Kittens but more??

The mother is 1 1/2 with her very first and last litter. So far two kittens. We thought that was it and were a little disappointed since she was HUGE and we had 5 homes ready when they are. Well, she turned on her other side and sure enough there is TONS of movement and a little blood. I'm a bit worried because I hear all these things saying after 4 hours is bad news.

Shes sleeping a lot and the babies are healthy. Just no more contractions, yet. its been 3 hours or so since she had the last which was a big one and wore the poor thing out. Should I just let things happen untill things seem wrong?

1 little boy and little girl: Grey Tiger

I know I should of had her spayed but money was an issiue untill it was too late. I'm just glad I found homes if needed. Soon as shes done with them I will get it done. Its too much of a roller coaster! lol

Just wanted to say that we had a barn cat that had about 5 litters before we got her fixed. We never had problems giving away the kittens so we just never got her fixed until after she had that many litters. Her last litter she looked HUGE!! We just happen to be at the barn feeding the horses and we checked in on her and she was showing signs of nesting so we stuck around. She ended up having two kittens in the next 3 hours and didn't act like she was going to have any more. By this time it was (11pm) and so we decided to leave her alone and check her again in the morning. So we left and she had two kittens and looked like she might still be having a little bit of contractions but not really. Yet she still looked fully pregnant. When we got to the barn at 7am we peaked into her box and saw a mound of kittens. She ended up having 8 kittens. So she actually was in labor on and off for about 12 hours. Our vet also said that sometimes it could take up to 24 hours before all the kittens are born, even with a small litter. BUT you should definitely keep an eye on her and make sure that there's not a kitten stuck in the birth canal. As long as the mother doesn't have a kitten in the birth canal and struggling, timing isn't much of an issue. I think it's better for the mother to take a little break in between kittens to get some energy back. Please post and let me know what happens!!

Just wanted to say that we had a barn cat that had about 5 litters before we got her fixed. We never had problems giving away the kittens so we just never got her fixed until after she had that many litters.

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Welcome to TCS. It's good you were able to place all her kittens...but I would highly recommend that if you find another pregnant stray cat at your barn, that you have her fixed after her first litter. Shelters are always needing people to adopt the kittens that are dropped off and need homes. So you can always point people looking for kittens to the local shelters.

Thumpity...Good Luck...this is what I found online:

Length of Time for the Total Birth Process

In general, it may take up to six hours for a queen to give birth to all her kittens. The first kitten should arrive within an hour of the start of active labor, and subsequent kittens will take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. She will rest for 15 minutes or so between kittens, and during this time she should be allowed to nurse and clean the kittens that have been born. If you have been keeping the kittens in another box, move them back with the mother cat and help them find a nipple. This is also a good time for you to offer her food or a sip of KMR or plain, unflavored yoghurt. Although in rare cases a healthy kitten is born after the seven hour period, you should take the queen and her kittens to the vet for a checkup once seven hours passes and you are sure there are other kittens inside.
Summary of Potential Problems During Labor


Extended Contractions without Birth
More than one hour of strong contractions indicates a veterinary emergency, and your cat should be seen by a vet immediately. Take her and any kittens to your vet.
Retained Placenta
A retained placenta can cause uterine infection. It is important to count the number of placentas (one per kitten) to keep on top of this potential problem.
Kitten Lodged in the Birth Canal
A kitten that is lodged in the birth canal for more than 10 minutes is in distress, and your intervention may be necessary. Dr. Mike Richards offers instructions for assisting the delivery in an article on his excellent web site. Note that although most kittens are born head first, "breech," or tail-first births occur about 40% of the time, and are considered normal.
Once all the kittens are born, your queen will normally be caring for and feeding them. Make sure she has ample quantities of kitten food and KMR now, and for the rest of the time until the kittens are weaned. And if anything seems amiss with either your queen or the kittens, seek veterinary care immediately.

http://cats.about.com/od/reproductio...rthprocess.htm

Katie

I would be starting to grow concerned now ... it has been a little longer than I would feel comfortable not seeing any more kittens delivered. A little bit of blood after deliver is normal for up to 10 days or so afterwards, but if it is more than just a small drop or two, that is a cause for concern.

You posted at roughly a quarter to 8 PM my time and it is now a quarter after 9 PM ... have you seen or felt any further contractions?

Thank you soo much andrealong & TNR1. My mind is at ease and the info with your story and info its self has helped, but I'll still be a bit worried. lol

gayef, nothing has happened much yet. She's a bit restless when the kittens start fighting over one nipple out of 8 which is quiet amusing. She's just been sleeping a lot and the movement inside is almost non stop. But alas no contractions. I thought I may of seen some, if they were then they've stopped for now.

OK, just keep a sharp eye on her tonight ... if she hasn't delivered any more kittens within the next hour or so, I would call a vet emergency clinic and see what they advise. This is taking too long, IMO.

It's relatively normal for a cat to go out of labor for up to 24 hours but I would Mapquest directions to the nearest emergency vet hospital now just so you are prepared should the need arise. Most likely she will deliver the rest overnight but it's also possible something could be wrong and she could need an emergency c-section. At this point, though, if she seems comfortable and has settled in to nurse the other kittens, things are probably okay.

I used to have unspayed barn cats, too. Had decided to spay two of the three, allowing the third to have one more litter. She delivered two kittens, and was still carrying more. Two days later she died. We lost her kittens, too.

I would definitely call the vet for their opinion on waiting. Better safe than sorry. In general, I think most deliveries go without a hitch. I've had 3 (foster) litters born at my home in the past 2 years, and never needed a vets advice during delivery. However, occasionally there can be a problem, so consulting with your vet is a good idea!

Thank you so much again, I hav the number of the vets already. Around 5 she was having contractions and so I stayed up with her and she gave birth again to a healthy kitten(gender unknown still) around 10:14 am. That was a relief, she had a hard hard time with it. I found out when it came its feet were first so I think thats why. There may be one more but all I can do is wait.

God I'm so glad shes still having the ones inside still.

When we spent 2 years in Liberia, West Africa....there were several stray cats .(None were ever fixed of course, as there were no vets there 45 years ago.)
We had one HUGE cat that had 6-12 kittens at a time. When she had a bigger litter she`d actually divide them up into 2 seperate nests in order to be able to feed them. Her name was Momma Cat. (Fitting name, don`t you think?)
We never seemed to be overrun with cats there though, as i`m sure they were prey for other wild animals. Mama Cat was still around when we left. We had no idea how old she was, but apparently she was a wise one to be able to survive that long....most would come and go within 6 mo to a year. (Sad I know....but they were sort of like other animals on the food chain over there. The Liberians were amazed that we paid much attention to them at all. They just liked them to be around to keep critters out of thier huts. They did`nt understand the concept of keeping them as "pets")
Linda

*breathes a sigh of relief*

Great, as long as she did get the baby delivered, now you don't have to worry for a few more hours. Poor girl, to have a difficult one! Hope the next kitten is easy for her!

Well, the kittens are doing fine. Three seems to be it and thats fine with me but the last one does worry me. I might be looking into it too much though. When she was born bottom first I noticed a little after her anal area is a bit pink and looks swollen or raw. I'm not too sure. Also shes been the noisiest of the bunch but only when shes not with her mom or her mother moves. Should I be woried?

Originally Posted by Thumpity

Well, the kittens are doing fine. Three seems to be it and thats fine with me but the last one does worry me. I might be looking into it too much though. When she was born bottom first I noticed a little after her anal area is a bit pink and looks swollen or raw. I'm not too sure. Also shes been the noisiest of the bunch but only when shes not with her mom or her mother moves. Should I be woried?

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I'm not a vet..but I would take her in just to ensure that her bottom is ok.

Katie

Sounds like the kitten is probably ok, but I would take Momma to the vet. It's just good common sense - making sure there are no more inside, retained plancetas, etc. Is momma nursing the babies?

Originally Posted by kluchetta

Sounds like the kitten is probably ok, but I would take Momma to the vet. It's just good common sense - making sure there are no more inside, retained plancetas, etc. Is momma nursing the babies?

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Yeah, I think I will but I'm just worried about the weather and the kittens. And yes, shes been a great momma and nursing them like crazy. You can always tell who the boy is when on of them drinks on his side. lol

I am going to be the odd man out here with my differing opinion but here goes:

I am really skeptical of taking newborn kittens in to a vet's office. Unless you have a real, out of control problem on your hands (and from the sound of things, you do not currently have such a problem) the vet's office really is the LAST place you want to go.

So long as both Momma and babies are doing well, Momma is eating and drinking normally, nursing and caring for her babies, using her litter appropriately, not discharging anything other than a few little drops of blood every now and then (this should cease by about day 10 after delivery), or in any other way, out of her ordinary behavior patterns, I wouldn't borrow trouble by heading in to see the vet.

You will need to have the babies in to introduce them to the vet at around age 6 to 7 weeks for their first round of vaccines, but other than that, I would keep them right there with their Momma in your house.

Much like human babies, kittens are born with some of their vital systems still in the development stage. Their little cardiopulmonary systems are still in the making and even if they do function, they are not totally complete until around the age of 3 to 6 weeks. Their immune systems are very weak until they have had the benefit of their Mother's first milk (usually the colostrum flows for the first 12 to 24 hours after delivery) and the additional benefits of her immune properties are continued by nursing until the kittens are weaned. That is why we normally begin the kitten series of shots at the age of 6 or 7 weeks. The babies are then pretty much eating on their own, even if they do still nurse, and will need the boost of the vaccines since Mom's milk is now beginning to flow more slowly and the kittens are not getting it as consistantly as when they were smaller.

Keep an eye on the little one with the swollen butt for signs of worsening, but unless things are bad, I wouldn't rush in to the vet at the moment.

Gaye - I doubt I'll ever have a pregnant momma again, but would you suggest taking the mother in after delivery? Or only if she appeared sick? I really have to kick myself sometimes because Smudge got FIP and the only place he ever was was the vet.

Originally Posted by kluchetta

Gaye - I doubt I'll ever have a pregnant momma again, but would you suggest taking the mother in after delivery? Or only if she appeared sick? I really have to kick myself sometimes because Smudge got FIP and the only place he ever was was the vet.

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I don't suggest it unless there is a problem which cannot be addressed at home. Taking Momma in to the vet not only opens her up to all sorts of baddies, but she can then bring them home to the babies.

As for kicking yourself ... my dear, please allow me a moment to tell you a little story:

I had a gorgeous little Siamese sweetie once, a lovely little Seal Point girl named Sadira. She was that one true love for me. Please don't get me wrong, I love my babies I have now with all of my heart and soul, but Sadira was special to me. Very, very special. She lived with me through so many bad periods of my life ... she even endured living in my car with me during a particularly bad stretch when hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of my first husband's unpaid bills forced them to garnish my wages to the point I couldn't pay my rent - I was evicted, I had no where to go but the street. We literally lived in my car in Washington DC during what had to be one of the coldest winters I have ever known and yet, she continued to love me anyway. She went through so much in her short little life and most of it was of my making ... when I noticed in the early winter that she begun losing a lot of weight, I thought, Great! She is a little pudgeball and NEEDS to lose weight ... this is a good thing. When she began drinking a lot of water, I thought, OK, it is almost summertime, the house is warm, she is thirsty ... makes sense to me that she is drinking more. When the litter box needed to be changed daily due to her flooding it with urine, I thought, well, she is drinking more water because it is summer ... of course, she is peeing more than usual. When her little brown back legs began to fail her after the following holiday season and she could barely walk, I finally ~FINALLY~ thought, Hrmmmm, something is seriously wrong here and I took her to the vet. She was diagnosed with advanced, untreated Feline Diabetes. I excused it all away and did nothing for over a year. Over A YEAR! That beautiful soul of a cat which I loved more than my own life suffered with this disease and I did NOTHING. I did ... nothing. *sigh* She died a couple of months later despite every effort known to veterinary science and nearly 7 thousand dollars spent to save her.

If you can kick yourself, then please allow me to join you and kick my own self around for a good long while too.

From my still very sad heart to your also very sad heart,

~gf~

Oh Gaye, I'm so sorry about Sadira. Maybe these boards will help people recognize things like that, but I wish you and I hadn't had to learn those things the hard way.

PS I love your new signature!