Help with cat in labor

She must need the rest, and possibly still some buns in her oven. She sounds like she would make someone a nice pet! I'm sure those other cats smell the food. Poor kitties. It's so expensive to feed a colony, though you might consider giving them dry food during the depths of winter when it's harder to hunt. I used to spend about $50 a month feeding my colony for about 5 years. It adds up. Glad you're caring for this one right now. Is her milk coming in? Or can you not get close enough to tell? And does she look visibly pregnant still? Or hard to discern?

Also, was the stillborn kitten fully formed and fully furred? Or did it look premature? I ask because if it was premature, she could even deliver more live kittens several days or a week later when they are full-term, if indeed she is still pregnant. It does occasionally happen, especially if they mated more than once over a several-day period. The fact she is lounging about so contentedly when she is semi-feral makes me wonder.

We have so many mice in the winter!!! The kitten was fully formed and had hair I tried to rub it for a few minutes but it was totally limp. It was full term bigger than than the kittens my cat had! Her belly seems smaller but there are still bulges on the side. I don't see any hanging teats and I don't see milk or any discharge or anything coming from her vulva. She still just keeps getting up and moving from area to area but doesn't seem distressed or anything. A few meows here and there. She did have some diarrhea. I think the jury is still out she could have more but it could also have been one. When do there bellies look less bulging on the sides? I feel like my cat was flat on the sides right after and got droopy in the middle

She is breathing rapidly and panting with her mouth open.... Is this because it's 85 degrees? It's shady in the barn and probably only 75 in here. She is just lying there not moving with her eyes closed but def breathing faster

It sounds like more labor to me!

So happy you are able to be there with her.

With the panting and moving from spot to spot, it sounds like she is laboring again. Try to stay with her if you can. Do you have a blanket down for a nest, or straw? I'm right here so keep posting updates!

If she is just lying there panting then she is having hard contractions. There should be a kitten soon!

I put a large dog crate with some old flannel receiving blankets in it but she hasn't really gone in there. I put some flannel in a corner and she's not interested in that either, she's hanging out behind all the animal feed. She looks like she is sleeping now and still panting but I know if I try and get close she will open her eyes and move. My four year old has been sitting here all day, hasn't moved from her chair not even to eat or pee!! She is so concerned for the poor thing. Our neighbor a mile down is a retired vet, I have them a call and he said if I need him he will come by. That makes me a feel better. I still haven't noticed any blood and she has been licking herself but I couldn't see much. I've seen animals in distress larger animals and she doesn't seem like she is. Should I get worried if she continues to pant like this for a long time?

Worry if she is pushing to get a kitten out and it won't come out. It does not sound like she is pushing. Is she? Or just panting? Make sure she has water nearby. Did you ask the retired vet any questions? The kitty is hiding, but if she delivers live kittens you can move them all into the crate after things calm down. Poor kitty - laboring hard it sounds like. Your 4-year-old is mighty determined to be there for this mama kitty. That's sweet!

I asked him everything but he saw mostly livestock. She is not pushing I watched some you tube videos and I don't see any kind of pushing. I saw her pushing the stillborn out so I'm confident I will know what that looks like I kind of want to set up the baby monitor in case something happens while we are eating dinner

Yes! Baby monitor is good!

So you will recognize pushing - that is good. The fact she pushed out one kitten is a good sign that she can do it. Can you estimate how many hours she has been panting?

Coming up on an hour with the panting, she will stop but I can still see the rapid breathing

It may be a little while before any kittens come. Roughly 4 to 6 hours, its really hard to give any estimate but that is what it has been for me, given one cat who had two kittens early one morning and another the next, so about 12 hours at least in that case. Thank you for feeding her and caring for her and all the others as well, You really will make a difference in their lives. Also I have seen Special Kitty cat food, dry at Walmart for $20 for 40lbs of food. That should last a little while if you decide to feed them daily in addition to their mice rations. I feed mine twice daily in addition to all mice that they will catch and they've filled out nicely.

Yes, as Nansiludie said, it can take a few hours. No reason for alarm at this point if she is not showing signs of distress. If she begins pushing and becomes distressed, it's time to call the neighbor. But if she's pushing and you can see the kitten going back up inside, it's time to help her by very gently pulling when she pushes. That's if she lets you get close. I'm rooting for normal delivery and live kittens this evening!

Thank you for being here for me too! There's a lot of people rooting for this little kitty!

You're welcome! We all love kitties! If you are able to get a picture of mama kitty without upsetting her, we would love to see her! She is probably little more than a kitten herself. And I am assuming you will alert us if anything changes. I hope you are able to get your dinner in the meanwhile!

As an aside while we are waiting, where are you located? I am in Florida. I can just picture your little girl sitting in the barn worrying over the kitty. What a wonderful education to grow up on a farm. It's all heat, beaches, and palm trees here! My "little girl" turned 18 this year. She's had her own cat since she was about 8. We plucked the kitten from a litter one of the friendly ferals had at the colony I used to care for. That kitty is now 10 years old and lives the lazy life!

We are in western ma, we quit our office jobs to pursue this life for our kids. My husband builds furniture and I make cupcakes! We have chickens, goats, two yaks, four pigs, three ponies and 3 cats!

So she is pushing now and lying on the blanket, she is kneading the blanket in between pushes so I don't think she is very old herself. How long is too long for pushing ? We are going on 20 min but she isn't panting and isn't getting up and meowing so I don't think she is distressed