Cat in Labour

Our cat which we are fostering is currently in labour...she is in the 1st stage of labour and has been since yesturday at 430pm.

It is now almost 24 hours (about 1 hour away from this)...I know the 1st stage of labour can take 12-24 hours but as the 24 hour mark is approaching I am getting a little nervous for her health.

She is a young cat, probably less than a year so it is likely her first litter so from the reading I was doing it says she will likely take 24 hours but this mark is fast approaching.

Hoping for some reassurance or advice from someone who has been in a similar situation.

Thanks!

Does she seem to be in distress? Is she pushing with no result?

Not intense and not in distress... Just pacing around the house yowling and having contracts clearly, dripping fluid...she took breaks to eat!
But phase 1 has officially lasted 24 hours now...of what I described above...constant cleaning etc.
She even took a nap couple hours ago

True, its longish.  But what we do disapprove the most, is active long labor without resultats...  Active labor for cats is almost always shorter than for humans.

Do you have access to a vet - perhaps even a vet decently skilled in obstetrics??  If yes, you could phone him.

Still nothing!
So we called the vet and they said it seems long so they said to bring her in.
They are doing a check up and deciding from there...maybe induce labour..
She's there now so hoping everything is ok!!!

Have they done an ultrasound to check what's going on first?

So we got the cat to foster because a vet told them she was pregnant... apparently another vet just did some type of ultra-sound and she doesnt appear to be pregnant!

but they are not sure...they are still doing tests...they think she is just constipated...Is it just me or am I totally confused?? doesnt sound right she looked pregnant and she has every sign of being in labour...

The ultrasound should show kittens in some stage of development if she is pregnant. Occasionally, a cat can have a false pregnancy. If she is not pregnant, she should be spayed, but you need to hear something definitive from the vet first. Constipation does not cause pregnancy symptoms though. This is all a bit concerning. The other thought is she could have pyometra, which is a dangerous uterine infection. Let's see what the vet says. Please keep us updated.

I know it is all so strange and just doesn't add up... I guess the first vet that said she was pregnant was wrong.

But she honestly had all the symptoms I was describing...I am not the only one who  thought who was in labour in our family it is soo weird.

But I am just trusting the experts I have no idea...I am no vet.

She came home a little while ago... seems very happy and her belly is a lot less full...the vet office said they gave her a laxative and de-wormer and she apparently had lots and lots of poops.

You can definitely notice it with a decrease of size in her belly....but in my opinion it is still decently big.

She is going to be scheduled for a spay for sometime next week...I guess maybe they will find out for sure then!

She is still lying down, lifting up her butt and pushing but maybe it is because of the cramp pains as she may still be pretty constipated. She also farts a lot...we had another cat who did this and it was because she had round worm. She already had one dosage of de-wormer but she probably has worms still.

This is all a little bit concerning though...she is the humane societys and we are the fosters so she was found in an industrial area full of olive oil and rescued...this was a month ago. God knows what she ate ... I hope that everything is ok internally though.

Nothing I can do though since it is not my cat I can just hope that the vets did an exam to make sure everything is alright...

Will you continue to foster her for awhile? I hope so. It will give her some continuity that she seems to need. It really sounds like her system is a mess, and it may take a few months to straighten it out and transition to a more normal diet. Perhaps when she's no longer constipated, bloated, and full of worms she will be better. I agree the spay will reveal if she has any infection or other issues.

You are doing such a good job with her. Thank you so much for opening your home and heart to her as a foster. Though she is having some issues right now and is apparently uncomfortable, I'm sure she knows she now has a safe place to be.

Please keep us informed!

Oh of course!
We will keep her until her spay is all healed (Fully)...which will likely take a month.
We always try and stretch our fosters stay until we are positive they are 100%.
It is tough to see our fosters sit in a cage until they are adopted... Kittens go right away but older cats tend to take a bit longer. They like them back after spays... But we try to keep them until we are sure they are 100% in terms of health and socialization which they totally get!
I agree though her system is likely a mess and maybe her bowels are flaring up due to change of diet ...we will have to get her off kitten food asap though. They put her on a high calorie diet because of her "pregnancy" haha!

The kitten food may have been too rich for her system so soon after eating a "garbage" diet as a stray. Maybe you can keep her until her health is fully restored. I would think that would make her more adoptable! [emoji]128522[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji]

I agree! It is so sad eh poor little thing!
And we will certainly keep her until she is 100% not to worry ... However long it takes.
She is definitely happy here and loves to cuddle..such a sweet little cat.