First time pregnant cat owner and i REALLY NEED HELP!!!

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
Soo i noticed that my cat fluffy was pregnant about 3 weeks ago, and she is getting bigger around the tummy area, but i have noo idea when she is due. I made up a box for her with newspaper and towels, and i think i felt her babies kicking the other night. Today Fluffy has been outside since the morning and refuses to come back inside. She hasn't eaten a bite all day and i am really worried. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for me, and what i can do to make this pregnancy easy for her. I will be posting pics soon so maybe then you could help me figure out how far along she is. Thanks for any help you can give me :D
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
So Fluffy finally came back in a few minutes ago, she ate a tiny bit and now she is asleep, i see her tummy moving but i am not sure if this is kicking or a contraction, how do you tell?
 

orientalslave

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
3,425
Purraise
114
Location
Scotland
Do you have no idea when she was in call?  Did she go out when she doesn't normally?  Any signs of cats you hadn't seen before outside the house?  You probably didn't notice until she was 4-5 weeks pregnant, cats are pregnant for 65 days from first mating (on average), so I'd place her at 7-8 weeks pregnant with a week or two to go.

Make sure ASAP that her worming and flea treatment is up-to-date - there are wormers and flea treatments that are both safe and effective for pregnant and nursing queens, but they may be vet only.

Feed her as much good-quality food as she wants to eat right through until the kittens are weaned and away to their new homes.

Get your vet's emergency number and procedure to hand.  You probably won't need them but in the middle of the night isn't the time to realise you don't have them.

Put a box or two around the place with old newspaper in the bottom (or puppy pads if you happen to have some to hand) and washable beeding.  Fleece is idea, tiny claws can get caught in toweling.  Fraying or frayed strands can be a danger.  Think about where is, and is not, safe in your house for her plus tiny kittens.

If you don't have them, get a cheap set of digital scales that weigh to 1g (about 1/30th ounce) so you can keep track of the kitten's weights.  There can be a lot of worrying looking scrabbling for the milk bar, but if the kittens are each gaining 10g or more nearly every day then all is well.  You might get the odd day with less weight gain, and sometimes they lose a little in the first day or two, but in general they should gain weight at an astonishing rate.  You are probably in the US and use ounces not grams, but no decimal points is a big plus in my view to grams for this sort of thing.  Weigh them once a day at about the same time.  do it quickly, in front of mum, if she is at all concerned simply put the kitten straight back with her. 

Once their eyes open and ears unfold (e.g. they are seeing and hearing) you can start to gently stroke them for a little while at weigh-in time.  I always stop as soon as they complain, I always keep them in mum's sight.

Make sure you have several litter trays including at least one that's got a low lip they can easily climb over, and mountains of litter - you will need them when the kittens start getting about.  Online is probably cheaper, and avoid clumping litter as kittens (like babies) go through a stage of exploring everything by putting it in their mouths.  They will also eat masses of food - quite a bit more than an adult.

Camera.  We love kitten photos!

Keep mum in, don't let her out while she is nursing her kittens, remember she can get pregnant again very soon after delivery.  Get her spayed once the kittens are 10 weeks old or so, when they are just about old enough to go to their new homes. If you are lucky your vet will spay earlier, at 6 weeks or so.  She will probably carry right on feeding afterwards as it's the suckling that keeps the milk going.

The key in my view is looking after mum, and she looks after the kittens.  They learn from her, by immitating her.  If they see her happily interacting with you, they will learn that humans are not fearful things despite their size.  They will wean themselves if suitable food is where they can paddle in it and generally explore it, and they will naturally start to use the litter tray though you may well have accidents to start with.  One time one of my fosters from last year used the cat biscuits as a litter tray!  Like small children, they realise they want to go Right Now and can't make it far to a tray.  Keeping them in a fairly small area during this phase helps manage it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
Thank you for all the great information :D she has been an indoor/outdoor cat since she was about 6 months old, she is now almost a year and a half old, all the cats in our neighborhood are neutered, but i know that she probably got pregnant from a cat that i probably don't see around the house often. I will have her spayed once she has the kittens, i am just watching her very closely now. As for when the kittens are born, am i supposed to do anything to help the mother, like clean the babies with a towel or does she clean the babies on her own. What are things to watch out for while she is giving birth? Thanks
 

happykitty

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
200
Purraise
79
Location
Southeast USA
Yes, please do make certain she is fixed when the kittens are weaning.  Do not let her out when she is nursing as she CAN get pregnant again. Most cats do just fine with labor.  You will want to make sure she cleans the baby as soon as it comes out and if she doesn't clean the sac off the head within a minute or so you will want to gently wipe the nose and mouth so it can breath.  She should chew the umbilical cord and eat the placenta.  If not, you can pinch it off about one inch from baby (make sure to wear sterile gloves).  Some labor long and some short, just depends.  Call vet if kitty if produces smelly discharge or lots of blood (some is normal). 
 

orientalslave

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
3,425
Purraise
114
Location
Scotland
I never worried about sterile hands the few times I've had to tear a cord - after all her mouth isn't sterile!  But I did make sure I had washed my hands.  She probably won't need any help at all unless she leaves the kitten to get on with the next one.   Lots more information at the FAB:

http://www.fabcats.org/breeders/infosheets/breeding_from_your_cat/felineparturition.html

You will find excellent information there about almost any aspect of cat care.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
thanks for all the the help guys :D here are some pictures of her, i could not get a clear one of her nipples, because she was really irritated with me.

 

knoxy79

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
24
Purraise
1
My cats ready to pop any day now and there's no chance she would even let me take a picture of her nipples she nips my hands when I am anywhere near that area,good luck with with mum  and kittens.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
thank you knoxy, i am a bit worried though, because some days she shows signs that she is near the time to give her babies, while other days she just acts normally, and i worry for the babies inside. Before she was even pregnant her tummy would make like little spasms in and out then stop. now that she is pregnant it is really hard for me to tell if that is the babies moving around in there, or just her normal movement! best of luck with your mom and kittens aswell :)
 

knoxy79

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
24
Purraise
1
I've been the same with mine for the last few days thinking she's about to have them then she's back to her normal self,if your that worried i would maybe get her checked at the vet even just to put your mind at rest nut I'm sure she will be fine,I'm going to give mine a few more days then if no kittens I'll be getting her checked over :)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
So today fluffy is being really grouchy and i can't even pet her without her growling, the problem is that it sounds like a growl and like a noise i have never heard from her before. Is it common that near their due dates cats start to make noises? I have no idea and i am just really worried for her.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
Hey knoxy thanks for asking :) she went into her box yesterday and started tearing the newspaper up, so i am hoping this is a good sign. No discharge coming from her and she is a bit more cuddly today, i will keep watching her i cannot wait for these babies to come!!
 

knoxy79

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
24
Purraise
1
Keep us upto date,mine is 64 days today and still a bit grumpy during the day but at night all she wants is stroked,not eating as much today though, here's hoping its not to long for both of us.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
Fluffy is doing exactly the same, she has been eating a little bit but not as much as she used to, and she is really grumpy during the day time, but keeps purring and wanting to be petted at night. I think she is about 61 days so i know she still has a few. I hope they come soon, and i hope yours do too :)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
So the babies are definitely kicking lol, and she was nesting yesterday so i hope the day is soon :) just a question, what do i feed the kittens once they can start eating, could they eat the purina hard food that my cat eats or do they have entirely different food?

thanks for the help :D
 

revenwyn

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jun 1, 2012
Messages
275
Purraise
16
Purina is pure poison. At the very least give her canned food, if not a raw diet.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

nadia4589

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
30
Purraise
0
What kinds of canned foods to you reccomend? thank you
 

happykitty

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
200
Purraise
79
Location
Southeast USA
Avoid any with soy, wheat, corn, beef, artificial perservatives, colors, or flavors.  Try to get one with a high protein content since cats are carnivores. 
 

orientalslave

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
3,425
Purraise
114
Location
Scotland
So the babies are definitely kicking lol, and she was nesting yesterday so i hope the day is soon :) just a question, what do i feed the kittens once they can start eating, could they eat the purina hard food that my cat eats or do they have entirely different food?

thanks for the help :D
They eat whatever mum is eating.  It needs to be in a shallow dish and they will find their way into it as and when they are ready, and gradually start eating solid food.  No need to wean them as we do with human babies.
 
Top