It has begun! Our beloved Liberty has begun giving birth!

With all the stresses of having two of our babies in the hospital for unrelated illness, the good news is Liberty, our year old siamese kitty is now giving birth today. She was accidentally impregnated by one of our only male cats that had not been neutered yet, both are Himalayan, so her kittens should be stunning.

We will post photos later, as we don't want to disturb her labor. Wish us luck with a healthy, happy litter.

Okay, I can't resist, just one picture!

Oh my goodness! How precious. Keep us updated please!

Sweet adorable babies.  Will be fun to watch them grow.

Proud momma so cute!

Some sad news today. Since mommy is a small cat, and this is her first litter, things have not gone as smoothly as we thought. I was worried yesterday at the size of her belly post birth. I wondered if she had begun an interrupted labor pattern, and sure enough, she wasn't finished. But the latest kitten was born over night, still born. We are terrified that she is not done either, but with one cat just back from the vet, and another still in the hospital, it has been difficult to manage our time to care for all the cats in need, we still have 4 kittens being bottle fed and another 30 cats that are in need of their daily nutrition and clean boxes etc.

We are trying our best to care for all the babies in the house, while traveling back and forth to the hospital, so we can't spend all our time just on Liberty. We are supporting her with OB vitamins, supportive wet food and of course only mineral water, that is what all the cats drink in the house. We will continue to monitor her and give updates as things progress. I debated writing about the lost kitten, but I like being forthcoming, maybe there is advice that might help us out, something we missed.

Anyway, the first two kittens seem to be doing fine, Liberty has been very attentive. We have a heating element wrapped up in their bed as well, so there is extra warmth if needed. It is the Philippines, so we have to improvise. The heating element is nothing more than a charger for a laptop, sealed in plastic then wrapped in a shirt. Crude, but functional.

Thanks for all the well wishes, I just hope that mommy can cope with the stresses and the physical demands. She is so small herself. If things turn, we will take the whole family to the vet, let's hope that doesn't happen.

Sincerely, the kittykeepers.

Sorry for the stillborn. It happens. Glad her first two are doing well. If she has more to deliver, they will come in time. No need to worry unless she is in distress.

You can use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel instead of the electrical charger. That situation sounds unsafe to me!

Thanks for all you are doing to help these cats. Keep us posted! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

sarthur2 said:

Sorry for the stillborn. It happens. Glad her first two are doing well. If she has more to deliver, they will come in time. No need to worry unless she is in distress.

You can use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel instead of the electrical charger. That situation sounds unsafe to me!

Thanks for all you are doing to help these cats. Keep us posted! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

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I too am sorry about the stillborn baby.  I agree about using a different heating source. Lap top batteries can have issues. A hot water bottle is a great idea.  You could also use a sock with warm rice in it.  Another option would be a heating pad for humans kept on the low setting.

Heating pads aren't available here in the Philippines, don't ask me why. I even donated my heating pad to the clinic that cares for our cats, they need it more than I do. The doctor was amazed that I had one, and gave me almost 50 dollars of free care based on that donation.

To clarify, it isn't the batteries, it is the charger block. We wrap it in plastic to keep any moisture out of it, then wrap it in towels. It is actually very effective, and we haven't ever had an issue with this method.

Anyway, there have not been anymore babies born, and she is not in distress. But we still need to keep a sharp eye on her since this is her first time. There are always worries, especially in these first few days.

PS. I love the rice idea, we will have to try that, one thing the Philippines never runs out of, is rice. Thanks for the tip and the smile, sincerely, the kittykeepers.

The charger as a heater sounds dangerous to me as well. You really don't want those covered, because letting them overheat is a problem. They can short out or even explode. Please try the rice instead!

I know everyone seems scared about the charger, but there really is no need, this is a common way to keep kittens warm in the Philippines. I do however like the rice idea, and will try that just because it sounds logical and effective. The only downside to rice or other means that isn't a heating pad/charger box, is the inconsistent heat, which will begin dissipation immediately. It's the reverse ice pack. With the charger, it is consistent and long lasting. We take plenty of precautions with it.

Again, this is third world improvisation, when I lived in the US, I would have considered the idea crazy. Having lived in the Philippines for almost 10 years, I have seen all kinds of crazy improvisations that make sense only here. This is not our first rodeo, and the saddle is very worn.

I thank everyone for their input and concern, sincerely, the kittykeepers.

@Thekittykeepers  my dear friend I'm so sorry for the still born. Years ago our cat had the same issue, it was her first labor, and it was a sad time that we could only forget when seeing the other babies growing up .Take care of the 2 newborns as you're doing. As many have said the charger practice is not the "safest", but I do understand why you're doing it. 

Having so many cats to take care of can be challenging but I know you will do fine. Please keep us posted, and send some pics of the entire bunch when possible

Thanks for understanding, I don't want to get fixated on something I mentioned in passing, and which is a non-issue really. The two surviving kittens seem to be doing well, although they sleep a lot. We have the group closed off from the rest of the house, to give mommy her privacy and try to keep the stress down. We are crossing our fingers right now, things have been really touch this month.

I will be making another thread post later today of tomorrow. We have been through the ringer this past month, and it appears that the hots just keep on coming. We may be taking a break from the site for a while, while trying to cope with all that has/is happening around us.

Thanks to everyone who has kept us in their thoughts and prayers, don't stop now, we need all the help we can get. Sincerely, the kittykeepers.