Taking care of newborn kittens is usually a positive experience for the mother cat and can be similarly positive and rewarding for you if you take proper measures. Although the mother cat requires care too in this sensitive period of her life, it comes second in importance to the amount of care and attention you need to focus on the kittens, eventually making the experience less stressful for the whole cat family.
Where They Should Live
At the time of birth, the first step you should take is to provide a clean and warm place for the mother and kittens to live in. Your cat was possibly already living and sleeping in a box you may have got her earlier but getting a larger box now is really important. A box with enough room for the whole cat family but not excessively large. The kittens need their sleeping place to be warm and cozy. Placing blankets and towels in the box can help them a lot to stay warm. Have clean bedding ready though as newborn kittens can leave quite a mess in their first few weeks! If at the time of birth the mother cat refuses to use the box, never put the kittens in the box yourself. Place the box near whatever place the cat has chosen for her babies. She might eventually use the cozy box for her little ones.
Proximity Between the Mother and Her Kittens
There can not be enough emphasis on how important it is to keep the mother close to her kittens at all times or at least with easy access. Mother cats take care of the kittens’ cleaning and feeding needs and turn extremely protective for their kittens in the first few weeks after birth. If the mother loses access to her kittens for even a short while or finds that you have moved the box that contains them, she can get pretty stressed out and violent. You don’t want to see a cat in rage for her kittens; the sight could make anyone cower for protection.
Human Contact
As much as newborn kittens are adorable, it is imperative that you keep touching to a minimum. During the first few weeks of birth, the kittens’ immune systems haven’t fully developed and they are prone to getting sick because of germs that you might pass onto them. Keep them away from children too during this time as newborn kittens are usually tiny and fragile and should be handled with extreme care. When you do have to inspect them with your hands to ensure they’re healthy and injury-free; practice good hygiene.
Visiting the Vet
At some point during caring for newborn kittens, the need for a vet to intervene may arise depending on whether the kittens are developing healthily or not. Keep your vet visit as the last option. Moving the kittens out of the house can be stressful for them.
If you keep these points in mind, birth and caring for newborn kittens can be an internally pleasing experience when you see the results of your efforts taking the shape of healthy kittens. The bond between you and the mother cat will become stronger too!
Nida Rasheed - A freelance writer and owner of an outsourcing company, I often find myself wanting to write about the subjects that are closest to my ...
