> My question is this: where do cats go to have kittens? There is snow
> outside, she wouldn't have them outside would she b/c she is new to being
an
> inside cat? My grandmother has a male cat, Toby (long o), and a female
> small dog, Mitsy; all 3 of them get along fine. Will the dog or cat act
> strange when the kittens are born? Will they make noises when Samantha is
> in labor? Will Samantha make noises? How many kittens do mothers usually
> have?
> The reason I am asking the list is b/c I've heard a couple people saying
> that their mother or they breed cats. Any information would be welcome.
> Thank you so much everyone!
Heh. Well, as an inveterate cat owner, we went through quite a few litters
when I was a kid. This was before the big push to spay your pets, and
they'll generally try to have them in some comfortable, secluded spot. They
may or may not keep them away from the other animals, it really depends on
how close they really are. She'll likely have them inside, simply because
they tend to gravitate towards snuggly spaces. You can try to make a space
for her, with some blankets you don't mind losing, and a box, but that's no
guarentee she'll use them. She may or may not make noise while giving
birth, more on that later. Again, as far as numbers go? Ours vaired
between one (!) and six, but I'd say probably 3-5 would be a good guess.
Some stories-
Big Cat (a stray my brother brought home when I was five) had her first
litter on some spare blankets in the basement. It was a partially finished
basement, and she proceeded to bring the kittens into a spot that
neccesitated pulling off drywall to get them out. Intrepid, she was. Later
litters were generally born in closets, those seemed to be her favorite
spots for it.
Little Cat (We were real good with names, back then. She was the last
kitten of the litter from Big Cat's final litter, and I cried and cried when
Mom wanted to take her to the shelter, so I got to keep her. I was maybe
eight.) was a bit more... eclectic. She had two litters. Both... odd.
My dad was watching TV with the cat sitting next to him, as was her wont,
while he absent mindedly petted her. At one point, he reached down and
produced a newborn kitten. She had given birth in the chair, while he was
in it. I'm not making this up. The next batch of three was discovered when
I woke up one morning, and found LC purring loudly next to my leg. Half
asleep, I scratched her, and noticed she and the bedclothes were wet. And
slimy. This didn't click, however, and still half asleep I felt some of the
slimy bedclothes move under my hand, while LC was contentedly licking it.
This woke me up. Sitting bolt upright, I hollered for mom, and we
discovered she had had 3 kittens in my bed, while I was in it.
So those are my birth anecdotes. Cats generally make pretty good mothers,
so there's not a whole lot to take care of. Once she seems to have decided
on a place to keep them, put some food and water nearby so she doens't have
to travel far. And try to make her a spot, but she might not use it.
