Cat possibly in labor RIGHT NOW ADVICE PLEASE

kindleandjafar

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So its 11:31am and I'm more than 90% sure my cat kindle is in labor. shes had slight discharge since last night and has been very affectionate.

She had already picked out a nesting location in my closet and I prepared it for her and everything.

today when i made it home from work around 10am I noticed her "area" was open. I locked the male cat in the bathroom and put her in her nest area she stayed maybe 10 mins or so and decided to check on my crying male jafar.

I let her walk around and check then i put her back in the nesting area. she stayed a little over 15 mins this time and comes back out. This time she has a bubble coming out her "area". I found kindle and her brother jafar down the road from my house and do not have any money until next thursday. 

I have since locked her in the bedroom with the closet doors open and she is having a fit about being locked in. Hopefully thats a kitten trying to escape her and not something else but why wont she sit down and have them? If i can see something escaping why doesnt she get she needs to push?

Is there a problem? Does the kittens come out in a bubble? I need information ASAP please.
 

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you might need to remove your male cat from the house completely, if you can, if he's making alot of noise then it could be upsetting her, some cats walk around constantly before, and even during and after labor, I had a cat once who never stopped moving the entire labor and delivery of 5 kittens, had one in the middle of the floor, cleaned it up, carried it to the nest, had another in the nest, cleaned it up, got up, walked around for another 15 minutes before having the rest in the middle of my kitchen floor


cats need a quiet, dark place to give birth, depending on how long you've had the cat, she might still be nervious in her surroundings, especially if she isn't used to being locked up.

how old is the cat? if she's under a year old you need to keep a close eye on her in the off-chance that she might have issues with the birth, particularly if she is small.
 
 
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kindleandjafar

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She is very small in comparison to my male cat but not really when compared o a normal sized cat. Ive locked her in the bedroom but she doesnt like to be confined. It seems like she's handling the labor itself well since she wont calm down. I've been jumping in and out the window to check on her since i had to block the door to lock her in. I have also set her up a few just in case locations like a have her a box now and if she didnt like that i have a plastic container all lined with fresh linen. I just checked on her again nothing yet and she still wont stay put and is highly upset I kinda feel like shes cursing me out.
 
 
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kindleandjafar

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So I have a question...........At what point do I start worrying about her labor? It hasn't really been that long let truth be told but Im a parent and I'm concerned about my kid lol. Its been a hour since I seen the bubble coming out of her but I guess it went back in because I still don't have any grand kids yet. Should I be concerned?
 

orientalslave

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If she is in active labour - pushing - then yes, get worried now.  If she has stopped pushing then she isn't happy with where she is in some way.  Possibly other cats, maybe not the place she wants, maybe no-one or the wrong people with her, I'm sure someone else will have a better idea.
 
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kindleandjafar

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I haven't seen her do any pushing now that I think of it. She would be in the crouching position true? Even when i saw the bubble coming out her "area" she still wasn't in any pushing position. She's moved around so many times that Ive been forced to put my male cat in the bathroom and just suffer with his extremely loud and relentless crying. Because she's been so uncomfortable I've tried just about everything such as

- making multiple nests for her

-locking her in the bedroom and letting my male cat roam so he isnt crying making her worry

-Then I tried just letting them both be free and me just monitoring her in her nest so he doesnt get to close. Ive found him still trying to mate with her within the last week so of course i dont want him trying while shes giving birth.

At this point I stopped putting her back in her nest and even though she's leaking all over my house Ive let her roam as she see's fit. Im really nervous she's going to have the kittens in my bed or a strange place i cant get access to. Really at this point im nervous she wont have them at all and will die or something.
 
 
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kindleandjafar

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Also she's on the small side but she's greedy and hasn't stopped eating at all. Every time she gets out of her nests or even looks at the food bowl for that matter she has to have a bite. I thought she was supposed to stop eating.
 

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Some cats don't stop eating.  Watch and/or feel her sides to see if she's got contactions.
 

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I haven't seen her do any pushing now that I think of it. She would be in the crouching position true? Even when i saw the bubble coming out her "area" she still wasn't in any pushing position. 
Yes, the 'bubble' is a kitten and if she's not able to get it out within an hour you need to get her to the vet.  That is her in labour and that is her pushing. Some crouch/squat, some lay on their backs, some lay on their tummies,  on their sides - there are no rules.

You need to stay with her to help keep her calm, not come and go. She will pick up your energy too, so you must remain calm, she shouldn't be wandering the house - that will be stressful for her trying to find a place. Hopefully you've spent the last 9 weeks since allowing your cats to mate reading up on births, what you need on hand and what can go wrong, have the ER & your vets number on hand.

If your male is that distracting put him in a carrier and out in the car, so she can have the peace required for birthing. 

The eating isn't an issue, a few of my queens give birth with their heads in the food dish just about. If your male cat is still intact he needs to be fixed asap, and kept away from her for 8 weeks. Cats quickly get pregnant again after birth and it takes up to 2 months for the boys hormones to settle, during that time after neutering he is still able to impregnate her.

Hopefully some progress has been made by now, either naturally or with vets assistance. Unfortunately kittening is a very serious thing, with many things that can go wrong including losing mum and/or the kittens, it's not all fun and games.
 
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kindleandjafar

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UPDATE!!! Im finally a grandparent to so far 2 little kittens!! Kindle is under a year and fairly small but shes a trooper. I'll post pics in the morning but she just came out the nest to eat before giving birth to the 2nd little one. Thanks for all your help and input when she's done I have a nice bowl of goats milk for her hope she likes that for a job well done.
 
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kindleandjafar

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Yes, the 'bubble' is a kitten and if she's not able to get it out within an hour you need to get her to the vet.  That is her in labour and that is her pushing. Some crouch/squat, some lay on their backs, some lay on their tummies,  on their sides - there are no rules.

You need to stay with her to help keep her calm, not come and go. She will pick up your energy too, so you must remain calm, she shouldn't be wandering the house - that will be stressful for her trying to find a place. Hopefully you've spent the last 9 weeks since allowing your cats to mate reading up on births, what you need on hand and what can go wrong, have the ER & your vets number on hand.

If your male is that distracting put him in a carrier and out in the car, so she can have the peace required for birthing. 

The eating isn't an issue, a few of my queens give birth with their heads in the food dish just about. If your male cat is still intact he needs to be fixed asap, and kept away from her for 8 weeks. Cats quickly get pregnant again after birth and it takes up to 2 months for the boys hormones to settle, during that time after neutering he is still able to impregnate her.

Hopefully some progress has been made by now, either naturally or with vets assistance. Unfortunately kittening is a very serious thing, with many things that can go wrong including losing mum and/or the kittens, it's not all fun and games.
I havent had her or him 9 weeks to be doing any research when I got them the deed was already done lol. But thanks for all the advice the birth is now underway and she is having the kittens with minimum issues and in a nice amount of time in between. She had the first at around 5:30 and she just recently had another I think I'm going to give her another hour or so of me listening and see how many more she has before I check in on her. She wasnt that big to begin with so I dont see her having to many more than 3.
 

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glad to hear things are progressing, I remember reading you said she was "leaking" the "bubble" was probably her water getting ready to break.

cat labor alone can take up to 24 hours, any longer than that and *usually* there is something wrong, though not always.

delivery should be nicely spaced with a kitten born every 30-60 minutes, give or take, my cat Emry had 6, and she had them all within two hours, 10pm that night she was still pregnant, around 12am I found out she had had the kittens.

if the mother cat seems more stressed with you being around, do not press yourself on her, so long as she had birthed the first two with no problems, the rest should come with no problem as well.

"don't count your chickens before they're hatched" lol

I didn't expect my cat Emry to have more than 3 or 4..and she had 6 lol!

they can be packed quite tightly in there o3o

looking forward to pics.
 

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I havent had her or him 9 weeks to be doing any research when I got them the deed was already done lol.
That's actually good to hear!

If you have an egg whisk it into the goats milk for when she's done, along with calcium syrup if you have some in the kittening kit. 

You do need to stay with her to ensure all kittens are born properly and breathing and that all placentas pass. A retained placenta will cause infection so it's very important to count them.

You'll be able to tell when she's done, both by how settled she is and by feeling her tummy. 

Kittens come at all different times anywhere from 5-60 mins apart. 
 
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kindleandjafar

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Through the day Ive found that she will not stay in the nest without me sitting directly outside of it. Even now she fed the kittens for about a hour poked her  head out to find me missing and in the shower and came looking for me. Thats when I broke down and actually took a good look inside the nest. two beautiful fat upset squirmy kittens cuddled in the bottom. I felt her stomach real good and I didnt feel anymore kittens but while she was eating I saw her having contractions so maybe one more tucked in the middle somewhere? She had her first kitten at 5:32pm so one more coming now doesnt seem extreme to me what do you guys think? She came out to eat,drink and go poo so thats a good sign of health right?
 

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No idea on the time difference, but sounds like she's done.

Be sure to weigh the kittens soon as you can, preferably with a scale that works in grams not just ounces, and weigh them the same time each day. Just once a day is enough, and keep a chart to make sure the kittens are gaining at least 10 grams per day, a flat day here and there is ok, and you'll likely see 15-20 gram gains each day. 

Weighing is the easiest way to pick up an issue with kittens. 
 
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kindleandjafar

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Ok so were still at 2 kittens so i suppose shes done but she still looks pregnant. When she just recently got up to check on our male cat i got a chance to feel her up. I dont feel anymore kittens what if theres a dead one in there would she push it out? Should I be concerned? Shes not in any distress shes back to being playful and as i predicted not really into her kids unless they whine. She gobbled up the wet food and most of the dry that i gave her and is drinking fine. Any suggestions on her still looking mighty pregnant?
 

missymotus

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she won't thin down for a day or so, the belly is generally soft-ish if she's done and a kitten can be easily felt, feel from underneath and between the back legs. Sometimes a kitten can arrive up to 24 hours later, but if something is wrong they won't birth it and a c-section will be needed.

More than likely she is done though.

Please don't let her be around the boy, she can get pregnant again within days. Keep her confined to one room, nice and quite, dark, peaceful for her to properly bond with the kittens. Small litters can take longer to bond with, which is why it's important to keep her confined and to weigh the kittens. You should also make sure to have bottles/syringes and formula on hand as small litters aren't always enough to keep the girl interested and you'll need to hand raise them, it's best to have the supplies on hand rather than trying to find them in an emergency. 

Are these rescue cats? You may be able to get low cost spaying/neutering done of the male, female and their kittens. 
 
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kindleandjafar

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Really? I would love to get him neutered then get her spayed and I fully plan on it very soon. I'm sure it can be expensive but im fairly sure i can possibly get payment arrangements or something to help. Im going to post pics soon as i get back from work at 12 noon. she had 2 one that looks exactly like her and one that looks exactly like him. cuties i tell you. she isnt that big just bigger than she was so maybe you guys are right and shes done and i should stop going crazy because i really have. she's been in a great mood loving and wanting me to see the babies i even picked one up she wouldnt calm and let them feed unless the boy was around so even though i understand you say i should seperate them she isnt comfortable when him not there.
 
 
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kindleandjafar

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Ok so everyone can be eased, My daughter is in great health. Ive been observing her closely since the labor went through without a hitch. I have allowed the male cat to come and cuddle with the kittens since she is really apprehensive if she doesnt see him around. after a hour or so I left the whole family there while i took a shower listening real good to make sure things were ok. when i came back the kittens were suckling his nips lol at the fact he actually let them try. after that i switched the two and she has been laying directly under jafar my male cat letting one kitten feed and the other snuggle under him. he's been really helpful to her following her as she goes to get food, checking on the kittens while she explores the house. I thought it might be a problem with him around since you guys were so concerned but he's actually a great father much better than her the mother. He wont leave the closet where she took the kids sometime this morning but she will go out and play and venture to see if anything is going on. my male is is quite big and he steeped on the kitten he was highly upset meowing and cuddling the kitten it was really cute because i know they are nimble little creatures. He's very verbal when he wants to mate with kindle and ive noticed since yesterday he hasnt even tried. Really he's stayed away from her bum all together in the last 24 or so hours. I will seperate them when i go to work in a few hours but i think its best for her and the kittens if daddy is around being all big and manly and cuddly because he is alot bigger which means he has more space to be warm lol. taking pics of the babies now.
 
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