Postpartum Advice A.S.A.P

Let me start by saying hello to every one! As you are about to find out I have NO experience with a mother cat having kittens and i have a ton of questions! My cat gave birth last night to a litter of nine kittens! All the kittens are alive and doing really well, it is mom that I am worried about! With the first kitten she was straining for nearly an hour before she delivered the kitten. After the first kitten the other 8 were delivered with no problem, in fact at times it seemed that two kittens were coming out at the same time. I think some of what took so long is that she is a fat cat, even before getting pregnant, and she was not able to reach her girlie parts to lick at the kitten as it was born. So I guess that the reasons that I am nervous about the momma kitty are 1)She has not really cleaned herself off since giving birth

2) There still seems to be fresh blood leaking from her, not a lot but there is red blood

3) After she had the kittens I changed all the blankets and cleaned everything up, but then came back in a few hours later and there was some diarrhea on the towels.

4) Like I said she is a fat cat, but she still looks huge and her belly is still kind of hard! I can not imagine there could possibly be anymore kittens in there but I am not sure what to be watching for! Also as I had said earlier some came so quickly I could not tell if she at a couple of placenta's at one time. So I also need to know what to watch for as far as infection.

And one last thing, I made a mix of kitten chow and wet food and she has not really even touched it, is this normal? Maybe she is still just so tired! The active phase of labor lasted nearly 3.5 hours!

sorry this is so long, I just am worried for my mamma kitty

With all of those issues, you might want to call a vet.

It is normal to pass a small amount of bloody mucous for a few days - like women do after delivery.
Sometimes there will be a bit of time between deliveries, so it could be another kitten. But constipation is also common in the last few weeks of pregnancy - and I have no idea which would be correct.
Deliviery of so many is hard work. She may be tired and will start eating and drinking after a nap.

Congrats!

Congratulations on the massive litter! It's great to hear all are healthy.

As for momma, I would definitely watch her closely in regards to possible infection. She may not have expelled all of the placentas. If she delivered all 9 in a short time frame, she could be just exhausted. I would ensure she has kitten food to eat and lots of fresh water. Once she is rested a bit, she will come out for water and food.

My cat had 8 babies 2 weeks ago, and all are doing great. She had blood coming out too, but not gushing or anything. That lasted for a day or 2 and she's totally fine.

Now, since most cats only have 8 nipples, you are probably going to have to feed one kitten or supplement them all if you don't know who's eaten or not.

We at TCS LOOOOOVE pictures Please post if you can

Thank you so much for the quick responses! After I typed the first thread I went into to again change the blankets and she was not only pushing again but panting as well. She had also left the kittens, I know not a huge deal. So I decided to call the vet just to be on the safe side. The vet said she is just probably trying to expel some "leftovers" and just keep an eye on her! She also said if Miyah was still pushing around 2-3pm to come on in. And she told me to wrap a heating pad, on warm, in a towel and put the kittens there for now! So I guess that we will wait and see, but for know it seems I am being an overly worried mamma kitty owner

Even though you asked the vet i'll answer anyway

1) Not sure, but with 9 kittens if I was a cat, I wouldn't be too bent on cleaning myself...

2) Okay, as long as it's not a stream or lasting for more than a few days.

3) Yeah, same as before. Placenta poop... not so nice.

4) Unsure.