{We Have Kittens!!}

I think we've all heard about our little stray visitor. The one we eventually started feeding, the one I tried to get in to our local animal shelter to be spayed just before finding out she was in fact, pregnant.

So we kept an eye on her. Set up a box for her to give birth in. We hoped she would use it instead of finding somewhere else. But we were disappointed to find out this was not the case.

In the afternoon on Friday I was woken up from a little nap to the husband coming into the bedroom saying babe we've got kittens.

I put on my pants and ran out the back door to see what we were working with. Only to find that Wini had given birth under the husbands tool box the night before.

We think she was thrown into labor when she got nervous during the storm we had. 

I had the husband move the tool box out away from the house so that I could get in there and get them out. That's when I discovered that there were five. That's also when I discovered that one of them didn't make it.

It gets worse. 

Four of them had the umbilical cord twisted around their back feet (each kitten had one foot caught in the cord). I had never seen anything like this before. In all the years my mom was a cat hoarder we never saw kittens born like that. We saw plenty of them not make it, we saw plenty of them still born. I'd never seen them attached like that. 

They also still had umbilical cords attached to their tummies. So the husband sterilized some wire snippers and snipped them away after we moved them to a box. I cleaned them all up and assessed the damage. 

In all five kittens were born. One died before we found it. There was one that was pretty lifeless but still breathing, he rushed out and got kitten formula for her. She ended up passing before he even got back with it. That was very sad. 

After looking them, it was obvious one would be losing a foot/leg. There was nothing we could do about it. The cord had been wrapped around his leg too long. This morning (two days later) when I went to check on them, we discovered another had lost her leg. I'm a little heart broken for them. But all three appear to be eating fine. Wini is a good mama too. She hardly ever leaves the box we have set up for her on our porch. Mainly just to potty and eat (which we keep her food and water within just a few inches of their bed). 

I think what it boils down to is that Wini was just too young to be having babies. We believe she went into her first heat and got pregnant. I hate that I didn't get her in soon enough. I should have made an appointment with my own vet instead of waiting for an appointment to open up at the shelter. But I didn't. 

The husband has pretty much agreed that we most likely will end up keeping the two with bad legs. The third one is just fine and looks just like Wini. He's a boy. He won't have trouble finding a home, but we are getting them all fixed as soon as they're able to be done.

And now on to what you're all waiting for. 

The pictures!

 This is their little house. Wini wouldn't get in the bottom of the tote we had insulated for her, so we improvised. Put tin foil around the outside of the box (because there were holes in it), and then put one would have been the bottom of the tote, on top of the box. It keep in their body heat nicely and she has a small hole she use to come in and out. I covered the opening with a towel because it was pretty chilly the day she had them. We played things that we were already on our porch around the box so that it would keep the tin foil in place and the wind wouldn't hit the box directly. It seem to be working well.

 There we have it! Thanks for reading guys! I'll be sure to update everyone as the kittens get bigger!

UPDATE!

Since writing this post, we have lost the two kittens with deformed legs. We still don't know what caused this. But after taking the third kitten to the vet this past Monday, I can confirm that she is a GIRL and she is totally HEALTHY! As is mama Wini.

-Kristin