Hi all, I just registered! I'm entirely new to the whole birthing process, but not at all new to cats (we've had them ever since I was born, and right now we've got 7!). I don't remember a time when we've not had cats (or animals in general). I did have a rabbit that had a litter, but that was when I was five and didn't even know she was pregnant until I woke up and saw her with a bunch of babies.
2 weeks ago, when I was at church, I was looking outside the huuuge floor to ceiling window in the adoration chapel and there was this cat...so I went outside to see if she was tame or feral, and she came right up to me and rubbed against my legs. I called my dad and asked if I could bring her home so she wouldn't get run over (the church is very near to the highway), and he said yes. Anyways, we took her to the vet next day...and she's preggers. He said he felt about 3 kittens, and he said to expect babies within a month. Also, he aged her at about a year to a year and a half.
However, ever since I brought her home I've been able to feel the babies move, and someone told me that you can usually only feel them move from about 2 weeks until birth
Okay, 2 weeks done...Gemma (Gemma Bernadette is her name, and she makes the 7th cat in this family...) is absolutely HUGE around the middle (and as a cat, she's tiny!) For the past two weeks I keep seeing signs...sleeping a lot...LOTS of nesting going on.
Thankfully I fixed her up my old nightdresser which was already in my closet (which doesn't have doors, and it's a long closet, but not a walk in, but the kind that usually has sliding doors), and it has a big cabinent part and then a drawer on top of that. I opened the door and propped it, then put in some newspapers and towels, pinned up a piece of cardboard on the bottom as a ledge, so babies won't fall out, but momma can still get in, and pinned up a big piece of fabric ontop of the dresser, so it'll fall down like a tent. Also, since we've had a bit of a cold spell here, I put my big heater in front of the nest box, so it's nice and warm in my room (the safe room is my bedroom) and especially in that corner of the room. The heater is on something equal to a medium low, but it makes things quite pleasantly warm in here.
I'm eagerly awaiting kittens! Gemma hasn't eaten a whole lot today, either. She's eaten, just not a lot. She wouldn't even eat the canned food I put down for her, so she could have a bit of a change from kitten food. She didn't even eat it (and she usually pigs out on her food), and she's also been laying on her tummy, but with her but ever so slightly in the air...it's not raised, but not relaxed. She'll also lay, like usual, on her side. Her eyes also have a slightly irritated look, like she wants to go and beat something up. She hasn't been very active at all today...she was yesterday (nearly wrecking my room...).
I have some questions, just in case I need to intercede during the birth. When tieing off the cord, instead of using dental floss, would clean sewing thread be alright? I have the blunt scissors in the bathroom, which I've yet to sterilize, but will get to that soon.
That's all I can remember, but I'll keep everyone updated, and will more than likely have more (lots more) questions.
2 weeks ago, when I was at church, I was looking outside the huuuge floor to ceiling window in the adoration chapel and there was this cat...so I went outside to see if she was tame or feral, and she came right up to me and rubbed against my legs. I called my dad and asked if I could bring her home so she wouldn't get run over (the church is very near to the highway), and he said yes. Anyways, we took her to the vet next day...and she's preggers. He said he felt about 3 kittens, and he said to expect babies within a month. Also, he aged her at about a year to a year and a half.
However, ever since I brought her home I've been able to feel the babies move, and someone told me that you can usually only feel them move from about 2 weeks until birth
Okay, 2 weeks done...Gemma (Gemma Bernadette is her name, and she makes the 7th cat in this family...) is absolutely HUGE around the middle (and as a cat, she's tiny!) For the past two weeks I keep seeing signs...sleeping a lot...LOTS of nesting going on.
Thankfully I fixed her up my old nightdresser which was already in my closet (which doesn't have doors, and it's a long closet, but not a walk in, but the kind that usually has sliding doors), and it has a big cabinent part and then a drawer on top of that. I opened the door and propped it, then put in some newspapers and towels, pinned up a piece of cardboard on the bottom as a ledge, so babies won't fall out, but momma can still get in, and pinned up a big piece of fabric ontop of the dresser, so it'll fall down like a tent. Also, since we've had a bit of a cold spell here, I put my big heater in front of the nest box, so it's nice and warm in my room (the safe room is my bedroom) and especially in that corner of the room. The heater is on something equal to a medium low, but it makes things quite pleasantly warm in here.
I'm eagerly awaiting kittens! Gemma hasn't eaten a whole lot today, either. She's eaten, just not a lot. She wouldn't even eat the canned food I put down for her, so she could have a bit of a change from kitten food. She didn't even eat it (and she usually pigs out on her food), and she's also been laying on her tummy, but with her but ever so slightly in the air...it's not raised, but not relaxed. She'll also lay, like usual, on her side. Her eyes also have a slightly irritated look, like she wants to go and beat something up. She hasn't been very active at all today...she was yesterday (nearly wrecking my room...).
I have some questions, just in case I need to intercede during the birth. When tieing off the cord, instead of using dental floss, would clean sewing thread be alright? I have the blunt scissors in the bathroom, which I've yet to sterilize, but will get to that soon.
That's all I can remember, but I'll keep everyone updated, and will more than likely have more (lots more) questions.
