SPAY and NEUTER! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy stuff.  My niece calls me yesterday to tell me that her cat, who I had made a spay appointment for next week, along with a neuter for her male cat, had given birth to 14 kittens overnight.  She said they were all pinkie sized, and that she was at work.  I could have choked her.   The next thing I know, they are all dead, and the mom cat looks like she is still in labor - niece did not get home until eight that evening.  This morning, I get a call that mom has delivered a normal sized baby, a very loud and vocal baby, and that it looked like mom could still be in labor.  Keller's Kats to the rescue.  I had put it out on Facebook yesterday about the 14 kittens, and Karla - who I believe runs Keller's Kats -  jumped on it.  I am appreciative beyond words.  So this morning, after giving Karla the sad news yesterday, she offered to take the mom and baby right away.  I don't believe mom is giving off enough milk, her nipples do not seem to be normal for a nursing mom.  So niece is on her way to drop off mom and kitten in carrier, and is being whisked off to Karla's house.  Can't wait for that update.  Its never a dull moment it seems.

What I don't understand is how this could happen.  FOURTEEN?  Were they dead when delivered?  Were they preemies?  Can this happen to cats?  How could she have delivered a healthy baby 24 hours later?  Could she deliver another, still?

Here is a picture of the baby I just received:  Hopefully its strong enough to survive this ordeal.

Then again, that is one big newborn kitten.  Maybe, seeing as how my niece says the mom is still pushing inside the carrier, maybe mom is having a hard time delivering another baby because it so big?  Just got another bit of info:  Mom delivered two at 10 pm. last night, both stillborn.

Wow, so much I don't know.  I wish I had some answers.  Anyone?

Think about the cats that are on our streets delivering on their own.  Please, SPAY & NEUTER your pets.  Please, HELP OTHERS to spay and neuter their pets.

Have a nice day.

Cat Facts:

• The cat has a third eyelid, used as protection for the eyeball.
• Cat fanciers claim the reason for the M frequently found on the forehead of cats is that Maou was the Egyptian word for cat.
• The cat's weight when fully grown averages 10 pounds, his heartbeat is 120 per minute.
• Each sex has a disadvantage - the female has her heat periods (endlessly) and the male 'sprays.'  Both problems can be solved by spaying and neutering, respectively.
• For those who are helpless in determining the sex of a kitten, here's a simple clue.  Lift its tail and look.  Beneath the tail, the male has a colon (:), the female an exclamation mark, (!) upside down.
• Homo sapien's "cat houses" are aptly named, as the Felis catus is an incredibly romantic creature.  Girl cats are ready for sex at six months, and while boy cats are a year old before they are capable, they make up for lost time.  Cat breeders sometimes figure one stud for 30 females.  (the above has been corrected):  A female can get pregnant at 4-5 months and a male can make babies 5-5 months...
• The 'tomcat fights' for the favors of the queen are silent but vicious, and by the time the tom enters his prime as a stud, at the age of three, he is a scarred veteran.  His prowess lasts well through his 14th birthday.

SPAY AND NEUTER!