Kitten Season

is right around the corner here. lots of mommies pregnant and ready to drop. :(

Chris and i have talked about fostering a mommy and going through the miracle of life with Cailyn. we plan on having another child some time in the near future and have tossed around the idea of having her there when i deliver (you know... future birth control? :laughing: not really but thats a different talk all together)

the times i would have to be away from the house for extended lengths of time are for 3 hours while im at work 2 days a week. otherwise i can be home all day.

i have a friend who wants kittens when they are weened (2 of them) and has been researching and asking tons of questions. she would be a very responsible pet owner...

anyway... what are your thoughts on that? i totally understand they are a huge responsibility, my husband will divorce me if i fail at another foster, i cant KEEP the kittens... they will be up at all hours of the night... more litter to clean... more cat food to buy....

were getting ready to walk out the door, ill be back to jot down more thoughts. any of your own???

-ashley

I think it's a great idea, especially if you already have homes for two of the kittens and the mum's going to give birth regardless of where she is. It would be a great lesson for little Cailyn.

A couple of questions though - where would you foster the mummy-to-be from, and where would she go after the kittens are weaned? If the mummy had four kittens, for example, and you could only get rid of the two, what would have to happen to the other two?

I still think it's a good idea, and a fun experience for your family, I'm just curious as to the specifics of the plan.

I think its a great idea. As Danae said the female is going to have them no matter what. When we were little my mom used to breed apricot poodles, and we sat up one night and watched them being born. It was an amazing learning experience. As for what happens afterwards i would assume you would continue to foster until everyone has a permenant home.

yep, ive been working with a rescue group for cats since we fostered and then failed (haha!!) with Frances and thats where i would get the mommy from. we would foster mommy and her kittens until they found homes.

while i know they will be a handful, what does delivering baby kittens entail?

-ash

A Camera!
I'm dying to see some detailed shots of the birth!
Other than that, I really don't know, ha ha.
ummmm...towels and hot water?

Momma will pretty much do all the work. Fair warning tho, she will try and find a hidden place to have them. My sisters car decided my laundry basket full of laundry was a great place.

Always the devil's advocate, here's my warning. At the ripe old age of four I was wakened to observe "the miracle of birth" . I distinctly remember not thinking much of it, those slimy things didn't even look like kittens. The worst part was when my cat ate the afterbirth. I was convinced the afterbirth should not have been expelled from her body and that she was eating it in an attempt to put it back. I was very distraught, no one could convince me it was part of the process, and I cried myself to sleep thinking my cat was going to die. I think as well as preparing yourself it might be a good idea to prepare the little one too.

Oh my! Cats DO that? :yuck:

Oh my! Cats DO that? :yuck:


It provides them with the nutrients that they have lost, while pregant. Or so I believe? I could be wrong though?

ACO22

ah well Cailyn will be 9 in a few months, she has a 2yo brother.

i know how you feel though, my first birthing was a momma kitty a hoarder had. they had inbred considerably. most of the babies were born dead and disfigured. it was horrible. :(

-ashley