Second Chance Kitten

by DLRFM
(Midwest)

I agreed to adopt a small white female sight unseen about 6 weeks ago because my beloved Queen Angelfood Cupcake is 16 years old and in failing health, so a new princess waiting to become the new "lady of the house" seemed right.

What I found out the first time I held her is she was pregnant. I took her to the vet for her Feluc test, shots and examination and the vet confirmed she was indeed pregnant, about 1 year old and due in about a month and was carrying 3 to 4 kittens.

First I had to decide whether to let her come to term and the vet explained to me the risking of terminating her pregnancy and neutering her at that time. Then I had to figure out what I was going to do with 4 kittens as there is "no room at the inn" currently.

I had never had kittens before but have been a cat lover since I got Angelfood so I decided to live large and have the kittens.

I named my new female Brunehilde after the mythic Icelandic princess and set about making her feel welcome in her new home that she shares with 3 other kitties. I also was determined to fatten her up so she had plenty of reserves for her pregnancy and birth.

I asked every cat owner I came across what to expect when the big day/night came. Would she let me know she is about to give birth?

Well it turns out she did. She came and woke me up at 3 in the morning and allowed me pick her up and hold her being more affectionate than usual. I then noticed she was bleeding a little and knew it was time. I put her in her carrier/kennel and then started looking all over the house to make sure she hadn't already had the kittens somewhere else.

By the time I got back to her I saw two kittens squirming beside her. The vet had said 3 or 4 so I went looking again to make sure she hadn't dropped one somewhere else. I was concerned because someone had told me young mothers are confused and not the most successful with their first litters.

She got up for some breakfast and I took the opportunity to change the bedding in the kennel. That when I found the third kitten, dead, without fur and obviously premature wrapped in the towel. There were 2 males, and all white one and a gray tiger slightly bigger than the other.

Bruni rejoined her young after a few minutes and seemed concerned with them but somewhat confused. She seem to be sitting on top of them but not in a way they could nurse. I tried picking them up and helping them find her nipples but I never saw them sucking. I became concerned and called a friend who brought over a pint of Kitten Milk and some eye droppers so I could had feed the little ones.

I heated up the milk and made sure it was the right temp, filled a dropper but couldn't get the kittens to drink. I thought that maybe they'd been eating when I wasn't looking and were full.
Within 36 hours both of them died, first the white one then the little tiger.

I was very sad and felt my lack of experience and Bruni's young age had stacked the deck against us.
I thought about not getting her fixed before her next heat and turning her loose on the neighborhood to try again but then thought, no it just wasn't meant to be and just resigned myself to wait for her milk to dry up and take her to the vet.

Yesterday, I found her trying to evict Jophiel from his kennel and had to pull her out and put her on the floor where she went right back up on the workbench and stuffed herself in his kennel again. This time I put her in her kennel and locked the door and went and did some chores.
I came to get her in about an hour and when I reached in to take her out she was resisting leaving. I then noticed a little white newborn next to her.

I felt dizzy as my mind raced to make sense of what I was seeing. 8 days had gone by since her delivery. Had the white kitty not died after all? No, I had disposed of it little limp body. Had another one been in the kennel for 8 days on it's own and I hadn't noticed? Impossible! The only explanation was that she had just given birth to the 4th kitten that she had somehow carried around for another EIGHT DAYS!

The first thing I noticed was how much bigger this one was than the first two. Next it was firmly attached to her nipple and sucking.
I called the vet right away for tips on making sure this one survived and she said she'd never heard of a live kitten being born over a week after the first ones.

Based on the successful nursing and Bruni's serious attention to this little miracle kitten I think it's going to survive. It's been over 24 hours now and mother and kitten seem to be doing fine. With eight nipples, no waiting this single kitten should grow fat and happy! And I'm happy we get a second chance to have the whole kitten experience!

How To Take Care Of Your Pregnant Cat answers all your questions about pregnancy in cats and kitten care.