Pregnant cat: First stage of labor?

My cat has cerebellar hypoplasia and is deaf. Due to her disabilities, I worry about her taking care of her kittens when she gives birth. Also,this weekend I need to go out of town and I can't take her with me. So I was hoping someone could tell me if she was in the first stage of labor or not.

I learned she was pregnant about four weeks ago. Two and a half to three weeks ago, I took her to my vet to have her looked over and to consult her on my cats illness. We saw four healthy babies with strong heartbeats and some calcification in the limbs on the ultrasound. My vet gave me two to three weeks left in her pregnancy.

The babies used to move so much that it looked like her stomach was rippling like water. However now there is very little movement from them. For the last three hours she has been stretching and groaning/squeaking/moaning and moving around in the same spot restlessly. She's also been purring nonstop for longer.

There are no signs of contractions nor is there any sweeping or discharge at the vulva. She has also eaten within the last twelve hours.

Is this possibly the first stage of labor? If so, how long does this generally last?
If this does not seem to be the first stage of labor, then is it a sign of complications?


Picture of Stevie(pregnant cat):

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Does she look smaller than she was 24 hours ago, if so, yes she is dropped, and its surely nearing.

Im sorry, its difficult to give sure "diagnoses". But such "unclear" situations usually do solves out and the kittens arrive.   If it is alarming, you usually notice it.

For example, you dont want long fruitless active labors.  If the labor isnt active, its not the same seriousness about it.

Im sending our links, and wishing you good luck.

Please continue with reports and further question, as soon you discover them.

Good luck!

Most of these links have been readied by our forumist  Red Top Rescue:

We have a good collection of articles in the Cat Health section which you can access by scrolling up to the brown bar, clicking on Articles,and then choosing the Cat Health section and scrolling through the choices.  To make this super easy for you, I am copying the links regarding birth, delivery and newborns for you here.  After reading this information, let us know if you have any more questions.  And good luck with your approaching new arrivals.

 Birth, Delivery and Newborns

How to Tell if My Cat is Pregnant?

Cat Pregnancy

How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth?

Pregnant Cat? What to Prepare For the Birth

Help! My Cat is Having Kittens!

Premature Kittens

Post-Birth Complications in Cats

And also:

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.kitten-rescue.com/
http://www.kittenrescue.org/index.php/cat-care/kitten-care-handbook/
http://www.hdw-inc.com/glop.htm

Fleece or flannel good to use in the bedding for kittens.

Okay thank you for the links I am going to go read them now. But I'm not sure about the last twenty four hours but I do believe they have dropped as they are certainly far lower in her stomach than they have been..

Morrighanna said:

Okay thank you for the links I am going to go read them now. But I'm not sure about the last twenty four hours but I do believe they have dropped as they are certainly far lower in her stomach than they have been..

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OK, so they did have dropped.  This explains then why they dont move as much now compared with earlier.   So you dont need to worry about that!  

Her vulva appears to be enlarged and there seems to be some sort of discharge. However, there is too much fur there to see really.

My cat's vulva enlarged a couple of days before she gave birth. The moaning & purring sound like pre-labor to me. Let us know how things are going! Good luck!

She finished having her babies at three pm website time. She had some complications that required me and one of our vets to help pull the babies free as their heads kept getting stuck. But she had five healthy babies. Four males one female.two orange tabby males, two orange tabby/white males, and one calico female. They are nursing pretty well and she's being pretty chill about it. So all seems well.

We still have two males available for anyone who wants one. We are located north Florida so hit me up with a pm if interested.

Morrighanna said:

She finished having her babies at three pm website time. She had some complications that required me and one of our vets to help pull the babies free as their heads kept getting stuck. But she had five healthy babies. Four males one female.two orange tabby males, two orange tabby/white males, and one calico female. They are nursing pretty well and she's being pretty chill about it. So all seems well.

We still have two males available for anyone who wants one. We are located north Florida so hit me up with a pm if interested.

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i hope you found good homes as there are people who will feed them to snakes and whatnot

Congratulations! So glad that you were there to help & got a vet to help as well. What are your plans for rehoming the kittens? You will wait at least 8 weeks until they are weaned & eating wet food & kitten chow on their own, & using the litter box? And you will interview the people you are promising them to, and get their names & addresses & promises that they will spay/neuter & give them forever homes? Cats are a commitment. Bless you for taking care of this cat! Please keep us informed! You have done a great job so far!

Also, make sure the kittens are nursing well & getting a bit bigger each day. And that Mama Cat has lots of food & water nearby, as she needs extra calories while nursing, and lots of water. My nursing mom is drinking a whole bowl of water every day right now, plus I give her some kitten formula for extra nutrition. And the kittens should stay warm. It is pretty warm now in Florida (I'm in Tampa Bay area) but do not put them right under an a/c vent because they cannot regulate their own body temperature for the first 3 weeks. Share pictures when you can! smile.gif

Also, you said you must go out of town this weekend. Please have someone check on your cat & kittens & put down fresh water & plenty of food. Leave a light on & the climate not too hot or cold while you are gone. Plus leave a clean litter box for mom. Good luck!