PLEASE HELP I NEED SOME ADVICE

On saturday my cat gave birth to ONE kitten at 3:30 am he is doing good, she is feeding him and overall doing good. But today about an hour ago she gave birth to another kitten, it was dead on birth and was about double in size of the kitten that is alive. i need some advice on what to do. She is a first time mother and i have no clue how to tell if there is others inside. Her stomach seems to be very firm still. Should i take her to the vet and get an ultrasound or should i wait until morning. Im also concerned that she will lose interest in one kitten. She is overall a very small cat and when she was pushing the second Kitten out she was louder than she was when she first gave birth.

Oh and I should also add that she is producing this pinkish-red-yellow stuff and my mom and brother keep telling me it's after birth but i really dont believe it is

She also seems to be breathing very heavily.

I think it is time for a vet visit.  She shouldn't have yellow discharge coming out; that sounds like it could be an infection.  Other dead kittens in her uterus could be the cause of an infection.  I would also be concerned at this point.

Heavy breathing could be from after pains or more contractions, but it could also be because she is unwell.  

She is not likely to lose interest in the kitten.  If the mother cat goes to the vet, you will need to leave a heating source for the kitten and you will need to feed and potty the kitten every two hours.

Please let us know if you need additional information, or what the vet says.

Thanks so much, i will make an appointment as soon as possible in the morning, and it's more pink with a little yellow tint than just yellow but ill be sure to bring her to the vet, what do you recommend for the heating source for the kitten?

I think you should call the vet, describe all of the symptoms you're seeing, and take her in if they advise.  That discharge sounds less concerning.  Is she eating normally?  Using the litter box normally?

A good heating source is a sock filled with raw rice and microwaved for 5 minutes.  It will stay warm for 3-4 hours. This is cozy for the kitten even if mom is there.

She seems to be eating and drinking a lot more often than she would before birth, i put a disposable litter box in the room with her so she does not have to get up and move too far away from the kitten but she doesnt seem to be using it. and i cant tell if she is using the other one because i have another cat in the house, do you have any idea on what the discharge could be?

The kitten will Birth in a Red sack...let momma cat clean it up.Now,wipe gently the Nose and mouth of the kit with warm water to aid in breathing.We cut the cord 1 good inch from the kit,then gently tap on some antibiotic ointment (Never any that has Pain killer!). Place kit Close to momma's body to nurse.Within a few minutes,a large,messy red and multi-colored sack will emerge from her.She will eat it up...normal.Gently keep area towels Clean.Keep All heat surrounding the bedding area at least 94 degrees...Do Not use a heating pad Under the kits! NO! Keep heat source away enough so that baby does not get Too Hot.Cats can birth on and off for up to 24 hours.Count the afterbirths-they Must come out or she can perish.Keep her Away from other cats. If she continues to Bleed the 2nd day-keep kits warm in their box (bundle them together,cover lightly with Super Soft blankets made of a velvet material-get them at Walmart-they are like veleur)--- GET her to her Vet,ASAP.Meanwhile,keep a Temperature guage in the box-Watch that Heat! During the next 3-week period,gradually Decrease the heat until at least 75 degrees is reached.Keep babies Away from other cats.Give momma fresh,bottled distilled water from time to time.Be Certain she has Wet food alternating with dry kib.Water her Well; we change All cat's water every 3 hours around the clock.Meanwhile,Research Kitten care...copy All info.Crucial to their survival and healthy growth. Good luck. Jay in OKC,OK.

ThomasE said:

She seems to be eating and drinking a lot more often than she would before birth, i put a disposable litter box in the room with her so she does not have to get up and move too far away from the kitten but she doesnt seem to be using it. and i cant tell if she is using the other one because i have another cat in the house, do you have any idea on what the discharge could be?

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Some discharge is always normal, more or less redcolored.  But here it may be traces of pus or similiar, so a vet visit very soon is a must. Perhaps not crash emergency immediately in the middle of the night, but definitely the first you do on the morning.

You got good advices by TalkingPeanut.

Thanks everyone for the advice, im gonna call the vet tomorrow and see if they think a visit is totally necessary her breathing has settled down a lot and is she is purring and loving her baby, but i still want an ultrasound just to make sure shes doesnt have anymore still in there. I have one quick question, when she birthed the dead kitten it looked like the chest was crushed/pushed in a bit... i know she didnt sit on it or anything because i was with her, but could that have something to do with her being so small?

ThomasE said:

Thanks everyone for the advice, im gonna call the vet tomorrow and see if they think a visit is totally necessary her breathing has settled down a lot and is she is purring and loving her baby, but i still want an ultrasound just to make sure shes doesnt have anymore still in there. I have one quick question, when she birthed the dead kitten it looked like the chest was crushed/pushed in a bit... i know she didnt sit on it or anything because i was with her, but could that have something to do with her being so small?

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Take her temp too, you can do in in the armpit of the foreleg, its 3F lower there than in the behind.  Vet will prob ask about temt the first he does.

Naay, its more probably the kitten got crushed during delivery, you say it was very big.  The bones are fairly soft before delivery. 

Or possibly, it wasnt right from beginning.

Usually, when a kitten is born before the others, and seems ok not premature,  and momma OK, my and ours usual advice is to wait, if mom isnt in distress.  As premature cesareans are highly dangerous, while too long pregnancy is seldom bad, not as bad as for humans.

Here it is possibly one of the few exceptions - its not impossible the pregnancy was too long.  Impossible to know without a full post mortem, but I cant help and try to analyse.  That is often my only way to learn.

Please take the kitten to the vet with mom if you go. Ideally the kitten needs to stay with mom. The dead kitten sounds like it was too big and perhaps died in the birth canal. An ultrasound will show if there are more kittens and what size they are. The discharge is not necessarily abnormal.

I hope things are okay this morning. Please give us an update when you can!

Alright guys a little bit of an update, she has been taken to the vet and had an ultrasound, he said there is no other kittens from what he can see but be ready incase theres one more, her belly has gotten a little softer and is happy, she still has not gone to the bathroom but continues to eat and drink, anyone know whats up with that? And when should i let the father of the kitten meet the kitten, and how would i go about telling the sex of the kitten

That's good news! Her body probably cleared itself out when she was starting labor, so she may not need to use the litter box for a bit. Is it in the same room as her nest? She may also not want to go far.

How does the mama car feel about your male? Let her dictate any interactions.

Is he fixed now? She can get pregnant again within a week of delivery, so it is important to have him done asap. Even then, he should not be alone with her or the kittens for a month. It takes time for sperm and hormones to leave his systems.

We plan to get him fixed within the week, yes her nest is actually right next to my bed,there is big gap between my bed and wall, i have food, water and a disposable litter box in here for her, my girlfriend picked up purina kitten chow while she was out getting toys to keep my male cat occupied and she saw it and thought it might be a good idea now i got really confused by it, does she eat it or does the kitten when he is old enough.


Mama cat doesnt particularly like him in the house at all, when i used to keep my door open before birth, she used to chase him out but he had recently tried to come in and she had done nothing about it, could this have been because she was in pain?

Here is a picture of the food she bought

In that case, I would never let him into your room which is her safe room. It will upset the mother. He can meet the kittens when they start exploring more territory. Yes, it's possible that she was feeling too tired and pregnant to defend her territory.

As I said, don't leave him alone with her at all until it has been a month since he was neutered.

Mom should eat as much kitten dry and wet food as she wants when she's nursing. The kittens will also eat it when they wean.

Okay so she did a good job with the food? And is it normal for a 3 day old kitten to move away from moma cat, sometimes i will leave for a good 10 minutes and she will be laying in the same spot but the kitten will be like a foot or 2 away from him, and my male cat should be leaving withing the month ,he will be moving out with my brother and his girlfriend,

Yes, they do crawl around. If you have an additional heat source, the kitten could be moving towards it or away from it.

Her* not him, he has become very mobile despite the fact that hes blind, he likes to move around there spot, and is it normal for a new mother to not know how to pick him up and carry him propperly

They are near one of the heating vents in my room, i have the heat turned up, it is a little cold still in new york so i just wanna make sure he doesnt get cold