My cat just gave birth, should I clean her soiled birthing area?

I would not give her a bath just yet, as there is a chance infection can enter the uterus when you bath a cat right after giving birth. I would wait at least 2-3 days before bathing her. At this point, her cervix will be closed. Be sure to rinse her off well to get all the cat shampoo off her for the safety of her kittens. You can use a warm damp washcloth to gently wipe around her vaginal area to get give her a bit of a cleaning.

Go ahead and gently clean the sac off of the kitten. You may need to tie off the umbilical cord if Mom is not attending to it. (Normally she will chew it off.) you can use a warm hand towel from the dryer to clean the kittens and stimulate them. Mom may not show interest in nursing until she is done delivering. Good luck to all of you and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Winky. Giving birth is a bloody process, and she may be too busy focusing on her kittens to clean up fully. You can take a damp cloth, and wipe her down gently if she will let you. Best of luck.

The kittens appear to still be in their individual amniotic sacs. An inexperienced or first time mother may not know to remove them from the sac. They may have been stillborn or could have died shortly after birth. Have Azula examined by your veterinarian to confirm no more kittens remain inside. Her milk will not come in or will dry up without kittens to nurse. You can bathe her or use pet wipes or unscented baby wipes to clean her up. Consider having her spayed in a few weeks to prevent a recurrence or accidental/unwanted litters in the future.

The good news is that most mother cats are very good mothers, and we generally don't have to do much to help them. I am attaching a link to a handout on orphan kittens in case you need it, but the most important thing is to make sure that they have a safe, warm and quiet place for Taiga to take care of them. And make sure that Taiga is eating a kitten food since she will need a lot of calories to make enough milk for the babies. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

What sweet little kittens! Those pictures are so adorable! I would not be too concerned about the mama cat just yet. She is probably exhausted from giving birth and nursing. You may want to move her to a location where you can keep a better eye on her so you can check on her regularly. Place a litter box within easy reach so she doesn’t have to travel far away from her kittens to use the bathroom. Try palpating her abdomen as well. It should be soft and doughy, not firm or hard or painful. If it feels abnormal you should probably take her in to the vet to make sure there are no kittens remaining inside of her. You can also try taking her temperature at home. If it is greater than 103 or less than 99, she needs to be seen by a vet. Finally, continue offering her fresh food and water. Keep in mind she will need a lot of extra calories since she is nursing 6 kittens. Feeding her a kitten food would be best. You can also try feeding her canned food or moistening her food with water to ensure she is getting enough. If your cat still refuses to move after 48-72 hours there may be something wrong and you should take her in to be checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Good luck with the kittens!

I probably would go ahead and move her and the kittens when she is taking a break in between kittens. Hopefully you have another box with some clean bedding - just put her in the box with the kittens and remove the litter box until she's done. While you want to give her some space you should be monitoring her to make sure there are no issues with the birthing process.