My cat Miezi, who is 2 years old, has just had 3 kittens: they are now 7 days old and are absolutely adooorable! BUT we live in a house and Miezi was used to going outdoors. She's meowing and clearly trying to get out again; she even managed to take a kitten outside two days ago. I caught her just as she was climbing a tree with it and I brought them back to their "nest". What should I do? Should I let her out? How can I be sure she'll come back to look after the little ones?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Translated from French
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Clairomas, you’ve got two options: either you keep your girl shut in with her babies and wear some earplugs so you don't have to hear her crying when she wants to go out, or you let her out, but first you need to buy some kitten milk replacer from the vet or a pet shop, along with some 2ml syringes (in case they find using a bottle too difficult). You’ll need to feed the kittens every 3 hours "at most" (and that includes throughout the night!).
In that case, you have to weigh them at the same time every day and check that they are putting on at least 10g (about 0.35 oz) a day.
If they aren’t, you’ll need to either feed them more frequently or give them a bit more milk (or even both).
You must "scrupulously" follow the water and powder ratios on the packaging (if you use too much powder compared to water, you run the risk of the kittens getting constipated).
And something else that is "TOTALLY VITAL" (we're talking about the kittens' survival here!): after every feed, you must massage each kitten’s bottom with a cotton wool pad soaked in warm water to make them pee and poo.
The peeing is usually no problem, but getting them to poo is often very, very difficult.
If you can’t manage it, make sure you come back and tell us quickly and I’ll let you know what to do next.
And ABOVE ALL, get this cat spayed in 4 to 5 weeks' time at the latest, otherwise you’ll have another litter on your hands in 2 or 3 months.
Clairomas, you really must stop letting your girl go out! Did you know she can come back into season as early as three weeks after giving birth? What will you do if she ends up pregnant again?
If she stops looking after the kittens, you’ll be forced to buy kitten milk formula and hand-feed them yourself, so it’s much better to keep her indoors!
Do you have reliable homes lined up for the little ones yet?
