Pregnant cat - how to know when it's time? Any advice or BTDT welcome!

[Learning_Mum]

So, we've taken in a pregnant stray. She's a lovely little thing. We took her to the vet yesterday to get her checked out. She's in good health apart from some fleas and being underweight. We wormed her, treated the fleas and bought some good quality kitten food.

At the moment, I've set up home for her in the bathroom. I want to keep her separate from our other cats for the moment, I also want to make sure she doesn't get outside and have her kittens somewhere unsafe.

The vet thinks she has a week or two left before the kittens are due. I've set up a cat carry case, with the door removed and a big soft towel inside, which she seems to have taken happily to as her bed. She pretty much spends her time sleeping in the bed, and eating, and coming out for cuddles when we come in. I'm hoping she'll use this as her nest, but really she doesn't have alot of options for somewhere warm and comfortable.

What I really want to know, from someone whose been there, is how to tell if birth is iminent? How to tell when she's going into labour? If there's anything I should be doing? I've looked on the internet and found out some things, but I guess I was wondering whether anyone had some first hand experience? Could tell me what to look for? What they wish they had known? Anything helpful they learnt?

Also, I've noticed her vagina 'twitching' or opening and closing several times which I haven't seen any of our other (fixed) female cats do, so I was wondering if that meant anything? Or does it just mean I'm a pervert for checking out her vagina?

[annettemarie]

Moving to Pets

[Marsupialmom]

Hey, I am a pervert also. LOL

I had my cat scheduled to be spayed on a Tue. She goes into heat the Sat before. The vet would spayed her as soon as there was no vaginal discharge and she didn't present herself. She got fix yesterday. I for a week kept looking at her parts and touching her back close to the tale.

As for the when the baby comes, look at the tummy.

Also go up to youtube. There is video.

[number572]

We took in a pg stray once. On the night she birthed, she was walking around for a while acting really anxious. And she was very loving, rubbing on everyone. She gave birth in my closet (i was at my parents home, 15yo) and cleaned it right away. The next two were within 15 minutes of each other. Then she had a really long pause - an hour or so - & birthed another & took a few minutes to clean it. The last kitty cam about another hour later and she didn't make any effort to clean it, so i pulled the sac off of its face & put it near her face but she wouldn't lick. I cleaned that kitty with a warm wet towel & put it with the others. All kitties survived and were very feisty & people friendly. Mama was a fantastic mama. And the kitten who didn't get cleaned off for a few minutes was always (my mother kept that one) super mellow. I often wondered if it had a slight bit of brain damage from lack of oxygen, or if it was so trusting of humans b'c a human was the one who cleaned it & it took its first breaths??

Anyway, its neat. She may choose a different place and unless its unsafe I'd let her birth where she wants to & move them later. Also, have an after hours vet number handy for emergencies. Some old towels, etc. Aww, enjoy!

[Learning_Mum]

Originally Posted by number572

The last kitty cam about another hour later and she didn't make any effort to clean it, so i pulled the sac off of its face & put it near her face but she wouldn't lick. I cleaned that kitty with a warm wet towel & put it with the others.

This is what I'm slightly worried about. Because she's in the bathroom I'm nervous that she'll give birth during the night, or while we're out, and I won't be around if she needs help!

She's already really smoochy. She loves coming up for rubs and cuddles. I'm trying to give her as much loving as I can, just incase anything goes wrong she'll hopefully trust me and let me help.

[Learning_Mum]

Originally Posted by Marsupialmom

Hey, I am a pervert also. LOL


Also go up to youtube. There is video.

Glad I'm not the only perv!

I just went and looked on You Tube. Isn't the internet amazing! There's heaps of videos there of cats giving birth. How cool is it that my 4yo can see it, and I can explain what's going to happen before the time?!

[Ann-Marita]

Originally Posted by Learning_Mum

The vet thinks she has a week or two left before the kittens are due.

Vets can be notoriously bad at estimating due dates for strays. I had a vet tell me a mama cat had about a week or two left. SIX WEEKS later she finally went into labor.

I've set up a cat carry case, with the door removed and a big soft towel inside, which she seems to have taken happily to as her bed. She pretty much spends her time sleeping in the bed, and eating, and coming out for cuddles when we come in. I'm hoping she'll use this as her nest, but really she doesn't have alot of options for somewhere warm and comfortable.

That sounds great! A cat carrier is usually a good size for labor. They like to brace their back paws against something - sort of pushing against one wall with their paws and their back against the other wall. After the kittens are here, you may want to upgrade her accomodations to a larger box.

They can have a bloody show, like humans. They can also have a real change of mood right before birth - like they'll get to be REAL friendly & cuddly just before the big event. Or talk a LOT. Even feral cats will let down their guard a bit (not that they would be friendly, just less distrustful).

Does she have a cat box available in her room? Be sure to put it as far from her food & water as you can, if the room is small.

Her "vagina" is actually her (oh, crud, I can't think of the word, something canal) - it's both where they urinate and where they give birth. (Humans females have two passages for those purposes, cats only have one.) So the twitching may have more to do with needing to pee frequently (as any pregnant mother can attest to) than iminent labor.

She is probably perfectly capable of giving birth successfully without any human intervention. Like human birth, less interfering is usually better! You may want to offer her fresh water and good food between kittens; she may want only the water.

The kittens come about every half hour. She will clean the kitten up, wash it (it seems vigorous, but it helps stimulate the baby), and then gets a little breather while the kitten finds a nipple and latches on. And then, boom, here comes another kitten. Watch for maternal exhaustion after the first few kittens - larger litters mean a more tired laboring mama.

The last kitten(s) born are often somewhat less developed, a bit younger in utero. Combined with a tired mama, and you might want to make sure the last one(s) get latched on well. Wash your hands well before handling the babies.

Oh, yeah. They eat the placentas. And later they have the most disgusting poop.

You may want to have multiple layers of beding or towels down, so when (not if) the top one gets soiled, you can just take it out and there's a clean one revealed.

It's been about seven years since I "midwifed" a cat, so my memory might be sketchy.

I suggest that you ask a mod to move this thread to the "Pets" forum here at MDC, and you will get answers from people with more recent experience.

Congratulations! And be sure to tell the proud mama cat that the kittens are beautiful.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Odds are she wont need any help. I was with my cat when she birthed and the only kitten that had issues coming out was breech and he was rather large for a kitten.

Things I noticed the day of birth. Lots of purring really loud, slight bleeding about 4 hours before the birth. Milk appeared the same day as the birth.

It has been so long that I have forgotten any more details but I will keep thinking.

[Learning_Mum]

I really hope I don't have to wait six weeks!! She's quite round, and there is milk in her nipples. Don't know if that means anything or not!

That's very interesting about the canal thing! I didn't know that (obviously! )

One other question I had is how do you know when the last kitten is out? I know there can be quite a while between kittens and I'm not sure if I'll know when the final one is out. Do they do something different?

I will keep a look out for talking, smooching and a bloody show.

Is there anything I need to do when the kittens are here?

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Other than making sure they are warm and making sure they cant get covered in bedding so tuck edges down well mama should be able to handle it.

[lonegirl]

Ok I have BTDT both at work and having grown p on a farm with about 60 cats at once (I named them all and they were the most wonderful barncats ever!)
I am going to give you a link because the site seems to have a lot of good cat info
http://catownersconfidential.com/hp_...ur-cats-labor/

[peachsara]

My kitty is about to be a mama, too!

pp, how strange that your kitty had 6 weeks left! Isn't normal cat gestation only about 9 weeks?! That vet was waaaaay off.

[Learning_Mum]

Originally Posted by lonegirl

Ok I have BTDT both at work and having grown p on a farm with about 60 cats at once (I named them all and they were the most wonderful barncats ever!)
I am going to give you a link because the site seems to have a lot of good cat info
http://catownersconfidential.com/hp_...ur-cats-labor/

That site is awesome! Thank you!

And 60 names! That's pretty impressive! I had trouble coming up with four!

[Learning_Mum]

Originally Posted by peachsara

My kitty is about to be a mama, too!

pp, how strange that your kitty had 6 weeks left! Isn't normal cat gestation only about 9 weeks?! That vet was waaaaay off.

Yeah, I was thinking that myself! That's a long way to be out!

[angie7]

I just had my stray drop 6 kittens on us. Her first signs was panting and then within hours they were born. It's been a fun ride that's for sure. They are 4 weeks old now and an absolute joy! GL and have fun. Let her do the work and you just follow her lead. Read what you can about problems and such and look out for those but she will know what to do.