Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The litter tray

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

Stinky cat with Kittens

60 replies

Frenchlady14 · 25/06/2021 12:17

Hello oh wise mumsnetters,

A stray cat came through my window three weeks ago and had her kittens in my kitchen. Difficult but not the end of the world (although resident cat was not impressed) I now have five cats more than I did and will have to start looking for some parents for the kittens - however, the problem is that the mother cat is very stinky. She is eating loads, which is only to be expected and I'm keeping the litter tray clean but Dear God when she goes in it, it nearly takes the hairs off the inside of my nose. I was even in the bath (a whole floor and corridor away) and I knew she'd just used the tray. I am giving her as good a diet as possible as she is feeding the little ones - poached chicken or turkey, some sachet food and some dried food for variety. Also, when she takes a break and comes to see me she brings the awful smell with her. Id like to be able to give her a cuddle but it's beyond possible. Is there something I can do? I can't take her to the vet just yet (I will when I can to get her sterilised and chipped) so any help would make life much sweeter in here?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Soubriquet · 26/06/2021 15:10

When you say kitten milk do you mean the stuff you get from the supermarket, or the stuff you can get from the vets for kittens who have lost their mother?

If it’s the former, avoid it. It’s too rich. The latter will help mum keep on weight

pantherrose · 26/06/2021 15:33

Just to add, I feed both ‘Boss cat’ and Mum Purina One, and both look great on it. Just before the babies arrived I switched to Purina One kitten food for mum as well as sardines, chicken breast and tinned kitten food. The kittens were weaned on the Purina One kitten food puréed into a slush with kitten milk and also mashed white fish, chicken and Purina sachets of kitten food in jelly. Now (10weeks) I don’t puree the croquettes any more, but they have both dried and wet food and are all happy to drink water from the water fountain.
All seem to be ‘en forme’ with bright eyes, shiny coats and plenty of energy. Feral cats tend to be tough little buggers, but as other posters have said, worm burden can be a problem and I would recommend very gentle but regular worming to start, in order to minimise the risk of reaction to both the medicine and/ or the ‘die off’ . For the record, I have only just wormed as both mum and babies seemed surprisingly healthy, with no obvious sign of a heavy worm burden and I was very nervous about worming mum too early and the kits being made ill through her milk.

pantherrose · 26/06/2021 15:36

As Soubriquet has said, the kitten milk should be the specialist powdered milk from the vets, it’s about 16 euros.

Frenchlady14 · 26/06/2021 15:52

Pantherrose Thanks for all the tips. I don't have a garden (village house) so I'm in the same boat plus (pre-covid) my job means I travel a lot. I'll keep mum cat as I think it would be too sad to have her kittens taken and then try to rehome her. Anyway I don't think mature cats are that easy to place. I will get the powdered milk from the vet and I've noted the foods you've mentioned. I'm enjoying having them here but the kittens aren't old enough to scoot about yet so it might get harder.

OP posts:
ToughLoveLDN · 26/06/2021 16:10

Boiled chicken and rice. And then to the vets ASAP.

pantherrose · 26/06/2021 16:12

It’s mayhem here, they are taking naughtiness to new levels. The loo roll, the curtains, they managed to knock out the adsl, my handbag, TV guide shredded, the list goes on....and on! The good thing though is that after weeks of trying, mum cat has finally learned to ‘let it all hang out’ a bit and is playing, which is lovely to see. I’m pretty patient and I have the play pen for when enough is enough, but frankly, I love them all dearly, they are quite hilarious and I haven’t laughed so much in a long time!

pantherrose · 26/06/2021 16:27

Oh and my dancing skills have improved too....Grin

Frenchlady14 · 30/06/2021 07:43

Well I never .. I thought little mum cat was unusual - turns out she is a Russian Blue!! Beautiful. Black nose, green eyes, mauve paw pads (you can tell I've been researching) My daughter was at the vet with her cat and saw a chart on the wall and sent me a picture !!

OP posts:
Poorlykitten · 30/06/2021 14:11

Wow! How lovely! They are beautiful cats.

Chemenger · 05/07/2021 08:16

How is the stinkiness now? Are the kittens at the rampaging stage yet?

New posts on this thread. Refresh page