OMG We haz Labor

Loudmouth pulled the blanket off of my bed a few hours ago during my nap, and buried herself beneath it. This isn't unusual, so I ignored it. But about ten minutes later I started hearing her panting heavily so I got up and unburied her. Sure enough, she had contractions and half of an amniotic sac hanging out. I've moved her to her queening box, but she's not wanting anything to do with it. It's been about an hour now, and though the amniotic sac broke, there are still no kittens. I know labor can take a while, but if she hasn't had a kitten in another 45 minutes or so, it's time to head to the emergency clinic, right? Send lots of vibes that everything goes smoothly and that no vet intervention is necessary.

Any update on this kitty ??

It's been about 2 hours and still nothing. She is panting really really heavily. She is so HUGE in he rbelly that she's just not able to lick herself. I've been wearing gloves and trying to wipe away what's coming out, but we're just not making any headway. There are no emergency clinics open today that will let me bring her in. I'm broke at the moment and they all want me to pay up front. My only other option, according to the humane society, is to call 911 and ask them to page animal control to come pick her up. I'll have to sign off on her but if she needs medical attention, she's gotta have it. I don't know what to do.

Ok it's after 7pm and she's panting too much. it's been somewhere like 3 or 4 hours i think. Her stomach is really hard. She's still leaking amniotic fluid and pushing but there's no kitten in sight. And another thing that worries me is that she doesn't seem to be really producing any milk. that's never a good thing, especially when the vet said she could have up to 10 kittens! I'm about to call animal control to come get her. I really don't want to but she's having too much trouble. She doesn't want me to leave the room. she tries to get up and follow me. She has also managed to shred her queening box. one whole side of it is gone. I can tell she's in pain so I'm making that call. Wish her luck.

Can't you call an emergency vet? You cat is suffering. Please help her.

You need to call the er vet.
Thefirst kitten might be dead and could be stuck.

PLease help her? Omg so what the hell have I been doing? I just called the emergency vets and no one will take her unless I pay NOW. I called the humane society and called the animal control number. They ended up sending over a police officer and they say there's nothing they can do. I just had a freaking cop at my apartment, and yet you're going to say I'm not trying to help her? I'm doing everything I can. I'm on the verge of tears because I'm worried about her and the kittens and theres nothing I can do to help. I'm runing her belly and trying to get a grip on the kitten to see if I can gently pull it out but I'm having no luck. There's nothing I can do right now but to drop her off at an unmanned pound. Tell me if that would make you feel better.

we have the end of a tail, so i know the kitten is breach which might be why this is taking so long. the tail moves when touched so the kitten is still alive

OK, I'm just pulling this out of my b*tt, so I don't know if it will work, but could you take some olive oil and rub it around the opening to see if it will help? Maybe it will get things going, or open up a little so you can get ahold of the legs? (I do know they do this with humans, that's why i thought of it.)

Originally Posted by SamhainBorn

PLease help her? Omg so what the hell have I been doing? I just called the emergency vets and no one will take her unless I pay NOW. I called the humane society and called the animal control number. They ended up sending over a police officer and they say there's nothing they can do. I just had a freaking cop at my apartment, and yet you're going to say I'm not trying to help her? I'm doing everything I can. I'm on the verge of tears because I'm worried about her and the kittens and theres nothing I can do to help. I'm runing her belly and trying to get a grip on the kitten to see if I can gently pull it out but I'm having no luck. There's nothing I can do right now but to drop her off at an unmanned pound. Tell me if that would make you feel better.

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Okay, totally understand your frustration here, but there are children on this site. The way you just said what you said was offending to me, and I'm 20 so I can imagine a kid on here... Do you think you could edit this or something? I would feel just as frustrated as you- trust me. It sounds like you are doing everything that you can right now. I would be angry too if people were telling me to help her right now when that's what you were doing already... But the language? Come on. PM the person that you need to say this to, don't post it for everyone to read.

I wish everything goes well for her- Is there a way that you think you could call E-vets that are further away? It's worth a shot.

In general, if a kitten is not born within a few minutes of any portion
of the kitten being visible outside the vagina of the female, it is best
to try to gently help deliver the kitten. Using K-Y or similar water
soluble lubricating jelly to coat the vagina and the kitten is helpful. Be
careful to have someone restraining your cat prior to making any effort to
manipulate kittens, as this sometimes causes pain and many cats will
bite in response to the sudden pain. It is necessary to be gentle to the
kitten (don't pull hard on a leg or tail, for instance) if it is still alive.
It is definitely possible to injure a kitten trying to aid in delivering
it. If the kitten is obviously dead then a little more force can be used
but the emphasis switches to being gentle to Mom so that she isn't injured.
Slowly rotating the kitten in a small arc in each direction can
sometimes free up a leg that is blocking passage of the kitten or allow a
kitten's head to be delivered if it is holding up progress

Here's something to read...it does appear that breech is more difficult. it may turn out ok, though, if this little one is still alive. I'm trying to find one of our really experienced breeders right now...try stimulating the area around the birth canal...let us know how it's going...

The Second Stage of Labor in Cats


The second stage of labor begins with straining. Sometimes the queen will go into her litter pan and squat but do nothing. Some queens will produce a great deal of elimination to clear their systems before delivery. Young, inexperienced queens will also sometimes deliver their kittens in the litter pan - a very messy, bad thing when it happens - so when the second stage begins I bring in a new, clean box and I use paper toweling in it instead of litter. If she delivers there - no problem - the kittens won't be all covered with litter. If she urinates in the pan, it is easily cleaned. You will be able to both see and feel the muscles of the abdomen contract as the straining becomes more pronounced. To assist in the delivery, the vaginal opening will have enlarged and the vagina will be well lubricated. Though a cat will rest between contractions, the contractions will come closer and closer together as the kitten leaves one of the horns of the uterus and begins the trip into the birth canal. Some books will tell you that most kittens come "head first" - it would be nice if it were true. A normal birth (head first delivery) only occurs about 50% of the time with breech births (butt first delivery) being quite common and no call for alarm unless the queen is tired. Hopefully, your girl will deliver her first kitten headfirst; rear first is a more difficult delivery, especially for the first kitten in the first litter. Once the head is out, the rest of the kitten comes without too much trouble. Tail end first means the large rib cage has to come first and it is more difficult to deliver. Head first or rear first, the first thing you will see is a yellowish colored bubble emerging from the birth canal or some portion of the kitten covered by the sac of membranes. Once the kitten is out you will probably find it is still pretty closely connected to the mother by the cord to the placenta (or "afterbirth") which she should expel fairly quickly. She probably will begin to lick the kitten right away but may be more concerned with washing herself, especially if it is her first litter. Either way, break the sac over the face of the kitten and begin to rub it lightly with a small, clean cloth such as a face cloth or paper towel. If it is wiggling and making noise you have time for her to expel the afterbirth. If the kitten seems too quiet and lethargic, rub firmly but gently with the washcloth to stimulate the kitten to breathe. You may also have to hold the kitten between the palms of your two hands, head down, and swing briskly back and forth, pendulum fashion. I find bending over and swinging the kitten between my legs is most convenient. Stop and continue rubbing and swinging until it is obvious the kitten is breathing on it's own.

After an hour of trying to get some kind of grip on the end of the kitten's tail, she finally gave a good enough push to get a foot out and I finally managed to help her deliver the kitten. It seems to be doing alright now. It's not crying but it is breathing and trying to nurse. I'll check on her again in a few minutes and see how she's doing. Kitten seems to be black with a little white on its chin and fr paw.

A big thank you to everyone trying to help me out. We ended up not having any oil I thought would be good to use, but I did have a friedn come over and he was good enough to help me hold her while I helped deliver the kitten as gently as possible. A little worried that it was too hard on those tiny fragile bones, but something had to be done.

Originally Posted by SamhainBorn

A big thank you to everyone trying to help me out. We ended up not having any oil I thought would be good to use, but I did have a friedn come over and he was good enough to help me hold her while I helped deliver the kitten as gently as possible. A little worried that it was too hard on those tiny fragile bones, but something had to be done.

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Good job, such a relief!

The other kittens should come easier now.
I am glad that one seems ok.

Last update for the night, full update in the morning.

We now have 3 kittens. The one that appeared black now has striped legs. looking like a tabby. Second out of the gate was a little white cutie with huge orange and grey spots. Third born is an orange fluffer.

Everything seems to be fine now but since theings are moving along so fast I'm going to be in there with her until i know she's done.

Again, thanks to all.

Originally Posted by SamhainBorn

Last update for the night, full update in the morning.

We now have 3 kittens. The one that appeared black now has striped legs. looking like a tabby. Second out of the gate was a little white cutie with huge orange and grey spots. Third born is an orange fluffer.

Everything seems to be fine now but since theings are moving along so fast I'm going to be in there with her until i know she's done.

Again, thanks to all.

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Make sure to put food and water really near her when she gets done so she doesn't have to worry about leaving them.

OMG! I am glad things are going better. I can't wait to hear the update. I hope she has all her kittens safely.

Gosh, I wish I'd seen this sooner.
I would have said to calm down, she's feeding off of your anxious vibes.
I would have also said that my Sadie labored for a few hours before we saw any real action. The contractions have to push the baby into position, they don't just fall out, lol.
With my Mao, the babies were so big, and she was pushing while she laid on her back like a human (weird, I know!), She was grunting and moaning and I held her legs for her, like she was a human. It was very intense. But we have the strongest bond now, it's hard to explain.
I am glad everything seems to be going okay now. Give us an update as sson as you can.