way to healthy big, healthy kittenhood?

Sorry to hear about the loss of the babies.:( They are so tiny. Kudos on saving the mother cat and remaining baby.:sunny:

What a sad story... I had to share it with some people at work and they loved your pictures.

We all wish you the best with you new little baby, and will keep him in our prayers.

Thanks for sharing!!!

I am sorry about the loss of the other kittens, but I am glad that the one left seems to be doing well. I hope that you keep him, he deserves a loving forever home after struggling his first days of life. And definately keep us all posted on his progress!!

Well, i am astonished on how FAST this little kitten is growing!! I'm used to snakes growing at 100 grams a month. This little guy was 152 grams this morning! 8 days and he has more than doubled his weight!

My little chunker this morning:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...l/P8290005.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...l/P8290003.jpg

see the difference from before?? :


http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...s820.07002.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by python.princess

poor babies! think it was mom's stress over the new place, etc, that made her go into premature labor?

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That's what I was thinking, along with the fact that she was just a kitten herself and she was skin and bones when she came to me.

I def. want to keep the kitten, and I am hoping that my other cat sammy will learn to love it as it grows up around him. Momma cat, on the other hand, is a big jerk to sammy, and she will probably be placed. She is such a sweetheart, someone will be more than happy to bring her home with them.

Thanks for all the comments and support everyone!

looks like he's definitely doin good! still love his coloring...

Glad to hear momma and kitten are doing well with the exception of momma being mean to sammy. :( Maybe she is protective of the kitten. The kitten is just precious.:gj:

The coloring is out of this world on him- im trying to figure out if his skin is black under the white hairs. I think he's going to turn out to be a very handsome boy.

I did post some "found" posters on the momma - someone came yesterday, but it wasnt his. He said she looks just like his missing one, and if I dont find the owner by the time she is done nursing, he will take her home. :D

I too have raised a number of kittens from various stages, and I agree that those poor things were undersized. I'm glad that you took mom in, and that at least one of the kids has survived. His colouring is fabulous...I definitely want to see weekly photo updates on him. I'll bet it changes dramaticly by the time he's grown. I've seen hundreds of kittens of odd lineages, and never one like that before.

How are momma and kitten doin? We need new pics of the kitten!;)

That's funny - because I just took a series of pics before I read your post scoob :)


In all of his kitten'iss glory

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...l/P9040014.jpg

W/ momma on the bed

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...l/P9040023.jpg


Anyone ever seen a kitten like this?? He's blowing my mind!

He looks like he is doing so well!!! I am so glad. :) And he is absolutely gorgeous, I love his coloring, very unique. I have no idea what mix of cat he would be, but with the dark to light markings, could be maybe a mix of like a Himalayan or a Ragdoll type cat. Hmmmm....... especially if he ends up with longer hair. But I am no expert on cat types, so I am probably way off. He does kinda take after his momma alot, his white markings as well as the mix of black and pink on the nose. Tooo cute!!

Again, I am sooooo glad that he seems to be doing so well!!!! You have done an excellent job of taking care of him and his momma!! :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sunny1

Again, I am sooooo glad that he seems to be doing so well!!!! You have done an excellent job of taking care of him and his momma!! :gj:

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Thank you so much - this has been a heck of an emotional rollercoaster.
I can't wait to see him grow :love:

aww.... his eyes are so pretty! and i'm still amazed at his color! breathtaking! and i think there must be an advantage to not having to share mom's milk supply cuz he seems to be growing like a weed!

Yay for updates! He looks in great shape...rolly-polly as kittens should be.
He has, hands down, the most amazing colour. I've seen one other litter with that colouring, and I didn't get to see them develop. Anybody serious about cats know that colour is called? I want to say "smoke" but I don't think that's right.
I'm looking forward to watching this guy grow up!

Wow what a gorgeous kitten, a definite keeper and it sounds like you may have a good home for momma to go to once he's weaned. So sorry to read about the loss of the rest of the litter but between her being dumped/lost and being such a young cat herself, you're lucky any of her kittens made it. Make sure her new owner agrees to spay her or have it done yourself before you adopt her out (there's usually very reasonable spay/neuter/shots clinics run in most communities).

Yay! They look great!:sunny: The kittens color is out of this world! They are so lucky they found you.:yes: :yes:

346g today :D


http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...l/P9120013.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...l/P9120010.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...l/P9110005.jpg

AWWWWW!!! He is getting so big, and he is cuter and cuter with every pic that you post! I love all kitties, but he really takes the cake with his amazing coloring. Thanks for keeping us posted on how well he is doing, you really are doing a great job with him. BTW have you named him yet???

omg! it's a completely dif. kitten!

Awww he is so cute!:P I didn't think it was possible but he is getting more adorable. :carrot:

Hey where are the kitty pics this week? I need my fix!:giggle: :w00t:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scoobyark

Hey where are the kitty pics this week? I need my fix!:giggle: :w00t:

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i second that request!

And I'll third it!