Expert: Dear Tabbi - 6/3/2008

Question
Dear Tabbi.
i would like to ask 2 questions concerning my cat:

1)my cat delieverd last month 5 kittens.now they are about a month and 2 weeks.they get little milk from their mother as they are eating food for kittens even sometimes they eat from the food i provide to their mom and dad.so is it the time i could give them away to someone as i cant have 7 cat @ home and iam becoming more and more attached to them.is it preferable to give them all 5 at once to someone so the cat mother wont feel her kittens are less in number or it doesnt matter

2)im having a problem in understanding the mother cat.she is a snowshoe and all day with nonstop miawling.the pitch of her sound basiclly is not well.i felt first she is miawling for food,i provided her a lot; she keeps on miawling day and night.sometimes she is like searching for the kittens,i get them all near her to give them milk,nothing changes...when i saw her in the litter she is like pressing too much and from her voice she is like having pain....i dont know if its from her breasts,they look like full of milk and cant give them all.she miawl near the microwave and oven as she notice their is something there;fish or any, i give her a bit to stop but she keeps on miwaling; i know that snowshoe are talkative in nature.before she got her kittens she used to miawl for food or to give her a stick as she likes it and then things stops.....but now its much ,is it warms in her body (i did from two weeks the yearly injection)
i dont know what she has;i tried to write all what i noticed the past days as mabye you could help me figuring out

i really thank you beforehand for any info. u provide me

Answer
ziad,

I would give the kittens away two at a time so the kittens will have a friend in a new home and feel more secure. Then I would keep one kitten for company for the mother cat.

I am not knowledgeable about Snowshoe cats so I don't know if her problem is breed specific. I would ask that question of one of our experts under breeding and showing.

A cat that meows all the time is trying to tell you something. I would take her to the vet for a checkup. It may be that she is in pain, has an infection, or maybe didn't get all her afterbirth out.

She may also be in heat again. A cat can come back into heat and get pregnant 48 hours to two weeks after giving birth. If you are not going to be a professional breeder then I would get her spayed as soon as possible. The vet can check her over for any problems at the same time.

Tabbi