Care of Kittens

A pregnant queen should be isolated from other cats for the final three to six weeks of pregnancy and should not be overfed. A queen can experience a false pregnancy, or can reasorb fetuses, especially if she is old, if she feels overcrowded or disturbed, if she is unable to make a nest, or if a strange male is present. In extreme situation, she may abort and ingest her fetuses. A nest box should be provided for the queen. If she feels secure, "queening" is generally a swift and easy process. The first kitten usually appears within an hour of the onset of labor. However, the entire litter may be delivered within the first hour, or, in some cases, the birth may take up to thirty or forty hours. A dark vaginal discharge indicates placental separation; this persists for only two or three days after delivery, unless there is a problem. Once labor has commenced, the queen should not be disturbed except to check occasionally that all is well. Newborn Kittens The new family should be left alone in warmth, quiet, and solitude. Constant crying, kittens squirming around the nest box, and restlessness of the queen are signs of trouble. Young kittens have a normal rectal temperature of about 96