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- #21
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Pregnant cat is driving me nuts!
- Thread starter kitty2014
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- #22
Kitty is nursing her babies and resting. She still looks big and I feel a lump in her belly. I think maybe me watching her and shining a flashlight on her made her stop. I'm going to let her rest and see how she's doing in the morning. She doesn't want me to pick up the kittens right now so I'll have to get pics tomorrow.
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- #23
So sorry to have not seen this earlier but hopefully I can still answer some of your questions!
As far as moving them: cats are not like some other animals in that they will "reject" their young if they are handled by humans. She may indicate to you that she doesn't want you to touch them but it will in no way effect her mothering instinct. For these first few weeks, when you do handle the kittens make sure you always do it in her presence and be as quick as you can. And, other than for safety reasons, the only time you really need to handle them is to get the daily weight. When I do this I set the scale on the floor directly in front of the nest and just go as quick as I can. She may try to grab them back and that's okay- either finish up quickly or wait and come back and try again later. While she won't reject her kittens, over handling can lead to her moving the den. This is pretty normal and most Queens go for a den move at least once, though some become obsessive about it and move the kittens frequently. This is why I said it's a good idea to set up several nesting boxes. That way if she does decide to move she has somewhere safe and warm to go!
As far as a halt in labor: It's not super common, but occasionally it does happen where a Queen will deliver a few kittens and seem to be done, only to deliver another kitten(s) later on. These breaks can last anywhere from a couple of hours to a day (I've even heard of a little longer). So long as she is nursing and caring for the existing babies, eating/drinking, using the litterbox, and is not lethargic (aka is acting otherwise normal) it's fine to just let her be and see how it plays out. However, if at any point she seems distressed, lethargic, or starts contracting/pushing for more than thirty minutes without delivering than you need to get her to the vet ASAP (even if it means to the after hours/ER vet). It may be a sign that a kitten is stuck in the birth canal or several other potentially life threatening situations.
If her belly still feels hard and "full" in the morning and you are concerned about it it's always wise to err on the side of caution and take her to the vet for an ultrasound (many vets still rely on x-rays but ask for an ultrasound if they have the equipment- less potential harm to the kittens). If you do take her in be sure to take the kittens as well. Put them all in the same carrier and cover it with a towel so she has as much privacy as possible. While it is certainly not ideal to move them this young (not only because it will be very stressful for Mom but because it could expose the kittens to illnesses) sometimes it's necessary and worth the risk given what the alternatives are.
If she is acting normally but hasn't delivered any more by morning and you believe there are more in there I would call your vet and see what they say, but, if I was in your shoes I would probably take them in just to be sure. If nothing else it gives you the peace of mind that there are no more kittens or any retained placentas. Sometimes I think it's better just to know what's happening than to be stressing about it and stressing her out by extension (as cats are very sensitive to our energy). Above all, listen to what your gut instinct tells you to do- if it feels like something is wrong than there probably is. Even if you are wrong it's better to know that than to not act and have it become a life threatening emergency at three in the morning!
Hopefully some of this helps and things are still going well over there. You are right in that it's absolutely unbelievable how small newborn kittens are ( though I personally think they just look like glorified hamsters at this point
), but trust me when I say that they grow fast! Congrats to you and your girl on the new additions- I can't wait to see pictures when she is ready to let you take them! If she becomes distressed or lethargic please don't wait for a reply here- call your vet/ER vet immediately (of course you can still ask the question here but time is absolutely of the essence so don't wait for one of us to tell you to seek a professional opinion- just do it!). Otherwise, keep the questions coming and keep us posted. You are doing great so far!
As far as moving them: cats are not like some other animals in that they will "reject" their young if they are handled by humans. She may indicate to you that she doesn't want you to touch them but it will in no way effect her mothering instinct. For these first few weeks, when you do handle the kittens make sure you always do it in her presence and be as quick as you can. And, other than for safety reasons, the only time you really need to handle them is to get the daily weight. When I do this I set the scale on the floor directly in front of the nest and just go as quick as I can. She may try to grab them back and that's okay- either finish up quickly or wait and come back and try again later. While she won't reject her kittens, over handling can lead to her moving the den. This is pretty normal and most Queens go for a den move at least once, though some become obsessive about it and move the kittens frequently. This is why I said it's a good idea to set up several nesting boxes. That way if she does decide to move she has somewhere safe and warm to go!
As far as a halt in labor: It's not super common, but occasionally it does happen where a Queen will deliver a few kittens and seem to be done, only to deliver another kitten(s) later on. These breaks can last anywhere from a couple of hours to a day (I've even heard of a little longer). So long as she is nursing and caring for the existing babies, eating/drinking, using the litterbox, and is not lethargic (aka is acting otherwise normal) it's fine to just let her be and see how it plays out. However, if at any point she seems distressed, lethargic, or starts contracting/pushing for more than thirty minutes without delivering than you need to get her to the vet ASAP (even if it means to the after hours/ER vet). It may be a sign that a kitten is stuck in the birth canal or several other potentially life threatening situations.
If her belly still feels hard and "full" in the morning and you are concerned about it it's always wise to err on the side of caution and take her to the vet for an ultrasound (many vets still rely on x-rays but ask for an ultrasound if they have the equipment- less potential harm to the kittens). If you do take her in be sure to take the kittens as well. Put them all in the same carrier and cover it with a towel so she has as much privacy as possible. While it is certainly not ideal to move them this young (not only because it will be very stressful for Mom but because it could expose the kittens to illnesses) sometimes it's necessary and worth the risk given what the alternatives are.
If she is acting normally but hasn't delivered any more by morning and you believe there are more in there I would call your vet and see what they say, but, if I was in your shoes I would probably take them in just to be sure. If nothing else it gives you the peace of mind that there are no more kittens or any retained placentas. Sometimes I think it's better just to know what's happening than to be stressing about it and stressing her out by extension (as cats are very sensitive to our energy). Above all, listen to what your gut instinct tells you to do- if it feels like something is wrong than there probably is. Even if you are wrong it's better to know that than to not act and have it become a life threatening emergency at three in the morning!
Hopefully some of this helps and things are still going well over there. You are right in that it's absolutely unbelievable how small newborn kittens are ( though I personally think they just look like glorified hamsters at this point
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- #25
Kitty's stomach looks smaller this morning. She ate this morning but I had to put the food right next to her because she doesn't want to leave the kittens. She ended up having them under my son's crib so I'm going to move them to my room because my 3 year old also sleeps in there. I don't want him messibg with them.
I did see her eat both afterbirths. I need to take her to the vet anyway to get her deworming medicine. They're upen tomorrow until noon for walkins so I'll take them all in and just make sure she's ok
She doesn't want me bothering the babies right now but I'll check them over and take puctures when I move them later.
I did see her eat both afterbirths. I need to take her to the vet anyway to get her deworming medicine. They're upen tomorrow until noon for walkins so I'll take them all in and just make sure she's ok
She doesn't want me bothering the babies right now but I'll check them over and take puctures when I move them later.
I would call the vet first and see if they want you to disturb mama and her babies by bringing them in, I would think it would be traumatic for a new mother.Definitely keep them somewhere where your three year old can't get to them. He is too young to know how to handle young kittens, I saw a young child squeeze a kitten to death and it was horrible, and was that quick! I felt like removing all the rest from that house! (they did end up all right) Congratulations on your kittens! Please give all a kiss from me!
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- #27
So gorgeous!
Oh my gosh they are gorgeous. Is that a warm brown tabby and darker brown tabby? Congratulations to you and Kitty :-)
She finally came out to use the litter box so I got some pics!
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- #30
The smaller one is silver like mama. The bigger one is dark brown. One is a boy and one is a girl bur I'm not sure which is which. They just look different. I love them already! It's gonna be hard to let them go.
I absolutely agree that moving them somewhere where the kiddos can't get to them without supervision is necessary. No matter how well behaved your three year old is he's still three and they don't always remember how to be as gentle as they need to be. Keeping the kids and the kittens separated until they are older (and even then only have interactions when supervised) is going to be critical!
However, I disagree slightly on the issue of taking them to the vet. I do agree it's a good idea to call and get their opinion, however, I'm more likely to say it's better to risk the vet trip and be certain she is otherwise okay than to chance it. But, this is one area where you do see a strong difference of opinion. Some believe it is better to wait until problematic symptoms arise and then take them in (even if it's at three in the morning), while others believe it is better to just get things checked out before a problem arises. Neither is right or wrong so long as you are willing to act and act quickly should she become distressed. If your situation doesn't allow for that then I think you are better to take them preventively. If it does and you are ready and willing to keep an extra close eye then the wait and see approach is fine as well. Ultimately the choice at this point is yours.
Now... on to more fun topics! The kittens are absolutely adorable and look to be a good size. Have you gotten weights yet? Hopefully she is done and you just have two sweet babies to look after. If it does end up just being two they will likely become very bonded so look out for double trouble, as what one does the other is sure to follow along! If you want to try and take pictures of their backsides we can try to help you sex them. Remember the male will look like a colon (
and have a wider space in between while the female will be closer together and shaped like a semi-colon (. You may not be able to tell completely until they are a little older so in the meantime I would suggest gender neutral names!
Hopefully you have her all set up in a safer location and everything is still going well. As always keep us posted!
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- #32
Wow- that ended up being a pretty significant suspended birth! Do you know how much time there was between the second kitten and the third? Hopefully she is all done now and you can tell. Not to beat a dead horse but given this, if things still seem off I would really urge a vet visit. Now it's well past the time of a suspended labor and if any kittens are still in there they could be in serious danger. Your gut was right on about there still being more in there so listen to what it tells you now. Given your short post my guess is you are pretty confident that she is done, and you are probably right. Usually you can tell just based on size and the stomach going down.
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- #34
I think this one is a girl. Brown tabby. Second born and she was loud right away!
I think this one is a boy. Silver tabby. He sounded like a little mouse but he's found his voice now.
And the surprise kitten! I think it's a boy. He's gray with white feet and belly.
I think this one is a boy. Silver tabby. He sounded like a little mouse but he's found his voice now.
And the surprise kitten! I think it's a boy. He's gray with white feet and belly.
They are all so adorable
Bless, they're so cute. I could tell my Felix was a boy straight away, it was obvious lol! Good luck with them all :-)
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- #37
Kitty and her babies are doing great! She had 3 kittens. 2 boys and 1 girl. They're 3 weeks old now. I have a couple of questions.
When should I start giving them food?
What's the best way to introduce them to the litter box?
What should I be doing to make sure they're very well socialized?
Any other tips or advice?
Ps I'll add some pictures later.
When should I start giving them food?
What's the best way to introduce them to the litter box?
What should I be doing to make sure they're very well socialized?
Any other tips or advice?
Ps I'll add some pictures later.
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