Conference misery::feline_v1

    Kathryn,
    
    I just went through this on Sunday morning.  My cat finally had 
    her babies.  How far along is your friends cat?  What my family 
    and I did was, we set up the spare bedroom with a box and layered
    it with blankets and old towels.  I also bought some books that 
    have been very helpful!  I would definately suggest your friend to 
    invest in some books!!  I'll look up the names of them and get back
    to you.  
    
    Alot of people kept telling me not to get to excited because you 
    never know what can happen.  Well, when it came time for my kitty 
    to deliver she wanted no part of it!!!   That's where the books 
    came in handy!!  Make sure your friend has read up on kitty births!
    I learned alot from some people in this notes file as well as the 
    books!!  If you want more information as to what I did write me a vax-
    mail off line so I can explain!  USWRSL::MCROBERTS_MI.
    
    Good Luck!
    
    Michele, Jasmine, Silly and the 5 little ones!!

      When I was in the USAF, we had a cat that had sort of loose morals,
    and she ended up getting pregnant before we realized she was old enuff
    and before we could get her spayed.  When it got close to her time, she
    made a "nest" in the coat closet in a box full of clean rags. We
    figured this would be a good place for her, so we didn't try to move
    her.
    
      The morning that she dilivered, I almost got court-martialed for
    being A.W.O.L..... I was getting dressed to go to the base, when she
    came into the bedroom "miaiow-ing"....and that't when I noticed a tiny
    paw protruding...She'd never had kittens before, and when she started
    to deliver, she became concerned and went to "Dad" for help... I helped
    her deliver the first one, thinking this would be all she needed. She
    diligently washed him, and then promptly abandoned him and came back to
    get me....so I had to sit through 4 babies and provide moral support
    for her through it all. My NCOIC, being an understanding if not
    sympathetic sort, looked at me like I was nuts when I told him, but I
    saw a sly grin when he thought I wasn't looking....
    
      We used to tease this cat by taking the kittens and putting them in
    various places in the house before they were able to walk...they'd
    start yelling, and mom-cat would come to get them...adn give us the
    DIRTIEST looks!! 
    
       JMcD

    One of the prime causes of death in newborns kittens is hypothermia. 
    Newborns cannot regulate their own body heat, and they have no shiver
    reflex.  It is always best to have a heating pad under the nest, set on
    low.  Put the pad under half the box, so that if it gets too warm for
    momcat, she can move off the pad herself.  If the litter consists of
    only one or two kittens, heat is even more important.  The kittens will
    pile up to keep each other warm when mom is out of the nest.  With only
    one or two kittens, they can't generate enough heat on their own to
    keep them warm.
    
    Hypothermia can be contracted even with the weather is nice and warm,
    so don't let the fact that it is summer throw you off.
    
    Jo

    Well, it happened last night...  I received a phone call at about
    10:00 and my friend was VERY panicked to say the least.  It seems
    that Trixie was about to have her babies and being a fairly young
    cat herself, Ben had no idea how she would do.  She gave birth to
    the first one within the first five minutes of our conversation.
    He was right...  Trixie's mothering instincts didn't kick in right
    away and I talked Ben through taking over.  Then I hopped in my car
    and headed over to his house.  Trixie (a beautiful little all-white
    shorthair) was fairly perplexed when I got there but Ben was a lot
    calmer.  The first kitty (we named him "Alpha" for now) was all black
    and appeared very healthy and strong.  "Beta" arrived soon after I
    got there and is all beige with two little black stripes at the base
    of his little ears.  Again, another healthy strong one.  "Delta"
    came onto the scene soon after Beta and is all white, then little
    "Epsilon" came out kicking and is all smoky grey.  The mothering
    instinct kicked in with the arrival of this fourth one and everthing
    turned out great.  We really thought that a fifth would come along,
    but then it looked momma-kitty was settling in with the babies so
    I went home.  Ben called me soon after to say that "Gamma" had indeed
    arrived and was all black just like Alpha.  Then, this morning when
    he awoke, who should he find but "Omega" (the sixth and LAST finally!)
    who is all brown.
    
    He really did great helping out Trixie and we only had to cut the
    cords on the first three.  Thank God Trixie finally figured out
    what was going on.  The funny thing is, she purred the whole time
    she was giving birth.  I thought that was so neat.  So...  if anyone
    is interested in adopting a new kitty when these are ready to go,
    give me a buzz.  Today is my last day at DEC, but I can be reached
    during the day at (508)667-2697 after July 1st.
    
    What a wonderful time I had last night.  Trixie is quite the little
    mom and she was so loving to me even though she barely knows me.
    
    - Kathryn
    

    One other thing...  As I said in my last reply, today is my
    last day at DEC and I wanted to tell all of you FELINERS just
    how wonderful you all are.  I didn't start contributing to this
    notesfile until May 31st - the day I had to say goodbye to my
    beloved Florence - and I'm so glad I finally did.  You folks
    have helped me more than you'll ever know and I'd like to thank
    each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.
    
    I've enjoyed my stay here at DEC, and I wish you all continued
    success and happiness in and outside of the company.  Best wishes
    to you all and thanks again so much.
    
    - Kathryn
    

    Thanks for your help last night, Kathryn.  You make a great mid-wife.
    :-)  Mother and babies are doing well...all are fighting for a space
    in the food line. :^)
    
    Hugs,
    Benson

    How about an update Ben.  how are they doing??
    

All six kittens are doing fine...they're so much bigger that I can't believe
they were inside the mother at one time.  My roommate thought the two white
ones were blind, but I guess they just took their time opening them up and
getting used to seeing.

All the kittens are at the stage where they're into some serious playing
and rough-housing with each other.  Their legs aren't still quite strong
enough to walk well, but they're getting there.

There's a 4-inch wall around their "home"...they're starting to poke their
heads over the wall now to look around.

They're starting to wait before crying when I pick them up and hold them.
One did try to gnaw on my finger once.  I wish they'd learn to pulling their
claws.  It's been almost three weeks now.  They're really cute.  I've been
taking pictures every week.  They did look like mice when they were born. :^)

The mother was starting to take dumps everywhere except the litter box.  I'm 
trying to figure out if she's trying to tell us that her litterbox needs to
be refreshed. :-)  

B.

    If mom is sharing her box with 6 kittens, it may be filling up too fast
    for her liking.  Adding a second box would be a good idea.  Also, the
    kittens are still a little young (3 weeks?) to be able to retract their
    claws.  That comes a little later on.  You can trim their claws now,
    just taking off the sharp tips.  This will protect you and the kittens
    since they will be less likely to scratch each other while squabbling
    for nipples, and you won't get shredded when you try to handle them.
    
    Jo

    Let's see...a four-week update...
    
    All  the kittens are doing great!  The mother is a bit thin and
    kathryn thinks she has worms...:-(
    
    Two of the kittens have gotten into their mother's food and are
    turning into pigs.  Good mother that she is, Trixie lets them at
    the food as long as they want before she gets her fill.
    
    These guys are big...probably nine inches long...two of them are
    really big/wide, but I think it's mostly fur.
    
    I made them a smaller litter box and they're getting used to using
    it.  I just wish they wouldn't also roll and play in it!  My roommate
    keeps them in a room in the basement and they all come charging out
    of every corner when I show up.
    
    I still need a home for one of them...if interested, please contact
    me as soon as possible.
    
    Kathryn says hello to y'all.

    > I just wish they wouldn't also roll and play in it! 
    
    They'll outgrow that soon enough.  They've probably also
    eaten some of the litter.  ;^)
    
    

    I have heard that if the Mom had worms during the pregnancy...the
    kittens will be born with worms too!   Is this true???
    
    Also I have no idea how old a kitten has to be to be dewormed???
    
    Congrats on all the little ones.   
    Sandy

Ya, it's true.  When Meg had her kittens, much to my horror, they all had
worms.  My vet said that the Mom can have worms that seem to lie dormant
until she's pregnant, then she passes them along to the kittens.  He also
said that 90% of non-cattery kittens have worms, so don't blame yourself!
My kittens were wormed when they got their first shot at 6 weeks, then
again 3 weeks later.  It was a breeze....  Problem is, if the Mom shares
a litter box with others in the household, the entire household needs to
be wormed, which in my house can be quite an ordeal!!!

Mary

    Roundworms are the type of worms that moms can pass to their kittens.
    As Mary said, this is pretty common for kittens from stray litters. 
    Check with your vet about worming the kittens, he may want to do it
    along with the first shots as Mary's vet did.
    
    Jo