The experience of having a cat with their young at home can be very rewarding for human caregivers, due to the tenderness of these small animals, thanks to which it is very easy to create a close emotional bond with them.
If your cat has just given birth, in We know that you will be surprised to discover how good a mother she is, because in most cases the cats are very jealous with their young and spend much of the day with them, especially before the little ones start walking.
Despite this, the people around the animal must also take care of the new members of the family, so in this article we give you several tips on how to care for a cat and its young.
Feline care
The first thing you should keep in mind is that your cat, instinctively, is fully trained to meet the needs of your litter. You will know how and when to feed them, how to bathe them and how to give them the heat they require. On that side, you can rest easy, your job is to make these tasks easier for the cat and provide comfort at this time in your life.
In a sense, you should give it the space needed to attend to their young, you do not have to be constantly on them, unless you notice some strange behavior, like one of the kittens is not feeding.
The space that conditions to have the family cat should be easily accessible to the mother, so you can leave and enter it without anything between her and their young. Remember that the cat is the one who best knows when to feed them and when to help them with excretion, for example.
Avoid as much as possible to lift the young and even caress them, because this irritates the cat and unleashes her jealousy. Also, you can contaminate them with germs, so if you are going to take them, wash your hands very well before doing so. If you have children at home, do not let them catch the pigs if not after a few 12 weeks have passed, because the young are very fragile and the children could accidentally hurt them.
This does not mean, of course, that you do not care about the kittens. Every day check that they are all, because on occasion the cats want to hide them, that they look healthy and that they eat.
Shelter
What does correspond to you even before the kittens are born, is to prepare an adequate space for them and also for the mother.
En a quiet and safe place in the house, place a box or a basket Large enough to fit the cat and its young, but not too much because they will feel unprotected. This you must do before you give birth, so you have a quiet place to give birth. After delivery, she and her offspring will have their own space in that same box or basket.
You must place blankets and blankets inside the basket to make it soft and warm, which you will change frequently to keep them clean. Right after the delivery you will probably need to remove the blanket full of blood, but do this with a lot of tact so that the cat does not get stressed or feel attacked.
A cats, especially if they are new, they have a hard time getting away from their young, so you will have to place the containers of food, water and sandbox near the box where he is with his puppies. In this way you will feel calmer.
As with humans, feeding the cat during pregnancy it’s extremely important to give birth to a healthy litter. That is why about three weeks before delivery, it is recommended that you start serving cat food for puppies, as this has many more nutrients than adult food. You will need more food, probably 2 or 3 times a day. You can supplement with pieces of fish and chicken a few times a week. Continue this feeding several weeks after the hatchlings are born.
Remember to always keep a container of fresh water near the animal.
When the kittens are born, the best thing for them is to be breastfed, then the lactation It provides you with all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. Colostrum is a substance that contains the mother’s breast milk, and gives the young the immunological protection so they do not get sick. Of course, the quality of the milk will depend on the good nutrition of the mother.
It is very common that right after the birth the cat is reluctant to eat, but offer the food so that it will regain its appetite. At this stage it is extremely important that you have enough water to drink.
The period of lactation lasts about two months, and during it you will not have to worry about the food of the kittens but for that of the mother. After these two months, the stage of the weaning, in which the kittens leave the breast milk to begin to ingest solids.
You have to help the cat to wean the young, so you should buy them food for kittens. Otherwise, it is very difficult for the cat to get them to eat more than breast milk. Never under any circumstances offer them cow’s milk or any other, because the fat contained in these types of milk produces diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Weaning is a good time to deworm the young and the puppies. Check with your veterinarian.
Health
The health of the mother and the kittens is one of the most important aspects. During pregnancy, it is good to take the cat to veterinary checks to detect any problem. Some breeds, such as the Siamese, usually have difficulties giving birth, so you should consult this with your doctor.
Right after the birth, check the number of placentas, there should be one for each kitten. The cats usually eat them, but make sure that none of them have been inside the cat, because it could cause an infection. If you have problems giving birth, such as clogged kittens, or if the whining notes after delivery, contact the veterinarian immediately.
During the first week of life of the puppies it is recommended that you check daily the temperature of the mother, which should be in 40 degrees Celsius. This way you can discover if you have a fever or some other symptom of illness.
While breastfeeding lasts, check the state of the nipples of the cat, in case you develop a mastitis. This manifests as red and swollen nipples, product of an infection. If you notice something out of the ordinary, a professional should review it.
The first ten days after delivery is normal vaginal discharge something dark, but after this time could indicate some disease.
Before the first vaccination and deworming of the kittens, it is necessary to watch that everyone eat, defecate and behave normally. There is usually a weaker cat in all litters, so it is necessary to pay attention to any sign of illness.
With these simple tips the raising of the litter of kittens will be very simple. When they are old enough and if you are thinking of giving them up for adoption, look for loving and responsible homes for them.
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