Birth defect

Hello,
My cat is having her kittens today. The first one is a boy, black and white. He came out Tail first. It took a little while for her to have that one. The second was a female, Orange and white in color. She just popped out really easy, although she had some problems. Her intestines and stomach were outside of her body. Needless to say she didn't survive. What I wanted to know was that if there is a kitten in a litter that has a birth defect will it be likely that there will be more in the litter with the same or similar defects?
Thanks in advance,
Jayne

Did she only have two kittens? I think that one kitten can have defects and the others will be okay. I hope they others are okay and that you are going to get mommy fixed once they babies are weaned. Good luck with the little ones!!

I believe, but I'm not sure, that if one kitten has a problem, then the others may not have it. If it is a sickness (FLV or something like that) then it is very possible that every kitten in the litter will have it. I'm not really that sure about other problems, but if the other kitten is fine then be glad for that. Good luck and keep us posted about the baby(ies).

She has only had the two kittens since this morning at 8am. She is still working on having the rest. I know for sure that there is one more left to deliver. I can feel it in her tummy and it moves around so I'm hoping that it will be ok. She should have it by tonight or tomorrow morning. And yes I am getting her fixed as soon as possible. I was going to do it earlier, but thought that if she stayed in the house it would be ok, but the sneaky little girl snuck out one day and you can see what happend from there. If only the one kitten survives then I'm going to keep him and get him fixed too.
Thanks,
Jayne

Last night the black and white kitten died. I don't know why, maybe to cold or something. The mom brought it to me at about 3am and set it down next to me on the bed. This morning at about 7:30 she had another kitten. It is a calico one just like her. I hope that this one will survive.
-Jayne

Jayne-

I am sorry about the bad birthing going on. Is mom inside? Her and her babies should be kept as warm as possible. 95 degreees is best. In a box in a closet with a pet heating pad or hot water bottles inside under the soft bedding to help generate heat. If could be that the kittens were born with a disease and you aren't aware of it as yet. Is mom eating and drinking and using the litter box okay? Other than the distress of labor, are there any other problems that you see?

Poor kittums

I saw a similar thing on Animal Planet once.. a kitten with his intestines on the outside of him He was actually alive, and emergency vets opened him up and put his organs back in him!! Amazing.

I hope your last kitten survives.

Take mom to the vet and have her and the kitten checked out. Make sure the kitten is nursing and staying warm.

Hello,
The last kitten seems to be doing well. They are both in the house and the mother has been eating and drinking every now and then. She has gotten up to use the litter box a few times. She seems to be very tired. I can't feel anymore kittens in her tummy, and she doesn't look like she's laboring anymore. I hope that was the last one. It has been very hot here, in the 90's and I have worried about her overheating. She was panting pretty hard yesterday. The kitten is nursing and is quite chubby. I moved their box so that it isn't in a drafty area. Yesterday she was following me around the house and trying to sit in my lap to have the kittens. And when I would go to work or outside she would stop her labor. I have a heat lamp that I use for brooding my duckling and chicken, does anyone think that if I put that over them at night it would keep them warm enough? I've never had this problem before and feel really bad about the other kittens that didn't make it. Does anyone know how soon I can take her to the vet and get her fixed after she's had the kittens? I am planning on keeping this kitten, I haven't looked to see if it's a male or a female, I'm trying to let them relax a bit. I'll check tonight and let you know.
Thanks for all the help,
Jayne

You really don't want to use a concentrated source of heat like a heat lamp, for this can cause burning. A pet heating pad is a good investment, and if you put it in the middle of the bedding (buried underneath) they can move off to the side if they get to hot.

Now that she is done having kittens, a vet visit would be the safest thing to do. It really is required 24 hours after birthing to safeguard mom and the babies.

If the baby is a calico that it is most likely female. VERY rare to have a male calico.

As soon as the baby is done nursing spay. If you want it done ASAP then when the baby is 5-6 weeks. Keep mom inside b/c she can get pregnant again.

Good luck with the new baby!

Elizabeth