Beauty's Four Tiny Beauties

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Three days old, here are Beauty's four Kittens in a photograph taken during one of the very brief intervals when their Mother actually was willing to leave the bed to have a quick meal.

I didn't dare change the bedding yet, for fear she would reject the entire bed afterwards and try to drag all the little ones somewhere else in a panic. It is snowing outside, rather cold and the Kittens' bed is in the warmest possible location. I wouldn't put anything past Beauty in terms of her obsessive care of her children. She is incredibly possessive and protective of these little ones. I have not been able to make certain of their genders yet. There is no rush, however. I am very happy that she has bonded so strongly with them.

Saturday's Progress Report

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Perhaps no one even reads these posts but I really am keeping it as my own journal at this point. I often regret that I do not have photographs of other Cats I loved in the past... so now I am trying to keep a good written and photographic record of the biggest Event in the lives of Ash and Beauty. Although I have experienced feline deliveries before, it nonetheless always is exciting and very satisfying when the entire business goes well. At the moment, every one appears healthy. The little Flame kitten, who was last to be born and smallest initially, now is overtaking the others by leaps and bounds and it is one of the White Kittens who has become the tiniest and most delicate. The other three are so greedy that the littlest one is pushed aside. He or she is not starving by any means, but I will try to compensate a little if I must, even if I must push another kitten aside on his/her behalf once or twice.

In a year or so, I hope it will be amusing to look at these photographs of the little creatures when they were less than a week old. Obviously, I cannot keep the kittens (except one perhaps?) but I hope to place them with feline fanciers who will keep in touch with me. I try to contact the woman who owns the parents of Beauty and Ashleigh from time to time to let her know that her 'babies' are thriving.

One of the photograph displayed here is of Beauty grooming the tiniest kitten. All of them protest bitterly when she keeps them from their incessant quest for milk but she makes certain that they stay clean and it definitely helps their immature digestive systems if the Mum helps out in this fashion.

2 Days Old...

Only two days old but filled with competitive energy. They are little blind mountain climbers... forever scaling the heights of their Mummy's tummy...

Happiness at Last

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Some women were born for Motherhood... and one can say the same of some Cats. I could tell that Beauty, despite her terrible ordeal in September,longed to have kittens of her own. Separated too soon from her own mother, I suspect (which was NOT my doing), she often reverts to a kitten's longing for closeness and warmth.

Now she has her own four little bundles of warmth, mewing out their need for her, cuddling up to her, demanding sustenance and comfort, which she is thrilled to provide. She goes out of her way to assume a position that will suit all of the little ones. When she leaves the kitten box, she always is alert for the smallest cry... and will race back to her babies instantly, even when she is hungry herself.

In the face of personal disapppointment today in my own life, it gave me great comfort to return home to the sight of Beauty with her four little darlings. They are endlessly amusing, even at the tender age of two days. They squabble and fight for position, despite the fact that she has plentiful milk. They roll about, losing their balance, flailing blindly for recovery, heedless of logic, turning the wrong way often, then complaining loudly when they cannot find what they seek. Their little blind wrestling matches are hilarious. While smiling at their antics, however, I am reminded of the poor little kittens in September who never were given the energy nor the basic physical maturity to survive.

There are those who believe in reincarnation, that the souls of those who die in infancy were not ready for birth, but return when they are. I would like to believe that or at least believe that some particle of the spirit of those tiny blighted beings could share in the comfort and joy of their siblings now.

Warriors in an amazing series about Cats and one of the most wonderful aspects of the books was the spiritual component. The idea that Cats had a religion and an Otherworld where the dead watched over the living, to guard and guide their Clanmates must be very attractive to any cat lover. If there is no consciousness in death, at least they are at peace, but I would like to believe that they can experience, even if vicariously, a little of the joy that life holds. All they knew was the agony...

I am fairly certain now that the fourth kitten in the new litter shares Beauty's markings and will be a lovely Flame... the other three are purest white now but I imagine that they will develop into Bluepoints like their father. It is extraordinary how much they have grown in a single day. It gives me such joy to see that their little tummies are plump always, that when they cry, it is the rather spoiled, half-hearted mew of an infant deprived of instant gratification perhaps, but nothing more serious or lasting than that.

I am so proud of Beauty. She is one of the best mothers I ever have known. The kittens are first in her eyes. Although her appetite remains huge, which delights me, she still looks to the kittens before she satisfies her own urges. May they all prosper now!

Ash still is a bit left out of the family circle, sadly. He prowls about, sitting disconsolately where he can see his little progeny but he is not involved at all in their little routines. Poor boy! He has become even more affectionate towards me than usual. I try to remember NOT to neglect him even for a moment, but I'd like to see him become close to the kittens. No doubt when their eyes open and they begin to play, he will be in seventh heaven. Still a kitten himself at heart, he loves to play.

Nature's Wisdom

In September, my cat Beauty and I experienced a heartbreaking episode when she had a litter of kittens prematurely. She was in labour for days. Prior to that, she had exhibited no normal signs of pregnancy apart from indigestion. Her tummy never became large. Her appetite had not increased enormously. When the kittens were born, half were stillborn and one was terribly small. Beauty was a little more than a year old. It was her first litter. She was terrified throughout the ordeal and left the babies on the floor, separated and cold. When she went into labour for the next, the baby left behind cried piteously.

She never settled with her kittens. She was too involved with the labour process, dragging on and on.

I had to take control of the kittens who lived. I found an old shirt with a pocket and placed the little kitten inside. Although fully formed and able to cry, he voided everything I fed him. Poor Beauty did show an interest in the disposition of her kittens, once her labour was done, but they would not nurse properly. There were two live kittens, a boy and a girl, both pure white. I tried to make a formula and obtained a feeding syringe but nothing I did appeared to give them satisfaction.

During the next few days, the kittens died, one by one. Their deaths were not painless. It was horrible. They fought for breath and although famished, could not process the formula, however I modified the ingredients. I believe that their systems were not fully developed internally. That is the only explanation that makes sense. She went into labour for some reason prematurely. The kittens were wildly divergent in size. One of those who was stillborn was tiny. I wanted them to live so badly, but Nature had determined otherwise.

Should I have taken them to a veterinarian? Would it have made a difference? I have an extremely small income, barely enough for survival. Furthermore, they were born over the course of a weekend, when veterinary hospitals are understaffed, often even shut. The decision almost was made for me in a way. I have nursed many newborn kittens successfully in the past. The fact that these died was due, not to my own lack of expertise, but something else. Nonetheless... nonetheless, one always mourns and one wonders if something could have been done to change their sad destiny.

I cried when I buried them. I have assisted at many feline births but never one so fraught with sorrow and pain. Poor Beauty looked for her kittens as well in vain afterwards, when her labour finally ended. I felt cursed somehow, even though I knew she had been too young, too unprepared, that something had gone terribly awry.

Almost immediately, rather to my shock, Beauty went into heat, almost desperately. She rolled about, demanding the attentions of Ashleigh, her consort. In fact, prior to the ill-fated litter, I never had seen him attend to her, or exhibit any knowledge or interest in adult pursuits. It was yet another reason why her delivery of kittens came as a complete surprise.

I did not know what to do when Beauty went into heat so soon after her delivery. Should I separate the two? They were deeply bonded. If I separated them for a few minutes, they both would grieve.

I thought about Beauty and her heartbreak and decided to let her do whatever she wished... Her 'heat' lasted about three days and continued to be desperate. I never saw any female behave quite so passionately. It appeared to me almost as though she were determined to do it right, to have the sort of litter of which she had been cheated.

I watched as she began to show signs of pregnancy. Her appetite was boundless. She was like a woman who was determined to make her pregnancy as healthy as possible. Her tummy began to grow, slowly but obviously. Her appetite continued.

On the 1st of December, she began to act unsettled, a little uncomfortable. She was insecure, demanding my attention and yet unable or unwilling to sit in my lap for more than a moment or two.

On the morning of 2 December, her kittens 'dropped'. I suspect there is a veterinary term for it, but that is what it is called when it happens to a human mother, I believe. The shape of her stomach changed as the kittens moved towards the site of delivery.

I had seen a cat bed in the local chemist's shop on the 1st of December and wondered if I should purchase it. In the end, I did not do so. I had visions of Ashleigh commandeering it or of Beauty rejecting it because it was unfamiliar, filled with alien odours.

I made a bed for her, cutting the top from a deep, strong box and filling the interior with a small, padded 'infant' duvet that once covered the canary's cage at night. Orfeo's death had occurred some years ago, but I never had the heart to toss the duvet... The cats loved it. I felt Beauty would find it familiar enough to disguise the newness of the 'box bed'.

In the late afternoon of 2 December, she went into labour, not in the bed but on the floor below it. One kitten, howling loudly, was expelled from her womb. Less than half an hour later, she delivered the second.

I took matters into hand and scooped both kittens with their mother off the floor, depositing them into the warm bed. Much to my delight, Beauty accepted it.

A couple of hours later, she had delivered two more kittens, both live, both fairly energetic. She had not left the box bed even during the delivery. It was fascinating to watch.

Here is a young cat, a year and a half old. She had experienced a horrible, agonising labour in September that gave her nothing positive. She never had experienced the joys of motherhood, only the preliminary pains.

On 2 December, two months later, she was a consummate professional. She gritted her teeth, let out a low growl and pushed when the situation demanded it. She cleaned the kitten instantly and disposed of the afterbirth, cutting the cord with her teeth. Meanwhile, she continued to nurse the kittens who had been born earlier, sparing a little attention for them, cleaning them if needed when they got in the way of the rather messy birthing process.

Furthermore, she would not leave the box. She was alert for every cry from every kitten, rolling on her side to facilitate nursing for them. Only one of the four was born with no natural ability initially to find sustenance but, by placing him again and again near a nipple and holding his head on either side to force him to stay at the site, I managed to teach him to nurse within the first hour of birth.

Beauty is a natural mother. Not all cats are, actually. I have had cats who showed no interest in their kittens. When I had two queens, one simply deposited her kittens with the other's litter and stalked away, never to display one iota of love for the fruit of her loins, until they had grown into playmates for her. Beauty appears to be in ecstacy now. She is deeply bonded to her kittens.

At 2.00 a.m., she had not left her bed but was starving. I scooped dry food out of the dish and handfed her. She ate happily, still ensconced with her kittens, every inch a proud parent.

Ashleigh meanwhile, was confused and terrified by the invasion of tiny alien beings. I had to baby him a little... I hope that he will learn to love them when he has become accustomed to them. At the moment, he skulks along the edges of the bed, peering inside briefly, then leaping away to a safer, more distant perch.

Now, it is late morning and Beauty has left the box to eat properly, but again returned to her babies as soon as she had finished her petit dejeuner.

I hesitated to write at all about the delivery. Last time, I wrote about the birth of the kittens, only to be forced to write about their demise a few days later. This time, however, I believe that the tale will be a joyful one. Everything appears to be normal.

Why did Beauty have to undergo that terrible ordeal in September? I do not know, but Nature has her own wisdom. Purebreds are more delicate than mixed breed and Beauty is a purebred. Although I still mourn the little kittens buried in the garden, perhaps that was the sacrifice that Nature demanded for this litter.

As a veteran fan of Harvest Moon, I always enjoy the excitement of a new birth on the farm... infants always are born healthy and strong, but Harvest Moon does include the other side of the coin, in giving a natural life expectancy to every Ranch animal. When any Animal reaches his/her life expectancy, death will occur randomly. I always sell my animals when they reach their life expectancy, because I cannot bear the sorrow of witnessing their deaths, even in a game. A part of me wanted to reload when Beauty's kittens died in September... but Death is the other side of the coin of Life. The Carthaginians sacrificed their firstborn to the Gods for the welfare of all and because they believed that the afterlife was better than this life. They sent their firstborn to a place where there was no pain, no ugliness, no hatred... nothing that was not bright and fine.

I would not sacrifice the firstborn voluntarily to the Gods, but sometimes Nature takes her own sacrifices, gathering back some of those whom she sent into this world. If these kittens thrive and grow, I will be filled with joy, but I will not forget the little ones buried in the ground... those who died in order to pave the way for successful motherhood for Beauty. I wonder if she remembers them as well... Humans tend to be very self-centred, believing that only the pain of our species counts. I have witnessed the grief of animals over the loss of a loved one, whether one of their own species or a beloved human. In any case, Beauty is one of the most determined Cats I ever have known... Her quick 'heat' after the tragic delivery in September, and her incredible appetite, as well as her behaviour throughout this delivery, demonstrated a NEED to be a Mother. I hope that her experience now will be entirely positive and joyous.

When I witness the miracle of birth, I realise there is nothing in this world quite as magical, as filled with mystical significance. The incredible instinct that took hold of young Beauty, allowing her to 'multi-task' in a way that few humans could manage, amazed me. While in labour, producing another tiny kitten, she still managed to care for the kittens born earlier. She cleaned the bed, cleaned the new kitten and continued to nurture the others throughout the day and night that comprised her labour and delivery.

Once the labour ended, she relaxed and surrendered to the magical experience of Motherhood. She stretched languidly, and kneaded the air with her paws, a certain sign of ecstacy in a cat. My own heart overflowed with love and happiness. This is the ultimate reason for our existence. It truly is. Those females who never experience Motherhood are denied the most glorious crown in existence. The old religions who exalted Woman as Goddess, whether human, animal or a mythological combination of the two, understood this essential truth. As much as I adore my Ashleigh, he is the lesser being in this spiritual sense. There is no doubt that his seed quickened Beauty's womb and allowed her to become an earthly goddess, but having fulfilled that purpose, he definitely is superflous at this moment in time.

Mind you, not all Males are like sweet Ash. He remains a kitten, despite his size. Mentally and spiritually, he has not matured at all, but he is one of the most affectionate Cats in the world towards me. He may grow into fatherhood. I have known male Cats who combined the nature both of Mother and Father, jealously aware of the welfare and health of any tiny soul in their lives. My dear Pi, now deceased, was one such Male. I do not think he actually fathered any Cats. That robust role was reserved for his half-brother Friendship. Pi, though, would care for any litter tenderly, keeping them warm while their mother ate or performed the other necessary acts of Nature, watching tirelessly even when she resumed her duties.
Most gentle of creatures, most spiritual... timid almost to the point of paranoia where strangers were concerned, but completely devoted to his extended family.

Every creature is different and every Cat is unique. I pray that I will have the opportunity to discover the unique personalities of each of the four tiny lives that Beauty brought into this world yesterday. At least I can rest easy for the moment, knowing that Mother and Kittens are content. The tiny bellies are filled with milk and their mother is enjoying the ultimate joy of nurturing life.

Even less than a full day old, the four Kittens begin to exhibit their own personalities as well as having different appearances. Three are white, but probably will be Bluepoints like their Father. The fourth and last to be born, when I was beginning to believe ALL would resemble Ashleigh, is a darker colour... although one cannot begin to see any markings at this point, I suspect that the 'runt of the litter' may become a Flame like his mother. In a domestic shorthair, the colour would be Marmalade, but purebred owners tend to be a little more poetic or pretentious, depending on your point of view. In any case, it is this little one who is the fussiest. I wondered if he knew how to nurse properly even this morning, as he flailed about desperately and ineffectually, searching for the source of nourishment directly beneath his tiny nose. As is usually the case, although a Mother has more than enough nipples for four kittens, they tend to fight over one or two. As soon as this one found the fountain of life he sought, one of his siblings begin to strive mightily to deprive him of it.

Definitions of Love

Some say that Love and 'Being Needed' are two different matters entirely and that there is something wrong fundamentally with a person who equates the two. Even so, part of a Mother's Love is the knowledge that she is needed to keep her child alive, and this is the case whether the 'child' is human or belongs to a different species.

There are those who make spurious arguments to the effect that a person who herself needs aid in some matters or who has very little money has no right to take on the responsibility of caring for another creature but often that kind of responsibility is the very cornerstone of strength and hope for the poor and the disabled. A cat or dog can be a great source of strength and in caring for another, a person who may feel impotent or helpless because of society's judgements may become empowered.

In any event, for whatever reason, part of my 'raison d'etre' is caring for my Cats. When the physical pain in which I live becomes almost intolerable, the necessity to care for my Cats actually spurs me on and makes me determined to continue to withstand pain and its servant, Despair.

Although I adore kittens, I have discovered that a more profound relationship exists with older Cats, those who have been your Companions since they were kittens. A Kitten needs care and can amuse his/her caretaker vastly, but Cats never lose their kittenish mischief and curiosity.

Of my two Cats, Beauty is the most vocal and the most demanding but it is as an inseparable pair that they turn their world upside down on occasion. I've had trouble with them in terms of their food since their infancy. As soon as they had the physical strength to do so, they began to turn their food dishese upside down, dumping the contents on the floor. A good friend solved the problem by sending me a very sturdy and rather wonderful wooden 'feeding station' in which two dishes would be set. Rather than giving a dish to each Cat (as the two names on the front of the wooden station indicated, I chose to designate one for food and one for water.

A year later, I have come to the realisation finally that they do not like bowls for whatever reason. What I construed as mischief was their desire to eat from a flat surface. These two were not born in my care. They came to me at three months of age, with many habits formed. Whatever the reason, they do not like to eat or drink from a bowl. I daresay they would prefer to drink their water from a flat surface, although that would create a mess akin to the Great Flood.

Humans, for all of our delusions of intellectual superiority, can be dense. Why did it take me a year to decipher their actions??? Anyway, I now give them the wet food on a plate. Even with that compromise, they tend to push it off the plate onto the floor every day. I do give it to them in small enough quantitites that they usually polish it off the floor as well as the plate within a half an hour. I have to keep the floor spotless, obviously... Next, I am going to try a larger platter, but I expect that what will occur is that the food in the centre of the platter will be ignored, making that change counterproductive.

For dry food and water, I still use the wonderful wooden feeding station. I had no trouble with that until this morning.

The cooler weather evidently has increased their energy and potential for mischief. Each morning, I find their bedding all over the place and half of their toys in the litter boxes. What was new this morning was the disappearance of the water bowl from the feeding station!

Amazingly, one or both of them had removed it from the rather high wooden setting and absconded with it. I found it finally on the other side of the room. I expect that they took it from its place after drinking all the water. It was dry and empty and I found no pools of water anywhere.

What does this have to do with Love? Only the incredible sense of warmth in my breast when I think about them, whether it is their faithful morning ritual of washing MY face and hands or their antics. My Life would be insufferable without a Cat.

When I was a child, I never was allowed to keep a Cat. To me, given that deprivation, it is amazing that I learned how to love at all or how to take responsibility for the welfare of any other being. Children usually beg for pets, then break every promise to their parents that deals with care and responsibility. I daresay that is why my Mum never allowed me to keep a Cat, but I firmly believe that she was wrong to do so. Even when the parent is forced to shoulder the burden of caring for the child's pet, it teaches the child HOW to care for another and widens that child's universe immensely. Children who never had pets easily fall into subscription to the erroneous philosophy that human beings are the only creatures who matter on this planet. Any Child who has loved a pet knows the truth, that our 'superiority' exists only in certain areas and that we definitely are inferior in others.

Religions often declare that human beings were designated as 'Lords of the Earth', but to me, that is no more than an attempt at self-justification for the exploitation of others. If, however, we are the 'Lords of our Earth', then we have the duty to care for and protect other species. An axiom of ancient common law:
'Qui sentit commodum, debet et sentire onus.' Translation: Who knows a benefit should know a burden as well. If we are Lords of our planet, then we are its Guardians and a Guardian has the burden of acting in the best interests of all. In fact, a Guardian is NOT an Owner. He/she is merely a caretaker. It is the ultimate 'sacred Trust'.

Even in the Islamic Qur'an, there is a verse that refers to humanity as 'lords of the Earth' but makes it clear that we have only guardianship over all living things.

Caring for Newborn Kittens

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When a litter is born and the mother is incapable or unwilling to nurse her kittens, a surrogate mother sometimes can be successful in keeping them alive. In other cases, where the infants are not developed fully, the results will not be successful.

Cats are very loving creatures and if you have another female in your home with kittens, she usually can be persuaded to nurse any kittens (or indeed animals of other species) as well as her own. For example, there are countless cases of queens who have adopted a orphaned puppy.

Unfortunately, purebred cats tend to be more fragile than mixed breeds and a first litter for a young purebred cat can be a tragedy. Professional breeders therefore often separate their males and females until the female is older. If one has only two cats who are deeply devoted to one another, it might be too cruel to separate them.

In the case of Beauty, she and Ashleigh are extremely close to the point where one cannot be out of sight of the other without crying. When she went into heat for the first time, he appeared to be utterly indifferent to this new development and showed absolutely no signs of knowing how to take affirmative action. Beauty showed no signs of pregnancy afterwards. I was utterly shocked when she went into labour. Having celebrated her first birthday in June, if she had not been a purebred, she probably would have had little trouble in delivering a healthy litter, although first litters tend to be smaller than subsequent ones. She is a purebred, however, and her labour lasted three days. Amazingly, she showed little distress during this lengthy and prolonged ordeal, although she understandably was more dependent on me than usual. Ashleigh was paralysed with terror by the entire business and would not even approach the kittens. As he is a large cat, his cowardly attitude, although not unusual in Himalayans, is almost comical but of course, when a child exhibits fear, even if the 'child' is a cat, one can't laugh at that genuine emotion, however unmerited the fear may be.

Two kittens were stillborn, one of which was extremely premature. Of the other two, both were premature but fully formed, at least outwardly. They did not breathe easily, however, even at birth, although they were able to cry and thrash about a little.

What further confused me initially was Beauty's odd behaviour where nursing was concerned. She would facilitate it by rolling into position and welcoming the kittens but as soon as a kitten approached a nipple, she would move out of reach and then walk away. Later, I came to realise that this was due to the fact that her labour had not ended. Obviously, contractions were encouraged by any stimulation in that general area. Once I realised that, I massaged her stomach frequently throughout the long weekend. At the same time, I took on the responsibility of feeding the two live kittens myself. Unfortunately, between the birth and the realisation that Beauty actually was not nursing the kittens properly, some time had elapsed as in the beginning, she would assume a nursing position and the kittens then would be comforted and no longer cry.

Tube feeding would have been the optimum solution although I have tube fed premature kittens in similar circumstances who ultimately died. Other kittens I have tube-fed, including one with a cleft palate, lived and thrived.

Since my accident in June, however, I have had neither transportation nor good physical mobility. Furthermore,the automobile accident has proven very costly. The fact that the delivery of the kittens coincided with a weekend made the situation more complicated. One could not simply toss them into the lap of a veterinary clinic, thereby delegating responsibility both for life and death.

With some KMR on the way but not yet in sight, I looked for a good recipe for formula using common household ingredients.

There apparently is a formula commonly known as 'Kitten Glop'. I found a number of recipes for this.

In the past, I created a formula for kittens who had to be fed using the following:

evaporated milk or KMR
purified water
infant 'chicken' or 'turkey' commercial baby food

I mixed these together to form a thin liquid and then fed it to the kittens using a feeding syringe or feeding tube if the kitten were unable or unwilling to swallow.

The 'Kitten Glop' includes more ingredients, however:

glucose in the form of corn syrup
plain yoghurt
'Pedialyte', a liquid for human infants that provides energy and nutrients
mayonnaise
beaten egg yolk (but can be dangerous because of salmonella)

If you can persuade the kitten to stay in a position close to an ordinary nursing position, on his/her stomach, so that it can 'knead' with its little paws, that is best, but the main goal is to get the food into it. (I am using 'it' for simplicity only.) Make certain that the syringe or tube is clear of air bubbles and feed the mixture to the kitten very slowly. Whether you use the syringe by itself or with the tube attached to it, this can be difficult as the plunger will begin to stick, especially if you use the same syringe more than once. You have to be very careful and very patient... If bubbles come from the kittens nose, you are feeding him/her too quickly.

A healthy kitten will use its tongue a little and you will see it swallow but when a kitten begins to 'shut down', often it will not swallow any longer. Tube feeding may revive it or it may not do so.

The beauty of tube-feeding is that it does not require a kitten's active participation. Very often a premature or weak kitten will lose the will to fight. Tube-feeding overcomes this by directing the food into the stomach. There are dangers, however.

To prepare the tube, lay it against the kitten and measure to the last rib, making certain that you wrap a piece of tape or something else that will allow you to 'save' that point on the tube for reference. You should never insert the tube beyond that point when feeding the kitten. Insert the tube very slowly and gently, never forcing it if it does not move effortlessly, and never insert it beyond the point you have marked.

Make certain, whether feeding with syringe only or with tube and syringe that your mixture is warm, but not hot. A little warmer than room temperature will imitate the queen's milk best. Cold formula is nasty and does not sit well in the kitten's digestive system, nor will it appeal much to a kitten who can swallow voluntarily.

When you warm the milk, a microwave can be dangerous as it does not heat all of the liquid consistently. If you use one, stir the liquid well afterwards and test it with your wrist or finger the way you would test baby formula for a human infant.

Warmth is essential, not only with respect to the food but to the kitten's environment. If your Queen will stay with her kittens, even while not actively nursing them, this is best. Kittens instinctively wish to be close to their mothers and I believe that they gain spiritual strength from that contact as well as physical comfort. If the Mother cannot settle with her kittens, however, the situation may vary according to the number of kittens in the litter. If you have a large litter of six or more kittens, they can pile together for warmth in a box that is lined with warm materials (but make certain that a kitten cannot be 'lost' in the fabrics to suffocate). If you have pieces of genuine or synthetic fur, that would be even better, retaining warmth and simulating the real mother's body. If there are only one or two kittens, it may make sense to assume total control of them, especially if the Queen will not remain with them. You then should use a heating pad beneath the fur/fabric in the box to keep the kitten warm.

In Beauty's case, the kittens became very cold at one point because I did not realise that she would not stay with them and that she was NOT nursing them. This would not have occurred if I had taken them from her immediately but she appeared to want them and she always went into the proper nursing position and took an interest in them temporarily.

Kittens will respond to warmth. Try not to wrap them in fabric that can cause danger of stifling them and if you use a heating pad, make certain that there is fabric on it, and that the setting is low, and will not burn the little creatures.

There is one other area where your services will be required. You need a warm wet cloth to stimulate the kitten's nether regions after each feeding. A Mother Cat will use her tongue to stimulate her kittens to eliminate... if she cannot or will not do this, you must do it for her, not with your tongue of course, but with a warm wet flannel. Be gentle and use only soft materials as you will have to do this a few times every day. If the area becomes red and sore, you can use a little petroleum jelly, again as you would for diaper rash.

If you are placed in care of the life of a newborn kitten, you should feed him/her at least six times per day, both during the day and the night but do not overfeed. The kitten's tummy should be plump and yet still soft after feeding, never distended or hard. It is safer to underfeed a little with each feeding than to overfeed.

The bonding that occurs between a surrogate human mother and newborn kittens who require sustenance is incredibly strong and rewarding if the kitten survives. If the kittens do not survive, the pain of loss may be tremendous but I believe it always is better to fight for their lives than to simply shrug and leave it to fate.

One final point should be made here. In a situation where you have newborn kittens, their mother and another cat or cats, you must take care not to neglect the 'other cat/cats' during the 'emergency' period. Unlike Beauty and her babies, Ashleigh was in no physical danger, but his entire universe was turned upside down. He is not a courageous or adventurous cat by nature. The introduction of this drama into his life was very unsettling for him. I tried to remember to pet him and speak to him even when consumed with worry for Beauty and the kittens.

Once I had a male chocolate point Himalayan nicknamed 'Pi' who was extraordinary in that HE would adopt any creature who appeared to need comfort, including newborn kittens. When my bluepoint female, Isis, became to weak to nurse her litter of six shortly after delivery, I had to take her into hospital. During the week she stayed in hospital, I fed her six babies myself. That was an enormous task, as each time I finished feeding the last of the six, the first would be ready to be fed again.

The amazing thing was Pi's response in this situation. He promptly moved into the box with the kittens and went into a 'nursing' position. He had no milk, of course, but he gave them warmth and comfort. He was not even the father, incidentally, but he acted as both mother and father to these kittens inasmuch as he cuddled them and licked them clean after each feeding.

Incidentally, the entire litter survived and thrived. Isis, when she came back from hospital, still could not nurse her babies but she would spend time with them, when Pi allowed her to do so.

Poor Ashleigh, who IS the father of Beauty's kittens, could not even go near them. Gazing up at me in absolute panic with his huge blue eyes, I felt bad for him, knowing he was entirely out of his depth.

One fact about cats or any other pet is that each one is different. You cannot expect the same responses from every cat you have. Some females are natural mothers but others are not.

The first two Himalayan females I had were a sealpoint and a bluepoint. They both had kittens on the same day. Anastasia was a natural mother. She created a nest for herself and proceeded to have her kittens one by one, cleaning them thoroughly then settling to nurse them. Princess, on the other hand, wouldn't make a nest, nor would she look at the nest I made her. She leapt onto my bed and had her kitten in my lap. I had to clean the the little boy, cut the cord and deal with the afterbirth. When I firmly placed her and the kitten in the nest I had made, she promptly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and deposited him in my lap again! She had no intention of assuming ANY responsibility for her child.

It was Anastasia who noticed the new kitten and who became agitated by its cries. She left her own kittens to find the kitten on the bed. She then took him by the scruff of the neck, leapt off the bed and deposited him in the box with her own kittens. All of the babies prospered in Tasie's care, but Princess never showed the slightest interest in ANY of them.

People who think of cats as being 'cold' have no real knowledge of the species. My cats always have been very sensitive where my own moods are concerned. If I am in pain or upset, they try to comfort me. They are far more aware instinctively than many humans.

Cats can be very selfless as well. When Isis' kittens grew old enough to eat proper food, she would stand aside until each had eaten his/her fill. No matter how hungry she might be, she never would touch the food until every one else had eaten. Mind you, I never let them become REALLY hungry, but it was the same when I offered treats. She would wait until the kittens had been satisfied and only then would accept a treat from me.

Photograph of Friendship, consort of Isis and father of her Kittens. He was rather small and delicate in appearance but quite a stud!