Mother Moving her Kittens...

[kitty2008]

Hello all,

I am the proud grandfather to a litter of 3 beautiful kittens. I'm just having a difference of opinion with the mother as to where she should keep this kittens. Before and during her pregnancy, she had her area in the laundry room which is where I assumed she would give birth. Unfortunately, on the night, she chose to give birth under the sofa. So I moved the kittens into their mother's box in the laundry room, and had the carpet steam cleaned to remove the birthing mess (did I mention that I rent and while pets are allowed, ruining the carpet isn't).

This has worked for the past 3 weeks but yesterday I noticed the mom moving the kittens back under the sofa. Now I've done my research and understand mostly why she would be moving her litter, I'd just rather have them on the tiles instead of on the carpet I just had steam cleaned.

My main concerns are keeping the carpet clean. For the moment I've constructed a slightly larger shelter, which she doesn't mind, and placed it beside the sofa which is sitting flat on the ground since I took its legs off. I haven't really noticed if the kittens are urinating/defecating. If they are, I really don't know where it is going. For now, should I give into my cat and let her keep her litter under the sofa on the carpet? I know that newborn kittens have a transition period where they don't really know how to use the litter box. Should I confine them to the laundry room and just let them out for a while each day?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Love4himies]

Just wondering if you rescued this girl while she was pregnant or did you allow her to breed?

Momma wants her kittens where she wants them, if she is moving them, it is because she doesn't feel the current place is acceptable. She needs a quiet, secure place that is in a low traffic area, preferable a spare room that is closed off to any other household pets.

At three weeks momma is licking the kittens bums to stimulate them to go to the bathroom. Soon they will be going on their own and they don't come litter trained so beware of that. It takes a couple of days for them to learn where to go. BTW, DO NOT use clumping litter, you will find the kittens will eat the litter and clumping litter will cause blockages and possible death.

[Melinda]

she seems to want them "under" something, could you construct a box with a cover? more like a shelter to her?........when you take mom in to get spayed maybe the vet will check over the kittens for you at the same time, are you keeping the kittens or finding good forever homes for them?

[ownedbycats]

there might be way you can let mama cat have her way and still protect the carpet. we just took in a pregnant stray a while ago, and she wanted her kittens where she wanted them, and no one could change her mind. (fortunetely she picked mostly-convenient for the humans spots). Maybe put something like a tarp down to cover the rug under the couch? You can sometimes get cheap vinyl tableclothes at the dollar store, we used those to protect the carpet in our kittens' corner under the stairs from spilled food and litter. You have to layer them, because kittens' claws are sharp and they like to pull at them, and you will porbably have to replace them, though by that time they should be litter trained.

[bendyfoot]

We had a momma cat in our house once, and although they had a lovely setup in a bedroom upstairs, she insisted on moving them to a dank, dark corner of the basement for several weeks...every attempt to relocate them was thwarted for at least a few weeks. No help, really, but I understand.

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by Melinda

she seems to want them "under" something, could you construct a box with a cover? more like a shelter to her?........when you take mom in to get spayed maybe the vet will check over the kittens for you at the same time, are you keeping the kittens or finding good forever homes for them?

I never said anything about getting my cat spayed.

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Just wondering if you rescued this girl while she was pregnant or did you allow her to breed?

Momma wants her kittens where she wants them, if she is moving them, it is because she doesn't feel the current place is acceptable. She needs a quiet, secure place that is in a low traffic area, preferable a spare room that is closed off to any other household pets.

At three weeks momma is licking the kittens bums to stimulate them to go to the bathroom. Soon they will be going on their own and they don't come litter trained so beware of that. It takes a couple of days for them to learn where to go. BTW, DO NOT use clumping litter, you will find the kittens will eat the litter and clumping litter will cause blockages and possible death.

No I allowed her to breed, I got her when she about 8 or 9 weeks old. The weird thing is that she has taken her litter from a secure low traffic area; to a loud, well lit, high traffic area (under the couch in the living room).

Also thanks about the litter tip!

[babymomma]

Originally Posted by kitty2008

No I allowed her to breed, I got her when she about 8 or 9 weeks old.

Bad thing to say on the forum.. Im just going to keep my comments out of this one

[happycats]

Originally Posted by kitty2008

I never said anything about getting my cat spayed.

Why wouldn't you get her spayed? Do you have any idea how many cats get euthanized every day, month year !!
Look at those cute little kittens long and hard, then say good bye, and you should say "sorry" because the sad fact is, at least 2 (probably all) will be dumped or Euthanized before they are 5!

[14+kitties]

This person has obviously come here to cause problems. Most people know, or should know by reading our posted rules, that this is a VERY PRO SPAY/NEUTER board. Answering back that they allowed the cat to breed is just, IMO, rude.

Please do not drag this post on by continuing to post answers.

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by babymomma

Bad thing to say on the forum.. Im just going to keep my comments out of this one

Originally Posted by happycats

Why wouldn't you get her spayed? Do you have any idea how many cats get euthanized every day, month year !!
Look at those cute little kittens long and hard, then say good bye, and you should say "sorry" because the sad fact is, at least 2 (probably all) will be dumped or Euthanized before they are 5!

Originally Posted by 14+kitties

This person has obviously come here to cause problems. Most people know, or should know by reading our posted rules, that this is a VERY PRO SPAY/NEUTER board. Answering back that they allowed the cat to breed is just, IMO, rude.

Please do not drag this post on by continuing to post answers.

Wow, talk about Ready-Fire-Aim! I DID NOT SAY I WASN'T GOING TO GET MY CAT SPAYED! To be honest I've been doing my research on the matter and to be honest...there is a lack of research on it. My mentality is that I wouldn't do anything to my cat that I wouldn't do to my own child. Now how many people here can say that they had their children's reproductive capabilities removed? This is a Canadian site. Does anyone remember the mentality of the Saskatchewan Provincial Government a few decades ago in regards to mentally handicapped children? They had these poor children sterilized against their will to prevent the burden of their offspring. Sound inhumane? Sound familiar?

The fact is I have yet to find a recent PUBLISHED, PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLE (the minimum Health Canada requires to even apply for a human treatment) that supports the claim that there is no adverse effects to cat sterilization (both physical and psychological). All there seems to be is anecdotal evidence provided by vets and other pet owners.

To be honest I think it is practical to get my cat spayed. In my own defense I am going by the most recent legitimate research which states that a female cat should be allowed to produce at least 1 litter before being spayed (reduces female cancers by 80%!!!!!). As I said, I have planned to keep all the kittens and care for them myself. At the moment I'm just having moral issues with deciding to get her spayed. Luckily I have around 2 weeks to make my mind up. I do really appreciate all your help in my time of need so far...but I am disappointed that instead of providing me with facts, you all decided to flame me.

Just to set the record straight:
happycats: I am keeping ALL THE KITTENS. So your point is moot. Please don't assume my intentions before you flame me.

14+kittens: No I didn't come here to cause problems. YOUR IMMATURITY is the cause of your problem. Since this is a pro sterilization board, which I do appreciate, how about you get off your high horse for a minute and provide me with facts to ease my conscious?

[Jim Hall]

i dis agree and wish y all wouldnt dump on the op
it kitty is asking for advice whatever her reasons pro spay means only pro spay? isnt it better to be nice ?

NO one has to reply if they dont feel the need to but save teh rant for somewhere else



ANYWAY kitty try lay down a lot of cheap sheets

let her keep them where she wants and let her wean them you will see elimination and hopefully cath a kitten in the act and be able to set her in the box usually kjits are pretty quik learners you havent mentioned a vet visit but of course that would be in order good luck and really do think about getting mommma spayed you know thare are way too many criitters around that need your loving.

[aslan]

First off there were some suggestions made to you about how to deal with your situation.

secondly, how dare you... you say you deliberately got your cat pregnant on a pro spay and neuter forum, then mouth off at a woman who at last count has over 30 cats that she has foot the bill to spay/neuter, feed, provide shelter to, because someone deliberately didn't get their cat spayed/neutered.

There is a huge difference between a child and a cat, if a child becomes pregnant the rest of the family steps in to help support it. If an unfixed cat gets pregnant, they get taken to the shelters to either be adopted or put to sleep because there are sooooo many unwanted cats as it is. Or the next popular option, drive by someone like 14+ kitties house, pitch the cat out the window and keep driving, because IMMATURE people like her have nothing better to spend their time, money and emotions on.

It's unfortunate that you aren't getting the answers you want from the people here. Google the topic and see if that helps,.

[t.pettet]

Is it not best to just sometimes IGNORE, IGNORE, rather than try to educate someone who can't be?

[happycats]

hmmmm I DID NOT SAY I WASN'T GOING TO GET MY CAT SPAYED!

Originally Posted by kitty2008

I never said anything about getting my cat spayed.

UMMMMMMM now you deny you posted this ??

and what about this My main concerns are keeping the carpet clean your worried about your freakin carpets, more then your cat and kittens!!

I haven't really noticed if the kittens are urinating/defecating


If you did ANY freakin research at all you would know where the waste was going!!


I hope to god you "research" spay/neuter better then you did breeding!!

Isn't the fact that millions of cats getting euthanized every year enough for you not to bring any more in the world??

If not there are many many post on here about the pros and cons of spay/neuter.////PLEASE get educated!

[aslan]

lol, i personally like how he mouthed off at you that you should read before flaming, 'cause he's keeping the Kittens, like he already said' then realized he didn't say it and had to edit his post.

[happycats]

Originally Posted by aslan

lol, i personally like how he mouthed off at you that you should read before flaming, 'cause he's keeping the Kittens, like he already said' then realized he didn't say it and had to edit his post.

LOL!!

Originally Posted by t.pettet

Is it not best to just sometimes IGNORE, IGNORE, rather than try to educate someone who can't be?

I believe everyone is capable of being educated

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by kitty2008

14+kittens: No I didn't come here to cause problems. YOUR IMMATURITY is the cause of your problem. Since this is a pro sterilization board, which I do appreciate, how about you get off your high horse for a minute and provide me with facts to ease my conscious?

14+ ? Immature ? You may like to know that this woman has saved I don't know how many stray cats and had them all spayed and neutered to stop the overpopulation , with her own money.

Now you want facts ? You can spend a day or 2 at a high kill shelter and see how many cats are being put down because there's just too many , why ? Because people allow them to breed.

As for your original question , I would let the mom cat bring her kitties wherever she wants to.

[happycats]

My mentality is that I wouldn't do anything to my cat that I wouldn't do to my own child. Now how many people here can say that they had their children's reproductive capabilities removed?


Ummmmmm Apples and Oranges!!! Cats are dependant on you for life (about 20 years) and so are all it's kittens . My child will be educated, and independant, and totally able to support a family when the child is grown up and ready!! Besides we don't euthanize unwanted babies.

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by kitty2008

In my own defense I am going by the most recent legitimate research which states that a female cat should be allowed to produce at least 1 litter before being spayed (reduces female cancers by 80%!!!!!). As I said, I have planned to keep all the kittens and care for them myself. At the moment I'm just having moral issues with deciding to get her spayed.

What concerns me about these statements is if, let's say, 3 of the kittens are females, are they going to be allowed to have a litter of kittens each as well ? And then their female kittens ? How many are you willing to keep?

As for your original question, the plastic table cloth covered with an old comforter or towels sounds like a good idea. You could always clean your carpet again.

[aslan]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

What concerns me about these statements is if, let's say, 3 of the kittens are females, are they going to be allowed to have a litter of kittens each as well ? And then their female kittens ? How many are you willing to keep?

As for your original question, the plastic table cloth covered with an old comforter or towels sounds like a good idea. You could always clean your carpet again.

concerns me more is if he's against neutering and spaying, what if one of the 3 kittens is male.

[luckypenny]

Onster summed it up pretty well, imo.

Originally Posted by onster

What pisses me off is all these people...talking about the moral dilemna faced when they have to take out the cats reproductive organs....for some reason it just makes me want to scream.. morals eh...well ummm HELLO what about the ethics of all the cats that are being euthanised every day. ... its basically alll about measuring where the greater good lies...sooo even if poor kitty cat misses his manly parts , weighing that against the thousands of poor kitty cats that are missing their actual lives..it doesnt take a genius to realize that ethically one has to neuter or spay.

[14+kitties]

kitty2008 - yes, I agree, I was a little rude. I apologize. Maybe it's because we have had far too many people come on this site and make statements like "I never said anything about spaying my cat?" This one was one of my personal favourites....

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....t=cat+pregnant

Saying that...... most cats move their kittens from a place we feel is safe to a different place because they do not feel their kittens are safe. She moved them to a place where she felt they would be the safest. '

May I recommend a book to you? It's called "THE COMPLETE CAT CARE MANUAL" BY Dr. Andrew Edney. It is great reading and will answer a lot of your questions.

I would also like to help you a little with your other research.
I Googled.......
Is it better to let a cat have a litter before spaying her?
and it came up with 36,000 replies. I am adding a few of them for your reading enjoyment.
Again, I apologize for my earlier rudeness.

http://www.americanpartnershipforpet...eranswers.html

Isn't it better to let my female have one litter first?

Medical evidence suggests that the opposite is true. In fact, evidence shows that females spayed before their first estrus or "heat" period (which occurs around 5-6 months of age) tend to be healthier.

http://www.querycat.com/faq/176a5440...7e999cedafd51f

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...5074300AAIIzvX

http://cats.about.com/od/catcare/Cat_Care.htm

http://www.parmashelter.org/adoption...pay_neuter.htm

http://members.optusnet.com.au/glevu...cs/comand.html


Aslan and Frenchy - thanks for sticking up for me.

[kathryn]

Cat's do what they want. That's really all there is too it While they are intelligent, they are still not capable of thinking on the exact same level as we are. They think differently.

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by aslan

First off there were some suggestions made to you about how to deal with your situation.

I know there were some constructive suggestions made, and I thanked those people. There is also a lot of people here who attack me and assume a lot.

Originally Posted by aslan

secondly, how dare you... you say you deliberately got your cat pregnant on a pro spay and neuter forum, then mouth off at a woman who at last count has over 30 cats that she has foot the bill to spay/neuter, feed, provide shelter to, because someone deliberately didn't get their cat spayed/neutered.

How dare you make such assumptions and put words in my mouth. All I'm looking for is information. All I'm getting is a lot of judgmental people releasing their frustration on me. Unfortunately, this forum is also a good source of information. So I have to weed through you trolls to get to the good stuff.

Originally Posted by aslan

There is a huge difference between a child and a cat, if a child becomes pregnant the rest of the family steps in to help support it. If an unfixed cat gets pregnant, they get taken to the shelters to either be adopted or put to sleep because there are sooooo many unwanted cats as it is. Or the next popular option, drive by someone like 14+ kitties house, pitch the cat out the window and keep driving, because IMMATURE people like her have nothing better to spend their time, money and emotions on.

According to the research (education is a powerful thing, you should try it sometime), there is nothing wrong with neutering a male. The research I've been able to find in regards to females so far is...inconsistent at best. Plus, why do you insist on jumping to conclusions? I don't have 14+ cats yet and am nowhere near that situation yet so please calm down.

Originally Posted by aslan

It's unfortunate that you aren't getting the answers you want from the people here. Google the topic and see if that helps,.

Yeah...google brought me here.

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by t.pettet

Is it not best to just sometimes IGNORE, IGNORE, rather than try to educate someone who can't be?

I'm asking to be educated. I'd prefer to have facts rather than people just telling me what do to without a reasonable explanation.

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by happycats

hmmmm I DID NOT SAY I WASN'T GOING TO GET MY CAT SPAYED!



UMMMMMMM now you deny you posted this ??

You see your problem is you assume too much. I didn't say I wasn't going to get my cat spayed, and I didn't say I was going to get her spayed. I was actually going to get some more useful information out of this thread and start another one about any ill effects of getting my cat spayed (they do exist which is why I have been hesitant so far). I honestly didn't expect everyone to attack.

Originally Posted by happycats

and what about this My main concerns are keeping the carpet clean your worried about your freakin carpets, more then your cat and kittens!!

Yeah that is the most pressing issue at the moment. It is why I started this thread. It is why you opened this this thread. I cannot get my cat spayed for weeks...but my carpet can get destroyed in that time.

Originally Posted by happycats

I haven't really noticed if the kittens are urinating/defecating


If you did ANY freakin research at all you would know where the waste was going!!

I thought that was the point of coming to this forum. For people to help out with questions...especially for beginners.

Originally Posted by happycats

I hope to god you "research" spay/neuter better then you did breeding!!

I didn't plan for my cat to get pregnant. It happened and I will deal with it.

Originally Posted by happycats

Isn't the fact that millions of cats getting euthanized every year enough for you not to bring any more in the world??

I love my cat and I do not want to do anything to harm her which is why I am looking for some information on this topic.

Originally Posted by happycats

If not there are many many post on here about the pros and cons of spay/neuter.////PLEASE get educated!

I'm not looking for a debate. I'm looking for information. Please stop taking this so personally and if you can't contribute in a positive manner then please press ALT-F4...

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by aslan

lol, i personally like how he mouthed off at you that you should read before flaming, 'cause he's keeping the Kittens, like he already said' then realized he didn't say it and had to edit his post.

I like how this is how you waste your time. I wrote something in error and fixed it within seconds.

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

14+ ? Immature ? You may like to know that this woman has saved I don't know how many stray cats and had them all spayed and neutered to stop the overpopulation , with her own money.

Now you want facts ? You can spend a day or 2 at a high kill shelter and see how many cats are being put down because there's just too many , why ? Because people allow them to breed.

As for your original question , I would let the mom cat bring her kitties wherever she wants to.

See I'm asking for proof...not your scare tactics. Why do the people in this thread assume I don't want to get my cat spayed? I've stated many times that that I am not anti-spaying...I just PLEASE want some information and not scare tactics!

[kitty2008]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Onster summed it up pretty well, imo.

Yeah what your wrote is true for males. Nulliparous females however run the risk of MANY fatal diseases in the future.