How do you know when your mama cat is finished having babies?

jewelreborn

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My mama cat (her first litter) has had 4 kittens.  How do I know when she has had her last one.  It has been 30 minutes since she has had her fourth one.
 

StefanZ

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It is often difficult to know for sure.  They CAN deliver many times apart sometimes too...

If the mom is contend, nursing the already born kittens, calm, you dont need worry, although you must observe.   If one more happens to come, so it happens...

If her tummy wasnt very big, or if she seems flat and empty now, it should be over.

Sometimes there seems to perhaps be one more - it MAY be one more, but it is often just some natural swllings inside. That is quite often - many of our forumists were asking...

Good if you weigh your kittens, beginning from now. So you will get a decent idea if they do get enough with food, or not...   Common, cheap kitchen scale.  Preferably in grams, but 1/10 oz is also OK.

Keep reporting!

Good luck!

ps. Has the mom got milk yet?  Do the kittens try to nurse?

If both answers are no, try YOU to stimulate the titties somewhat, it perhaps will help the milk to come.

Give momma good food, kitten food as it is most nourishing.

If she is used to some milk products, like low lactose milk, youghurt, cheese, give it.

AND lotsa water.

If her milk isnt coming, you must yourself help the kittens, they wont be long without food.
 
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catwoman707

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Since it's her first litter, after 4 she is likely done, BUT this is not for sure. Sometimes even a full day later another will come.

Her behavior is a good indicator, she should not act preoccupied, only with caring for the new kids.

Be sure to have her in a private and quiet place, free of foot traffic, etc. but check on her often making certain that each baby is nursing, there is almost always a smaller one, the runt, and some are more aggressive than others about nursing, but some are not and allow themselves to get "booted" off of their nipple, I have seen this sooo often.

Mom does not make them nurse, it is up to them and their will for survival that makes them nurse.

So please watch each one, paying extra attention if you see one particular baby not nursing, especially more than one time. This might be the weaker one who will need supplementing, or at least help with a boost of you plugging him onto mom each time you check on them. This may be the only jumpstart needed.

It's a good idea to pick up some Royal Canin Babycat dry food now, since you will need it in about 4-5 weeks anyway, and momma will benefit from feeding this to her now. I would also give her a can of cat food each day for dinnertime, she deserves it.

Be sure there is clean water, extra water is needed now as she is producing milk. She will drink twice as much as normally.

Her being a first time momma, if you need any advice about her caring for them/lack of, please let us know, we are more than happy to offer our advice, as many of us have been there, done that!
 
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jewelreborn

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Thank you sooo very much for your advice.  My "Momma Missy" had 5 beautiful babies starting about 7am Sunday and ending about 10:30 am. She is such a GREAT MOM!!  She gave birth, cleaned each one and rushes to the box now at a small whimper.  She is so gentle not to lay on any of them.  She positions her paws so as not to put her weight on them.

She is eating and drinking well and had her first bowel movement yesterday...yeah!!!

I am a bit concerned as this morning about 6am I saw that where she at sat to eat had a red slimy discharge there.  It wasn't much, but there were two places of it and there was more on her vaginal area and tail.  She had had a fit of extremely heavy panting Sunday evening and into the night.  She looked wild eyed, but by Monday morning was doing great and was wanting to be petted. 

Is it normal for a momma cat to have this discharge?  My neighbor was over while the birthing was taking place and she mentioned that she wasn't sure that the last placenta had come out.  That statement panicked me a bit because I know that infection could kill her if this is true.  I am a praying person, so I am expecting that she will be fine.  I am keeping watch, though but I don't know what signs to look for for her to need a vet visit.  The discharge has no smell except for it smells like blood...but not rank or anything.  She is a stray..I found her at my mother's house and she is only about 8 months old.  She is terribly skiddish of the outside now and it would be terribly tramatic to take her to the vet.  What do you advise?
 
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jewelreborn

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Thank you for your advice.  Momma Missy has milk...I know only because her babies are growing and aren't crying.

I posted a question a few minutes ago.  She this morning has a slimy bloody discharge...probably about two quarters worth on the floor where she sat to eat.  Is this normal?  She has it a bit at her vaginal area also.  It isn't much, but I was hoping it was normal.  There isn't a bad smell...it just smells like blood.
 

orientalslave

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 Some discharge is normal after giving birth for both cats and humans.  It should clear up quickly and should never smell bad.  There is more information on the Internet (use Google for 'lochia')  than you probably want to know about what is normal for women.

If it smells bad, or she seems 'off' in any way a vet visit is called for ASAP.  Since the kittens are relying on her for both food, warmth and care it's a real emergency as she can lose her milk if she becomes ill.
 

StefanZ

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  She is terribly skiddish of the outside now and it would be terribly tramatic to take her to the vet.  What do you advise?
If and when you take her to the vet, you take her in a carrier.  You can lay some towel on that carrier, so it is dark and nice there.  She will never notice she is outside, and thus, wont mind so much.

If you dont have a carrier, you can made it from something else.  Feks here in Sweden it is common people have laundry baskets of plastic, usually holed in the sides,. with locks on.

I suppose you do have them in your country too.

These are useful as emergency carriers. Lay something down, so it is nice and cozy, and fasten the locket, with tape or something...

but for now, wait how it develops, as your neighbour wasnt SURE the afterbirth didnt come out.  Do have a very close obeservation, if nothing happens, fine.  but as soon things gets worse... Off you go.

So prepare the transportation, vet adress, vet phone.

You can also phone vet alredy now. Perhaps best, if your vet answers telephone questions. Not all do.

Good luck!
 
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