Cat help - might be urgent.

[notanordinarygirl]

Um... Hi!

About a month ago, a stray cat gave birth to kittens in our laundry room. She has been taking care of her kittens just fine until now (whenever we opened the door to check up on her and her babies she has been there almost all of the time) but I haven't seen her with the kittens lately, and I'm worried.

Does anyone know if this is normal? The kittens have their eyes open now, but they can't walk too much and they are only about a month old. I fear their mom might have left them; we have seen her around, just not at our house, but she isn't dead.

Do cats spend less time with their babies once they reach a certain age or do I have to get the milk bottles and a box ready to try to take care of those kittens by myself?

*Edited like, half an hour later: The mom came back! Thank God, I'm so relieved! I really thought I would have to [*rereads cat website*] help them poop back there!

 

[JadeTigress]

By 3-4 weeks old the kittens should begin the weaning process, being fully weaned at about 6 weeks. However, although the kittens may be weaned at six weeks, they should still be with their mother until they are 8-12 weeks old. So if you plan on re-homing any of the kittens, wait until then.

Anyway, you may already be doing this, but you need to provide the kittens with some kitten food soaked in water to make it softer. They don't need a whole lot, and the mother will help them out, but they need to start getting used to more solid foods. Don't leave the food out all the time. Bring it to them, and keep a close eye on them while they're eating in case one starts to choke. Having never had anything other than their mother's milk, it is possible for this to happen.

Should one start to choke, scoop the kitten up so that it's stomach is laying in your palm and tilt your hand so that the kitten is at an angle, with the head facing downward. Then take the heel of your other hand and kind of strike the kitten with it, kind of pushing forward, and you can swing the kitten a little bit as you strike it. The extra movement will help to expel the food. Don't do it too hard, though, since it's just a little kitten and you don't want to hurt it.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.