My cat had two little kittens yesterday but the problem is she keeps wanting to go out all the time. She's a cat that was always outdoors before she gave birth, so the issue is...
Will the tiny kittens suffer if she only comes home at night, for example?
At the moment she stays with them WHEN I PUT HER BACK in her bed, but for how long? It's nearly a full moon and that must be affecting her; for now, I'm keeping her shut in, much as I hate to do it...
Translated from French
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Not exactly. I once found a two-week-old kitten, and I had two adult female cats who didn't like the little one at all, but they weren't rough with her. I think overall, very few cats kill their own kind. Even when dealing with very fragile kittens, they seem to know they shouldn't be aggressive.
That said, it’s always better to be safe than sorry, so keep a close eye on those first interactions. :)
Thanks for the info, have you dealt with this yourselves? I'm sure in a while once they actually look like cats it'll be fine, but when they’re this young (48 hours old), they honestly look like mice!!!!!!!!! I ALSO REMEMBER how scared the 10-month-old male was when he was tiny and bumped into his 'dad' in the garden; he’s absolutely terrified. Cat relationships are so complicated, especially since they can’t talk...
If she's staying out too long, then yes, you'll need to keep her indoors.
I don't quite get it though, is she having litter after litter? If she's neglecting them and prefers being outside, wouldn't it be better to just get her spayed?
In my experience, your male cats won't hurt the kittens. At worst, they'll hiss at them and won't be very fond of them, but it shouldn't go any further than that.
Just keep an eye on their behaviour and you'll see for yourself.
I think I might have explained myself badly! My 10-month-old cats obviously come and go as they please, but the issue is when they come back inside. I was wondering if there's a risk they might behave like predators towards the newborns, or if the scent of their shared mum would put them off? 🤪
At 10 months old they can go out, but only as long as they’ve been neutered. An unneutered male cat is at high risk of wandering off to find females in season (especially since it’s that time of year), and he could really put himself in danger... roads and so on...
Another question I forgot to ask: I also have two male cats from her previous litter living in the house. Could they hurt the kittens if they find them, or will they leave them alone because they recognise their mum’s scent? They are 10 MONTHS OLD.
I should mention that it isn't possible to shut them in a room as I don't have any internal doors.
The mum doesn't seem worried, but I’m a bit concerned.
Thanks for your reply. Last time she had kittens, I can't quite remember, but I think she hardly went out and only for a short time. I let her out this morning, but I saw her a bit later on darting off to the other end of the village. I called her back and she did come, but still... maybe it’s normal since it’s not her first litter? How long can one-day-old kittens be left alone safely? I'm mainly wondering about nursing. As for the warmth, I’m not too worried; there are two of them so they’ll keep each other warm. She’s actually put them in a supermarket carrier bag even though there were plenty of other places to settle them, but I don’t want to disturb her any further. I suppose every cat is different and has their own personality, and from our point of view, it’s not always easy to understand...
Hello,
It’s perfectly fine for your cat to pop outside for a short while. Usually, her instincts will make her return to her kittens very quickly, and her trips outside will be much shorter than usual.
As long as you're around to let her back in and don't leave her out all day, she can go out. Just make sure the kittens are kept somewhere warm and quiet while their mum is away.
Otherwise, I’d recommend keeping her indoors for now. Kittens need to feed very often in small amounts, so their mum needs to be around frequently.
If she stops looking after the kittens entirely, you’ll have to step in and bottle-feed them using kitten milk replacer, as well as stimulating them to help them go to the toilet. If that happens, I’d suggest booking an appointment with your vet, who can talk you through the process in detail.
She probably just needs a little bit of time to adjust to her new life as a mum.
All the best,
Lucille
