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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

The litter tray

Our cat has just had kittens - now what?

85 replies

SquidgyMummy · 10/04/2014 06:25

Sorry to sound so clueless but I am. We were given a cat last year, she was about 6 months old and we didn't have her spayed straight away. Anyway, fast forward and she had 3 kittens last night. She had them on DS's bed, so we have left them there for now and have been giving our cat lots of milk and foo din situ so she can feed them in peace. I think some friends may take a couple of kittens, or I will ask at DS's preschool this morning, If they won't and we may possibly keep one.

So a friend messaged me on facebook and said to leave them alone as much as possible. I have put a litter tray in for our cat (she normally goes outside) and am have left food for her, but usually hold the bowl on the bed so she can stay close to the kittens.

So have googled and kittens need to stay with their mums for 8 weeks - is this correct? (or do they need longer?)

Also, I want to get her spayed asap - does anyone know how soon this can be done (ie I am assuming it is after the kittens are weaned.) Also to get a rough idea how, how much does it cost to get kittens vaccinated? - we are in France, so don't have a clue.

Any other tips gratefully received!

OP posts:

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sashh · 01/05/2014 08:44

OMG they are the cutest

Fluffycloudland77 · 29/04/2014 20:06

Bless your dp, Such naivety.

My dh told one of his colleagues when your wife rings you to say she's viewing puppies you ARE having a puppy. They did indeed get a puppy.

SquidgyMummy · 29/04/2014 18:36

Meant to say when we left her Mumcat was fine whilst we were away apart from getting up the duff!

OP posts:

SquidgyMummy · 29/04/2014 18:35

DP only wants to keep one, but I want to keep them all - they are all so loving and cuddly together, it seems really cruel to split them up.

We have quite a lot of land and a few outbuildings, so once they are older I think I will try and keep them outside. Biggest problem is we tend to travel overseas, usually a long trip in January / Feb time. We left mumcat for a fortnight with food and a friend checked on her a couple of times.

I have never had cats before, but on the whole they seem pretty easy and self sufficient. (My parents had a dog and she was much more of a tie)

OP posts:

Fluffycloudland77 · 29/04/2014 18:29

Will you be keeping them all then?

Scarletohello · 29/04/2014 14:35

Aw they are sooo cute! Thanks for the pics :)

SquidgyMummy · 29/04/2014 14:24

Remember us?!

Well MumCat had the snip today on the kitchen table (Mobile Vet) Luckily no further shenanigans kittens as the vet checked her uterus.

My Blue eyed furry boys are almost 3 weeks old. Will also be getting the snip in October when they are 6 months old.

Now have to get some flea spot on something and worming tablets, 50euros DS is cheaper!

Our cat has just had kittens - now what?

Our cat has just had kittens - now what?

Our cat has just had kittens - now what?

OP posts:

SquidgyMummysCat · 16/04/2014 16:22

Nyborg have had a look on amazon for the trays; it is a good idea, however mumcat cat seems to do all her elimination when she is roaming about all doors. I am more worried at the moment about her getting pregnant again.

Sashh yes I am going to call the most tigerish one Tyger

TheOneWithTheNicestSmile yes I cannot imagine giving anyway when I see them all snuggled up together, especially when they are boob drunk with big fat bellies after a feed!

Our cat has just had kittens - now what?

sashh · 16/04/2014 04:51

You have miniature tigers

Nyborg · 15/04/2014 16:29

OP, what about a covered litter tray? That would help.

TheOneWithTheNicestSmile · 15/04/2014 16:27

Awwwwwwwwww

They are beautiful

(You will keep them all )

SquidgyMummysCat · 15/04/2014 16:14

My babies!!

Our cat has just had kittens - now what?

cozietoesie · 15/04/2014 10:19

Trouble is, sashh, that you're talking about practice in France here. It may be the same as the UK - but on the other hand.........

sashh · 15/04/2014 10:17

Can the vet do a pregnancy test easily?

My understanding is that when they do the op they can remove the uterus and the contents if there are any rather than a test as such

cozietoesie · 15/04/2014 09:40

Good luck and let us know the outcome. (It's not something I would fancy discussing in detail in French but then my French is .....approximate...... nowadays.)

Fluffycloudland77 · 15/04/2014 09:39

Oh that's good, it's cheaper to neuter boys. Seeing as you'll be keeping them

SquidgyMummysCat · 15/04/2014 09:29

(It's still me, Squidgy; had to re-register as problems with changing password.)

I am worried about the cat getting pregnant as she does wander off for a bit early mornings.

I am going to call another vet and find out whether it is aFrench thing that they only remove ovaries, or a mobile vet thing (ie bigger operation to remove uterus)

I will have to have any further cat pregnancy terminated as the sterilisation will dry up her milk supply within 2 months.

Can the vet do a pregnancy test easily?

Also have found out the kittens are all boys!

sashh · 15/04/2014 08:04

Squidgy

Discuss with the vet, but most vets (in the UK) will ask if you want to go ahead if she is pregnant and for them to remove the pregnancy at the same time.

As for new tom cats, well they can smell a female on heat 2 miles away, and they will travel.

A home visit for 110 euro sounds OK to me.

cozietoesie · 14/04/2014 14:34

In the UK, it's both as far as I know, Fluffy, but I don't know what the practice is in France.

cozietoesie · 14/04/2014 14:28

Ah - lots of toms would complicate matters because you're bound to have jostling for position - with maybe an interloper or three - so the situation would be a tad fraught.

PurpleSproutingBroccoli · 14/04/2014 12:48

Cozie, I'm glad it isn't a universal thing! It really was awful. There was more than one tom hanging around - quite a stream of them IIRC, although I was only about 10 or so. They were in a shed in the garden. I'd heard that toms killed kittens and guarded them as best as I could, but then I had to go to school and my Mum wouldn't believe me :(

Fluffycloudland77 · 14/04/2014 12:37

Isn't ovary & uterus removal?

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SquidgyMummy · 14/04/2014 12:27

the spaying is just ovary removal...

I am not really sure what to do. I let her go out because she makes a right mess when she uses the litter tray - kicking the litter everywhere and it stinks.

I might try and bring the vet visit forward a week. Vet said she has to allow 2 weeks for cat to recover from the delivery, and then the milk will last 2months - so that is plenty of time for weaning

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 14/04/2014 11:06

Trust me, you would be in no doubt if she was a housecat - they're like very noisy imps of Satan - but as she's an outside-ish cat, she'll just head off to the woods so you can assume the worst.

Don't worry too much if she gets pregnant, as I said above. The spaying would take care of that because she'd be at a pretty early stage.

SquidgyMummy · 14/04/2014 10:50

How do you know when they are on heat? If it means poking round her nether regions, DP will have to look; he's less squeamish than me

OP posts:

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