How Long Until My Kitty Will Give Birth?

[skye brown]

llemoner I have reached my message limit, so if you can read this just message me here.. but she just seems content. i have put her and her babies back into her birth basket, instead of in the middle of the floor where she was.. so now her babies can cuddle up with her. I think she is done. she had her first at 6:45am and next at 7am.. it is now 9am.. so i dunno.

 

[llemonier08]

Well when I checked in on my queeny at 4am she was cuddling a kitten. I know there is two for mine so I am patiently waiting. My vet said if she doesn't have this one by late morning to bring her in. Seems like two may be the popular litter lol. My girl is so exhausted when I put the kit to her nipple and he finally latched on, she laid back and looked at me like "thanks".

My girl actually seemed pretty big for just two but looking at the little belly on this babe I think the two were just good sized. Last half of pregnancy she was getting kitten chow mixed with wet food for dinner and two tablespoons of kitten replacement milk in the morning. Take into account swelling too. MAYBE there is a third in my queens litter , but feeling around her belly now I feel one more lump.

 

[skye brown]

yeah i feel 2 lumps on my queen. So she cant be done. I finally got the babies latched than they are eating away. Momma seems to just be resting. If she doesnt have another baby by 1030 I am calling the vet. I just dont want any of these babies to die. I would be crushed.

 

[skye brown]

also, i am afraid i have touched the babies too much, trying to get them on nipples.. I hope she doesnt disguard them.. but I dont think she will do that.. she knows i am only trying to help.

 

[skye brown]

ok Nova is up to 3 with definitely one more inside. All have latched and are feeding. will update later. the newest was breach so i think it had gotten stuck.

 

[kcmama]

ur doing great!! she'll probably just rest a lil b4 pushing out that last one...glad shes doing good.

 

[eb24]

also, i am afraid i have touched the babies too much, trying to get them on nipples.. I hope she doesnt disguard them.. but I dont think she will do that.. she knows i am only trying to help.

Thankfully it's a myth that queens abandon their babies if they are handled too much by humans in the beginning. It sounds like you've done what needed to be done so just keep at it!

 

[skye brown]

Sad news to report. Nova had a total of 4 but the last one was stillborn. I believe it died in the birth canal. She went 4 hours between the 3rd and 4th. Still waiting to see if she has another.. But the other 3 are doing amazing, they are eating alot and are full as ticks. We are calling one Houdini because he keeps finding his way out from under the cover to get to momma and feed. But I will report later. I am running on very little sleep or food, so going to make some lunch. 

 

[skye brown]

I have 3 beautiful babies.. i will post pictures when i can. They are all nursing well Nova is a happy momma.

 

[kcmama]

Alright thats great!! i kno u feel better now. maybe im next....kc is about to pop shes so huge..

 

[kcmama]

Skye can u tell me how she was b4 labor?? inbox if u want just tryin to see what to look for..congrats agian!!

 

[skye brown]

Well the day before all she did was sleep.. she barely even got up to eat or drink.. Then that night she wanted alot of attention.. She snuggled up in between my husband and I in the bed, she never really does that.. Then this morning, my husband got up and was in the bathroom when he saw her laying on the floor, she kept meowing and was pacing.. then he said she just plopped on the floor and started pushing.. So if she is getting super super loving and wanting to lay on you or near you more than usual, then i would say pretty soon.. The mucus i saw the other day was her plug, and that was like 3 days before.. But she was not meowing a whole lot before she started having babies..

novakit.jpg

• skye brown
• Apr 30, 2013

3 pretty babies nursing.

novakit2.jpg

• skye brown
• Apr 30, 2013

I have a small phone, so just to get an idea of how tee tiny they are!

 

[kcmama]

Awww..so glad novas doin good ;-)

 

[eb24]

I'm sorry to hear the last was a stillborn- unfortunately these things just happen. The good news is it seems the other three are thriving!

At this point I don't handle them much other than to get the daily weight. Weighing them at the same time everyday is by far the most important thing you can do for them as weight loss is the primary indicator that there is a problem and, when dealing with grams, you often can't tell by feel. So, I weigh them daily and give them a quick look over but otherwise I pretty much leave them alone for the first two weeks or so. I do check in often and pay a lot of attention to Mom- she needs to know that you are there to help her and not to take her babies. 

I was able to get a quick post off to you from my phone earlier that handling the kittens rarely leads to Mom rejecting them. It can however lead to an increase in den moves if she feels her nest isn't safe. Most Queens will still den move at least once (it's just instinct) but if you over handle them you risk her being constantly on the move. You can help with this by setting up a second nest and blocking off all the places you don't want her to go. That way, if she does get the urge she can go somewhere that is safe for her and the babies where they are still accessible to you. It's very frustrating when she moves them underneath the bed just out of reach! 

For now, take a deep breath and give yourself a pat on the back for surviving. Waiting for delivery is certainly one of the hardest parts. You still have a lot of hurdles to get through with these little ones but hopefully the next few weeks will be pretty quiet! 

 

[eb24]

Sorry I forgot to add the obligatory reminder that now that she has given birth she can go back into heat at any time. The earliest I have ever witnessed was 11 days, though another user had her girl calling again after just 4). As you know cats are little houdini's once the instinct to mate kicks in so make sure there is no way she can get outside and keep her away from any intact males until after she has been spayed. I would for sure be talking to your vet about a group rate to have Nova and the babies done at the same time! 

 

[skye brown]

Well the babies and mommy are doing well. I was a little worried about my grey baby because s/he didnt seem to want to nurse lastnight and was just sleeping, but i got it to latch and watched for over 20 mins to make sure he was eating before i went to bed. and this morning when i got up they all were nursing well. Nova is so content. even though i handle the babies a lot just to get them to nurse, she doesnt seem to have a problem with it. This is definitely her first litter. She isnt licking baby butt, or stimulating them at all really. She doesnt know how I guess. So last night they were pooping, so i took a warm rag and cleaned them, and was letting nova smell the cloth then putting the baby in front of her and saying "You gotta lick baby butt".. then she got what i was saying and started cleaning that one.. So i did it with all three.. This morning they seemed clean so i guess she got the idea.. So in a way i feel like she is looking to me for what to do.. But I try not to handle the babies more than just that during the day.. She is now producing a white liquid from her nipples, so i am assuming that is her milk coming in. 

But babies are little fatties.. The first born (black one we have named "Inky" is the smallest in size but has a huge appetite. The grey and white Mini Me "Houdini" is very feisty and is started to bully for the NIPPLE HE WANTS LOL. and then the little grey one "Dartanian" is getting there slowly.. I am sure the names will change as they get older and I can tell what sex they are, but the names are fitting for now 

 

[skye brown]

Babies are still nursing alot, and good news, i have started fostering 2 other 2 week old babies for a local rescue all are well

 

[kcmama]

hows it goin?? is nova takin the new kittens good?

 

[skye brown]

Ok i am very concerned.. We had the new babies for just one day, and we had complications with the other rescue that handed them over to the rescue i was helping, long story short, they took the babies back and Nova had gotten attached to them.. Well last night she moved the kittens, something she didnt even seem to be worried about doing until those babies left.. Now I have moved her bedding to under the sink where she moved them, and she doesnt seem to be cuddling them or anything.. what should i do.. I am affraid that she is missing the other kittens and doesnt know where a safe place is... what should i do?

 

[kcmama]

Give her time just keep an eye on her she probably thinks u stole her babies..she will get back into it.