| Looking After Cats. Pages: |
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Looking After Cats - Page 8
Mother Cat and Kittens
If your cat is going to have kittens, prepare a roomy bed for her in the quietest place in the house
and let her get accustomed to it before the arrival of the family. It is not fair to compel a cat that
has always lived in the house to have her kittens in a cold shed in the garden, merely because-as some
people say-" kittens are a nuisance in the house." Such people should not keep a cat.
A cat that is about to become a mother should be watched carefully, or she may choose some most
undesirable place for a bed. An open drawer, with clothes in it, is an irresistible attraction to
a cat at any time, and especially at such a time.
The mother cat should not be disturbed by strangers. She requires quietude and warmth, and
plenty of good, suitable food - four or five meals a day for a time. For the first two days
bread-and-milk can be given, afterwards a little boiled fish will be
appreciated, and she can be brought back gradually to her regular diet.
If the kittens are not required, they should be taken away (when the mother cat is not
"at home") sold, given away or see a cats home, but one kitten
should always be left with the mother for a time. On no account should the kittens be drowned.
Drowning is by no means a painless death to an animal that is said to have nine lives.
If some of the kittens are required as presents for friends it should be under-stood that
anyone taking a kitten must look after it properly during kittenhood and when it grows up. In
every large town there is an army of unwanted cats, homeless and half-starved, many of which
have undoubtedly been "lost" by their owners. In any case the cat's family should be restricted
to four or five, and a cat should not have more than two litters in a year.
Our advice however, as always, is to always consult a qualified Vet!
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