How long till labour?

Hi guys, everyone on this site has been a huge help to me in the past so I ask for you help again.

I have another miniature 11 month old pregnant cat named Dusty. She was to be spayed but disappeared for a few months she returned a week ago heavily pregnant .

For the days that she has been here she has changed moods entirely from timid at super friendly and I have been able to feel her babies as though they are doing back flips. 

Today her eyes have been dilated all day even though it is a bright room, her temperatures been between 37.4 this morning and 37.6 at 9.30pm. She lies down a lot and is very lethargic but babies are still moving around.

(Picture with circle show were I see them move, one seems to be vertical they are in funny ways due to her size)

As she is at a high risk during her birth so I need to be present . Any information is greatly appreciated!

Usually you will see her licking her privates, and a ball of mucus which is her plug will have fallen out. My girl gave birth December 1st. Others can give much better advice, but every kitty is different.

She may have licked it away, but no none of that as of yet, though she's being very affectionate.

She is also breathing kinda funny like normal breath in then a couple of quick breaths then back to normal.

If she's panting like dogs do in summer when warm she may be in labor. She's adorable!

Her belly is kind of rippling are they little contractions?

KittenGrammy said:

If she's panting like dogs do in summer when warm she may be in labor. She's adorable!

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Thank you , no ,no panting just quick breaths

AbbeyM said:

Her belly is kind of rippling are they little contractions?

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Yes she could be in the first stage of labor and she may be having contractions helping the kittens move into position and into the birth canal. You will know when she is having them because she will usually either hunch up like she's going to poop or she may circle and then squat. Also if she is going she may not understand what is happening and try to give birth in her litter box. Our girl did just that, I grabbed her out gently holding the newborn midbirth out of the litter box and moved her into the nest to help her continue giving birth. After the first one she understood. I had her a nest set up in a pet playpen, once she started laboring we removed the litter box after #1 was born.

KittenGrammy said:

Yes she could be in the first stage of labor and she may be having contractions helping the kittens move into position and into the birth canal. You will know when she is having them because she will usually either hunch up like she's going to poop or she may circle and then squat. Also if she is going she may not understand what is happening and try to give birth in her litter box. Our girl did just that, I grabbed her out gently holding the newborn midbirth out of the litter box and moved her into the nest to help her continue giving birth. After the first one she understood. I had her a nest set up in a pet playpen, once she started laboring we removed the litter box after #1 was born.

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Hehe oh dear I can imagine my cat doing that thank you!

How long does the rippling stage of contractions last ?

The rippling can last for a while. You don't want to see pushing for more than a half hour without seeing a baby.

How is your other cat? Do you have any others? Do you plan to get them all spayed? All of these high risk births must be stressful for you!

Yeah they are quite stressful. Nano's doing well, getting a lot of attention from the family which is good for her. They are both being spayed but I want them to go together as they are litter mates and are both very close.

Update: Dusty now searches for hiding spots, kitten/s are alot further back and she seems in pain but I cannot see any more contraction. Any advice?

If she is in pain and you're not seeing progress I would at least call the vet and see what they think.  I don't think you need to be too worried yet because you haven't seen pushing.  Not sure how bad the pain appears to be or how long it's been going on though.

Also, please consider getting Nano spayed asap.  It could very well kill her to have another litter and this cat is going to be busy for a while with kittens.  She'll only be out of commission for a day or two.

Your cat has been in stage one labor for close to 24 hours now. This is normal. You won't see kitten movement at this point. She should move into stage two labor anytime now, which is heavy, painful contractions followed by pushing.

Your best bet is to wait it out at this point. Most cat labors follow a natural progression and go along fine. You should hopefully have kittens by morning.

Good luck to you and let us know how it's going!

sarthur2 said:

Your cat has been in stage one labor for close to 24 hours now. This is normal. You won't see kitten movement at this point. She should move into stage two labor anytime now, which is heavy, painful contractions followed by pushing.

Your best bet is to wait it out at this point. Most cat labors follow a natural progression and go along fine. You should hopefully have kittens by morning.

Good luck to you and let us know how it's going!

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Thank you ill kepp you all in touch !

talkingpeanut said:

If she is in pain and you're not seeing progress I would at least call the vet and see what they think.  I don't think you need to be too worried yet because you haven't seen pushing.  Not sure how bad the pain appears to be or how long it's been going on though.

Also, please consider getting Nano spayed asap.  It could very well kill her to have another litter and this cat is going to be busy for a while with kittens.  She'll only be out of commission for a day or two.

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I know I do want to but we are trying to save up the mo ey and we get a discount if its more than one cat. Nano now refuses to go outside. Must have traumatized her,.

Right now, spaying is not the issue. Birthing kittens is. But she can go into heat quite soon after birthing, so please do plan for spaying financially. Look for a low-cost clinic in your area. It's ideal to spay mom when the kittens are 8 weeks old. Kittens themselves can be spayed and neutered at 8 weeks or 2 pounds. Don't let mom out at any time.

And let us know how labor is going!