about to give birth

i have a siamese cat, i dont know if the term waters broke applies to cats but thats whats happening, and its already been almost a day since this kind of behaviour started. she shows a lot of affection and "talks" to me all the time. i wonder if this behaviour is normal and when will she starti giving birht? do i need to provide any assistance and what are the signs of things going wrong?
this is the first time i'm dealing with this and i dont know much, please help.

This thread http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46743 will give you lots of info. Take a deep breath and have a look. Scroll down to "Impending Labour" Everything should be alright.

The experts pop in all the time so just keep looking back here for some advice ok? And keep us updated!

wow, that article is pretty scary, i have to know how to do so many things, what if i miss the deleivery? how can i find out if all placentas are discharged? what if cat cannot deleiver?

First of all breathe! Most times the pregnancy and the delivery goes without a problem. The article is to make people aware of the problems that can exist and to plan ahead of time to prevent any complications. Use your vet, that is what he is for, take your cat in for a check up and talk to the vet about the upcoming delivery.

Also check out the stuck threads in this forum for more information and this website is excellent in helping you along the way-

http://www.cat-pregnancy-report.com/

the reason why i'm worried is becuase my cat is pretty small, i think is normal for siamese but the biggest problem is that her rear legs do not point straight but point a little bit to each other. can this lead to complications?

The moderator of this forum breeds Siamese. All I can say is if you are worried, your vet should be consulted about anything that might go wrong, since he can see and evaluate your cat and we cannot,

another quesion, is discharging fluids prior to to giving birth is normal?
my cat started doing that this morning and it still goes on

I can see why your so worried, I was really worried about my cat Tehya, who just gave birth a little less then two days ago. But, she had them very early Sunday morning, and she didn't need and help at all... she was a first time mum, and she did everything perfectly, even without my help. Hope that helps with your worries
Laurel

thank you for your support, i really apprecaite it, but the only thing that concerns me right now is the fluid discharge, none of the articles mention it and my cat is discharging small amounts of fluids since todays morning.

That is not abnormal... I've seen it happen a few times... as long as it is not foul smelling, or greenish, or otherwise looking infected it should be fine. I'm betting you have babies by morning

Before a cat has kittens it will discharge a mucous plug. It's normal. It can be as much as a few hours to a week after the mucous plug til she delivers. Good luck with your babies! And, it's no problem to be worried. I've seen quite a few deliveries of kittens before CJ had hers, and I even freaked out when it came to CJ's time!!! Just ask anyone here... they'll tell you how I flipped out!
The best thing to do if you're worried is call your vet. Most, if not all, vets offer free advice over the phone. Good luck!

Originally Posted by vmf

wow, that article is pretty scary, i have to know how to do so many things, what if i miss the deleivery? how can i find out if all placentas are discharged? what if cat cannot deleiver?

the reason why i'm worried is becuase my cat is pretty small, i think is normal for siamese but the biggest problem is that her rear legs do not point straight but point a little bit to each other. can this lead to complications?

another quesion, is discharging fluids prior to to giving birth is normal?
my cat started doing that this morning and it still goes on

Click to expand...

Sorry if the article frightened you - but it gave a very real account of what happens and of course what can go wrong.

Most cats can and do deliver without complications, however, it is wise to be prepared for the worst - that way, if it happens, you have everything you need to address whatever issue you are faced with at that time. No need to run around flipping out trying to get everything together. It might be a good time, since you are waiting for the birth now anyway, to make up a little Kitten Kit with all your necessities and keep them close by the birthing nest where they are easy to reach and get a hold of. It is also a good idea to have the number of your vet or emergency vet and a hard-wired phone or cordless with a fully charged batt nearby as well.

You will know that all the placentas have been delivered if you can count. If you have 5 kittens, then you should have 5 placentas. If you do not have 5 placentas, you will need to contact your vet for further instructions. It is common for Momcat to eat the placentas so do not be alarmed as that happens. It can be pretty gruesome to watch though.

Unless you work outside the home, there shouldn't be any reason that you can't be around for the delivery. With all due respect, you somehow, whether on purpose or by accident allowed this pregnancy to happen. If you do work, I might suggest that you schedule some off time in order to be around for it. In my opinion, it is the very least you can do for her. If you cannot schedule any off time, then it would be wise for you to designate a responsible person to be on kitten watch while you must be away from home. Leave that person with specific instructions to call you the moment they think delivery is pending and then get home as fast as you can to help your girl yourself. You will also want to leave them with a written authorization to your vet allowing this person to OK any emergency treatment that may be necessary in the event something goes wrong and you cannot get home in time.

The positioning of her back legs shouldn't have anything to do with the ease of delivery so that really isn't a problem. Siamese, especially modern Siamese, have a very angular head shape and since most kittens are born head first, actually Siamese don't seem to have such a difficult time with delivery. You may also see a breech birth, that is not at all uncommon, but unless the baby gets stuck in the birth canal for more than a few brief moments, you should not have to intervene.

Fluid discharge prior to birth is not uncommon but I would suggest that you watch her carefully for signs of problems. If fluid is leaking out then her canal is open and as such is susceptible to bacterial being able to enter. Green, thick, malodorous discharge is an immediate emergency and if you see this, get her into the ER vet right now, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.

The signs you describe point to watching her carefully tonight and into tomorrow. You may begin to see her contractions and the kittens will be fairly active while waiting their turn. Once you see her go into the nest (you have provided her with a suitable one?) and start digging around, birth is soon to follow. She will lay on her side and she may pant a bit. Siamese bond very closely with their people so you will want to be there to comfort her while she is in labor.

I am normally around and check the site pretty frequently. If you have questions or in some other way need assistance, please feel free to PM me or blast me an email. I am happy to call you by phone if that would be faster and more comfortable.

Are you a breeder?

Hope this helps,

Gaye

hey everybody, thank you for your response, i provided few nests around the house but she gave birth to one kitten so far on the carpet next to my bed, i dunno what should i do with the kitten, i didnt c her giving birth and i dont know if placenta is out, how can i figure that out? also she is purrs all the time she shakes a lot as well, does that mean she is going to have another kitten?the kitten is alive kickin and screaming and she licks him all the time, i dont know what to do next, should i move them into the box i made or should i just live her alone on the carpet and give her few more hours there?

Move both Mom and baby to the nest and stay with her. It is possible she ate the placenta so you may not see it. Is Baby nursing yet? Keep him warm as she delivers the rest of the babies.

i'm not sure if she is nursing, and she brought the baby to my bed, she just puts it there next to me and lies around but not next to it, when i try to put the kitten on her she walks away, she licks it andgrooms it but i dont think she wants to feed it does this mean she is rejectin the kitten? or she doesnt have milk? bare with me since this is my first time.

didnt sleep almost all night since either the cat or the kitten were crying, i dont think she likes the box since when they chill on my bed she behavesmuch better coz when they were in the box she treated the kitten kinda rough, now she ate almost whole box of canned food and she nursed the kitten a little bit, now they are sleeping and i have to go to work is there anything special i have to look for during the first day? i need to relay the info to my mom since she is the ony who is going to stay with them during the day, also im not sure if its safe to leave the kitten on the bed since it might fall. your opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Congratulations on the birth of the kitten. Take it off the bed and put it and mum somewhere safe, you might need to lock them both in a room with the nest.

Is there any way you can stay home with her? She obviously wants you with her, and may delay her labor until you return, which leaves her open longer and prone to infection, for her as well as any remaining kittens if there are any..... She will bond easier with the kitten and stay with it if she is not anxious about where you are. Even if just for today.....

do you think she is gonna bring more kittens? its been almost 12 hours since the first kitten came out and she doesnt show any signs. i could not stay home but my mom stayed and the cat has more bonding with her then with me. she gave the cat her old igloo house and the cat and the kitten sleep there.

It is possible, I had a siamese once who had two kittens, I thought she was done, and exactly 24 hours later she had 2 more. If you think she is done though it should be ok. I must have misread the post, I thought she had just had it. Is your Mom able to stay home with her today for a bit?