Mammy cat missing leaving 10 day old kittens

Cee-Jay-Cee

Our cat wandered off around 4pm today leaving her two 10 day old kittens behind. She hasn't returned and we fear the worst for her. She has gone wandering before but never for longer than 20-30 minutes. We have no kitten formula so I've been trying to keep them hydrated by giving them drops of warm water every hour since about 7pm and they seem fine. As there is only 2 they are quite plump for 10 days old and are both 10oz in weight which apparently is a good weight for a kitten that age.

I plan on going to pet shop when it opens at 12 tomorrow to get kitten formula and hopefully we can get them to 4 weeks when we can try and wean them.

Has anyone experience or tips with this or are we wasting our time and should we just let nature takes its course. Any advice greatfully accepted.

volchitsa

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Our cat wandered off around 4pm today leaving her two 10 day old kittens behind. She hasn't returned and we fear the worst for her. She has gone wandering before but never for longer than 20-30 minutes. We have no kitten formula so I've been trying to keep them hydrated by giving them drops of warm water every hour since about 7pm and they seem fine. As there is only 2 they are quite plump for 10 days old and are both 10oz in weight which apparently is a good weight for a kitten that age.

I plan on going to pet shop when it opens at 12 tomorrow to get kitten formula and hopefully we can get them to 4 weeks when we can try and wean them.

Has anyone experience or tips with this or are we wasting our time and should we just let nature takes its course. Any advice greatfully accepted.

Has Mammy cat come back yet OP?

Definitely feed them in the meantime, iirc our cats would go off at that stage for a couple of hours, but never for very long. They always left the kittens safe and quiet, it was almost like they'd been told to keep quiet till she came back or something! Maybe she's stuck somewhere?

Overnight is long, but not impossible if she's out "hunting" for her babies. If she's not back this morning I'd be quite worried about her, it's not normal to to leave kittens for getting on for a full day. Have you any idea where to look for her?

mymo

Keep up the water until you get formula, petmainia or maxizoo sometimes have it, ring around.
You need to help them toilet, warm water and cotton wool, rub/wipe gently to stimulate them.
Feed about every three hours for now, weigh before and after to check they are feeding enough, toilet shortly after and weigh again. Keep them warm and out of drafts, but don't put them on hot water bottle etc as they can't regulate temp and can overheat.

Royal canin do a formula that is great. If you can't get any and she's not back, ring around cat rescues or post on Facebook etc looking for a cat with kittens around same age, some mother cats will take on other kittens if done right.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Unfortunately mammy cat didn't come back overnight so it's not looking good. She never stayed away this long before even before having kittens. We're still hopeful she could have got locked in somewhere as we live in the country.

I'm trying to find kitten formula to feed them but it's difficult on a Sunday morning.

I'll keep you posted. Thanks

mymo

Try local rescues or asking if anyone have a nursing cat that you could try giving the kittens to.

volchitsa

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Unfortunately mammy cat didn't come back overnight so it's not looking good. She never stayed away this long before even before having kittens. We're still hopeful she could have got locked in somewhere as we live in the country.

I'm trying to find kitten formula to feed them but it's difficult on a Sunday morning.

I'll keep you posted. Thanks

One of our cats once got her paw trapped in a piece of string someone had left after having used it to trim their hedge (we're in a semi rural area with biggish gardens so lots of long hedges as dividing lines). She was right under the hedge so invisible. It was neighbouring kids who heard her crying over a day later as they came home from school. The poor thing had pulled and pulled trying to escape, making it worse of course. But she wasn't dead. And survived fine (lost some "fingers" of that paw, but went on to live many years after with few ill effects).

Worth walking around the area a few times to see if you can find her? (I'm sure you have done, but what I mean is she may be out of sight but you could possibly hear her?)

Cee-Jay-Cee

I've scoured the surrounding fields and hedge rows but no luck.

We contacted the local cat rescue and they have two other kittens that they're hand feeding so they've taken our two now and we'll get them back in 3 weeks time by which time they should be weaned or at least lapping kitten formula from a saucer.

It's the best possible solution for now however my two daughters (6 + 4yrs) aren't best impressed with having to give away their kittens.

volchitsa

I can imagine, they must be heart broken poor little things!

Maybe Mammy cat will still come back though - I wouldn't completely give up hope just yet.

Cee-Jay-Cee

volchitsa wrote: »

I can imagine, they must be heart broken poor little things!

Maybe Mammy cat will still come back though - I wouldn't completely give up hope just yet.

Yeah we're hoping she may have got locked in a shed somewhere and might get out tomorrow.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Cat arrived back 20 min ago wet and dishevelled and a bit agitated. We fed her as she was looking very thin and hungry. She made no attempt to check the nest box for her kittens but did eventually look in and walked away again. We'll take her to vet tomorrow to get her checked over and decide what to do about the kittens after that but we might be best leaving them where they are for now as I don't think she's in any fit state to feed them right now. I picked her up and she mewed as if sore but there are no visible injuries.

L'prof

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Cat arrived back 20 min ago wet and dishevelled and a bit agitated. We fed her as she was looking very thin and hungry. She made no attempt to check the nest box for her kittens but did eventually look in and walked away again. We'll take her to vet tomorrow to get her checked over and decide what to do about the kittens after that but we might be best leaving them where they are for now as I don't think she's in any fit state to feed them right now. I picked her up and she mewed as if sore but there are no visible injuries.

Vet can best advise on what to do from here. Glad she turned up

volchitsa

OH brilliant, CJC, I've been checking back to see what was happening.
Probably good to take her for a check up, and of course to get her kittens back asap.

She'll probably hide them somewhere "safe" after this, so be careful where she's allowed to wander for next while, or they could end up outside.

IME kittens need to be in close contact with people once they start to interact with the outside world : as long as she only hides them inside the house (in the oddest places sometimes!) it won't matter, you'll happen upon them soon or later, and they will have contact with you as they grow, but outside in a shed somewhere so that they turn up at a few months old and half feral is not so good.

mymo

Glad she's home, hope she's ok.
Just a note, if you don't get her kittens back be aware she will come back into season in a couple of weeks (and every couple of weeks until she's pregnant again), so please neuter asap, she probably too tired from this and having kittens to have more so soon, and they can get very stressed by all the toms coming after them too.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Thanks for the replies.

She's been acting odd and lying with her bum in the air and rolling around the floor. Then when I was leaving her in the garage for the night I spotted two Tom cats in the garden.

I googled her behaviour and it appears she's in heat again after only giving birth 12 days ago and the Tom cats being present backs that up. So we're guessing she may have been chased while off for a wee wander yesterday and either got lost or disorientated and it took her a while to find her way back again.

I won't be able to get the kittens back till tomorrow. Will she bond with them easily after being away from them for 48hrs?

volchitsa

Is she looking for them or not? (Calling them with a special mew, and unable to settle - you'll know it if she does it)
She should be, because to her mind, the kittens have "disappeared" from where she left them, and if she's doing that, you're fine, she'll just be relieved to see them tomorrow. (That's where you have to look for her going into hyper protective mode and starting to hide and rehide them in different places, and with only two she'll have them moved in a flash!)

If she seems to have forgotten them already, that's a bit strange, but IME our two cats were really great mothers, I don't think 48 hours would be enough for them to no longer recognize/look after their kittens. I imagine she'll be fine.

Ms Doubtfire1

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

She's been acting odd and lying with her bum in the air and rolling around the floor. Then when I was leaving her in the garage for the night I spotted two Tom cats in the garden.

I googled her behaviour and it appears she's in heat again after only giving birth 12 days ago and the Tom cats being present backs that up. So we're guessing she may have been chased while off for a wee wander yesterday and either got lost or disorientated and it took her a while to find her way back again.

I won't be able to get the kittens back till tomorrow. Will she bond with them easily after being away from them for 48hrs?

She's in heat. re-introduce the kittens carefully - it's possible she won't accept them anymore. and please please keep her inside.Spay as soon as you can

mymo

If she is in heat (sounds like it) she probably won't accept kittens and there's a risk of the toms killing them if they can get to them, it's not nice but quite common for it to happen. I'd advise leaving kittens with the fosterer and get her neutered asap. Cats can be neutered at any time, so vet should be able to do it in the next week.
It's rare for them to come into heat so soon, but can happen, I've seen a cat with 14wk old kittens and new borns, but it takes too much out of them.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I took her to the vet yesterday as she wasn't herself, she was very quiet and had eaten very little in the previous 12/14 hrs. She was running a very high temperature and was in obvious pain when being lifted. The vet kept her overnight to monitor her and we have decided to leave the kittens where they are until they are weaned and can feed for themselves and we'll get them back then.

I rang the vet today and asked about getting her neutered and they wont do it until she stops producing milk so we'll get it done in a couple of weeks time and try and keep her in until its done.

Ms Doubtfire1

How is she today?
this could be Eclampsia - make sure Vet is thorough.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Just thought I'd update this.

Mammy cat spent two nights at the vets. She had high temp and infection. So she was on meds for a week after we took her home and has made a full recovery.

We got the kittens back nearly 3 weeks ago. Mammy cat took to them immediately and looked after them and cleaned them and played with them and has not left them even for 5 minutes since. She sleeps in the little house (they were born in it) with them even though she refused to go into it after she came back from the vets when they were being looked after at the catery.

One thing that has me a little confused is that they are still suckling on her. The vet told me the milk would dry up within a week or two once it wasn't being used. I don't think they're actually getting anything from the teat but yet they suckle on her regularly. One teat is quite red at the tip, I don't know if it's blood or just raw. She doesn't stop them or complain when they suckle her so I don't stop them.

Anyway they're doing very well, they're very attached to their mammy and are very playful.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice.

volchitsa

Oh brilliant, thanks for letting us know, OP.

(Our Mammy and Daughter duo used to be found still suckling from time to time even when the daughter was herself a Mammy, so it's not that unusual. I don't think she got milk either, but it would happen a couple of times a year long after weaning. Seems to be a comfort thing.)

jenn1984

Our kittens did that off and on up until the 6 month stage when the mammy was long spayed and finally got sick of it and gave them a slap! Pretty sure it's a comfort thing.

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Just thought I'd update this.

Mammy cat spent two nights at the vets. She had high temp and infection. So she was on meds for a week after we took her home and has made a full recovery.

We got the kittens back nearly 3 weeks ago. Mammy cat took to them immediately and looked after them and cleaned them and played with them and has not left them even for 5 minutes since. She sleeps in the little house (they were born in it) with them even though she refused to go into it after she came back from the vets when they were being looked after at the catery.

One thing that has me a little confused is that they are still suckling on her. The vet told me the milk would dry up within a week or two once it wasn't being used. I don't think they're actually getting anything from the teat but yet they suckle on her regularly. One teat is quite red at the tip, I don't know if it's blood or just raw. She doesn't stop them or complain when they suckle her so I don't stop them.

Anyway they're doing very well, they're very attached to their mammy and are very playful.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice.