Help! Is my cat in labor?

I was sitting with Juniper on my bed and she was on my lap when all of a sudden her stomach seized up a few times and she cried out. She immediately jumped up and ran to her nesting box in my closet. She kept crying and I went and sat down next to her. She was purring a lot and meowing and whimpering. She licked her privates a lot for quite a while. But after almost thirty minutes, she had stopped crying, stopped purring, got out of her box and just wanted to eat. No more stomach contractions (I think that's what it was?). I don't know what to do. 

It's late and I want to stay up with her while she has the kittens, but I don't know if I'm staying up for nothing. She's currently lying on my bed. Help! Do I stay up or just go to bed and see what happens in the morning? 

Oh, it was contractions all right.  Although you cant know for sure if it was some precontrations, or starting for real, but long pauses here in the beginning.

She is in the bed at this moment, and seems to be rather noisy when the contraction comes. I would think you can try and sleep some. Dont snuggle too comfortable, so you will hear if something unusual happens.

GOOD LUCK!

Sleepless nights are all part of having kittens.  A lot of girls will stop to go eat, then get on with it. 

I think she may be passing her mucus plug. She's been lying on her back with this thing gradually coming out of her. It looks like a long, red, wider than a noodlish sac thingy. I really don't want to touch it. Is this her mucus plug? Help! 

Didn't think the plug was red...  A sac sounds more like a kitten on it's way.  And unfortunately you sometimes do have to touch 'icky' things when a cat gives birth.  I've had to break the cord a few times, use my (clean) nails and do it as far as possible from the kitten, without pulling on the kitten's tummy.

No the plug isn't red, unless you're paying close attention you can miss her loosing the plug. 

Long and red sounds more like a prolapsed uterus, which needs vet attention.  The kittens sac is a like a brownish bubble - not red. 

Well is was brownish red and that came out around two in the morning on christmas eve. She had her first kitten at 5:30 pm. So I think it was her plug. 

She started contractions about an hour before she passed her first kitten. Then the next one came about twenty minutes later. The question I have now is, we can feel one more baby kicking around inside of her. It's 1:32 Christmas morning. I'm going to wait it out to see if she's had one more by the time I wake up. I've read several places that labor can take up to twenty four hours, sometimes longer. I'm not super nervous yet, just ready for all of them to be here!  

I think she may have been stressed out after she had her second, because there were several people around. She wasn't acting nervous or upset, just very tired. She was purring and would pitifully mew every once in a while. 

Can't wait to see if she has any more! 

It may be so she was stressed by these several people, and the labor stopped up.

Hopefully it goes on soon when the peace has returned.

Otherwise, the rules of thumb with prolonged labor, where she has a stop:.

If she seems fine, unstressed, and contend, happily busing herself with her already borne, you can await. Be observant but dont need panic.  It can happen kittens are born hours inbetween, even days inbetween.

If she is in fruitless long labor, or otherwise not well, or unhappy - contact and phone your vet.  The vet will know which follow up questions and advices to give.  Be prepared to rush her in.

Your "tired, purring and pitifully meowing" sounds for me as more nr 2 than nr 1. She is not well as now.  So seek out at least the number to your vet, and prepare to phone, as if it continues although it is now peacefully and quiet.

(Good it solved itself with this reddish sack...  It could be an misshappen kitten too.)

Good luck!

What a shame you allowed her to be stressed out, as Stefan said that likely halted the labour. 

If she's pushing with nothing happening, call the vet.

If she had acted at all like she was stressed out we would have left her completely alone. She would cry when I would walk away, and other people were simply excited. 

I brought her into my room to sleep with me and she was perfectly fine. I decided to keep everyone away because she was having contractions and I would go check on her every once in a while. 

She ended up having one more kitten, who is perfectly healthy. She's fine now, just tired. 

She wanted you to stay by her side, that's very normal and also necessary. Cats should not be left alone or just checked on, kittens can get stuck, and all placentas must be accounted for as a retained one will cause infection, so hopefully she passed them all.

Be sure to get mum and her kittens spayed/neutered at 10-12 weeks old.

So if I stay by her I'm doing something wrong and if I walk away I'm doing something wrong? Haha. Okay. Thanks. 

No one said to leave her

junipersmom said:

So if I stay by her I'm doing something wrong and if I walk away I'm doing something wrong? Haha. Okay. Thanks. 

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 Having several  people around, perhaps excited, perhaps she doesnt know very well is very stressing.

Having her beloved Mom holding company is very calming.

Dont you think so?  Yes, you do, you yourself mentioned she was perhaps stressed by these folks looking on.

Good luck!