help needed for first timer

yazmagz

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Hey everyone, my young lady Missy is just gone a year and a beautifu tortoiseshell European long hair. We moved to a new house and she managed to get outside before we could bring her to the vet to be spayed. She is definitely pregnant as she is like a little barrel. However I dont know when to expect the new ones as I have no idea when she conceived. I thought she was pregnant before as she wasnt in heat for about 2 months but it was a false alarm. Last thing I know for sure is that he was in heat about 2 months ago . She has gotten very fussy with food and turned her nose up at her normal favourite so I now have her on specialty tins from the pet shop. She is constantly restless in the evenings the past few days and will move around the sitting room to lie down, she moves about every 5 min or so. Iv tried to check her nipples but she wont let me near her belly for more than a second before I get a gentle reminder to go away. Her nipples are pink but not excessively swolen. She is also drinking lots of water and is having trouble getting up onto my bed and the couch. Iv made her 3 different nest boxes in her fave quiet rooms and she had ripped up all the newspaper in two and has begun to sleep in them sometimes. She is also becoming more active at night time when normally she would sleep straight through the night in bed with me and my partner.

Any help or ideas would be very helpful.
 

StefanZ

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Do or did you feel the kittens move?  It can usually be done at about the last two weeks of the pregnancy. But getting more difficult in the last two days or so.

You have read the articles here on our site?  Tried to read a little in the other threads?  You can also see on youtube films about delivery.

Be there, be prepared. When her time comes, good you are with her. Calming her, and a scary but also wonderful experience for you.  And now and then, it happens the caretakers help is saving live, them kittens or even the moms.

A tip many miss is to have a kitchen/mail scale, to weith them kittens every day.

I dont think I need to remind you, about to spay her when the kittens are weaned.

Keep reporting and asking, it is usually easier to answer specific questions than writing a handbook anew.

Good luck!
 

eb24

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Unfortunately for me Stefan I had already started re-writing the handbook. 


It does sound like she is pregnant and possibly getting close. Can you see/feel the kittens move? If so you are generally about two weeks or so away from delivery. 

In addition to your nesting boxes make sure you have a birthing kit prepared. At a minimum your kit should contain: extra towels/bedding, rubber gloves (if you're squeamish and have to intervene), a notebook to record the time of birth(s) and weights, and a scale that weighs in grams. Inside your notebook make sure you have the number to your vet and after hours emergency vet written in case of an emergency. 

Most people find it's best to confine the Queen to just one room with all her necessities and a couple of nesting boxes. Make sure you securely block off any areas you don't want her to go (such as under the bed) and make her boxes super attractive by adding in lots of bedding and covering the top with a sheet so it's nice and dark. 

There are really no key signs that labor is coming, most people are just able to tell that something is "different." Some Queens eat less and use the litterbox frequently to clean themselves out, while others eat right up to delivery (and have a snack in between babies). Some become super affectionate while others want their privacy. It is important that you be there for the birth to make sure there are no complications and to count placentas (there should be one for each baby and it is normal for her to eat them) but only get as close as she is comfortable with. Hopefully she will indicate to you when it's time. 

In addition to looking through older threads check out these helpful links: 

General labor and delivery and kitten carehttp://www.thecatsite.com/t/249018/...regnant-cats-kitten-care-articles-and-threads

Great article on possible complications and how to intervene: http://www.fabcats.org/breeders/infosheets/breeding_from_your_cat/felineparturition.html

A recent thread on the items needed to raise a litterhttp://www.thecatsite.com/t/257943/items-needed-for-a-birth

Finally to add to two of Stefan's points:

- Weighing the kittens at the same time everyday and keeping track is critical as weight loss is the number one sign that there is a problem. Average daily gains should be 10-15g. A day or two with more or less is normal, but ANY weight loss and call the vet ASAP. 

- Until she is spayed it is imperative that she remain indoors and away from any intact males. She can go into heat again anytime after giving birth and will get pregnant again if given the opportunity!

Hopefully this helps get you started. Be sure to look through other threads and ask more questions if you need to- the more specific the better. 

Best of luck. 
 
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yazmagz

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Thanks guys for your help. I memt to reply earlier but have been very busy. Missy went into labour this morning at 5am, she had 5 kittens in total, only one survived, however it was tiny and was not feeding at all. It couldn't get any milk from missy amd missy was almost totally ignoring it. I got kitten formula and was syringe feeding it every few hours and also trying to leave it with missy so she could bond and hopefully feed it but unfortunately it did not survive. Im heartbroken and wondering why this happened. For all 5 kittens to not make it is unusual isnt it? I wss prepared for one to not make it...
 

StefanZ

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If they all were tiny, they were prob premature. This could also explain Missy not having milk and being uninterested.

If they were fully developed, more difficult.  Some bacteria? Some genetical fault?

This happens too. 

Though, but happens...  Im sorry for you.

So now what remains is to spay Missy.  Unless you want to try to find her some foster kittens.

If you want to try, it is fully possible.  Contact vets, rescuers, shelters around...

Good luck!
 
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