Caring for Kittens

Having a new litter of kittens can be exciting yet concerning. In most cases the mother cat will instinctively know just what to do. She will give birth, clean the kitten, and encourage it to nurse as she delivers the rest of the litter. Kittens are not born quickly, all at once. After the first kitten is delivered it may take half an hour or longer for the second kitten to be born. The best thing you can do for the mother cat as she gives birth is to give her a soft, safe place to lay. Keep other cats and dogs away from her, and talk to her soothingly. After all of the kittens have been delivered the mother cat will tend to them, and protect them. She will not want anyone near the kittens, and will not leave them for the first several hours. However, mother cats don't always do these things. Sometimes things go wrong.

If your mother cat is not licking her kittens after they are born there is a problem. The first thing you can do is determine if the kitten is alive or not. Touch it, see if it moves. If it is moving remove it from the skin like sack if the mother has not. Grab a wash cloth and swaddle the kitten, using the cloth to rub and dry the baby. Do this to stimulate activity, to promote breathing, and to basically keep the kitten alive.

If the mother cat knows her babies were born too early she will reject them, even try to kill them. This rarely happens unless the kittens are premature or she knows that something is wrong. Premature kittens are very small, their fur is not fully grown in, their eyes and ears are not fully developed. The mothers instinct is to let them die. She will not try to feed them, she will abandon them. If you want to try to save the kittens there are a few things you can do.

1. Keep the kittens warm. Create a box which has soft warm blankets in the bottom of it, tightly stretched across the bottom of the box so the kittens will not suffocate or get trapped. Place a light 2 feet above the kittens if the weather is cold. In warm weather no light is needed.

2. Pet the kittens lightly, often, as the mother cat should be licking them to keep their circulation going. Rubbing the kittens lengthwise, gently, helps to keep their blood flowing. When a mother cat refuses to lick her kittens the main problem is the lack of blood flow, the lack of circulation, which can be fatal.

3. Feed the kittens using a kitten feeding bottle and a supplement formula meant for kittens. Find these products at any pet store, or in the pet section of your local grocery store or Walmart. Follow the amount recommendations on the formula to know how much and how often to feed your kitten. Hold the kitten as if it were a very small baby, dropping one drop of formula into it's mouth at a time. You may need to gently rub the nipple on the kittens mouth to get the kitten to open up and eat. Make sure the formula has been swallowed down before any more drops are given or the kitten will take in too much and choke.

Watch the kittens very closely if there are any signs of the mother cat not wanting to care for them. Like I mentioned, it will be her instinct to leave them to die, or to kill them if she feels the need. If a mother cat is rejecting her kittens in any way this may be the case and it is essential to watch the kittens closely. Many times a mother cat will lay on her litter, or on a single kitten, to smother them. You can prevent this and keep the kitten alive by caring for it yourself if the kitten is breathing on it's own.