r/cats • u/OverthinkerMoonchild • 8d ago

Advice MY CAT JUST GAVE BIRTH & SHE'S GROWLING AT THE NEWBORN KITTY WHAT DO I DO?!

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Context: I've 3 cats, 5yo, 1.5yo, 5 months, all female. 1.5yo just gave birth an hour ago and then left the kid under the inverter box with the umbilical cord connected. And went ahead to beat my other 2 kids like dirt. Now my other babies are safe in the other room and this girl is growling at her own kid instead of nursing him. I somehow managed to clean the kid & cut the umbilical cord safely. Now what do I do?! Please someone help me out 😭

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u/OverthinkerMoonchild 8d ago

Yeah I do because we don't have proper vet care here and my cats are females. After trying for 4 years I got my eldest cat fixed very recently. I really wish I was living in some developed country or even more developed city in my own country but it's unfortunate that I'm not. It's not even about money, it's about the access that we lack here :)

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u/ecbnrhctbo 8d ago

don't let anybody tell u that you're not doing well by your cats - those of us in the global north love to look down our noses at anybody who doesn't get a pet fixed, and we just assume that somebody doesn't care enough/can't be bothered

some places (like your area) just don't have eady access to spaying/neutering. people will tell you you're a bad pet owner for not spaying your cat/letting your cat get pregnant

they're full of shit. if you had monthly posts saying "my cat is giving birth and I don't know what to do", then criticism would be justified. you don't, and you clearly care about your cat. keep on taking care of her, do your best to get her spayed, but focus on giving her the best life you can, considering your circumstances.

also, try to make sure she doesn't eat the kittens, but that goes without saying. and even if she isn't actively trying to eat a kitten, it's not unheard of for a mama cat to accidentally kill a kitten when she's trying to cut the umbilical cord with her teeth

regardless of what happens. she's an animal. we all love to say that our cats are our babies, they're so sweet, they're so cute, and they are - but they're also animals, and carnivorous ones at that. sometimes, you can't stop nature from taking its course, and you need to remember that a) her instincts aren't your fault, and b) her instincts are instincts, not maliciousness

we believe in you, and you can get through this! ignore the haters, they don't know your life/situation/the situation of your geographical location. you'll get through this, and mama kitty will get through this, and kittens will get through this. you got this!

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u/OverthinkerMoonchild 8d ago

Thank you so much for this. Really thank you so much for understanding my situation. I really needed this. I always try my best to give my cats the best life they deserve but sometimes, certain things are not in my control. Things so bad here that my vet literally taught me how to give injections for emergency situations. I literally come to reddit hoping people who have gone through similar situations might help me out until I can have vet access. But yeah, some people do tend to assume that I'm either here for clout or trying to make my cats suffer, which is the last thing I'd ever even attempt in my worst nightmares.

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u/happymage102 8d ago

You've seen that life is service and that service is joy and I thank you for your kind heart. Those babies are so fortunate to have your love. 

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u/Ok_Pineapple_Num 8d ago

Hey OP, just wanted to say that I’m so sorry you’re getting unkind criticism.  You’re clearly doing your best given your resources, and deeply care about your kitties.  Thank you for caring and investing your heart into them, and I commend you on your strength and resilience in such a stressful situation.  Good luck — and know that there are lots of good people here rooting for you! 

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u/OverthinkerMoonchild 8d ago

Thank you so much for this. My notifications are filled with so much criticism & hatred that I was having hard time. I never wanted my post to get so much attention. I only asked a genuine question when I was panicking but people do tend to make others feel worse just with their words. I really needed to see some kind words. Thank you very much again <3

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u/Ok_Pineapple_Num 8d ago

Of course! People can be really unkind online, and it breaks my heart to see that -- especially when you're clearly in an under-resourced area, care a lot, and are doing your best. And it can be extra overwhelming when people pile on.

But those people are shitty and their opinion means nothing. Keep up the good work! And know that the good people on here are rooting for you.

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u/ro536ud 8d ago

Ur doing the best you can don’t let it stress you. You saved baby kitty today so technically you saved 9 lives right

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u/mytranceformation 8d ago

Genuine question and please excuse my ignorance. As a veterinary professional I am curious to understand what human healthcare is like there. Do the developed cities in your country provide good healthcare? Is it hard to find adequate care when you live more rurally?

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u/OverthinkerMoonchild 8d ago

Talking about my state Odisha because I don't wanna generalize this for the entire country. Govt hospitals are almost free but conditions are not that good, specially in rural areas it's even worse. You may find good doctors sometimes but if i talk about the overral condition, it's not that good, there are even places where the docs don't get paid. Mostly it offers affordable healthcare for the poor & middle class people. Pvt hospitals, mostly in cities, got good services but they loot you like you're a billionaire. There are clinics who provide mid range services too but you've to do your own research about the doctors before visiting them. Overally it's kinda better in tier-1, tier-2 cities than small towns or rural areas. Rural- Semi-Rural, Urban, Semi-urban, depends on where you're visiting the hospital. It is kinda compromised still there are a lot of things to appreciate.

Meanwhile condition is worse for veterinary hospitals. Also there's no midrange apparently. Either govt or pvt. Govt hospitals in rural, semi-urban areas have a strict opening hour schedule (morning 7-11am, afternoon 3-5am) but you've to call them before visiting to ask if the docs are available or not, chances are there mostly no one would be available. Also they don't even have any facilities other than giving IV drips. No strecher, no beds. Oxygen? What's that?. Docs don't have have stethoscopes on them. Condition is that bad. It's much better in urban areas though. They do have better facilities than the rural semi-urban areas. Pvt clinics are there, but again you've to research about the docs before visiting them. They're 4x-5x more expensive than govt veterinaries. It works on exploitation.

Fortunately there are 2 institutions who have veterinary units, the animal husbandry. SOA & OUAT, both of them are in the city.

My town, falls under a semi-urban are, doesn't even have any private clinic with appropriate facilities. The vet I talked about, has a medical store + clinic. But maximum facility he provides is IV drips. To get basics tests done for my babies, I'd have to visit either the animal husbandry (that also opens for 5-6 hours only) or private clinics that are in the city. The privilege people were saying is, I'd say that I live a lot nearer to the city than any other districts in my state.

Also, No ER or 24 hours open vet facility. Even if you find a 24 hours open clinic in the city, chances are there docs won't be available.

I can say all these because I've experienced everything on my own. Not others' stories involved. There's a lot to it but this is just an overall info that might give you an idea about how accessible health care is here.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

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u/OverthinkerMoonchild 8d ago

I try my best to keep them inside but other family members think it's okay to let the cats out. They say, "they're animals, they need to go out and be in the nature" and shit. During heat when they're in distress and screaming, my family members tend to let them out even after telling them not to do so.

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u/FriendToPredators 8d ago

Oh boy that’s super rough. Wonder if there’s an international group who tries to help provide that access

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u/aether_girl 6d ago

Why are you breeding your cats if you don’t have access to vet care?

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u/OverthinkerMoonchild 6d ago

Huh?! What pet parent intentionally does that??? Mine ranaway from home when she was in heat just a few days before her spay appointment. That's how she got pregnant 🥲