Not sure if my cat lost her mucus plug or not?

[MoochNNoodles]

I think you are at the waiting stage now; there isn't much else to do.  It's like the saying "a watched pot never boils."  

 

[kellitaylor5]

Well my cat had her babies around 6:30 on she has five of them but we aren't sure if they are getting any milk because there isn't any coming out of her nipples. We did try to bottle feed it sorta work but we just don't know what to do cause we have no idea if they are being fed or not. Can any one please help?

 

[StefanZ]

Well my cat had her babies around 6:30 on she has five of them but we aren't sure if they are getting any milk because there isn't any coming out of her nipples. We did try to bottle feed it sorta work but we just don't know what to do cause we have no idea if they are being fed or not. Can any one please help?

Its quite seldom there dont come any milk at all.  it happens the milk comes after the delivery thought.  If they suckle, you probably wont see it dripping.

If they suckle, does they get contended and fall to sleep after a while?   Or are they unhappy and squeiking although they try to suckle??

Its almost entirely only if there are problems, when mom doesnt get milk.  It may be the birth labor still in progress, and with some complications..  Or the kittens much premature. (hairless, almost alike just hatched birds - if they are hairy and decent round they are properly done).

As said, very unusual the mom dont get milk at all.

Healthy kittens manage a while without the milk.  So usually you can wait and see  a couple of hours. Its good they get the moms first milk.

A wise owner / caretaker do get herself some kmr or goat milk, and gears, just if.

Its true, there are quite often you arent sure if they got enough or not.  The best way to get a sure clue, is to weight them on a scale measuring in grammes.  At least every day, but every 12 hours before they are stabilized.    If they gain, good, if they drop, not good.    At first, hours after delivery, they usually drop some, but if everything is OK, they ALSO gain, so the netto result is hopefully a little gain, a couple of grammes, anyway.

There is one dangerous exception, though.  WEAK kittens, whom try some, dont success really, and seemingly fall asleep.  They are not contend, they are tired and fall asleep by tiredness and exhaustion, perhaps even because they have too little glucose sugar in their blood, not because they are happy and contend.  Its the beginning of dying if you aren vigilant and help them.   A trick here is to begin with smearing some glucose sugar on their gum - real glucose sugar, or white caro syrup, or honey - they both contain much glucose sugar.

Also, you see if they seem contend, snuggling with mom, eating, and happily falling asleep. Ir if they continue to be uneasy, shrieking and protesting...  In THESE cases you must consider strongly to step in.

Last but not least:  giving them bottle, or syringe or dropper, demands you know how to do it; tummy down, head up, they may lie diagonally.  They shall essentially lie as when suckling mom.   NOT like babies do, or is sometimes shown on cute youtube clip with almost weaned kittens whom lie on their back and themselves hold the bottle in all four paws.

If you use syringe or dropper, its in the corner of the mouth, and squieeze slowly, drop after drop.   If you notice they swallow actively, you can let it go a little faster.  If they dont swallow actively, do it very slowly and carefully...

I think its the most important for now.

Please continue with reports, and further questions.

Good luck!

 

[kellitaylor5]

Thank you for that information it really helped I did weigh them last night and they were all around 4.0 oz, we have one kitten that sometimes won't latch on to a nipple and sit there and cry. But other than that they are perfectly fine

 

[StefanZ]

Thank you for that information it really helped I did weigh them last night and they were all around 4.0 oz, we have one kitten that sometimes won't latch on to a nipple and sit there and cry. But other than that they are perfectly fine

This kitten you must look up with, and quite probably give it supplementing.  Is it the siblings who had already occupied the best nipples, and this is his difficulty?   If so, try to put him to mom when they are asleep.

But he may be weak at suckling.  Or even, have some defect - say, hole in the palate (roof of mouth).  Such kittens cant suckle properly - but can sometimes be saved by getting kmr or goat milk with a syringe / dropper.

Syringe / dropper doesnt demand they can suckle, its enough they can swallow.   And thus, if such a palate-deformed kitten isnt too badly damaged, and too weak to swallow, it may often be saved.

Being older, the deficiency of suckling isnt not longer as serious.    And its easier to do surgery, it it will be necessary / financially possible.

I perhaps gave too much info at once - as said, consider strongly supplementing with kmr or goat milk - raw goat milk if you can get it, but bottled is fine.  As he has access to mom, he may be unwilling to take bottle - especielly here when he is weak at suckling too.  So use a syringe or dropper, in the corner of the mouth, slowly and carefully till you are sure he is swallowing actively.   Burp afterwards to lessen the risk of refluxes.

Give about 1 ml in the beginning.  Increase some when you are sure he is taking it all.

Good luck!