Can cat be moved during labor?

My cat ended up going into labor just after I had to leave to get my daughter from school today. When I got back I couldn't find her. Knowing she was due to have babies any day I checked the whelping box I've had set up for her in my room which is safe and quiet. But no kitty. I've finally found her in a storage closet inside a gift bag full of boxes and bags. In my opinion this isn't a safe place for her at all! She's delivered 3 kittens from what I can barely tell . She's still in labor but I can barely get to her to check on she or the kittens. It's a tiny space under the steps. I'm frantic about her being in that spot for the rest of her labor and really feel I need to move she and the babies to the box I have set up, but I can't find any information online about the safety of moving cats and kittens during labor. Please help!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

KatsPurrrsians

You can move her between deliveries, or wait until she is done. Just don't move her while she is trying to deliver one.

Put her in the room and close the door so she cannot leave when you do move her.

Cats love hiding places!

Thank you so much for hasty response! I just heard one crying very loudly and ran to check. She's now gotten out of the bag and looks to be cleaning the last 2 she just delivered. There are still at least 2 inside the bag too though. Not sure if I should go ahead and move her now or wait?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Let her clean them. Then bring the nest to the closet, put the babies in it, and carry it back to your room. Mom will follow you. Close the door.

Can you put the nest inside your closet? Mom will like that. Put mom's food, water, and litter in your room too.

Well I just tried and she wasn't having it. She grabbed one and took all the way under the steps where I cannot physically go. Now she's she's left the others (one which still has umbilical cord and placenta attached) and is tending to just the one. I can tell she's now suddenly feeling threatened so I'll wait a few minutes to intervene. If she hasn't gone back and addressed the one in need I'll go cut the cord. She's only a few feet away from the rest of the kittens.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Then leave her be for now.

She's now grabbed the one with placenta attached and looks to be cleaning and nursing it and the other one she took from me when I was trying to move her. But she hasn't gone back for the last 3. I left them in the box hoping she'd prefer it over the cold concrete floor. What should I do?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Leave the nest there for now, and hope she brings the other babies to it and gets in it herself.

She may, or she may take those babies out of the nest and try to put all of them out of your reach.

Try to observe but not interfere so she'll hopefully settle down and nurse them all. They all need to eat.

Are there 5 total?

How old is mom?

sarthur2 said:

Then leave her be for now.

Click to expand...

If she hasn't gotten the 3 in box within the next 15 minutes should I go take them out and put them back on floor where she delivered them? I could try moving them as close to her as possible but I can't get much further back there with the steps.

I heard her make a low growl so I'm hesitant to interfere but I know the babies can't be left alone for much longer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

sarthur2 said:

Leave the nest there for now, and hope she brings the other babies to it and gets in it herself.

She may, or she may take those babies out of the nest and try to put all of them out of your reach.

Try to observe but not interfere so she'll hopefully settle down and nurse them all. They all need to eat.

Are there 5 total?

Click to expand...

Yes, 5 total from I've seen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

talkingpeanut said:

How old is mom?

Click to expand...

2 years old


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Put a blanket on the floor as far back as you can and put the 3 babies on it and near her. Then leave her alone for awhile.

Is it warm in the closet?

sarthur2 said:

Put a blanket on the floor as far back as you can and put the 3 babies on it and near her. Then leave her alone for awhile.

Is it warm in the closet?

Click to expand...

Yes, it's warm and not drafty. I just put them as close as I could on a blanket. It looked like she might have just delivered another one. She didn't pay much attention to me so that's good. My 12 year old daughter was in there trying to help me that first time I went in to move them so I think my daughter being in there was what got her anxious earlier. I'm keeping everyone out of there now. I'm going to check in about 10 minutes to make sure she's pulled the 3 in to nurse.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

She wants to be left alone. Maybe later you can get a blanket under all of them. You can put newspaper down over the bloody areas, then a blanket. She'll want them all together once she's done delivering.

Yes, do allow only yourself in there for now. Moms are instinctively protective of their babies.

Let us know how this works out.

sarthur2 said:

She wants to be left alone. Maybe later you can get a blanket under all of them. You can put newspaper down over the bloody areas, then a blanket. She'll want them all together once she's done delivering.

Yes, do allow only yourself in there for now. Moms are instinctively protective of their babies.

Let us know how this works out.

Click to expand...

Ok thank you again for all the help! I went back in just now and moved the 3 in to nurse. She had just delivered 1 more and a tiny malformed stillborn. Looked like it didn't make it past the first month of gestation. So sad. Wonder what caused that?
I couldn't get a kitten count bc of her location & position but hopefully later on tonight or in the morning (once she is settled and rested) I'll know more.

Now that all the babies are warm and eating my only worry will be getting she and her babies out of that closet and in a clean and safer spot!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is good to hear. The stillborn was most likely a result of a genetic defect. So you think there are 6.

Keep an eye out and hopefully you can move them tomorrow.

There are a total of 7 kittens! Sheesh! Shes been a great mommy all through the night. Gotten up to eat a couple of times but since it was super late then super early each time I didn't attempt to move them yet. I'll be looking for my opportunity here soon though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh boy! With 7 there will almost certainly be a runt or two. You'll want to weigh them each in grams and be vigilant that they all gain 6-10 grams minimum per day.

If they do not, or one loses, you'll need to supplement with kitten formula and a tiny 1-2 mL needleless syringe.

Sometimes it is advisable to rotate the kittens in 2 groups of the bigs and littles - 4/3 - so everyone gets a fair turn at the nipples. This is because the bigger kittens bully the smaller ones off. You would rotate every 2 hours keeping the non-nursing kittens in a waiting box with a heat source.

Mom will need a dish a day of kitten formula as well for extra calcium, and plenty of wet food.

Do you plan to spay mom after this litter weans?