Cat stopped labor?

Our cat got out 3 times in October so we weren't quite sure which time she got pregnant. When we woke up this morning she was in her box and seemed to be having contractions every 15 minutes or so. This continued until about 2:30 when they got to be about 2-3 minutes apart. She never cried out and just growled through them. Then around 4:00 she starts to push and does this for about an hour untill she just stops and goes to sleep. It's now almost 9:00 and she is still sleeping and just has random contractions. Did she stop labor or is this normal and everything will pick up again soon? She doesn't seem distressed at all and just has some minor bloody discharge so I'm unsure if this is something that happens or if she needs vet help. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

M mankfamily

It is not normal for a cat to push for an hour with no success. I suggest that you take her to the vet for an ultrasound to make sure the kittens are okay. The unsuccessful pushing and bloody discharge may indicate that she needs a caesarian section. I consider this a possible emergency.

Please update when you can!

Thanks so much for your reply. She woke me up this morning purring like crazy and has been following me around and trying to get me to come with her to her birthing box. It's almost as if she went back to the first stage of labor and is progressing again. I am going to be calling the vet soon to see what they suggest. I am hoping that I was just wrong about her pushing for that long and that she was just having strong contractions. Yesterday she wouldn't leave her box and stayed on her side the entire time growling. Today she is more vocal and moving around more and is panting. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am just an idiot when it comes to the birthing of cats and that nothing serious is wrong. I will update when I can!

It does sound like it could have been pre-labor/early labor, and labor can start and stop. Has there been any progress?