First Time Mother cat...depressed??

by Tamara
(Saskatchewan)

Hi,

I have a siamese cat who just gave birth two days ago to five kittens (4 survived) up until this afternoon she was her normal loving and attention getting self. She was and still is feeding the kittens but now when she is done feeding them she goes and crawls under our dresser and turns her back and ignores everyone. She won't come out (even for our daughter, and they are usually inseperable)
In the course of 8 hours she seemed to have started looking ragged and she has the runs and vomited once. I called to make an appointment with the vet but can't get in until Friday cause he is away. Is there any advice you can give me? is this normal can cats get post partum like humans? What can I do for her in the mean time?
Thank you for your help?

Reply
hi
Yes sometimes a cat can get sick after giving birth. It may have taken a lot out of her and she may need some extra support via nutritional supplements etc. your vet will discuss this with you.

Also she may have picked up an infection by the sounds of it and this is not good for her or the kittens.

All you can do in the meantime is to make sure her bed is kept clean and that she has cleaned herself properly, you don't want any feces getting near the kittens.

make sure she gets plenty of peace and quiet and time alone with the kittens. fresh water should be near by too.

Apart from that the vet visit is the best option. Make sure she continues to feed the kittens and if any of the symptoms gets worse or if the kittens start to show signs of illness, see if there are any other vets in your area who can see them, but hopefully they will be fine until friday.

best wishes kate

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