Will someone be missing breakfast?

April 13, 2007 9:23 PM

As I type this, my lovely cat is having kittens (literally). I am having a few myself (not literally). I'm a little worried because...

...she only has four, um, mature (?) nipples, but she just had her fifth kitten. And I think there's at least another one in there. Should I be worried about the cuddly little bastards?

posted by Optamystic to pets & animals (21 comments total)

Here's some advice about hand-rearing kittens. Sounds like you'll need to watch Momcat to see if she's rejecting any.
posted by hangashore at 10:00 PM on April 13, 2007

Cats usually have four teats. One of our cats had six kittens, the other had five (both cats were feral/rescued so no opportunity for counting nipples), and all of the kittens were fine with no human intervention. The average litter size is supposed to be four to five. I think you're fine as far as numbers go, but you should keep an eye on them for any kind of problems anyway, which will give you an opportunity to make sure all of the kittens are getting fed.
posted by anaelith at 10:05 PM on April 13, 2007

Thanks for the advice. Anaelith, if I'm reading the article correctly, I think they're supposed to have eight teats. From your link:

Cats usually have four pairs, two thoracic and two abdominal, which are about equidistantly spaced.

My cat has two pairs of normal teats, and one pair of underdeveloped teats. Is that bad? Or does it matter, as in, they don't all need to nurse at the same time?
posted by Optamystic at 10:14 PM on April 13, 2007

it's not so much the number of nipples but her ability to produce milk.... lactating mum here.... make sure you get her to drink as much as humanly/felinely possible, as this will ensure maximum milk supply.

i'd wish you best of luck but i hate cats so i'll refrain from comments about cat hair hats and leave you to it.... ;-)
posted by taff at 10:36 PM on April 13, 2007

This FAQ suggests you're right to be concerned, and you may have to hand-feed one or more of the kittens. Hopefully that's not the case, but anaelith's right that you should keep a close eye on them for the first few days.
posted by katemonster at 10:42 PM on April 13, 2007

I thank you all. I've been watching them since I posted the question, and it seems like they're all getting some snack time in. So, once again, I thank you. I'd also like to purr a special thanks from little hangashore, little anaelith, and especially from little taff, the cutest little kitten of them all.
posted by Optamystic at 10:50 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

And let's not forget little katemonster, the feisty little devil.
posted by Optamystic at 10:52 PM on April 13, 2007

And the last one shall be called Vonnegut.
posted by Optamystic at 10:52 PM on April 13, 2007

Even if she had one nipple per kitten there's no guarantee two or three of them won't fight over one instead of each picking a free one. I'd say take notice of how things work out; if one kitten's a glutton and one's starving you might intervene for fairness, and if necessary hand-feed any who don't get enough. If pet food stores in the UK sell kitten milk replacer it might be good to get some just in case.

If a mama cat consistently rejects a kitten that's a problem, but it's too early to worry about that. Relax a bit: so far there's cause for concern, but not nail biting. (Cats were having kittens before people were invented!)
posted by davy at 10:54 PM on April 13, 2007

Best of luck, Optamystic. Enjoy your kittens!

(Please don't anybody name anything after me, that'd probably be BAD luck for him/her/it.)
posted by davy at 10:55 PM on April 13, 2007

As another data point, my childhood cat dropped seven mewling little puffballs and I'm pretty sure she didn't have seven milk-producing nipples. Let me tell you, though - they really sucked her dry. She was never really the same after that, but then, who would be?

In all seriousness, it was one of the loveliest experiences of my life, and if you have to intervene a little bit to make sure they're all getting their share, I'm sure nobody will mind. Hooray! Kittens!
posted by granted at 11:11 PM on April 13, 2007

You might ask a vet for calcium pills for your momcat, especially if she doesn't drink milk herself (as many adult cats don't). She's going to need it.
posted by zadcat at 12:09 AM on April 14, 2007

And, of course, this thread is useless without pictures.
posted by essexjan at 1:00 AM on April 14, 2007

What essexjan said.

And just in case you haven't already switched mama cat's diet...make sure she's on a good kitten or growth formula, and consider free-feeding even if she normally gets meals at set times. Her food and water intake are going to be increasing to help her cope with feeding all those little puffballs, and even with bigger portions of a richer diet she may wind up losing weight -- nursing all those kittens is hard work.

Good luck!
posted by Smilla's Sense of Snark at 1:10 AM on April 14, 2007

A little late, but if mama cat needs additional calcium, my vet has verified that Lactaid is safe for cats (it is free of the lactose that most cats don't have the enzymes to digest). I have been giving it to one of my furboys who has needed to put weight back on after an illness, and he loves it.

And there's nothing sweeter than a passle of kittens!
posted by vers at 8:32 AM on April 14, 2007

I totally fail at reading comprehension. :( Or counting... Anyway, I'm glad to hear your kittens are doing well, and yes, we totally want pictures. (Although mind the bright light for the poor kittens, fragile little closed up eyes don't like flash!)
posted by anaelith at 9:17 AM on April 14, 2007

Please post pictures if you get a chance!
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:49 PM on April 14, 2007

Pictures, yes, please.

Is it no longer acceptable to say, if mama cat rejects a kitten, she's the expert?

Toots (the best cat, ever) was clever, and only had 3 in her litter. She was just 'A little bit pregnant'.
posted by Goofyy at 2:44 AM on April 18, 2007

Thanks for all of the good advice. Here's a pic:
posted by Optamystic at 2:45 AM on April 18, 2007

Cats tend to be able to just get on with their own thing. My cat fell pregnant when she was 9 months old (we'd planned on letting her have one litter, but when she was slightly older) and she was completely tiny. I was worried that she might have issues with giving birth or feeding all of the kittens, but when the time came she managed everything just fine. Instinct counts for a lot.

OMG KITTENS
posted by hugsnkisses at 4:31 AM on April 18, 2007

Want one?
posted by Optamystic at 8:51 AM on April 19, 2007