Some veterinarians advise giving your queen a shot of oxytocin within 12 hours of giving birth.
This shot may be dispensed for you to administer at home, or you may need to take your queen to the veterinarian for it.
This shot is given to make sure that no remnants of the placenta are left in the uterus where they might cause infection.
It is also helpful in inducing the milk supply.
Your veterinarian may also recommend that the queen be put on an antibiotic for seven to ten days after the kittens are born to help ward off any minor infections the kittens might catch while nursing.
Provide your queen with clean bedding, and make sure she and the kittens is house in dim lighting, away from any drafts and the hustle and bustle of the household.
The room temperature should be kept at 70 F or 21 Celsius.
If this is not possible and the room is too cold, then an infrared heating lighting or a heating pad placed under the toweling is recommended.
If, on the other hand, the room is too hot, the queen will separate herself from the kittens to cool them down.
Always place her food, water and litter pan within easy reach as the queen will not want to leave her kittens.
Lactating queens have high nutrients needs, so give her all she will eat of a high quality cat food.
You can determine the sex of each kitten by simply lifting up its tail and checking against the drawings.
The queen will always pick up her very small kittens by the scruff on their neck but they grow up quickly and soon she will not be able to lift them this way.
Between seven and ten days, the kittens will start to open their eyes.
At three weeks they will be more alert and ready to eat semi solid food, and they will start using the litter pan.
By six weeks, they will become more playful and by 11 weeks they should be well on their way to settling into their new homes.