help with mom rejecting her kittens

[yvonne]

One of our cats gave birth in a neighbouring shed, we tried and tried to find where she had had them with no luck until last night when the neighbour traced them back to us.
they are now almost 4 weeks old and we brought them home and made them nice and warm etc. the problem is that now mom wont go anywhere near them, in fact she hisses and spits at them.
In all there are 6 kittens and 5 of them are eating a little mashed solid food, but one of them seems pretty weak.
I am off to get some provisions soon(milk, bottles) but am really at my wits end as to what to do for the best.
Any advice?

[dinahsmum]

I'm not an expert and I hope someone will be along to help soon.
Just a couple of thoughts

Do you think Mum could have mastitis or even a womb infection, to make her feel bad? Perhaps a quick trip to the vet?

Kittens start eating about 4 weeks anyway, I think, so I hope the little ones will be OK

Good luck

Edit Sorry Yvonne - I forgot to say welcome to Catsey - hope you stay around and chat - maybe post some pics of mum & kits?

[Naomi]

There are a few reasons why a mother cat will reject her baby/babies. She may 'sense' that they are not right eg don't smell right after being handled or sick. She may even be sick herself.

A check up at the vets would definately be a good place to start tho

[yvonne]

Thank you for your ideas,Mom does seem down so I think a trip to the vets might be in order.
Need to go there for some basic supplies anyway, once again thank you for caring.
Cats! wouldn't be without them but sometimes I just wish I could speak feline!

[Naomi]

Don't we all Yvonne :D

[sweetmimi]

Sounds to me like mum is sick or something and a visit to the vet is the best thing Maybe take the kittens with you as well so that the vet can check them over. I think someone told me that if you put some strong smelling fish on your hands and feed some to mother and then put a little on the babies that might help but I am not too sure about that so think the vets is the best thing.

[Sweet]

Hi and welcome to Catsey x

Violet, Mau Mau, Vincent and Mabel wave a paw x

I cannot help re. the kittens, but agree totally that maybe the vet is the best option, I am sure they will be very helpful.

Maybe you could post a few pics :) we love pics on here x

[yvonne]

Hi,
Had a talk to the vet and she didn't think it was a good idea to disrupt them again quite yet, Minnie the moocher (mom) doesn't seem ill just more pee'd off.
Vet gave lots of good advice and sold us a mothering kit and some special kitten formula.
Kittens are very very active and vocal for such young things! they seem to think I am Mom now.
Only trouble now is that last week I took in a stray that my Mum found and couldn't keep, so mug that I am I said I would take it and advertise for the owner(no-one has claimed him yet)
Anyway, Geoffrey ( I know fatal to name them if you are supposed to not be keeping them) is about 9 weeks old and whilst the big cats wont have anything to do with him, he now seems to think that he has 6 little playthings,it's just a shame that he is a little rough with them.
I am hopeless with the digital camara but when the human partner comes home I will see if we can upload some pictures.
Yvonne x

[Donna]

I was gonna suggest a vet trip for all concerned, but if you vet advises against it, then I just hope in time things will improve x

Welcome to the site by the way!

[yvonne]

Hi, called into vets again tonight to get more of the feeding kits(2 teenagers here and 6 kittens, thought it might speed process)
Vet had nothing, recommended Jolley's pet shop, which I have to say had much more to sell and where very knownedgeble even though they were about to shut.
Anyway, kittens are fed, have gone to loo(oooh not nice, didn't know you had to help them) and are content, at least for now)
Now have to get some more time off work.
yvonnex

[dandysmom]

Mum cat is still ignoring them, then? Sounds as if you're doing a good job as substitute mum; how's the sixth one, the one who seemed sickly? They're lucky they have you! If I were you I'd try to keep Geoffrey away from them if possible until they get a little bigger & sturdier....good luck!!!

[Donna]

Glad the kittens are feeding well now - just hope mum kitty comes round a bit and starts to take an interest. And agree with DM to keep Geoffrey away from the babies for the time being!

[borderdawn]

Hi, called into vets again tonight to get more of the feeding kits(2 teenagers here and 6 kittens, thought it might speed process)
Vet had nothing, recommended Jolley's pet shop, which I have to say had much more to sell and where very knownedgeble even though they were about to shut.
Anyway, kittens are fed, have gone to loo(oooh not nice, didn't know you had to help them) and are content, at least for now)
Now have to get some more time off work.
yvonnex
Which Vets is this Yvonne, you live by me?
Dawn.

[yvonne]

Which Vets is this Yvonne, you live by me?
Dawn.

hi Dawn
Lockwoods in Willenhall.
All kittens are now eating well although none seem that fond of bottle feeding they love the whiskas kitten loaf that you get in the small cans.
Mom is still avoiding them but at least is staying in the house now so we have hopes that she will come round. They are just so noisy when they have finished eating that I'm sure that she can't ignore them for long.
Thanks again to everyone for replying.
Yvonne x

[dinahsmum]

Glad it seems to be going well.
Hope you won't be on bottie-washing duty for too long!

[yvonne]

Glad it seems to be going well.
Hope you won't be on bottie-washing duty for too long!

Me too, we have been advised that they should be able to lap by now but I dont seem to be able to find anything that is shallow enough without the milk slopping everywhere, besides which, all 6 seem to want to just walk through/sit in the milk.
Same goes with the food, I have managed to find a largish shallow plastic plate that I can just put the food round the edges of but they still would rather sit in the dish. Oh the mess!!

[Sweet]

;) All good fun.....cant wait for pics x

[Donna]

All that mess sounds like fun - as kittens should be, so you must be doing something right!!

[sweetmimi]

Would keep Geoffrey well away from the kitties as I know of someone who lost all of the kitties as a cat of 3 months kept pushing them around with his paws to try and play with them and they had internal damamge. Pleased though that all your hard work is paying off and kitties are doing well. They will sit and walk in the food until they get the idea that they are supposed to eat it. Wonder why mummy cat is not bothering with them at all though.

[dandysmom]

No experience with kittens; never had a cat younger than 3 1/2 months, but have always heard that kittens are messy feeders untl they get the idea! Sounds as if yours are doing just fine! What color is mum and the babies?

[yvonne]

No experience with kittens; never had a cat younger than 3 1/2 months, but have always heard that kittens are messy feeders untl they get the idea! Sounds as if yours are doing just fine! What color is mum and the babies?

Hi there,

Kittens seem to be thriving but are sooo noisy.Mom is not bothering with them too much which is a shame but she is a very nervy cat at the best of times.
Mom is what I think they call a calico cat as she is white black and ginger in big patches rather than all the colours mingled together like a tortie.
Now the kittens are really a mixture.
we have an all black male, a black female with white socks and white bib.
a tabby ginger male, a tabby and white male
and a ginger female with white and a white female with ginger spots!
Had better go feed the big cats now that little ones have been fed
Yvonne x

[yvonne]

update if anyone wants one.
Just finished another 2 hours of feeding etc.
they are doing just great, they are all eating solid whiskas kitten loaf (what do I mean eating? they roll in it splash it about and generaly mess with it) but some of it is going in their mouthes.
given up on the lactol bottle kits they just don't like them, they are much better(but slower) with the Mikki mothering kit which is more or less just a syringe with a long sylicone teat. Takes longer but gets more in them.
Mom seems to be coming round a little as in she isn't spitting at them but even licked a couple of them earlier so maybe a step in the right direction.
Big problem at the moment is how to clean them as they are getting so dirty with their food and Mom would normaly wash them I guess. I compromised by getting a rough flannel just a bit damp and tried to spruce them up a bit, although they all still stink!
Finally an update on Geoffery the kitten we took in 2 weeks ago, I know everyone had concerns and I did too, but it had been really dificult to keep him away from them altogether.
Well, about an hour ago it was so sweet, when he went to use his dirt tray,one of the little ones followed him and used it too, so maybe he isn't such a pain as I thought he maybe.
Sorry for going on.
Yvonne x

[Donna]

Sounds like everything will work out well! Well done on all your efforts for this little kitty family!

[yvonne]

Sounds like everything will work out well! Well done on all your efforts for this little kitty family!

Thanks Donna,
I just hope they all grow up and can make some one else happy, just wish I could keep one but I have my hands full with all the others (not to mention kids who bring stray other kids home)
They do seem contented for now so we must be doing something right.

Will keep everyone updated if you want.

Yvonne x

[borderdawn]

Thanks Donna,
I just hope they all grow up and can make some one else happy, just wish I could keep one but I have my hands full with all the others (not to mention kids who bring stray other kids home)
They do seem contented for now so we must be doing something right.

Will keep everyone updated if you want.

Yvonne x
Glad things are settling down a little. Perhaps getting mom spayed would be a good thing, especially if she is a nervous Cat, will save any of your worry again.

Lockwoods seem a decent clinic, been there a few times with clients pets.
Dawn.

[dandysmom]

Yvonne, delighted to get updates!! So pleased that they're doing well...that was cute about one of the wee ones following Geoffrey to the loo:D Agree that getting mum spayed is an excellent idea. Thanks for the color breaddown: mum sounds like a beauty (I love calicos!), and leave it up to one of the members who knows genetics to explain that mixture of kit colors!!

[yvonne]

Thanks again for the replies,
Mom has fed the kittens tonight which to me is a great breakthrough! It was so lovely to see.
However I don't know now whether I should stay around as all I wanted was to find a site that could offer advice etc, ie other cat lovers, but having read some of the other coments on kittens that are not bred due to planning maybe this isn't where I should be?
Yvonne

[yvonne]

Glad things are settling down a little. Perhaps getting mom spayed would be a good thing, especially if she is a nervous Cat, will save any of your worry again.

Lockwoods seem a decent clinic, been there a few times with clients pets.
Dawn.

Dawn, yes they are a good animal hospital I have been using them for a number of years.
They just didn't have to hand what I needed at the time.

[dandysmom]

Thanks again for the replies,
Mom has fed the kittens tonight which to me is a great breakthrough! It was so lovely to see.
However I don't know now whether I should stay around as all I wanted was to find a site that could offer advice etc, ie other cat lovers, but having read some of the other coments on kittens that are not bred due to planning maybe this isn't where I should be?
Yvonne
Yvonne, please stay! This is a site for people who love cats, planned litters or not!!! You rescued and are fostering these little ones; we'd love to follow their progress,,,you are MORE than welcome here!!

[borderdawn]

Hi Yvonne.
Many people on here do rescue, and yes you are right there are some adverse reactions due to unplanned moggy breeding and yes we had a debate on it. You will find however, EVERYBODY'S Cats on here are very much loved and adored by their owners as I am sure yours are, and the members here have a wealth of knowledge to share. Stick around.
Dawn.

[dinahsmum]

Hi Yvonne.
Many people on here do rescue, and yes you are right there are some adverse reactions due to unplanned moggy breeding and yes we had a debate on it. You will find however, EVERYBODY'S Cats on here are very much loved and adored by their owners as I am sure yours are, and the members here have a wealth of knowledge to share. Stick around.
Dawn.
Yes, exactly

[yvonne]

Update time now they are finaly asleep again for I hope a while.
Minnie moocher (Mom) fed the kittens twice last night but would only accept feeding them on top of the welsh dresser which meant one of us had to be there all the time for when she had finished to scoop them back down onto the floor, she still wouldn't accept them in the bed we have made for them.
This morning she went missing and only came home at about 2.00pm. She has fed them briefly but seemed a bit overwhelmed by having all six of them and started getting a little angsty with them.
I am starting to wonder now whether the neighbour who's shed they were in knew where the cat belonged for some time now and only traced us when maybe when things started to get a little too much for Mom?
Sorry, this is turning into a long post!
Things here are so hectic, please tell me everyones house is such a pigsty sometimes!
We are supposed to be away this weekend (last weekend we took Geoffrey away in the caravan and hoped to do the same this one)
My 20 year old daughter says she can cope but........... well, maybe she may cope better than me because she doesn't fuss as much.
Off to try to tidy up now, may be away for the weekend, who knows?
Yvonne x

[Donna]

Hope you stay to chat Yvonne. And dont worry about the messy house - its part of the deal when you become a Catsey member!!

[Naomi]

Yvonne you've gotta stick around, cos we need plenty more updates :D

Every cat owner is welcome. You could also have some experiences with your cats that others are going through and help them out.

We do have 'healthy debates' but we still remain friends and have a good laugh aswell :D

[yvonne]

Yvonne you've gotta stick around, cos we need plenty more updates :D

Every cat owner is welcome. You could also have some experiences with your cats that others are going through and help them out.

We do have 'healthy debates' but we still remain friends and have a good laugh aswell :D

Don't know how much knowledge I have, I'm still clueless, although I have had cats for the last 21 or more years it's just trial and error I suppose, first time I have had to cope with this though!
Geoffrey is coming in the caravan with us tonight, we are only going 30 mins from home and if Bryony(daughter) can't cope we can just come home again.
Mom has been coping with 2-3 kittens at a time so they should be o.k. It just needs someone to supervisee and make sure that they are alright.

[Amanda]

well I hope you stick around as your we're all keen to hear your updates ;)

you have done a great job by the sound of things, and so Well Done :D
Hope you have a great well deserved break

[yvonne]

Hi, back again, we got home a few or more hours ago but things were a bit hectic.
All 6 kittens are still with us and thriving, making lots of mess and noise though still.
Judging by the little bits of mess they seem to be leaving it would seem that we don't need to encourage them to 'poo' any more(cotton buds and massage is just so ucky)
Just need for them to be trained into the litter trays now.
Mom is slowly accepting them again but seems a little clueless, still they are still here after nearly a week so I suppose that, fingers crossed they will make it.
I have stopped the bottle feeding as Mom is having some input and they are eating(still splashing about in, rolling about in etc.) solid food.
They are just sooo sweet, I have some pictures on my mobile but don't know what to do with them.
Back to work full time tomorrow, can't have much more time off.
Yvonne x

[Mags]

You are doing a grand job Yvonne!:D

[Naomi]

Sounds like a grand job has been done :D

[Kazz]

Only just caught up with this post - somedays I mis entire people never mind a post.

Yes please do stay your kittens sound smashing we are a friendly bunch here and when we do argue no onw hopefully takes offence a healthy argument is good for the typing finger :)

Karen