66 days pregnant and no signs of labor yet

[alexibd]

Hi!
Out cat Zombie is pregnant, but no signs of going into labor yet? She did first mate the 12th of september, then 13th and so the 14th. Counting from the first mating (12th) she is on her 66 day by now. Her belly is pretty big and we have been able to see the kitties moving for at least a week now. She hasn't showed any signs of nesting behaviour, just laying around in her usual spots. We have made 2 different nesting spots for her, but she shows zero interests in these spots. She is normally an outdoor cat, but for the past two weeks she hasn't been showing interest in coming out (nor would we let her). But for the past three days now she has been meowing a bit in front of the door in the evenings (she usually goes out in the evening) She seems bored, so usually when this happens I start playing with her to distract. She is still very playful, jumping around and chasing. Is this normal? I would expect her to be more relaxed by now. Her nipples are big, but not like swollen in the area around them, like Iv'e seen in pictures of other pregnant cats.
Her appetite has decreased a bit I think. She is still eating "normal", but not as much as she did a couple of weeks ago. I haven't been able to see any vaginal discharge yet, nor does she lick herself a lot around genital area.
She is pretty much acting normal, just that she seems a bit bored.. I've read that a couple of days before giving birth they "drop" and the stomach gets smaller as the kittens are moving into the birth canal? I still think she looks the same, with a round belly..
This is her first pregnancy, and she is not the biggest female cat (3kg). I'm worried about the kittens getting too big inside of her.. So I am looking for some advice, anyone who has experienced the same? Should we call the vet now, or give it a few more days?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Sarthur2]

I would give it a few more days since she mated on different days. Also, cats can easily go to 70 days, and it’s better if the kittens are not premature. She sounds very close, and Mother Nature usually knows best, unless mom cat becomes distressed.

Do you plan to spay your cat after the kittens wean? Do not let her outside again until she is spayed.

Do keep us posted!

 

[alexibd]

Hi, thanks for answering!
We plan to have one more litter on her before she gets spayed. We were actually planning to mate her with a chosen male, but she managed to escape with the neighbours cat during heat, so next time we will be more cautious!

Me and my boyfriend just got home from a shopping trip, and once we arrived home Zombie was suddenly acting so weird, I think she is getting close!

Running restless around, and getting scared of any loud sound, like when something drops on the floor. And this is unusual for her, as she is normally a very chill girl! And then we offered her some food, which she just took a few bites of and then left, seeming uninterested. And suddenly, like 10 minutes later, she just ate the whole bowl like she was starving. I've also noticed her belly dropping (I think?). Earlier it was really round and hard, now it's still big, but more saggy, and It's like we can easier feel the kittens. It kinda feels like a lot of the water that was making her stomach hard is gone? We haven't noticed any water or vaginal dischard yet, but maybe she has been cleaning it up while we were away.. I don't know. Now she's just chilling at her favourite spot, but seeming very alert to everything that is happening around her.

And btw, I bought some KMR for the kittens just in case, but I've heard that it's good to give to the mommy aswell, for the extra nutrients and calcium. I tried giving it to her, but she doesn't seem to like it(It's kinda salty). Can I mix it with a little bit of honey to see if she likes it better? What does the experts say?

I will keep you updated

 

[Sarthur2]

KMR should not be salty. Which brand did you purchase?

 

[alexibd]

I got this one. I don't know, I just dipped my finger and tasted it with the tip of my tounge and I though it was a bit salty, not very, but more than cow milk for sure haha. But I guess it does because it has more nutrients?

 

[alexibd]

Help!!
She has now given birth to two kittens, and washed them etc was so good, and then all of a sudden she ran under the bed and now she is under there washing herself. No idea if there will come more. What should I do??

 

[alexibd]

How long can the kitties make without mamas milk? We are trying to keep them warm for now. Tried to bottlefeed them, but they don't seem to figure out how to do it

 

[alexibd]

So, Zombie just gave birth to three beautiful kittens. It didn't really go as we hope it would, but that's just typical right. Luckily they all three came out alive!
Zombie started having contractions this morning, she woke ud up laying on us in our bed, moaning. Her water broke in the bed and we though she was gonna have them there. Then she suddenly got restless, moving around in different places. Then she got up in the bed again and started having contractions again, and just as the kitten was on his way out, she decided to jump out from the bed again! I tried to hold her back as I was afraid she was gonna kill the kitten on her way down (It's like 1,5 meters down to the floor) but she did it anyways. So she jumped to the floor, literally with the kitten hanging out from there. I was sure the little fragile thing was gonna get killed in the jump, but he didn't! She finished giving birth on the floor, licked him clean, and then she just left him there, going under the bed herself. A orange little boy was the first one to be born.
He started screaming, and Zombie seemed confused, not knowing what to do, she kinda just looked weird at him. This is where I started thinking that she was not going to accept, and I lowkey paniced a bit, also because he was laying there directly onto the cold floor. I put the little one in one of the birth places we prepared for her, and luckily she followed after and continued licking him. Short time after, she gave birth to the next one, but seemed kinda confused again, as the little orange boy was screaming, while she had her contractions. She almost looked like she was gonna escape again, but she gave birth and seemed to have it under control.
After like 20 minutes, she started having contractions again. She got restless, and just as the baby was on its way out out, she escaped under the bed again, leaving her two babies alone screaming. We gave the kitties a big warm blanket to keep them warm, and waited for like 10 minutes, to see if she came back, and then I called the vet, that told us that cats can be like this sometimes, and that we should give her a little more time. Eventually we picked up the kitten she had under the bed, and moved it to the rest of them. Luckily, Zombie followed, although she was a bit hesitant in the beginning, kinda not understanding what was going on, like what the heck are those small alien-looking things, haha. I placed the three of them with her, and then she started to lick them all over again, and purring out loud, like her instinct started to kick in. The entire process took like 3 hours. Now they are all cuddling and weaning together. I am sooo relieved! The two last ones are two beautiful calico girls. They all seem to be okay, moving around alot, drinking milk, and talking!
I hope she isn't gonna have more now, cause it seemed kinda harsh on her I've attached a picture, It's kinda hard to see the two girls, cause they are almost camuflated in their mom's fur!

 

[fionasmom]

That was all a real cliff hanger! I am so glad that they kittens were safely delivered and Zombie is now sure about what to do.

 

[Sarthur2]

Good to hear it all worked out. Think twice about breeding her again, and if you do, you need to wait a year. Kittens need to stay with their moms for 12-14 weeks, and mom needs a long recovery from pregnancy and nursing. It’s hard on her body.

Continue to offer mom the KMR. She may just not have been in the mood for it when you first offered it.

 

[alexibd]

Thank you for your advice!
I have no plans on breeding her again before she gets a long recovery. Both mama and the three kittens are doing fine now. She is very excited about her babies. Also, she finally drank the KMR !

 

[alexibd]

Hi again!

So, one of the kittens is smaller than the others. The biggest one is almost twice her size. I read about the kitten fading syndrome, and thought maybe that could be it. The thing is that she eats, and it looks like she has been gaining weight since birth, 3 days ago, just not as much as her sister, that has grown really big. Her brothers size is between the both of them, more or less. She was born smaller that the other two, I've read that this could be of genetical reasons, but also the positioning of the kittens in the mother's womb. She is just a bit quieter and calmer that the others, not taking up that much space, not screaming that much. Her sister has really been growing fast, but that makes sense, as she seems to be the most dominant one. I'm just worried about the little one. But it looks like she is eating good, although it's hard to say if a kitten is sucking good or not? At least she is not screaming when she is feeding, I read that this can be a sign of her having problems sucking.I was planning to weigh them, but my kitchen scale broke and I haven't had time to go out and by a new one yet, I will try doing it today or tomorrow.

I guess that my questions are, should I be worried, or is it just a part of genetics that she is smaller than the others?
And how can I determine if the kitten is having problems sucking or not?
And when I'll weigh her, what should the minimum weigh be before I'll have to intervene?

She is so beautiful and cute, I really want her to survive

She is the tortie(or calico?) one in the middle in the pictures.

Thank you!

 

[AmeowzingWhiskers]

Hello,
This particular issue used to happen with my queen. She gave birth to three kittens just like yours, and the petite one seems so lethargic and frail to suckle. She sadly passed away at just roughly 3 days. The other two stayed well and grew into sassy furbabies!
I'm hoping yours doesn't happen as mine did, and hopefully, those babies will grow into beautiful spirits.

I use a Kitten Bottle Feeding and Stomach Capacity Chart to check on the kitties' weight, which can be viewed and clicked here: https://www.maddiesfund.org/assets/...Bottle Feeding and Stomach Capacity Chart.pdf

Best of luck.

 

[alexibd]

Hello,
This particular issue used to happen with my queen. She gave birth to three kittens just like yours, and the petite one seems so lethargic and frail to suckle. She sadly passed away at just roughly 3 days. The other two stayed well and grew into sassy furbabies!
I'm hoping yours doesn't happen as mine did, and hopefully, those babies will grow into beautiful spirits.

I use a Kitten Bottle Feeding and Stomach Capacity Chart to check on the kitties' weight, which can be viewed and clicked here: https://www.maddiesfund.org/assets/documents/Institute/Kitten Bottle Feeding and Stomach Capacity Chart.pdf

Best of luck.

I'm sorry to hear your little one passe away

I hope Yumi, as we named her, will survive. Althougt she is small, she is still strong, and won't let her siblings overrun her. She seems healthy, and she is suckling as much as her siblings are. I hope it is just her genetics? I will keep a close eye to her, and her weight. The normal is that they put on 10-15 grams per day, right?

 

[alexibd]

The sweet little baby is making suckling movements with her tounge while she sleeps. I hope this may be a sign that she doesn't have a problem with suckling, or is it me just being hopeful? :')

 

[Sarthur2]

Kittens should gain 6-10 grams per day. More is always good. The only way to really know how much they are gaining is to weigh them daily in grams with a digital scale. Weigh at the same time daily and keep a log.

Her size may be due to her being conceived 2 days later than her siblings, or placement in the uterus (though with only 3 kittens they really should not have been squished); or, she simply may be a more petite cat. My runt some years back (a male) eventually grew to be a huge cat — bigger than his 3 siblings.

Overall, from your descriptions, it sounds as though she is thriving.

Get that scale though — it will help you to know!

Also, goals are 4 ounces at one week old; 8 ounces at 2 weeks; 12 ounces at 3 weeks; and about a pound at one month. Then gaining about a pound a month thereafter for several months. Use grams initially and use a conversion chart for translating to ounces.

Keep us posted!

 

[alexibd]

Kittens should gain 6-10 grams per day. More is always good. The only way to really know how much they are gaining is to weigh them daily in grams with a digital scale. Weigh at the same time daily and keep a log.

Her size may be due to her being conceived 2 days later than her siblings, or placement in the uterus (though with only 3 kittens they really should not have been squished); or, she simply may be a more petite cat. My runt some years back (a male) eventually grew to be a huge cat — bigger than his 3 siblings.

Overall, from your descriptions, it sounds as though she is thriving.

Get that scale though — it will help you to know!

Also, goals are 4 ounces at one week old; 8 ounces at 2 weeks; 12 ounces at 3 weeks; and about a pound at one month. Then gaining about a pound a month thereafter for several months. Use grams initially and use a conversion chart for translating to ounces.

Keep us posted!

Thank you! I'll get that scale, and keep you guys posted here.

 

[alexibd]

Hi again!
I have weighed the kittens now on day 4.

Yumi(smallest one): 180g
AJ (middle one): 195g
Yuki (biggest one): 216g

As I've read so far, Yumi should be within the normal range for a 4 day old, and Yuki actually seems to be a bit big? The problem has been that I've been using Yuki as a standard, and that's why I've been so concerned ´for Yumi
But I will keep monitoring their weight to ensure a steady gain.

 

[Sarthur2]

They are all doing just fine!

Yumi is already over 6 ounces at 4 days old; while Yuki weighs almost what a 2-week-old should weigh. As I mentioned in my previous post, a kitten only needs to weigh 4 ounces at one week.

You’ve nothing to worry about right now. They are all 3 little milk-guzzling piggies!

 

[alexibd]

That is

They are all doing just fine!

Yumi is already over 6 ounces at 4 days old; while Yuki weighs almost what a 2-week-old should weigh. As I mentioned in my previous post, a kitten only needs to weigh 4 ounces at one week.

You’ve nothing to worry about right now. They are all 3 little milk-guzzling piggies!

That is so great to hear! Thank you so much for your help!