Last Sunday I took a pregnant stray in during a storm. She has taken shelter in my basement and became very friendly with me before having her kittens on Thursday (yesterday). There have been a few times that I’ve walked down to check on her and she is huffing and breathing heavily and has a slight jerking motion in her head. When I sit beside her and pet her she then begins purring and kneading. Is it normal for a new momma to react this way when nervous? She does not hiss or growl. I have also noticed that she is constantly pawing at the kittens, is this normal? She is eating and drinking. All kittens seem alert and are nursing.
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Nervous or sick?
- Thread starter Taylor_r
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The heavy breathing and head jerking sounds concerning to me. I don’t think that simply being nervous would cause such symptoms. I would advise you to take her to the vet.
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- #3
Jerking of the head may be the wrong description. It is more like she is huffing so hard that her head is swaying with her breaths. But it completely stops when I sit down with her. I will call the vet first thing in the morning.
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Try to take a video of the behavior if you are able, to show the vet. Please, keep us updated and let us know what the vet says.
It sounds like she may need calcium. Low calcium is not uncommon in some cats after giving birth, especially if they’ve had insufficient nutrition during pregnancy, but it can cause panting and even seizures. Nursing further depletes calcium.
Get some calcium into her pronto by giving her kitten formula, cheese, or finely crushed egg shell in her wet food. In a pinch, give a dish of evaporated milk or half and half. Cats are lactose intolerant and cow’s milk can cause diarrhea and is not recommended. Buy a can of powdered PetAg, GNC, or Royal Canin kitten formula and give her a couple dishes a day. You should see improvement quickly. A vet can give a calcium shot, but it’s not necessary if you give her calcium yourself. Do get some calcium into her asap though. Low calcium is serious.
How many kittens are there? Is the basement warm enough? Is it possible to bring the family upstairs into your home?
T Taylor_r
Get some calcium into her pronto by giving her kitten formula, cheese, or finely crushed egg shell in her wet food. In a pinch, give a dish of evaporated milk or half and half. Cats are lactose intolerant and cow’s milk can cause diarrhea and is not recommended. Buy a can of powdered PetAg, GNC, or Royal Canin kitten formula and give her a couple dishes a day. You should see improvement quickly. A vet can give a calcium shot, but it’s not necessary if you give her calcium yourself. Do get some calcium into her asap though. Low calcium is serious.
How many kittens are there? Is the basement warm enough? Is it possible to bring the family upstairs into your home?
T Taylor_r
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- #6
There are 5 kittens. She will not let me move them. If I do, she moves them back and begins to growl. She won’t leave them in a box either. She wants them on the floor on a blanket. The basement is a finished basement witch carpet and heating/cooling.
I hope this panting is the common afterpains. But of course, extra calcium is never wrong, and should help her. Give her whatever rich calcium source she takes. aside of the mentioned; goats milk is very good. But if she doesnt takes any of the suggested foods, the tip of finely crushed egg shells, sprinkled on her food, is good: she will eat them as she eats her food... And there are lotsa of calcium, as she shells are build almost entirely of calciumcarbonate....
She is friendly because she knows very well she need help now, being high preg and now having small kittens.... Which is good, it makes it easier for you.
When you weigh her kittens, do it on a scale near her, so she sees the kittens and knows nothing harmful is happening to them.... Put a cloth on the scale, so its not cold to the kittens and they wont need to protest.
T Taylor_r
She is friendly because she knows very well she need help now, being high preg and now having small kittens.... Which is good, it makes it easier for you.
When you weigh her kittens, do it on a scale near her, so she sees the kittens and knows nothing harmful is happening to them.... Put a cloth on the scale, so its not cold to the kittens and they wont need to protest.
T Taylor_r
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- #9
She is not panting today. She seems very loving and is eating and drinking. I have given her some egg shells until I can get the kitten formula. She has had a small amount of blood on her tail twice. I’ve left a message for the vet. Is the small amount of blood normal in the two days after giving birth?
Yes, cats bleed and spot from the vagina for 7-10 days after giving birth as the uterus contracts and heals, just as human moms do after having a baby. It will turn pinkish, then brownish, then dry up completely. Only if you see consistently large amounts of bright red blood would you need to call the vet. That would be a hemorrhage that needs urgent attention, but it is very rare.
