Belly Still Big After Giving Birth. Is It Normal? And Other Issues....

[momof6cats]

Hello,
My 14 month old cat has just given birth to 4 healthy little kittens for the first time last night. We were with her throughout the whole thing. She delivered the first one at 8:47pm, the second at 8:56pm, the third at 9:41pm and the 4th at 10:08pm. All were alive and seemed pretty much healthy. All placentas were out. The last kitten came out feet first but he was okay. Now about 20 hours have passed and they have been nursing all day. Everything seems fine except her belly still seems pretty big. It is much smaller than it used to be before she gave birth, but it still is quite big. Is that normal or should I consult a vet? The mother has been eating, drinking and using the litter box normally. Everything seems fine except the fact that her belly is still a little swollen. I have never had my cat give birth before so I don't know if that's normal. Please help if you've experienced something similar before.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!
I'm not one of the members who is an expert, but since every other aspect of your little family sounds so wonderfully normal, I think she's ok. I'm not a vet, so definitely keep an eye on things as the days progress

 

[war&wisdom]

Hi! Welcome!!
I'm not one of the members who is an expert, but since every other aspect of your little family sounds so wonderfully normal, I think she's ok. I'm not a vet, so definitely keep an eye on things as the days progress

I'm also not an expert, but I've read about the same thing happening to other mama cats, and they were fine.

Human moms also continue looking somewhat pregnant for a while after birth, so it makes sense that cats would too.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I just experienced a stray cat having two babies (and a 3rd that was stillborn) - a full 24 hours apart. Although, I doubt that is your issue, since she already had 4!!

A day or so after the second live birth, she looked a tad smaller. She looked even smaller a couple days later, but by a week she almost looked nearly back to her normal size. I am sure it is different for every cat though.

If you are the least bit worried, at least call the vet and ask about the timing of the belly size reduction and what signs to look for in terms of any cause for concern. You, mama, and babies are all probably fine.

 

[momof6cats]

Hi! Welcome!!
I'm not one of the members who is an expert, but since every other aspect of your little family sounds so wonderfully normal, I think she's ok. I'm not a vet, so definitely keep an eye on things as the days progress

Hello, thank you! Actually her belly seems to be getting smaller now that it's been about 36 hours. I guess it just takes time for it to get back to its normal size. Everything seems fine so far. Thanks for your reply!

 

[momof6cats]

I'm also not an expert, but I've read about the same thing happening to other mama cats, and they were fine.

Human moms also continue looking somewhat pregnant for a while after birth, so it makes sense that cats would too.

It seems to be gradually getting smaller. It looked less swollen when I checked on her this morning so like you said, I guess it just takes time, just like for humans. Thank you for replying!

 

[momof6cats]

I just experienced a stray cat having two babies (and a 3rd that was stillborn) - a full 24 hours apart. Although, I doubt that is your issue, since she already had 4!!

A day or so after the second live birth, she looked a tad smaller. She looked even smaller a couple days later, but by a week she almost looked nearly back to her normal size. I am sure it is different for every cat though.

If you are the least bit worried, at least call the vet and ask about the timing of the belly size reduction and what signs to look for in terms of any cause for concern. You, mama, and babies are all probably fine.

Hello, I am sorry to hear about the 3rd kitten... But yes, she does seem to be getting quite smaller today. Everything seems fine so far so it's probably just me worrying too much (I do that a lot )
Thank you, and I hope your little family is doing well too!

 

[momof6cats]

Pika and her 4 little kittens are doing very well so far and Pika has been doing a great job. But I have another cat (Kito), who is her brother, and it seems like he's been really curious about what his sister has been up to, since we've been keeping her and her babies in a separate room. So, I've been wondering when it would be safe to introduce Uncle Cat to his tiny nephews (or nieces, still haven't checked their genders). Kito, the uncle, is 14 months old, just like his sister and they've never been separated before. He's also really nice and never even fights with other male cats from outside, unless they would be picking fights with him, (he usually comes back running into my arms when that happens)
So long story short, Uncle Kito is a real sweetheart but his curiosity is driving him crazy so when should I show him his sister's kittens? Has anyone been in a similar situation before?


here are the kittens, taken yesterday:

their mom, Pika:

and her brother, Kito:


Bonus (nobody ever says no to a few cat pics, right?):

 

[war&wisdom]

Neutered male cats have been known to take to the uncle role well, although this is not always true, of course. My mother, for instance, had a huge orange male tabby who took on the mama role for a litter of kittens that the downstairs neighbor's kitty had rejected.

However, the kittens are still very young. If you decide to introduce the uncle, it should only be for short, supervised periods at first. You may also want to wait a little longer before doing this, since they're still so fragile. Also, be prepared for mama kitty to be anxious about the intrusion and be prepared to separate them again quickly.

Is your boy neutered? Vaccinated? Since he goes outside, he could introduce diseases to which the babies are not immune.

Others on here will have more experience to offer and will be along shortly, I'm sure.

Also, do you need help finding a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for mama once the kittens are 8 weeks old?

 

[war&wisdom]

Also, just wanted to add, what an adorable little family!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[momof6cats]

Neutered male cats have been known to take to the uncle role well, although this is not always true, of course. My mother, for instance, had a huge orange male tabby who took on the mama role for a litter of kittens that the downstairs neighbor's kitty had rejected.

However, the kittens are still very young. If you decide to introduce the uncle, it should only be for short, supervised periods at first. You may also want to wait a little longer before doing this, since they're still so fragile. Also, be prepared for mama kitty to be anxious about the intrusion and be prepared to separate them again quickly.

Is your boy neutered? Vaccinated? Since he goes outside, he could introduce diseases to which the babies are not immune.

Others on here will have more experience to offer and will be along shortly, I'm sure.

Also, do you need help finding a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for mama once the kittens are 8 weeks old?

Hello, my boy is vaccinated but not neutered. And he is, luckily, in a good health. He only goes outside to a few of the neighbors' houses for short periods of time and comes back.
And, I actually did show him the kittens today but I only kept him there for about a minute and I was holding him in my arms. His sister didn't seem to mind though. She came and sniffed him and then calmly went back to her kittens. I don't know what he thought of the babies, but he looked pretty scared when he heard them meow and he started trying to get down to the door he is what you would call a scaredy-cat (pun intended). I guess I'll try again when they're a week or two older.

 

[momof6cats]

Also, just wanted to add, what an adorable little family!

Thank you! Yours look adorable too!

 

[talkingpeanut]

How are mom and babies doing now? Are you able to keep mom 100% inside and away from intact males?

 

[talkingpeanut]

Hello, my boy is vaccinated but not neutered. And he is, luckily, in a good health. He only goes outside to a few of the neighbors' houses for short periods of time and comes back.
And, I actually did show him the kittens today but I only kept him there for about a minute and I was holding him in my arms. His sister didn't seem to mind though. She came and sniffed him and then calmly went back to her kittens. I don't know what he thought of the babies, but he looked pretty scared when he heard them meow and he started trying to get down to the door he is what you would call a scaredy-cat (pun intended). I guess I'll try again when they're a week or two older.

If he isn't neutered and is going outside, please keep him away from the family. He could bring diseases and parasites back in with him, plus mom could go into heat at any time.

Would you like help finding a low cost spay and neuter clinic in your area? It's really important to neuter your boy, especially if he's going to go outside. He could be impregnating cats all over and contributing to overpopulation.