We have babies...Updated with pic's!!

[MiniforFaith]

Hey guys, I turn to you all for everything so I am asking again. Faith's cat Zoey became a momma last night to 4 little kittens. She had them in the farm equip. barn, in the wall

.. Should I get them out of there or leave them there, like hubby says.. I am 35 and this is the first time I have kitties

All suggestions for raising barn kittens are wanted, please.. I just think I should get them out of the "wall" or do I let her do it. This is her first litter and she seems to be doing a good job at being a momma..

Thanks a head of time..

I went out to the barn before it got dark, and the fun began. SHe hid them good. I know the pic's aren't the best, but that was the best that I could get this body to stretch and bend

This is the wall she picked to have them behind/in..

This is the first angle: You can see the one that looks like momma, the other three were nursing.

And This is the best I could do as to get a good one of the rest of them:

The peach one looks like the one Faith had before(Twister) who we were looking for when we found Zoey. Then the all black one and the other , not sure the wording on colors.. I did move the little one close to her and she was alright with me touching he/she.. She is a little more protective when hubby is in the barn..

Now, our new problem.. Faith wants the babies to come and sleep with her.. I told her we can't hold them for a few days..

I hope the pic's are alright, I am still sore from the stretch..

 

[h2t99]

Unless you have a safe place to put them, I would leave her for awhile. She chose that spot because she felt safe there

I know its a very inconvenient place. Don't wait to long though, you want them to be friendly!! I would leave them for a couple of weeks and then if you have a safe place to put her move her. Enjoy them!!

 

[OhHorsePee]

Congratulations! WHere are the pictures???

 

[minimama]

Some of that depends on how big the space is. If you leave them will they grow so big they cannot get out. Dismanteling a barn wall to get kittens out is no fun.

 

[Matt73]

Congrats!

Is she a barn cat? If so, just leave them where they are. Raising kittens is A LOT easier than puppies. Cats are the best moms. I just make sure at 7-10 days that their eyes are opening properly; sometimes they get gunked shut and can get infected. I take a warm cloth and wipe them clean if I see any evidence of that and apply an eye ointment. I start feeding them at 4 weeks (3 if it's a big litter). They get Revolution (worms, fleas, mites etc.) at 6 weeks and their first shots at 7-8 weeks. That's it. When I start feeding them I use to moisten the food but now find that with all the litters I've had it's unnecessary. They seem to like the crunch and don't have any problem eating it. Good luck with them and...we need pics sometime

Edited to add that I do move them at 3-4 weeks and put them in a contained area (where mom can come and go, but they can't run around the barn). They can quickly become wild if you don't do this. When I move them, I spend 20 mins. or so with mom petting her and reassuring her. Once she plunks down to nurse them, you're pretty much assured she won't move them back or somewhere else.

 

[MiniforFaith]

Congrats!
Is she a barn cat? If so, just leave them where they are. Raising kittens is A LOT easier than puppies. Cats are the best moms. I just make sure at 7-10 days that their eyes are opening properly; sometimes they get gunked shut and can get infected. I take a warm cloth and wipe them clean if I see any evidence of that and apply an eye ointment. I start feeding them at 4 weeks (3 if it's a big litter). They get Revolution (worms, fleas, mites etc.) at 6 weeks and their first shots at 7-8 weeks. That's it. When I start feeding them I use to moisten the food but now find that with all the litters I've had it's unnecessary. They seem to like the crunch and don't have any problem eating it. Good luck with them and...we need pics sometime

Edited to add that I do move them at 3-4 weeks and put them in a contained area (where mom can come and go, but they can't run around the barn). They can quickly become wild if you don't do this. When I move them, I spend 20 mins. or so with mom petting her and reassuring her. Once she plunks down to nurse them, you're pretty much assured she won't move them back or somewhere else.

Thanks for all the info.. SHe is an outside cat, but is really friendly. She just started mousing which made her an official barn cat.. I just added pic's to my first post

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

I'm not a big cat fan but I LOVE calicos

:wub

 

[Reijel's Mom]

I grew up with lots of barn cats, and too me, that looks like a wonderful safe place for them. If you move them she may only try to transport them back and sometimes things don't go so well with transport, you could lose a baby in the process. For that reason, I'd also give her some space right now so she doesn't move them on her own.

Beautiful babies, congrats!

 

[Miniv]

How tame is your Momma cat? And how warm is it in your equipment barn?

If it's above the 40's at night, I'd leave them for a few days or so. But set up a nest box in the barn in a dark place and show it to her. Then, when possible move the kittens and hope for the best. If it's really cold, I'd speed up the process.

What's important is finding a protected place that is accessible for you. You need to be able to check on the health of the kittens. Plus, handling them occasionally helps to get them used to humans.

 

[Matt73]

Congrats!
Is she a barn cat? If so, just leave them where they are. Raising kittens is A LOT easier than puppies. Cats are the best moms. I just make sure at 7-10 days that their eyes are opening properly; sometimes they get gunked shut and can get infected. I take a warm cloth and wipe them clean if I see any evidence of that and apply an eye ointment. I start feeding them at 4 weeks (3 if it's a big litter). They get Revolution (worms, fleas, mites etc.) at 6 weeks and their first shots at 7-8 weeks. That's it. When I start feeding them I use to moisten the food but now find that with all the litters I've had it's unnecessary. They seem to like the crunch and don't have any problem eating it. Good luck with them and...we need pics sometime

Edited to add that I do move them at 3-4 weeks and put them in a contained area (where mom can come and go, but they can't run around the barn). They can quickly become wild if you don't do this. When I move them, I spend 20 mins. or so with mom petting her and reassuring her. Once she plunks down to nurse them, you're pretty much assured she won't move them back or somewhere else.

Thanks for all the info.. SHe is an outside cat, but is really friendly. She just started mousing which made her an official barn cat.. I just added pic's to my first post

Oops. Now I see that there are four. Maybe just throw down a bit of straw if/when you get a chance.

You're welcome

That looks like a great spot (my barn kitty raises them in a lot tighter quarters than that usually). How many are there? If there are three or more they should be good to keep each other warm.

 

[Marnie]

They are gogeous, calico's are my favorite. That baby calico is a girl, all calico's are female. Your picture's make me want babies but we got all of our barn kitties fixed about 5 years ago.

 

[capall beag]

My suggestion, leave her be.

We have 2 barn cats and they know where to have their babies.

That said one of our barn cat is now in the house nursing her 5 kittens. She has them hidden under the stairs. Twice I tried to move them to what I thought was a 'nicer' place BOTH times she started moving them back immediately!

Momma knows best!

By the way, they are beautiful

 

[Sonya]

Congrats on your kitties...I'd leave her be for a few days, I really like calicos.

 

[justjinx]

looks like a tortie hiding in there with mom! i love torties! jennifer

 

[MiniforFaith]

looks like a tortie hiding in there with mom! i love torties! jennifer

Hi, thanks for your reply, but as I said I am not up on the cat colors/breeds.. Which color is a tortie? KInda feeling a little stupid here

..

 

[MiniforFaith]

Hi everyone, just wanted to share another picture I took of the kittens today. They seem to be doing well. I am leaving them alone for a few more days, then I am going to try to start handling them. Momma is very, very tame and a snuggle bunny, and I want these little ones to be too.. My only problem is that it is a back buster just getting to them, and snapping pic's, not sure how I am going to reach in there!!! All four are still with us, you can see the fourth hidding in the back.. Zoey is doing good for a first time momma..

 

[Reijel's Mom]

Well, you've got a litter of Domestic Short Hairs (basically the all-American mutt cat

). Momma's color is calico, as is one of your kittens. Calico's are almost always female due to genetics. Males are possible but very rare and they would be sterile, and no they aren't worth lots of money, unless you find someone willing to pay lots of money for some odd reason

.

Tortie's are kinda like calico but instead of all the white they are darker colors (unless they are a dilute) and have other colors swirled in.

That is a REALLY simplified version - just do a google search and you'll learn lots

.

 

[barnbum]