This morning when I got up, the mother cat had moved into a small cat condo thing near the kittens, and had left the kittens asleep in a pile in the bed. She came running out to greet me and refused to go back to the kittens until I gave her a bowl of wet food. As I was about to go get the food, a little orange kitten came crawling out of the cat condo. I moved it to the kitty pile and got a dish of food, and left the room so the mother would eat and get back to her job. I just peeked in and she’s back at her proper post.
Hey, nursing moms DO need a lot more food. Maybe it’s a good sign that she wants to be with people, too? She was saying I HAVE to get away from the nom monsters in that pile!
And may I just say that the little pink noses are KILLING me here. I want to go down to the Humane Society and cuddle some kittens right now.
kittenskittenskittenskittenskittens
Also, watch handling them too much – the mother cat might take and hide them if she feels they’re being threatened.
sqeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
She may have been in the process of moving everyone into the condo. Is the bed open? she may want a darker place. if she tries to move them again, let her, as long as she’s moving them someplace still accessable.
Another suggestion: Be sure to check the babe’s mouths with a flashlight. If she moves only one kitten, the other could have palate defects that make it hard or impossible for them to nurse. If that’s the case, she’ll move only the ones that latch on vigorously.
If the kittens do have problems, they can still be fed with nasal feeding tubes you can get from the vet. S/he can show you how to insert them. It’s a lot harder, but once they start eating solid food they’ll likely be ok.
Interesting tidbit: kittens each choose a nipple and that nipple is their’s from then on.
Oh my gaaaad, I need a baby kitten to squish so hard right now. 
I’ve been in the throes of KittenWantings for at least 6 months. If our local shelter doesn’t get some babies damn soon, I’m going to start having to stalk the local breeders.
Adult kitties are all well and good, and I’ll love on them too, but I NEEEEED kitten to live.
Your set are adorable!!! I love their teeny little ears!
PS in rational voice: If mommy doesn’t have another, or some afterbirth, you might want to have a vet look at her to make sure she’s all finished for real. Stuff left on the insides doesn’t do so hot after a few days.
I’m keeping a close eye on them, and the shelter is sending over a gal to have a look at them all and make sure the job is complete. I think the mother cat decided to get away from the kittens, and one wiggled over close enough to her (the cat thing is right next to the nest) that she brought it in. Either that, or it was hanging on so tight that it dangled along for the ride.
I think it’s instinctual for a mama cat to move her kittens after a day or two (to get the babies away from any leftover blood and smells that could attract predators). I’m sure it’s no big deal, unless she was excluding one of the kittens.
The babies are so cute! Love the little orange triplets!
The problem with kittens is they grow up to be cats.
I have 3 cats.
Eh, the last two felines I’ve adopted have been adults. I love cats.
Having said that, I’m clearly a sucker for kittens. Every time I mention the fact that there’s a new kitten thread on the SDMB, my husband panics and says “We don’t need any more cats!” If I see kittens or big cat cubs on TV, I say “awwwww” and my husband says “We don’t need any more cats!” because big cat cubs are a trigger for me too.
When I’m rational, I’ll agree that we don’t need any more cats. But when I see kittens or big cat cubs, I’m not rational. All I can think is “WANT”.
I’d say he has a point! 
It’s been a while since I’ve had a kitten (except for the dumpee last year that I vetted adn found a home for immediately). They’re such a lot of annoyance, wrapped up in an adorable package.
StG
Same here. We only have one cat but she is VERY antisocial, so getting another would most likely be very stressful for her. But still, when I see pictures of itty bitty cute kittens, all I can think is WANT, RIGHT NOW.
Have you seen the Zooborns blog? ZOMG, they have cute baby felines on there. They also have other baby animals, but I live for the baby cats.
The Pallas’ Cat looks just like Sandra Boynton’s cats.
I think this one needs to be named Chewie.
No, I hadn’t. After I went and looked at the baby bobcats and the tiny tigers, I stalked over to where poor Bill was sitting, put my hand on my hips, and told him that I NEEDED baby bobcats and tigers. NEEDED them. Also a fennec fox. Because I want to see if they can actually fly.
The mother cat’s tail has four 90 degree bends in the bones. Two of the orange cats have one little 90 degree tail bend already. The other three are normal.
Today I’ve found her three different times in the kitty condo with two of the kittens while the other three snooze in the bed.
Chewie is a perfect name for him. Now we need 4 more. The calico seems to be a girl and all the rest seem to be boys.
Pssst - tortoiseshells and calicos have to have two X chromosomes, so they’re almost always female except the occasional XXY or XXY mosaic. Chewie is a girl.
Of course, now that I have her name, I will be buying a plane ticket for Chewie.
Chewie looks darker in person than the picture, not so much like a calico or tortie. Its privates look quite different from the calico, and there seems to be penis ensuing. Have to examine more closely tomorrow.
Did you see my state’s contribution? (Snow Leopard)
http://zooborns.typepad.com/zooborns/snow_leopard/
Srsly, between this thread and the one about the rescued tornado kitties, I’m about to bust. The girl I buy my eggs from has five little ones at the most adorable stage of cuteness too - she’ll be trying to adopt them out God knows where. I told her about a local pet supply place that might help, but anyone in Middle Tennessee want a kitten?