Find out about what to do after your cat gives birth and postnatal cat care in our free guide.
My cat has just given birth, what do I do now?
After your cat gives birth, it’s really important to keep a close eye on her and her kittens to make sure they’re all happy and thriving. Your cat will naturally provide her kittens with all they need, so try to keep your distance if you can so she can settle into motherhood.
After your cat has given birth, you will need to:
- keep the room she and her kittens are in warm
- make sure their bedding is kept clean and dry
- keep the room they are in quiet and don’t allow family members to keep disturbing her
- keep an eye on the kittens to make sure they are feeding but try to keep at a distance your cat is comfortable with. Take a look at our cat body language guide for the signs your cat wants you to stay away
- keep other pets away from your cat and her kittens
- make sure the kittens are feeding – this should start almost immediately after birth. If they haven’t started after half an hour, gently guide them
If you’re worried at all, call your vet as they can advise you.
Very rarely, your cat might struggle to care for her kittens. If they are not feeding well, you may need to speak to your vet about possibly hand-rearing them. You can read more about hand-rearing in our free guide.
When to call the vet
While a lot of cats will have a perfectly healthy birth, there are some problems that could happen you should keep an eye out for. These are:
- bleeding from the vagin* or unusual vagin*l discharge
- prolapse of the uterus (womb) – straining can occasionally cause the uterus to be pushed out
- mastitis – infection of a mammary gland that becomes hot, painful and engorged. The queen may be off colour
- poor appetite, excessive drinking or vomiting
- awkward or clumsy movement, twitching or collapsing
If you notice any of these problems call your vet straight away.
Your cat’s behaviour after birth
Most cats will take to mothering their kittens very naturally. You might notice your cat:
- licking her newborn kittens, nuzzling them and purring
- moving her kittens. If she feels unsafe for any reason, or if where she currently is isn’t warm enough for her, she may choose to move her kittens. Don’t stop her from doing this, instead try to provide a quiet, comfortable and warm area for her to move to
- behaving differently towards you. Cats are very protective of their kittens, so she might prefer you to keep your distance at first
A slight change in behaviour is normal for your cat after she has given birth, but she will settle after a few weeks.
Sometimes your cat’s behaviour is a cause for concern and this is when you’ll want to give your vet a call. Some things to look out for (and ways to help your cat and her kittens) include:
- severe disturbance, constant interruptions or pain can cause the queen to kill her offspring. The risk of this is reduced if mum is familiar with her environment, the surroundings are quiet and she is in good health. Be very calm and quiet and do not disturb a mother with very young kittens unless necessary
- if the queen seems to ignore or reject one of her kittens, putting some of the birthing fluids on the kitten may help her to accept them
What should I feed my cat after she has given birth?
Your cat will need lots of the right nutrients to keep her and her kittens healthy and strong. As she’s supporting her kittens while they are still nursing, she’ll need a food that’s higher in calories, fat, protein and is easy to digest.
It’s best to feed your cat a good quality kitten food while she is nursing her kittens. This will make sure she’s getting plenty of nutrients to support their development and growth, and make the weaning process easier when the time comes. Read more about weaning in our kitten care guide.
When can I touch my cat’s newborn kittens?
At first, it’s usually best to avoid touching your cat’s newborn kittens if you can. She will be very protective over them and might not want you touching, so it’s best to respect her space unless something is wrong. Sometimes, handling newborns too much can cause their mother to reject them.
After a couple of weeks, if your cat is happy for you to do so, you might be able to gently stroke the new kittens. It’s important to start socialising the kittens from week two and some of this will involve handling them.
How to socialise kittens
If your cat is struggling, unwell or has rejected any of her kittens, you may need to intervene and handle them sooner. You should do so very gently and look at our hand-rearing guide for more advice.
When can I get my cat neutered after having kittens?
Getting your female cat neutered is a good way to make sure they don’t have any unwanted litters and can also help to prevent certain health problems.
After your cat gives birth, you might decide you don’t want her to have any more kittens. You can have her neutered around eight weeks after giving birth once her kittens are fully weaned, but discuss this with your vet as they will be best placed to advise you based on your cat’s circ*mstances. Up until this point she’ll be spending a lot of time with her kittens and needs to nurse them, so she wouldn’t be able to properly recover from surgery.
Remember you can get your cat neutered from four months old which will prevent them having a litter of kittens at such a young age.
Find out more about neutering
How soon after birth can my cat go outside again?
kittens need to feed every two to three hours, so it’s likely your cat won’t want to leave them for the first week or so. They also rely on her for protection and warmth, so she’ll need to stay close to them.
Once the kittens are a little more independent she will be able to go outside again. However, an unneutered female can get pregnant again as soon as two weeks after giving birth while her litter is still reliant on her, so it may be best to try to keep her indoors until the kittens are ready to go to new homes when they are at least eight weeks old.
We’d recommend getting your cat neutered as this will prevent any unwanted litters. Talk to your vet about when is the best time and read our free neutering advice.
How can I rehome the kittens?
If possible, you should allow kittens to stay with their mother until they’re at least eight to nine weeks old. Also, having kittens socialised during their early development is essential to ensure they will be less likely to develop behavioural problems as an adult.
Please don't give them away on social media or online, as this could put them at risk and you can't be sure what kind of home environment they could end up in. Get in touch with the team at Cats Protection and we can help.
More information on rehoming your cat can be found in our guide.
Download: Pregnant cats, birth and the care of young kittens guide
