Expert: Karen Craft - 9/18/2007

Question
I very recently picked up a stray cat.  Not more than a few hours after I had her, she had four kittens.  From what I can tell the kittens are all healthy and she is taking good care of them.  She spends a lot of time with them and they nurse a lot.  I am worried that she is not licking them, to make them go to the bathroom. She groomed them after birth, but I haven't seen her groom them since and they are now almost two days old. How do I know if the kittens are going to the bathroom?  Also, she is peeing in her litter box, but not pooping.  She is pooping in a corner on my carpet.  I have been keeping to box clean, but she still won't poop in it.  I laid out newspapers on the carpet, but she just pooped next to them. What should I do?  Does she want two litter boxes?  Does she just like carpet?

Answer
Hi Lauren,

Try to keep a close watch on the mom. I think you will find that she is taking care of the elimination problem of the kittens. If it looks like she is grooming them then she is helping them eliminate. If you don't see her licking them at all, you will have to do her job. You will need to take a cotton ball and wet it with warm water.  You have to gently rub the kittens privates to stimulate them to go. Do this over a sink as it can get a little messy. Put them back with the mom. They should be all right then. Do this a few times a day. Don't worry if you don't get poo everyday. They should be able to go on their own in about 3-4 weeks.

Now onto the mom's problem. Try changing the type of litter you use. Sometimes this helps. Make sure the box is in a quiet area. She may be afraid to be in the box long. Clean the area she is using with a good enzymatic cleaner so her scent won't attract her back. You also might want to have her checked by the vet to make sure she doesn't have anything wrong with her. Sometimes if cats have pain when they go they associate the litter box with the pain. This might be happening with her. Let me know how it is going with your new family. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen