What to Do If Mother Cat Abandons Kittens?

Female cats are usually great mothers, but sometimes they can abandon their kittens for various reasons. Namely, sometimes mother cat feels sick and does not want to pass her illness to young kittens. Rejecting them, in this case, means protecting them. A mother cat can also abandon the young if some of them are ill. Frequently, the ill kitten will be physically isolated from the litter. Feline experts warn us not to bring back the ill kitten into the nest because it can result in rejection of all the youngsters. A young mother cat can reject the litter because she is too young and her instincts have not yet developed fully. Sometimes, it can help to show young mother what to do and how to care for the litter. Experts think that a good strategy is to place kittens near her breasts to give her an idea how to feed the little ones. A mother cat can also be exhausted by delivery, especially if the litter is the large one, and worn out by hormones. Experts recommend giving her some time to come round and accept the kittens. In many cases, a short nap can renew mother cat and help her embrace her role and welcome the young. But, sometimes, female cats abandon their young without obvious reason. Whatever the reason can be, the most important thing is to provide immediately for rejected kittens and consult a vet about his further care. To find out more about what to do if the mother cat abandons kittens, the article “Hand Rearing Kittens” gives us the following advice.

BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

When hand-rearing, you must minimise physical stresses on the kitten. Its actual rate of growth will depend not only on food and warmth, but on its state of health and whether it was born full-term or premature. Kittens do not all grow at the same rate – the figures quoted here are averages. Some will grow faster, some will grow slower. As long as the kitten is healthy, do not immediately panic if your kitten is not growing at the expected rate. If you are concerned at lack of growth, seek veterinary advice.

Not all readers will have state-of-the art facilities. Many cat-rescuers have worked wonders using improvised equipment and sheer hard work. The basic needs for hand-rearing are:

Clean, warm environment
Suitable feeding regime and feed type
Assistance in emptying kitten’s bladder and bowels
Health care
Common pitfalls include:

Chilling or heat-stroke
Dehydration
Starvation
Diarrhoea

Remember that newborn kittens have immature systems which are easily stressed – their livers are poor at detoxifying drugs, their kidneys are inefficient. They cannot store glucose for long and they cannot regulate their body temperatures for the first few weeks. Minimising stress to their systems is essential.

To prevent a cat from abandoning kittens, experts suggest proper care about her needs. Mother cat should be fed with more nutritious food and provide with better care than usual. If their diet does not contain enough nutrients, and her health conditions are poor, then she will probably reject her litter. To ensure healthy and joyful lives of little kittens, we should take care about a mother first. Only healthy, well fed and content cat will bring up happy and healthy litter.