When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention or Call the Emergency Foster Number

Fostering Queen & Kittens

“Queen” Is the term used to describe a female cat that is of breeding age, pregnant or nursing. And its such a fitting name, isn’t it? After birth, most Queens have strong instinct and go straight to caring for their kittens. And for the first few weeks of life she should do everything necessary. Once the kittens are adventuring out of the nest you can start sharing some of the care duties with her, if she is willing! Below is an explanation of the normal care a mom gives to her babies so you will know what behaviors to expect. All moms are slightly different, with some being more attentive moms than others, but if a mom fails to care for her babies in any of these important functions, let us know as soon as possible so they can all be evaluated by medical staff.

A Queen’s Palace

Queen’s and their kittens need a space separate from resident pets where they will feel safe and stay secure. Most queens will like a nesting spot to keep her kittens contained and warm while they’re still small. You can use a whelping box, large litter pan, bottom half or open carrier. If you need to contained them while unsupervised or a queen wants more privacy, a large wire dog crate covered with a blanket or soft side crate work tremendously well as they provide cave-like security. Some queens will turn up their nose at your comfy and practical set-up and prefer to go under couches or beds. If this is where the queen feels most comfortable and the kittens are safe and accessible, it is fine to let her nest hidden away. But if you’re unable to monitor the kittens or their safety is at risk, you will need to move the mother into a more confined space.

A Queen’s Feast: High Calorie Diet

We feed our pregnant and nursing queens Purina Kitten Chow or other high-quality, high-calorie kitten foods. Make sure mom has access to dry kitten chow and water at all times, as her calorie intake needs to remain very high to maintain nursing her babies. You can supplement her diet with wet food meals 3-4 times a day. You will rarely overfeed a queen!

The Royal Throne: Litter Boxes and Elimination

For the queen, ideally the litter box will be as far away from the food and water as possible. The litter box should be filled with non-clumping or pellet litter only. Once the kittens start using the litter box, you will likely need to add low-sided boxes that are easy for the kittens to get in and out of, and clean more frequently – wet can food tray cardboard boxes work great for this!

Offspring receive a lot of grooming and licking from their mothers during their first 2-4 weeks. This anogenital grooming stimulates elimination, and the fecal matter and urine are consumed by the mom. This is effective in keeping the nest and babies clean, but as a result mom may produce more waste than an average cat. Scoop the litter box often as to keep it clear of excess waste. Later, as the kittens can leave the nest area, the anogenital licking subsides, and the kittens deposit feces and urine nearby.

Nursing Her Kittens

Babies begin to nurse 1-2 hours after birth. Though born with their eyes closed, they can find their mother by her warmth, and she should make this easier by lying near them on her side. The nursing/suckling relationship occurs over 3 stages. In the beginning, mom initiates each nursing episode, waking the babies by licking them and then encircling them with her body. After a little searching, they quickly latch on. The second stage occurs after the second or third week, when the eyes and ears are functioning, and they can interact with the mother both inside and outside the nest. At this stage, the babies also initiate some of the nursing episodes. The mother generally cooperates by lying down and taking up the nursing position. In the third stage, starting at about 5 weeks postpartum, the babies initiate virtually all nursing. The mother becomes gradually more evasive and uncooperative. Near the end of this stage, the mother begins to wean her babies by becoming less and less available. In wild, this is the time when the mom would begin to provide them with fresh killed prey. You can help in the weaning process by encouraging the babies to eat canned, and later dry food.

Handling Mother and Kittens

Some mothers may arrive stressed and agitated due to the change in their environment. Proceed slowly with any adult you do not know - let her come to you, pet her only as much as she is comfortable with, stop petting at the first signs of discomfort.

These signs may include: swishing/stiff tail, ears laid back or to the sides, head jerk towards your hand or the area which you were petting her, tensing up, cranky overdrawn meow/growling, moving away, hissing (cats), or growling. Always take extra precautions when handling an upset mother. Remember: part of being a “good mom” is protecting her babies. Move very slowly around the mom and the nest. Speak in a soft, reassuring voice, and try not to react if mom cat hisses or growls.

Maternal Aggression Towards Other Animals

Aggressive behavior towards cats or dogs is very common in moms, as they are trying to protect their young. Do not introduce mothers to other animals, even if they have shown friendly behavior before. This can be very stressful and offers no advantages. Please block any avenues they may have for seeing other cats or dogs. If for some reason, the mom sees another animal and is upset, cover up the kennel door with a blanket or towel so she cannot see the source of her anxiety. Do not attempt to comfort or reassure the mom or babies. Come back in 20 minutes or so to check on them.

Maternal Aggression Toward People

Occasionally, mother cats have strong protective instincts against humans as well. They may hiss, growl, or strike out if you approach the litter. DO NOT correct the mom by spraying her with water or other types of correction. Remember, she is acting out of an instinct to protect her young, and if you act in a threatening manner, she will also escalate her behavior. Alert a Community Pet Coordinator and we’ll assist you in making a game plan for the kittens care and your safety.

Maternal Neglect

Maternal neglect or inadequate maternal care has many causes and can result in different behaviors. It's important to recognize maternal neglect early so we can provide the kitten with appropriate supplemental care. Reasons a queen may neglect her kittens include young queen lacking maternal instincts, sick cats who are physically unable to properly care for their young, or queens with large litters unable to equally care for all of her young. In many cases, it seems that environmental stress plays a role, and thus it is very important that the environment is quiet, calm and with few visits, except to feed, clean, weigh and check in on the babies a few times throughout the day. Moms should primarily be left alone the first 2 weeks postpartum. You will need to watch daily for signs that a mother is neglecting her young, especially in the first few weeks. The easiest way to identify concerns is by weighing the kittens daily, drops in weight are an immediate red flag and need to be addressed with LHS. Other signs of maternal neglect include the mother spends all her time away from the kittens, she does not groom or nurse them frequently, her kittens cry and she seems not to respond, or kittens are found outside of the whelping box. When a kitten is repeatedly found outside of the whelping box, there may be a more significant issue with the kitten like disease or birth defect. Mothers have strong instincts and will reject kittens that pose a risk for the others in the litter. Most cases of maternal neglect can be combatted with appropriate supplementation, but if we are unable to convince her to keep caring for the kitten we may have to pull them to be bottle raised.

Important Kitten Highlights!

Stages of Labor

Early Pregnancy

Your “Queen” will be eating kitten chow and some wet food throughout the pregnancy to get the extra nutrients and calories
Cat’s behavior may change or may not. She may run and play as much as normal cats, but may tire easily. She could be more affectionate or more independent.
She may urinate more frequently. Allow easy access to a clean litter box at all times to decrease accidents.
The belly will start to swell and mammary glands may start to fill. Other signs include the typical pear shape, swelling of the nipples and vaginal area, licking and removing fur around nipples, and milk discharge may be seen.
Provide mom with a comfortable environment, safely away from all other pets in the home. A stressed mother is more likely to neglect her kitten's care.

Around 1 Week Before Labor

Nesting behaviors appear, allowing her to make a comfy nest. Nesting boxes can be the bottom of a large crate, a large litter pan, a cardboard box.
Get to know the queen and if she wants you around or not. Cats may delay labor if the environment feels threatened. Be sure to set up her nesting area in a place you can observe from a distance in case the queen is uncomfortable with your presence.
Labor can be messy so make sure the room you help her settle in is cleanable and has plenty of towels, puppy pads, and sheets available.
Movement of kittens may be able to be felt along the queens belly. Some vaginal discharge is normal.

Around 24 Hours Before Labor

Her Temperature may drop under 100 degrees Farentheit.
Make sure she has easy access to water and food in her nesting area
A queen usually stops eating about 12-24 hours before labor, a small amount of reddish vaginal discharge may be seen.
Prepare a nesting box with layers using towels, blankets or even puppy pads. You can then remove the soiled linens in layers after the birthing is complete.
Extra supplies to gather:
- - Sheets, towels, blankets
  - Rectal thermometer
  - Scale
  - Dental floss (unflavored) or embroidery thread
  - Disposable gloves (if you don't want to touch yucky stuff)
  - Heating pads
  - Bulb Syringe

2-4 Hours Before Labor

Contractions may be seen, this will appear as wavelike movements across her abdomen.
The cat will gravitate towards her nesting area. She may appear restless, dig or scratch at the corners, or purr rhythmically.
Mark time contractions begin, if contractions last 24 hours without a kitten she needs to be seen by a vet immediately; please see Emergency Contact

During Labor

You may see stronger more frequent contractions
As each kitten enters the birthing canal which may be visible through the vulva, the outer membrane “water” will burst, while the inner membrane will remain on the fetus as it is birthed.
As the kitten's head enters the birthing canal, the cat will voluntarily contract and push the kitten out, you may see the mother strain.
Once a kitten is born, the mom will likely clean them of the inner membrane, chew their umbilical cord, and nurse them. The placenta or after birth will come subsequently after the birth of the kitten. Make sure you have an equal amount of kittens to afterbirths in order to make sure no placenta are
Intervals between kittens range from 10 mins to an hour.
If she is not attending to puppies or is having them too quickly to attend to each, you will need to step in!
- - Break any sacs surrounding kittens ASAP
  - Make sure they are breathing. If they have a hard time breathing or she is not cleaning them, use a bulb syringe to clear the airways. If they are not crying and wiggling, rub them and continue to bulb syringe until they are. Tilt the kittens head lower than its body so gravity aids the clearing of airways.
  - If mom has not chewed the umbilical cord within 5-10 minutes, tie a piece of dental floss very tightly around the cord about 2-3 inches from the kittens' body. Cut the cord on the side opposite of the kitten’s body. Be careful not to pull on the umbilical cord as umbilical hernations are possible.
  - Place with mom to allow nursing, making sure they latch
  - Place heating pads along the nest under blankets or towels to aid as a heat source.
  - If any kitten is inactive or seems to have trouble breathing after bulb syringe, contact the emergency foster phone or bring the group to LHS.
  - If a kitten feels cool to the touch warm them up

When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention or Call the Emergency Foster Number

Active labor (start of contractions) and no kittens are born within 24 hours.
Active intensive labor does not produce a kitten within 20-30 mins, or 10 mins if the fetus can be seen in the birthing canal or vulva. Kittens could be stuck, do not pull on the fetus! This may cause the queen more pain.
Queen is depressed, lethargic or has a fever of 103 or higher.
Queen loses fresh blood for more than 10 mins.
More kittens are birthed than placenta, meaning one has been retained. Do not pull on afterbirth.

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