Mother Cat Died of 4 playful kittens.!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
ELLIOTT & Fran Munschauer

ELLIOTT & Fran Munschauer

Member Since 2016
Hey Everyone, I am ELLIOTT'S family who is still in remission. Sorry I haven't updated . We have been so busy with a small stray cat who looked fat. We found her nursing 4 kittens on our porch 2 weeks ago and all were fine. Mom was fine yesterday, eating constantly and sleeping with her kittens on our front porch. The last time (years ago) I saw a cat under the front end of an automobile, it was my neighbor's dead cat. Frank saw her under our car this morning and she was still there 30 minutes ago. As he picked her up, she cried vary hard but did not struggle. We made a bed with a soft blanket for her in the garage in the dark and covered it since I think they hide? when they are sick? Could she be just very tired or maybe not feel good.? Her kittens look like they can eat the cat food but noticed them still nursing two days ago. I can't add pics without a website I guess. I added my FB link with recent pics

https://www.facebook.com/fran.munschauer/posts/10209950360060703?pnref=story
 
Last edited:
I agree, she needs to go to the vet ASAP.

If you take her can you grab the kittens? If they keep her at the vet, you probably will need to bottle feed them, depending on their age. You can buy formula at any pet store. Kittens will continue to nurse even after they begin eating solid food. If you think they are big enough to eat solid food, you could try mixing some of the mixed formula with can food. I usually feed kittens I rescue Fancy Feast kitten canned food, the turkey flavor.

If you do grab the kittens, watch for diarrhea. It may be caused by the food change, or something more serious. If it continues for a few days, they will need to go to the vet also. You do not want them to become under nourished or dehydrated.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
I agree, she needs to go to the vet ASAP.

If you take her can you grab the kittens? If they keep her at the vet, you probably will need to bottle feed them, depending on their age. You can buy formula at any pet store.
Click to expand...
No they are like those Ferrel cats? When they see us, they run. The mom has always come right up to us to hissing, but friendly.
 
I went to get her and she was gone-back under the car. She has passed away. Thanks for your concern. .I do not even know Mary (the cat) and I know you all know how much you all hurt when something like this happens to your "own" babies...I am so tired of deaths of poor animals. Again Thanks!!!
 
Last edited:
FRAN M. said:
I went to get her and she was gone-back under the car. She has passed away. Thanks for your concern. .I do not even know Mary (the cat) and I know you all know how much you hurt when something like this happens to you "own" babies...I am so tired of deaths of poor animals. Again Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
I am so sorry to hear that Mary has passed on. I hope her kittens will be safe. I know you said you can't catch them; is it possible to feed them in a safe place, where they can go for shelter, maybe a garage or something? You may have to lay a food trail to encourage them to go there but they should learn quickly if you keep feeding them there. Also, I would seriously recommend a good kitten food for them, since they no longer have Mama's milk to help supplement their diet.

Fly free, little Mama Mary, so sorry you had to leave so soon. cat_wings>o
 
Such a sad story. I'm so sorry for Mama Mary - and for the babies she left behind. I would agree - if there's somewhere you can put some kitten food out for them...and maybe some kitten milk if they're small enough to still need it...at least that way you'll know they are fed even if you can't trap them and take them to a rescue at this point. It might well be that if you feed them for a while, you would be able to put some food in a trap later on and rescue them that way.
 
cat_wings>o Mamma Mary. How sad that she has crossed the bridge and left her little ones alone. :(

Others have given some good advice on trying to help the kittens if you are not able to trap them for rescue.

Fran thank you for caring and trying to help the family.
 
Squalliesmom said:
I am so sorry to hear that Mary has passed on. I hope her kittens will be safe. I know you said you can't catch them; is it possible to feed them in a safe place, where they can go for shelter, maybe a garage or something? You may have to lay a food trail to encourage them to go there but they should learn quickly if you keep feeding them there. Also, I would seriously recommend a good kitten food for them, since they no longer have Mama's milk to help supplement their diet.

Fly free, little Mama Mary, so sorry you had to leave so soon. cat_wings>o
Click to expand...
The problem is I know nothing about cats..I littered puppies. I am wondering if the kittens know where to go OR did they always stay in the vicinity of their mother? They were playing on the basket ball stand near the car where mom was lying under. My front porch is where they have been and they often sleep under the coverings we placed on the wicker chair...but mom slept in front of our front door. Do kittens know how to get back to my porch? I do not know how old they are. Frank buys a cheaper cat food for stray cats= Meow Mix dry and wet 9 lives. Our 2 cats eat FF pate. I don't know why she died. We have a raccoon that eat too, but I was told that the raccoon would not bother the cats. I have not seen the kittens since she died. Frank saw one on the steps next to our garage earlier. However, all of the wet food is gone. We are placing a movie camera on porch simply to see if the kittens know how to get back to the food. This is just awful!!! So, you think that the cat food was just a treat and the mom's milk was necessary? So, we will go get some kitten food. Thanks..After this, I do not want to feed the squirrels, racoons, cats..I have 8 dogs and 2 cats to worry over..I watched this poor animal die today..I would like not to have to feel like I do. Many months ago, one of our frequent squirrels came up to me while sitting on my back porch as usual. It made me a little nervous, so I moved away from the usual spot where I always sit. I watched the squirrel jump up on to my patio couch and dig a hole in that exact spot and crawl in..I thought "hmm-interesting" Then, he/she didn't move for awhile. I thought, "OMG..she's gone there to have babies", so I got my stethoscope and listened through the material as the heartbeat dropped down to "0". as he/she died. I guess this is life but I am tired of feeling so bad. I will go get the kitten food now..Thanks!!!
 
FRAN M. said:
So, you think that the cat food was just a treat and the mom's milk was necessary?
Click to expand...

If the kittens are eating the cat food, then they are probably at least partially weaned from mom....I'd leave down more canned kitten food and watch to see if it's being eaten by the kittens (and not the raccoons). If they're eating, they should be OK

They should stay in the same area where they'd been raised prior, so if they were usually under your porch, I bet that's where they'll return to.

Search for "feral cat rescues" in your area....there are a lot more of them out there these days and they can probably help with trapping, spaying/neutering and possibly rehoming (if the kits can be tamed) or contact your animal control and see if they have any programs for TNR
 
Fran, there's really nothing else I can add to all the excellent advice, except my agreement. Please keep us posted, and we're always here if you need help or advice! I'll keep you and the kittens in my prayers.

Lucy :bighug:
 
FRAN M. said:
The problem is I know nothing about cats..I littered puppies. I am wondering if the kittens know where to go OR did they always stay in the vicinity of their mother? They were playing on the basket ball stand near the car where mom was lying under. My front porch is where they have been and they often sleep under the coverings we placed on the wicker chair...but mom slept in front of our front door. Do kittens know how to get back to my porch? I do not know how old they are. Frank buys a cheaper cat food for stray cats= Meow Mix dry and wet 9 lives. Our 2 cats eat FF pate. I don't know why she died. We have a raccoon that eat too, but I was told that the raccoon would not bother the cats. I have not seen the kittens since she died. Frank saw one on the steps next to our garage earlier. However, all of the wet food is gone. We are placing a movie camera on porch simply to see if the kittens know how to get back to the food. This is just awful!!! So, you think that the cat food was just a treat and the mom's milk was necessary? So, we will go get some kitten food. Thanks..After this, I do not want to feed the squirrels, racoons, cats..I have 8 dogs and 2 cats to worry over..I watched this poor animal die today..I would like not to have to feel like I do. Many months ago, one of our frequent squirrels came up to me while sitting on my back porch as usual. It made me a little nervous, so I moved away from the usual spot where I always sit. I watched the squirrel jump up on to my patio couch and dig a hole in that exact spot and crawl in..I thought "hmm-interesting" Then, he/she didn't move for awhile. I thought, "OMG..she's gone there to have babies", so I got my stethoscope and listened through the material as the heartbeat dropped down to "0". as he/she died. I guess this is life but I am tired of feeling so bad. I will go get the kitten food now..Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Bless you for caring so much Fran. I know it hurts when an animal dies, even if it isn't 'yours'. But you are making their lives better for as long as they have. As far as advice is concerned, I think that's covered, but I just wanted to say that as someone who has fed wild hedgehogs that showed up in my garden, feral cats, and pretty much anything else that looks like it might need a decent meal, I do understand how difficult it is to lose them. :bighug: :bighug: :bighug:
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
The kittens will probably hang around the area where momma kept them. If you can get a couple traps you probably will be able to catch them. Check with your local animal control, they may have traps you can use.
Click to expand...
Frank saw 2 this am playing under his truck on theothersideof our driveway...That is where I have seen them in the past. I saw them walking back and forth along the garden edge at that spot last evening.We brought wet FF in a bowl near that area with milk and H2O. Nothing eaten. Frank saw 2 on porch this am looking like they were eating dry Iams. Not sure if they came at the dry food but we put it out (With the wet) usually because flies don' flood the dry food, as they do the wet. The wet food wasn't there because it was at the spot where the kittens seem to spend a lot of time. Maybe wild kittens are normally fearful of humans? Mom was not afraid.
Sharon14 said:
Hi Fran, I live about an hour south of you. If you need some help with the kittens PM me, maybe I can give you some pointers. I don't know anyone off hand that wants them, but I can ask around and maybe help you tame them.
Click to expand...
Sharon, because you know where we live, what's the chance catching them and sending them to a shelter will be a good idea. I mean no disrespect for all of the animal lovers here, but as you know, many here, do not respect their rights, in my N.Y. Opinion. I do believe that the Ferral cat people care.Someone's said to me awhile back that I should get someone to "bag them and take them off"..A present neighbor saw that we were feeding squirrels and claimed that he shoots them for target practice. I will look up Ferral cat people..I am sure if they can be trapped, we will do it when we know what to do with them.FB is filled with kittens needing homes because the local shelter claims they have run out of room..What a mess..Right now, I just want to make sure they eat and know what to do. They are probably waiting for their mother to ome back and care for them. The thought of them in that heavy rain last night and not eating is sooo worrisome. When we took in our 2 cats,we were told that they were 8 weeks but the DVM said that they were probably 12 weeks. And so, theses kittens are shorter in height and length than mine were. So, I can
't figure their age. We first knew they existed 2? Weeks ago when we saw them running around. This situation makes me ill. Thanks everyone for guidance. We will do our best..Any suggestions are always welcome!!
 
FRAN M. said:
Maybe wild kittens are normally fearful of humans? Mom was not afraid.
Click to expand...
Feral kittens are usually very fearful of humans. They can be socialized if you can get them to a shelter though. Rosa and Regan were about 4 months old when I adopted them and were completely feral. In theory they missed the optimal socialization period for kittens, but you'd never know it - they're incredibly friendly and loving cats, though I am the only person they completely trust...maybe because they were socialized later so got used to me rather than people in general...but ex-ferals do make great pets with a little work. Mom may not have been a true feral - if she'd been used to people at some point and maybe strayed and got lost, she wouldn't completely lose her trust of people. Or she could have been what I've heard classed as 'feral but can be handled' where a feral cat has learned that humans often bring food and other good things and learn to trust enough not to be afraid.

FRAN M. said:
When we took in our 2 cats,we were told that they were 8 weeks but the DVM said that they were probably 12 weeks. And so, theses kittens are shorter in height and length than mine were. So, I can
't figure their age. We first knew they existed 2? Weeks ago when we saw them running around.
Click to expand...
They'd have to be a minimum of 3-4 weeks old to be running around. Kittens usually start walking around at about 3 weeks, but they're often a little unsteady at that point so if they were running and playing, probably 4 weeks. If that was 2 weeks ago, and please bear in mind I haven't seen them so this is a guess, they'd likely be about 6-8 weeks. That would also fit with them being able to handle cat food rather than just mom's milk.
 
Last year (august 29) we had a stray have 4 babies in our garage. Not wanting more strays around we caught mom once the babies were 7-8 weeks old and had her spayed, and socialized the kittens. We did that by building a large cardboard enclosure that the mom could still jump in, but that was too tall for the kittens to jump out. We found homes for 2 of the 4, but then one of the remaining 2 got VERY sick. We brought it to the vet and she had double eye infections and pneumonia! I really thought she wasn't going to make it. After a couple of days and nights at the hospital she rallied and slowly started to heal. we couldn't put her back outside as the weather was starting to get chilly, so we brought her in. at the same time we had found a home for the other kitten, but they returned her two days later because she wouldn't stop crying. well long story short we wound up keeping both of those trouble makers. We are now officially crazy cat ladies with 7 cats. haha
 
JanetNJ said:
We are now officially crazy cat ladies with 7 cats. haha
Click to expand...


Sounds like me. A few years ago a stray cat walked into my house. I was sure that my cats would chase her out. They never bothered her. I found out when I took her to the vet to be checked that she was pregnant. She had 5 kittens. I found homes for 3 but still ended up keeping two.

Last year, I rescued a momma and 3 kittens. I found homes for all of them, including momma. At least that is what I thought. The woman who adopted her called me to say that all she would do is hide and cry. As soon as I arrived, she immediately came out of hiding and jumped into my lap. Guess who came home with me and still is there...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top