Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)/Is there something wrong?

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Expert: Dear Tabbi - 9/4/2009


Question
Hello. A couple of months ago, i found a cat that was roughly two years old but was the size of a 3 month old kitten. She had a broken paw, and was 30 days into pregnancy. She gave birth 2 weeks early, and to only one kitten. He is EXTREMELY small for his age, but is healthy. But, we have a pool, and they are outdoor cats, and the kitten has fallen in the pool many times, and the mother would walk the other way, while my other cat would jump in and save him.

The mother had tried to ween the kitten at about two weeks, then gave up. He is now one month old, and she will not save him if he gets into trouble. Is there something wrong with the kitten? I am worried that the kitten will die and the mother will not notice at all. Please answer soon.

Answer

Dog Crate For Cats
Alyssa,

Kittens are just like little children. You need to protect them from harm. A cat does NOT have any reasoning ability so the mother will not understand that the kitten could die in the pool. She does not have any concept of death or drowning.

That is rare that your other cat will jump in the water, and even rarer that the cat will save the kitten! That is a special cat!

Be careful of the kitten getting chlorine in his system or licking it off of his fur! One of my cats drank from a portable pool that had chlorine in it and his mouth completely blistered...I can imagine what it can do to a kitten's insides!

The kitten SHOULD have learned by now to avoid the pool, but when they are little they have jerky movements and aren't completely in control. You need to somehow put up a barrier until the kitten is older. Maybe a portable dog fence around the pool or keep the kitten in an area that is closed in but the mother can still get over it to him.

Remember to feed the mother cat about 4 times the amount she normally would eat to help milk production and put back what the kitten takes out of her. A bowl of good quality kitten chow always available, along with fresh water, is best for her while she is nursing. She needs the extra protein and nutrients that is in the kitten chow, especially if she is scrawny. And when the baby starts eating he needs kitten chow for his first year.

I would also think about getting her spayed. She can get pregnant again in as little 48 hours to 2 weeks after giving birth! And it doesn't sound like health-wise that it would be a good idea for her to get pregnant again.

The baby will nurse as long as the mother let him, and hopefully she will! In the wild, kittens nurse until they are about 6 months old.

Maybe, if it is a viable option, it would be safest to bring the mom and kitten inside and keep them there until the baby is 8-12 weeks old.

If you have the funds and the room, a very large dog crate would be perfect! I am attaching a picture of mine (I got it at Petco) that I fostered a mom and kittens in. There is room for a food, water, a litter box, a sheltered cat bed, and still room left over.

I hope this was helpful. And I hope that the kitten is OK and he survives. Kittens are pretty sturdy, even with an iffy beginning. But it's really up to Mother Nature.

Tabbi

Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)

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Dear Tabbi

Expertise

My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too. Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again. Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.

Experience

Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).

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