Not sure when babies will come

​Hi, my female cat who is about 9-10 months old is expecting her first and last babies.  I took her to my vet a couple of weeks ago,  who runs a great cat-friendly practice, confirmed her pregnancy.  He then took us into another room and did a free ultrasound where we counted at least three babies and he said she was definitely around 6 weeks min.  I was amazed at the detail of one of the kittens.  Please note I am a family of loving pets owners and NOT a breeder.  My lovely little girl is a slim petite cat and although she doesn't look big in the attached photo, you can clearly see defined shapes to the lumps on her sides and her belly is more lower then out at the sides.  she is eating well, small and frequent and she has definitely been using the litter tray more.  I can't say I have seen the babies moving much and she has only been investigating places but not found anywhere she likes for nesting.  she seems to be a little bit more restless and sleepy.  she sometimes comes and just stands on my lap for about one minute then goes to her usual spot.  She is normally an overly affectionate little girl, often pinning me down to continually lick my face but she has stopped that over these past few weeks.  I'm just really nervous because I have two other boy cats that are normally close (they all clean and sleep and follow each other) and she will let them sleep near her but if too close she will growl, hiss and spit at them.  I just want to make sure that I can ensure her peace and quiet when in labour and then afterwards but I don't know if she could give birth any day or another week. 

Hello, If you can't feel or see the babies move, then she is most likely not do yet. I would guess that she still has a couple weeks to go. Cats are usually pregnant around 63 days and by 8 weeks you can easily see the babies move around and feel them. 

As far as her acting strange, her hormones are raging, so she is not feeling like her normal self. Plus, pregnant cats will often no want to deal with other cats as much later in the pregnancy. So don't be worried about that. But I would set up a nesting box in a quiet area away from the cats. Otherwise, she will try to have them under a bed or in a closet. Even if she doesn't take to it right away, she may like it when she goes into labor. Or you can just place her in it when she does. 

However, since she is so young, she may not handle motherhood well. She may be too immature to properly take care of them. So you will need to try to be there when she has the kittens. If she doesn't cut the coward, you will need to. ( not with scissors, you just pinch it with your fingers. ) And you may need to supplement kitten milk. ( Not regular milk) You can buy kitten milk at any large pet store. Please keep us posted. Many experienced breeders here to help!

​Will I need to tie any thread around the cord?  Yes I have spoken to my local pet store and will be getting emergency items in.  I have set up a wardrobe that I have emptied with blankets and also two boxes beside my bed with blankets.  She is looking around.  I will keep you all posted.

Thank you so much for your advice.

No thread is needed.  The umbilical cord will already be clotted off, so you don't have to worry about clamping or tying it. Just make sure you sterilize scissors if you use them. I have just used my finger nails. The umbilical cords aren't really that tough. They feel quite stringy. Hard to explain. Just make sure not to cut too close to the stomach. Leave about an inch there.  Glad I was able to help. 

HappyChick1 said:

 
​Will I need to tie any thread around the cord?  Yes I have spoken to my local pet store and will be getting emergency items in.  I have set up a wardrobe that I have emptied with blankets and also two boxes beside my bed with blankets.  She is looking around.  I will keep you all posted.

Thank you so much for your advice.

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You wait a while till you are sure no blood is flowing, so you wont need to tie no cord.  also, you wait to see if momma cuts of herself.    Unless there is a real emergency, alike the cord wrap up around a kittens neck - in such a case its more hurry.  

Are your boys neutered?

Hi. No they are booked in this week to both be done, and the vet said he can spay mummy cat at about 4 weeks after birthing.

I have a large ginger boy but he's already been done when he was about 6 months old. Strangely my mummy cat loves him and always seeks him out

The ginger boy is about 2-3 years old now

Ok, so your boys who aren't neutered need to be kept away from mom for about a month after their surgery. They will still be fertile and she can get pregnant at any time, even without going into heat. She can be spayed 8 weeks after delivery.

Four weeks is too early to spay mom. 7-8 weeks is best after the kittens are eating solids well.

Ok will do. I definitely don't want to put her through this again. I feel so bad for her knowing what's it's like for us to go through ourselves. I've got a few places set up for her. But I'm going to empty my under stairs cupboard that has power and light for her.

That sounds good! [emoji]128522[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji]

She keeps coming to me and sitting on my lap well trying to get comfortable. She's so slender I'm sure you can see the actual body shapes of the kittens on each side and she's hanging a bit lower.
She's hungry but only nibbling, not eating all of her food so she has good quality mix always available.

Today is the day....yay!!! From what I can see she has had one kitten but can't really see because she keeps blocking the view in the basket and growling.......I know she had three babies that showed on the ultrasound, possibly more so I hope the growling is not a bad sign. Kitten was crying out but she went to it and cleaned it. I could still see the placenta so she hadn't eaten it. I hope she is OK with kitten?? Plus the place she decided to have it is in the living room behind the sofa next to the dog. So it's really hard keeping the other cats out of the way.

happychick1

How are things now?

You'll want to move her and the babies after she is done delivering if you haven't done so already so that the other animals don't bother her. That's why she's growling - to keep them away from her babies!

She's now had a total of 5 (two gingerly three dark colour - either black or really dark tabby, so not sure what colour the father is). Fifth was alot later on. All doing well. I assume no more to come now. I'm moving her to my room now. she's more relaxed and purring when I smooth her head.

Great! Just make sure all are nursing well. [emoji]128571[/emoji]

Weighed the five babies. All around 13.6g except the runt who is a third their size and only 6.6g
I've tried supplement feeding but seems too weak. Keeps groaning and found it outside the nest freezing cold. I've been in floods because I don't know what if anything, I can do

HappyChick1 said:

Weighed the five babies. All around 13.6g except the runt who is a third their size and only 6.6g
I've tried supplement feeding but seems too weak. Keeps groaning and found it outside the nest freezing cold. I've been in floods because I don't know what if anything, I can do

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warm the baby and keep it warm. Keep it on your chest for now.

Are you only just noticing the size difference? Or have you been supplementing for some time?

Give 1ml each hour.