Expert: Karen Craft - 6/2/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello , My baby - bella a persian just gave birth to her first 2 kittens one is crying and 1 is not moving ! Can i help her?  Should she be feeding the one that was crying?  I moved her a little closer to her and she stopped ... I an holding the 1 that is not moving .  What should Bella be doing with her new kitten ?

ANSWER: Hi Pam,

Persians are very finicky mothers. They have small litters and sometimes don't take care of them very good. Is the one who is not moving breathing? Sometimes there will be still births in the first litter. Bella should be licking and cleaning the kittens. She should be nursing them by now. If she is not you need to do some things to take care of the kittens. You will have to feed them, help them eliminate, and keep them warm. Write back to me if she is not taking care of the kit. I will give you what you need to know to take care of the kits. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Bella has been cleaning the kitten , however nursing only seems to happen when i put the kitten to her .  Does the mother in anyway help the kitten find her to nurse?The kittens were born on day 59 or 60 of gestation.  How often do they nurse? Do the new kittens cry very much ? Thanks so much for your help :)
ANSWER: Hi Pam,

Sometimes the mother does but sometimes she doesn't. The kitten will soon find her way around mom. All new kittens do for the first week is cry, eat and sleep. I am attaching an article about what to expect on kitten development. This should help answer a few of your questions. Kittens nurse about 6-8 times a day in the first week. Usually the gestation period for cats is 63-72 days. Your little ones might have been a little premature. Good luck and write back if you have any other questions.

Ciao, Karen


When kittens are born they rely completely on their mother. As a necessary first function, the mother cat will lick her kittens right after birth to help start their breathing. She also does this after they eat to help stimulate digestion. Kittens are born with their eyes and ears closed. For the first three weeks a kitten's life entails eating and sleeping. During this time they huddle with their mother and littermates to keep warm. Kittens begin to open their eyes when they are around 8 days old and generally they are fully open by the 14th day. An intriguing fact is that all cats are born with blue eyes. The 'adult' eye color begins to appear after 3 to 12 weeks. Kitten's ears open between the 5th and 8th day, and are generally up strait by three weeks. Crawling starts at 18 days and standing at 21 days. The kitten will start to orient itself by sight and sound around the 25th day.

One sign of a healthy kitten is that it is firmly packed and nurses vigorously. A kitten should double its weight in the first week. Unless there is a health problem, kittens should be handled very little during the first three weeks. Being close to its mother and littermates is very important for the proper development of a kitten. Two of the most important health factors for a kitten are that it eats well and stays warm. Kittens can lose body heat rapidly if not kept warm. This can be life threatening. When kittens sleep they will often move and twitch. This is called activated sleep it helps the kitten develop muscle tone.

By the fourth week, most of the kitten's senses are well developed. At this stage the kitten interacts with its littermates, its teeth will begin to come in, and it will begin walking. By the fifth week, the kitten's sight is developed. Its motor skills and social interactions will be well developed and the kitten will be able to groom itself. At this time, there will be a change towards an adult sleep pattern.

Between 7 and 14 weeks a kitten learns mainly by playing. For this and other reasons, it is recommended that a kitten be at least 10 to 12 weeks old before adoption. At 3 to 6 months the kitten will start to develop and understand social structures and territory. From 6 to 18 months a kitten learns by exploring and challenging boundaries. A kitten will physically mature to an adult cat at this point.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Since the kitten is premature is there a chance she will have anymore kittens? It has been 10 hours since the birth. Bella seems to want me with her every second and loving on her and is totally fine with me handling the kitten. I keep putting the kitten to her to nurse is this ok? I do leave them some (they are in my closet)to give them privacy , however Bella seems more relaxed if I am with her.

Answer
Hi Pam,

Feel her belly. If it is hard she may have more kittens in her. If so, you need to take her to the vet to be checked. If her belly feels soft she has no more kits. Putting the kitten to her is fine. The little one will soon figure out what to do for herself soon. Don't worry about the handling. If Bella is comfortable with it then go ahead and handle the kit a little bit. It sounds like Bella is very attached to you. She is looking to you for her needs. Just do what you are doing. All will turn out fine. Good luck with your new family.

Ciao, Karen