intense kitten movement??

Hi,

I am really worried about the cat i took in one week ago. 


I don't know how long she has been pregnant but last week when i placed my hand in her tummy i could feel the kittens moving gently.

Her appetite is great . She has been eating and pooping alot. 

For the last few days, I could see the kittens moving without touching her belly. She gets hiccups when she eats. She seems more lazy than usual. I am not sure if she has milk yet. 

Today, she is lying in her nest and her belly is CONSTANTLY moving. The movement is really intense and it keeps her awake. She has been eating and drinking normal. There are no discharge.  I took a short video so you guys can see.   

Love the video clip

It looks fine, there's just someone in there that is repositioning itself is all. Spunky one I bet! Cute.

She looks fine, and the movement often times like this is due to the fact that she is laying on her side, changing things a bit inside

You usually begin to feel kittens move 2 weeks before the delivery time.  Sometimes a little earlier.  The last days before delivery they wander down into positions and are not as lively.

Milk is often coming quite late.

It sounds fine so far!

I will send some links about the birthing procedure later on, ie in 10 hours.

Good luck!

Here are the promised links.

I want to stress you do have a scale and weight them every day. So you notice early any changes.  Having at the same time a quick look-see.

One from this site:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/pregnancy-and-delivery-in-cats

http://www.icatcare.org/advice/my-cat-having-kittens    ( This is a link to a group of articles on cat pregnancy, birth and kittens.   Read the ones on normal cat birth and on " when to wait and when to worry"  )  

http://www.cat-world.com.au/parturition-birth-in-cats

http://www.icatcare.org/advice-centre/cat-care/normal-cat-birth

Good luck!

So cute..I cant wait for my babies start to move like that..all I feel now is like little ballons.
She seems good to me im sure she will be ready real soon..when they taper down you will know the time has come. Read Stefan s links they have helped me alot and taken alot of worries away. Good luck and keep us updated. I made a thread about "when are your babies due" somethibg like that I cant remember now. Anyways you can update tgere also ..its easier for me to keep up wuth all tge new moms and I can learn something from everyone.

Take care and mych energy sent your way.

Thank u all!! I read all the links and they are very helpful .
I guess I should not worry too much. Today she was having hiccups and for a second I thought she was having contractions! It's so tricky some times. I keep a close eye on her. I will update u guys how she's doing soon

Hi everyone! I woke up this morning and cat mama has had one kitten! I think there are definitely more. Her belly is still moving. One thing tho, she doesn't seem to have milk yet? The kitten has been moving around sucking different nipples. I tried to squeeze but there were none. Should I feed her/him some formula?

Milk comes often quite late, sometimes after the kittens are already born. I suppose it doesnt come because she is still busy with labor.  Another reason may be if the kittens are premature - it doesnt sound so here.  It is very unusual it never comes in.

If you have a good formula at hand, is wise to have, so you are prepared  IF.

I suppose it is no big danger with the kitten yet, main thing it has it warm. Cooling down is never good for them.

If the kitten is healthy otherwise, they are more though than one thinks...

(IF dire necessisity comes, you can perk some energy into them smearing some glucose sugar / honey / white caro syrup on their gum.   And keep warm.  Some drops of water at their cheek, them laying down on tummy, head a little up. Same position when bottle feeding. Better little but often than too much at once)

Good luck!

I just gave 3 ml to the first kitten but it's still searching and trying to suck my skin? The second kitten just got delivered

The third one just came out and she is having contraction again. I took away the first two babies coz she always sat on them

The mothernal instincts has not always kicked in in full.  especially if they are first timers, young and so.  Her still in labor doesnt help things either.

So very good you ARE observant and helping out.  Be supportive to the mom, praise every step forward.

Hopefully everything will kick in, in a spirale of hormonal and emotional maturity...   And with them - the milk flowing in.

We had here a couple of cases the newborns got abandoned by mom.  the owner / rescuer soght after the kittens / encouraged the mom to seek - the newborn got found after 24 hours, and could take moms milk... And survived.

So this is why I know healthy kittens are made of more tough wood than one thinks.

Still, its of course nothing I recommend for normal usage.  Help them if they need help and you are able to give help..

But its a good demonstration why  feral cats are survivors... Why these who do survive do manage often quite nicely.

kokocat said:

The third one just came out and she is having contraction again. I took away the first two babies coz she always sat on them

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You're doing good, although I would choose they stay with mom, but maybe being right there to be sure she doesn't lay/smother the babies while preoccupied with her deliveries. Just the same, she will get her maternal instincts flowing faster when she hears/feels/sees her babies looking to nurse.

Congrats!!

Aww bless her, I hope she takes to mothering them once labour is over and thAt her milk comes in quick, this pst has made me glad I bought. Kitten milk replacer and feeding bottle in advance as a just in case

Hi everyone. Thank u for all the advice !they'v been very helpful .So right now still three kittens. cat mama s water broke again one and half hour ago and she didn't have contractions? Should I be worried ?

No, that is probably the afterbirth. If there are any unusual signs, call the vet and ask them if she should be seen, but she seems to be doing greeat! Good luck with three beautiful new kittens!

Whisperer said:

No, that is probably the afterbirth. If there are any unusual signs, call the vet and ask them if she should be seen, but she seems to be doing greeat!

Good luck with three beautiful new kittens!

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True, if she seems OK you can wait and see, although continue to observe, as you are doing.

But if  something seems not OK, contact your vet yes.

Hi @StefanZ  ,

Sorry for the late reply I have been busy today. so last night around 8 ish, she gave birth to the last kitten. So four in total! two ginger and two tabby. 

All of them except the last one are doing very well. The last one seems weaker than the other kittens and often gets pushed away from the nipples. I put it back when it gets pushed away so it can drink some milk. Now it seems like it's doing better. It looks alittle smaller than the other kittens. I was worried so I fed it a little formula this morning. 

Also, the last kitten's umbilical cord is completely gone, it was leaking some clear liquid last night. Is this normal? I will check if it stopped when I go home later and update you guys asap.

kokocat said:

 
Hi @StefanZ  ,

Sorry for the late reply I have been busy today. so last night around 8 ish, she gave birth to the last kitten. So four in total! two ginger and two tabby.

All of them except the last one are doing very well. The last one seems weaker than the other kittens and often gets pushed away from the nipples. I put it back when it gets pushed away so it can drink some milk. Now it seems like it's doing better. It looks alittle smaller than the other kittens. I was worried so I fed it a little formula this morning.

Also, the last kitten's umbilical cord is completely gone, it was leaking some clear liquid last night. Is this normal? I will check if it stopped when I go home later and update you guys asap.

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This last smaller one, if it seems to have a feisty will to survive, then despite getting bumped off a nipple as they usually always do, they will continue to search for another one, and with only 4 kids total, should be just fine.

However...if it surrenders easily and ends up snuggling and not nursing, you will need to intervene and pull this one through this critical time until it get's that fighter way about him.

It's okay if you see everyone has nursed, to pull them out and allow the single baby to nurse alone with momma for a while. Be sure if you do this to place them in a small box with soft whatever on the bottom and a heating pad under the box. Do this if you are not going to bottle feed to supplement.

The runts seem to be okay for the most part, but around 2 weeks old they show that they are not thriving and go downhill very fast. This happens because, while they are able to nurse occasionally, it's not enough like the others are. Failure to thrive is what happens, and the babies tend to eventually die. This is why it is critical that the smallest baby is fed just as often as the others.

@catwoman707  thank you for the advice! I actually already did that last night, I pulled the three other kittens out and led the small kitten stay with the mother alone, I also weighed each kitten. 

I just checked on them and they all seem pretty good. The small kitten's belly button doesnt leak anymore. I have also noticed they have started eliminating;there are small brown stuff on the pad . 

You are doing nicely, Kokocat.  Including this with taking weigh on each.

Good luck!