70 day and still no kittens/Kitten here but not gaining weight

[pinacol]

Hello,

our cat is about to go into her first labour, but today is day 70 and it still doesn't look like she's going into labour. She had a mucus plug a week ago and again today, but since last night we noticed she is more affectionate even today she was for a while. She has just been sleeping and eating all day.

Please advise, thank you.

 

[di and bob]

I think it is wonderful you are taking care of a pregnant cat. She is so lucky to have you, there are so many who are on their own and have to take their chances out in the streets. We ARE a pro neuter site here, but hey, things happen and She is lucky to have someone care. I have had cats for over 50 years, mostly strays and ferals, all of my cats were adopted from the streets. i have spayed countless females and have been through a lot of tragedies, so take what happiness you can.
70 days is on the late end, but still in the normal parameters. 63 to 65 is normal, did you know exactly when she was mated? as long as she is acting normal, not pacing, not meowing, not in distress, everything should be OK. It will be any time now and I bet you are both ready to get it over with! Be prepared to stand by if he feels comforted by you, if she gets too tired be ready to step in and massage the kittens into breathing and take any membranes off their face. Newborns need to be warm to eat too. I know teh wait seems unbearable, but nature can't be hurried. PLEASE keep us informed!

 

[pinacol]

(Just to add some more information) Our vet is considering c-section, she is pregnant with 4-5 kittens, but we would like to try injection to induce labour. She is acting super normal, afectionate, eating, sleeping with us. She is not looking for a nest or anything, though there are 3 nests prepared for her. There is just a discharge I mentioned. Its a Devon Rex cat and first time for her so maybe that is one of the reasons?

We are registered new breeders under Federation Internationale Féline. We are just new, so we want to collect as much information as possible from people who have experiences with breeding.

I think it is wonderful you are taking care of a pregnant cat. She is so lucky to have you, there are so many who are on their own and have to take their chances out in the streets. We ARE a pro neuter site here, but hey, things happen and She is lucky to have someone care. I have had cats for over 50 years, mostly strays and ferals, all of my cats were adopted from the streets. i have spayed countless females and have been through a lot of tragedies, so take what happiness you can.
70 days is on the late end, but still in the normal parameters. 63 to 65 is normal, did you know exactly when she was mated? as long as she is acting normal, not pacing, not meowing, not in distress, everything should be OK. It will be any time now and I bet you are both ready to get it over with! Be prepared to stand by if he feels comforted by you, if she gets too tired be ready to step in and massage the kittens into breathing and take any membranes off their face. Newborns need to be warm to eat too. I know teh wait seems unbearable, but nature can't be hurried. PLEASE keep us informed!

Thank you so much, yes we know the date, and we are closely observing her attitude, but she is just so chilled and doesnt look like she will give birth soon. We sure will update you.

 

[Sarthur2]

The discharge indicates that she is very close to labor. If your vet thinks it is safe to wait another day or two or three, I would. And definitely try the oxytocin before a C-section.

 

[di and bob]

Just wanted to add....Right before birth the kittens drop down and line up at the birth canal. She may noticeably look smaller. The kittens get quiet too right before birth. Not near the movement. Looking on the internet it says they can go until day 72. You might want to wait until then, as long as she isn't distressed. I carried both my children for 10 months which isn't normal either!

 

[emocatowner]

Did the vet say why they are considering c-section instead of inducing labor? Did they do any xrays or ultrasounds to see what could be wrong?
I would expect they would want to induce, unless there is a medical reason. A c-section is much more risky (and expensive), plus if it's her first batch, there's a good chance her instincts won't kick in and you'd be stuck bottle feeding them in a sterile environment, and even so the odds aren't great.

If she does end up needing a c-section, the safest thing to do will be to remove everything down there and get her spayed. You can choose not to, but that is a significantly more complicated surgery, plus there is a good chance there will be complications with future pregnancies too.
But if there is a medical reason for needing a c-section instead of inducing labor, then not getting one could kill her.

There is no way to give good advice without running some tests, unfortunately. Thankfully, it sounds like you have a very friendly cat, so they should be able to run them without any risky sedation or stressful restraint.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Did the vet say why they are considering c-section instead of inducing labor? Did they do any xrays or ultrasounds to see what could be wrong?
I would expect they would want to induce, unless there is a medical reason. A c-section is much more risky

I was wondering the same?? Is the vet thinking there is something wrong? I also would agree that if she does end up having a c-section it would be the perfect time to get her spayed as well.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

C-section (Cesarean) in Cats

C-section (Cesarean) in Cats

www.petplace.com

In-depth Information C-Sections in Cats
A C-section is a procedure that is performed in order to retrieve any remaining fetuses from the uterus of a pregnant animal that is unable to deliver them herself. The pregnancy must be very near to the end of the full gestation period in order for the kittens to have a chance of surviving outside the mother.

In many cases, the veterinarian will recommend spaying of the mother while removing the fetuses in order to prevent future dystocia, pyometra and other uterine diseases. The uterus is not necessary for milk production.

The procedure has few complications associated with it and is well tolerated by most animals.

I know you are a new breeder so this is something to consider.. do you know why the vet is recommending a c-section? If so are you going to be getting her spayed to avoid complications mentioned above that are in the link provided? This is just something to discuss with the vet to make sure she is healthy enough for future births. I'm not saying just to get her spayed as I understand you are a licensed breeder. Just considering future complications that you might want to thoroughly discuss with your vet.

I hope she has an easy birth please keep us posted and we love pictures too

 

[emocatowner]

I was wondering the same?? Is the vet thinking there is something wrong? I also would agree that if she does end up having a c-section it would be the perfect time to get her spayed as well.

Not just for timing. When I took my cat in for her emergency c-section, I told the vet "look, I plan on spaying her anyway, we just adopted her, we weren't planning on kittens, but she came in pregnant, and we definitely don't want more. But we love her to bits and want to give her the best odds. So if it's safer to have her recover from this and spay later, we can do that, she's indoor only etc" and he said the surgery is much much more complicated if they have to leave in the uterus. Plus, in my cat's case, her pelvic bone was too small compared to the kittens' heads, so they'd get stuck. And this was likely to happen in future pregnancies too.

So this isn't just a "it'd be nice to also spay your cat". It's more of a "talk to your vet and figure out what's actually medically wrong here, do what's best for her and, if she is not a good candidate for kitten making, sell her to a loving home, and get another cat, if you want to breed. You may even be able to get a refund from the breeder you originally got her from.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Not just for timing. When I took my cat in for her emergency c-section, I told the vet "look, I plan on spaying her anyway, we just adopted her, we weren't planning on kittens, but she came in pregnant, and we definitely don't want more. But we love her to bits and want to give her the best odds. So if it's safer to have her recover from this and spay later, we can do that, she's indoor only etc" and he said the surgery is much much more complicated if they have to leave in the uterus. Plus, in my cat's case, her pelvic bone was too small compared to the kittens' heads, so they'd get stuck. And this was likely to happen in future pregnancies too.

So this isn't just a "it'd be nice to also spay your cat". It's more of a "talk to your vet and figure out what's actually medically wrong here, do what's best for her and, if she is not a good candidate for kitten making, sell her to a loving home, and get another cat, if you want to breed. You may even be able to get a refund from the breeder you originally got her from.

Yes that is the reason i brought it up. This way OP can discuss any future complications that may arise.. just to keep the momma and any and all kittens as safe as possible. I attached a link for OP to check out this way they have an idea of what questions to ask the vet

 

[pinacol]

I read here in the group that every time someone wrote for help, everything turned out well in the end, in our case it is the same. Our kitty went into labour (day 70) yesterday at 10:30pm and was in labour by 2:30am. She gave birth on the bed, even though she had about 3 nests ready . Do you think we can move the cat and kittens to another nest? The kittens are just sleeping and eating milk now. It seems to us that she might still have some kittens in her, is there any way to find out?

Thank you very much for your help! We appreciate it <3

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I read here in the group that every time someone wrote for help, everything turned out well in the end, in our case it is the same. Our kitty went into labour (day 70) yesterday at 10:30pm and was in labour by 2:30am. She gave birth on the bed, even though she had about 3 nests ready . Do you think we can move the cat and kittens to another nest? The kittens are just sleeping and eating milk now. It seems to us that she might still have some kittens in her, is there any way to find out?

Thank you very much for your help! We appreciate it <3

YAY congratulations little lady!! This is exciting. How are momma and the babies doing?. I'm really happy to hear momma had them naturally so I guarantee you are elated she didn't have to have a c-section. This is absolutely wonderful. Thank you for this wonderful update. I hope momma and babies are doing well.

 

[di and bob]

Thanks for getting back with us! Those kittens are big and healthy looking. Its not unusual for cats to pause in between kittens, sometimes for days. Just keep an eye on her and as long as she acts calm and eats/drinks/uses litter box, everything is fine. If she starts acting stressed, call your vet.you can move the kittens, but she will move them where she wants! Congratulations!

 

[pinacol]

So we're not done yet, we found out she has at least 1 more kitten, she was struggling now, breathing heavily and not having contractions. She fell asleep right after that and has been asleep for about 15 minutes. Is it allright? Thanks for the advice.

 

[fionasmom]

If you have an sense that something is wrong or that she is struggling, I would err on the side of caution and call the vet. At least have a phone conversation and explain what you are seeing and ask for advice.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Since you said she was struggling I would at the very least make a phone call to the vet. You may need to take her in to be seen. The sooner the better. If she wasn't struggling that would be a little different but especially the struggling seems like it is necessary to at least call

 

[Sarthur2]

Are you sure it’s a kitten? Cats have after pains following delivery for a day or two, just as human moms do. The uterus is also lumpy after birthing until it shrinks back to normal and is fully healed.

Give her a dish or two a day of kitten formula to drink. The extra calcium will help with contractions and nursing. Nursing is hard work and can cause labored breathing.

P pinacol

 

[heatherwillard0614]

she is pregnant with 4-5 kittens,

P pinacol how did you come to the conclusion that she was pregnant with 4 or 5 kittens?

How many did she give birth to? It looks like 3 in the picture.

 

[pinacol]

Hi, minor update, we had a rontgen and found exactly what you wrote, that the cat is in pain. The final count of kittens are 3. However, mommy doesn't want to eat at all yet, we are trying to give her a bowl of kitten formula to drink. She is terribly exhausted, she only goes to the toilet. She hasn't eaten anything yet and hasn't had much to drink either, and it's been almost a whole day.

 

[di and bob]

Get her some Delectable Lickabels in the stew flavors in the cat food treat section, she HAS to eat. If she doesn't eat today, you will have to take her in to see what the problem is. She may be preoccupied with teh kittens, but she has to eat and drink. The kittens drain her quickly of strength........I pray she is better today.......