Mama hiding newborn kittens!!!Help!

TortieBaby · #1 08-28-2006, 05:50 PM

What do I do???My kitty gave birth a couple days ago and for some reason she has tried to hide her kittens behind the fridge twice today!

She hasn't tried for the past hour, but I'm on red alert! I blocked it up the first time and she found a way through, but I caught her in the act with a kitten in her mouth. I think I have it blocked well now.

I don't know why she was trying to hide them. I have one other cat in the house that doesn't get along with the mama, they have a wrestle every now and then. Do you think the other cat is the problem??? I put her outside for now and will only bring her in at night.

Any suggestions???

Angelnstuff · #2 08-28-2006, 08:44 PM

is she a fisr time mom? is there a room you can put the mom in? maybe put her in a bedroom with her own food/water and litter pan. Also, as tempting as it may be you guys need to leave mum and her kittens alone, which means dont let anyone touch the kittens, and no more pictures. atleast for a week or so, let mom get used to the idea of being a mom

TortieBaby · #3 08-29-2006, 10:50 AM

yes, she is a first time mom. No, there is no room we can put her. We are staying in a building that my parents turned into a living place and it is all one building, no rooms. (we are staying temperarily til we find a house to rent) Also, I'm am the only one allowed to touch the kittens. The mama was feral when I got her as a kitten and she attached to me and won't let anyone else near her. Obviously she can't help it right now because she can't leave her babies so I don't let other people mess with her right now because I don't want to stress her. She is in a large hamper. I covered the top so she only has enough room to get in and out.

Unfortunately, I have to handle the kittens alot because a couple hours after they were born they had a ton of fleas already so I had to actually bath them(with diluted dawn soap) their first day. The second day I had to bath them again, along with mama. I also changed the bedding. Now I just check them a couple times a day to make sure the fleas have not returned. I know that was pretty stressful for her. She doesn't mind me checking them as long as they don't cry. If they start to cry I put them right back.

Vanilla_Rat · #4 08-30-2006, 01:34 AM

How is the mother cat doing??Is she still moving the kittens around?

As for the fleas,are you treating the house,as in carpet and whatnot? I know you cannot actually treat the kittens this young,but you should try the house,as flea eggs could be in carpet,floor cracks,fibers...etc.

TortieBaby · #5 08-30-2006, 10:29 AM

Mama hasn't tried to mom them again so I'm down to yellow alert.

I took her and her babies to the vet, everyone is healthy, just fleas. Doc told me to put advantage on mama and I also gave her a capstar tab made for nursing mamas. Found lots of dead fleas in bed, Yeah! I also teated my other cats so I won't get anymore flea problems. I will bomb(bug bomb) the house in a couple days too.

specialname · #6 08-31-2006, 01:14 PM

i would get flea treatment treat your house, cat and buy a small dog cage let her out to eat and potty often.

Keritsubo · #7 08-31-2006, 03:28 PM

Mom may be trying to move the babies because you are handling them. Even though Mom may seem okay with you handling the babies we often had the mother cats move their litters because of just too much fuss. I'd suggest maybe going to a store you can get some free cardboard boxes and put off an area just for mom and babies. Doesn't have to be small but I think she'll feel better if she has some more privacy.

Best of luck with the fleas, its hard because when they are so young you can't use any real tratements on the babies themselves.

HappyDancer · #8 08-31-2006, 08:33 PM

the box idea is a goos one...we had a box with a towel in it in the closet (cracked open) so our wilder cat felt safer and more secure...it worked (she was a rescue) she just needs to feel more in control, and needs less excitment

TortieBaby · #9 09-07-2006, 11:13 AM

Thanks for all of your support and advice!

Well, my hubby and I just moved and brought her and 2 other cats with us. We have a tiny car and it was packed so I had to hold the mama and babies in my lap the whole time. During most of the rid the mama hid, but she checked on her babies every once in a while. Want to hear something cute though...

I have another cat who just lost her babies right before birth(she had to have surgery, they were too far gone and couldn't be saved) and during most of the ride she "babysat" the kittens. She still had some milk and so she would lay in the lap with the kittens and clean and nurse them, then she would go lay somewhere else in the car. At one point the mama cat came to the front seat while the other cat was nursing her babies. Instead of getting upset, she just laid down next to her and helped out, how cute is that?!? I think she appreciated the help because she was too scared to do it herself.
Anyways, we azre moved now and we keep the mama and babies in a crate and close the door at night so the mama can't hide them while we are sleeping. She seems comfy where she is though and I think she's over the "moving babies" stage. Plus, the babies are almost too big for her to move now. She's almost half the size of our other female and the other one is small too. I think she only wieghs about 4 lbs, if even that much.

Vanilla_Rat · #10 09-07-2006, 08:29 PM

Awwww...sounds sweet.She wanted to help.I find that adorable!

Sweetpea 21 · #11 09-23-2006, 07:55 AM

Use Advantage on all of your cats who are 4 months old or older. Get the package meant for the biggest dog. It is the same chemical. Get a syringe (no needle). Express the vial of Advantage into a small cup. Draw up 1/2 cc and release it between a cat's shoulder blades (top part). If the cat is very large (15-20 pounds), use 3/4 cc. Best to have someone else help you if the cats are skittish. You want to be sure the chemical stays between the shoulder blades, where the cat cannot reach it.

Make sure the cats don't lick or groom one another until the chemical is dry. If no one goes outside, ever, you may not have to do this again for a year or more...and it will take care of your flea problem. Buying a separate vial of Advantage for each cat is major expense...and, as I am caretaker for 15, this is what I do.

Advantage & fleas