Kittens on the way...

Hello Everyone,

We recently discovered that our cat Misty is pregnant. Does anyone have any tips on preparing for the birth of the litter and also the birthing itself? I've done quite a bit of reading but am curious to see what others know from experience.

Thanks muchly,
ABK

Originally Posted by ABK

Hello Everyone,

We recently discovered that our cat Misty is pregnant. Does anyone have any tips on preparing for the birth of the litter and also the birthing itself? I've done quite a bit of reading but am curious to see what others know from experience.

Thanks muchly,
ABK

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Welcome to the cat site. My recommendation is to read through the threads. I do hope that Misty is now contained indoors only. It is probably best to start feeding her kitten food and placing her food and litter in the room where you plan to place her birthing box. The room should be a quiet room that does not allow for access to the outdoors. You will probably also want to keep your emergency vet number in easy access...although most cats deliver without any issues, some do require assistance.

This thread is especially helpful:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74659

Katie

Thanks.

She is kept indoors, always. And we don't plan on letting her outside after either. Seeing as how we live in an apartment its a lil difficult for her to get outside lol. She is and has been eating kitten food. And we have been planning to move her into the room we've chosen soon.
Thanks for the tips.

Originally Posted by ABK

Thanks.

She is kept indoors, always. And we don't plan on letting her outside after either. Seeing as how we live in an apartment its a lil difficult for her to get outside lol. She is and has been eating kitten food. And we have been planning to move her into the room we've chosen soon.
Thanks for the tips.

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Did she get outside or did she get pregnant by another one of your cats? I guess I probably should have asked that first.

Katie

She was found outside, so we assume that's when it happened. Our male cat has been fixed.

Originally Posted by ABK

She was found outside, so we assume that's when it happened. Our male cat has been fixed.

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Ok....in that case, since she was found outside...I would just keep an eye on her. Some cats do try to get back outside once they have had their kittens (you would be surprized at the lengths some will go to) so it is best to keep windows closed and watch the front door. Hopefully she will not attempt to get out...but better to be on the safe side.

Katie

Back to my original question.... Does anyone have any tips on preparing for the birth of the litter and also the birthing itself?
Thanks again

Originally Posted by ABK

Back to my original question.... Does anyone have any tips on preparing for the birth of the litter and also the birthing itself?
Thanks again

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I think if you read these threads..you find all kinds of tips that have already been provided previously. Additionally, the link that I provided has all kinds of information with regards to preparing for the birth.

Katie

Thanks I have your opinion, now I would like someone elses. I have read some threads and links and so forth. But my question is still the same.

i would listen to the above advise as this is her site i think and she know's a hell of a lot about cat's and kitten's so please don't just brush her off no one will be able to give u any different advise then what the link's she has provided u with , good luck

Originally Posted by ABK

Thanks I have your opinion, now I would like someone elses. I have read some threads and links and so forth. But my question is still the same.

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My opinion is to read TNR1's advice. If anyone here knows what they are talking about it is here. Birthing kittens isn't really about advice, there are things you do and don't do. Basically read up on what to expect, have the emergency vet number handy and let her have them.

There really isn't much too it and TNR1's links are the best.

Hi, Look out for the mucous plug. My cat lost hers and had her first kitten with in 2 hours. Your cat may not give birth so soon after but it is a good sign that she is near. I was advised to have scissors and dental floss on standby incase i had to cut the cord ( I cut 4 out of the 6 cords so it was a good tip!!) You will want some towels and i found that a heat pad and cat carrier were invaluble because Bluebell's kittens came fast and she didn't have time to do much with them before the next one came. She moved around a lot in her nesting box so she would have stepped on them if i hadn't moved them. I put the heat pad in the cat carrier with a towel on top of the pad, i put a towel over the top of the carrier so that it kept in the heat and was dark for the kittens. All i can say is hope you have a strong stomach, i'm squeamish and Bluebell chomping on placenta was more than i could bare

I was not brushing off anyone. Most of the posts by TNR1 are quite similar so I'm pretty sure I got the message by now. And yes the links are helpful. Like I said before I've done quite a bit of reading.
Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough in the question. Bluebells Belly, thanks, that was more of what I was looking for. Things/ tips from people's personal experiences with their cats giving birth and such.
Thanks again!

Originally Posted by ABK

I was not brushing off anyone. Most of the posts by TNR1 are quite similar so I'm pretty sure I got the message by now. And yes the links are helpful. Like I said before I've done quite a bit of reading.
Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough in the question. Bluebells Belly, thanks, that was more of what I was looking for. Things/ tips from people's personal experiences with their cats giving birth and such.
Thanks again!

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I have fostered a couple of mother cats and I did not have to intervene for either of them when they had the kittens...however, I did have one situation where I fostered a mom and her very young kittens and one of the kittens developed pneumonia and died.

Since you took in a cat of unknown background....I would keep your vet's emergency number on hand. When I set up my foster moms....I made sure that they were secure in a room and away from my existing cats. I found that having them contained early on actually got them acclimated to the environment. One thing I recently learned that I did not know about at the time was that instead of putting out a towel (which is what I used) or using shreaded newspaper for your mom (which can be messy) take a pillow case and place either the newspaper or the towel inside the pillow case. That way....your mom has a safe place to have her kittens. You will want to replace the bedding as soon as she stops delivering. I didn't handle the kittens right away...but gave mom a chance to bond with the kittens. I didn't use a scale to weigh the kittens progress...but would highly recommend one. I also would recommend lining up adoptive homes but waiting to introduce the kittens to their adoptive parents until the kittens are starting to wean from mom. That is also around the time that I started to trim the kittens nails (as there is nothing more painful than a rambuncious 4/5 week old kitten learning to climb up your jeans).

Katie

missy gave birth just over 3 weeks ago althought the birth its self was without any problems mum attacked the kittens shortly after and i ended up hand feeding every hour for 3 days morning and night without the help of everyone here im sure missys kittens wouldnt have survived i was at my wits end. the only tip i have really is keep mum in the room you want her to give birth in. missy was very vocal on the day she gave birth and she wanted me to be with her she ended up giving birth behind the tv,which is not ideal im pleased to say she is being a good mum now and the babies are thriving
michellex

Thank you Katie and michelle_mayall. All very good things to know. I'm hoping all goes well and we won't have to assist. But incase we do we will be prepared.
I think one of the neatest things is being able to feel the kittens moving!

Originally Posted by ABK

Thank you Katie and michelle_mayall. All very good things to know. I'm hoping all goes well and we won't have to assist. But incase we do we will be prepared.
I think one of the neatest things is being able to feel the kittens moving!

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It is definately a very exciting time....and if you enjoy the process..you may want to consider fostering for a local rescue or shelter. I actually love fostering...I feel I am helping a mom cat who otherwise may not have a chance and I get to help raise well socialized kittens. The best part is when I hand over the kittens to the new owners.

Katie

Well possibly someday when I'm in a house, as of right now, we are in an apartment.