Pregnant Foster Not Going Into Labor?

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

Hello all, I foster for a local rescue and 12 days ago took in a very pregnant mama. Ive not dealt with a pregnant cat before, but due to the recent flooding disaster here in Nebraska, we ended up with over 60 new rescues, and so many pregnant mamas that almost every foster has one. Anyway, mine seems so very young, so I’m assuming it’s her first litter. When I got her on the 10th, she was already all belly and I could easily feel the kittens moving. I thought for sure she would have had her kittens by now! It’s 12 days later and her stomach is huge for her size. I can still feel kittens move but not as much, I assume they are running out of room! She has had a yellow mucus discharge for 3 days now, does not clean her hind end anymore as she can’t reach. She’s very sweet, eating and drinking normally, I have her in my bedroom separate from my cats with a nest box ready. Could she be putting off labor somehow? I’m so nervous she will have a difficult birth! Also she has a mild cold. Sorry for the long post, any advice much appreciated!

 

[StefanZ]

Has she dropped? Ie suddenly seems less big? If so its near!

Possibly she has, her belly being visibly bigger than her sides.

Rub her belly if she wants or allows. Nice massage and helps things going on.

Usually its just to prepare and wait. Cats manage a little too long pregs better than humans, while kittens manage badly being premature.

Tx for helping her!

 

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

Her sides are still pretty big

 

[catsknowme]

Thank you so very, very much for taking in that poor kitty! She really is full of kitties. Are you feeding her a good quality kitten food and offering her Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR)? An economical KMR substitute is either fresh raw goat's milk or "glop" made using the recipe found at www.kitten-rescue. com. The extra protein and calcium are needed, especially now. You can ask the vet about giving her L-lysine and Homeopet Feline Nose Relief drops for immune support for her URI (kitty cold).
Does the discharge smell foul? If not, then it is normal, especially for a first time mom. If you notice a bad odor or her licking her privates incessantly, then it's time to call the vet.
I have heard of horses and cats holding off delivery during stressful situations. Stefanz's massage suggestion is excellent! I also highly recommend "comfort grooming" which is done with a toothbrush or a people comb. Use light, "J" strokes all about the face, shoulders, neck, and chin; mimic a mother's licks. She probably will appreciate a cleanse of her rear with warm, moist t.p. or cottonballs or Unscented baby wipes.
I would offer her a variety of birthing spots and boxes. Under the bed and in closets are popular areas as is behind dressers.
Just like people, during the middle stage of labor, her appetite will wane (I get a terrible case of gastric complaints, both directions).
Thank you for the pics - she is a very lovely tabby-tux. I am anxious to see what kittens she produces.
Have you been able to research cat labor & delivery? Please keep us posted!
Prayers and vibes from California for all in the paths of flooding - so devastating

 

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

Thank you so very, very much for taking in that poor kitty! She really is full of kitties. Are you feeding her a good quality kitten food and offering her Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR)? An economical KMR substitute is either fresh raw goat's milk or "glop" made using the recipe found at www.kitten-rescue. com. The extra protein and calcium are needed, especially now. You can ask the vet about giving her L-lysine and Homeopet Feline Nose Relief drops for immune support for her URI (kitty cold).
Does the discharge smell foul? If not, then it is normal, especially for a first time mom. If you notice a bad odor or her licking her privates incessantly, then it's time to call the vet.
I have heard of horses and cats holding off delivery during stressful situations. Stefanz's massage suggestion is excellent! I also highly recommend "comfort grooming" which is done with a toothbrush or a people comb. Use light, "J" strokes all about the face, shoulders, neck, and chin; mimic a mother's licks. She probably will appreciate a cleanse of her rear with warm, moist t.p. or cottonballs or Unscented baby wipes.
I would offer her a variety of birthing spots and boxes. Under the bed and in closets are popular areas as is behind dressers.
Just like people, during the middle stage of labor, her appetite will wane (I get a terrible case of gastric complaints, both directions).
Thank you for the pics - she is a very lovely tabby-tux. I am anxious to see what kittens she produces.
Have you been able to research cat labor & delivery? Please keep us posted!
Prayers and vibes from California for all in the paths of flooding - so devastating

Thank you for the reply! I’m giving her Iams kitten, I add powdered lysine and probiotics to her food like I do with mine. I’m most worried because she is a very small cat, either very young or just small. I have two boys and she’s so much shorter than them lengthwise. I have not offered kmr or kitten glop, I have offered several types of canned food and treats but she has no interest. She’s eating and drinking a ton which is great because she is very underweight, you can easily feel her spine and hip bones. She has been loving belly rubs, I will try the massage with the toothbrush! Her discharge has no smell and I’ve been helping with baby wipes. I’ve moved her from the spare room to my room, have moved things around so there is nowhere to hide, but has a nest box and an emptied out cubby she could choose (if she doesn’t choose my bed lol) it’s so very sad seeing her so miserable, unable to move around etc, especially since I’m pretty sure she’s still a kitten herself! Thanks again for the advice, I will keep posting here in the hopes of avoiding an expensive vet bill for the rescue, especially since one of the mamas had to have emergency surgery yesterday after a deformed kitten got stuck and caused mama to be unable to urinate or defecate the next day!

 

[abyeb]

Thank you for helping her! When you can start feeling movement, it usually means that there are around two weeks left in gestation. The discharge you see I think sounds like the mucus plug, which can be lost up to a week before delivery. So, I think it sounds like everything is going according to the normal timeline. If the discharge turns green or brown or smells bad, that can indicate infection, in which case, you should take her to the vet.

 

[catsknowme]

She is really large, alright!! She is blessed to be in your special care! Prayers and vibes that the "troops" line up properly and she has an easy delivery!

 

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

4 kittens so far! She’s such a good mama! She never made a peep! She’s currently sleeping, so I’m assuming she’s done, all kittens are healthy and perfect! Grey and white tuxedo tabbies, letting them all rest before I weigh them!

 

[golondrina]

I'm so glad that all went well! Looking forward to some pics when you can.

 

[catsknowme]

Thank you for the wonderful update!!! So precious

You are an amazing guardian angel for that little cat family & I offer my humble prayers for all that you are doing.

 

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

So she had 4 beautiful squirmy healthy babies and one stillborn 2 hours later. She’s doing great and all kittens are nursing, the one thing I’ve noticed is that she’s not stimulating them to go to the bathroom, she’s not licking them at all, is that normal? She’s mostly sleeping. I’ve stimulated them all twice now and they all went

 

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

Pictures!

 

[catsknowme]

Usually mama kitties stimulate them a lot. But your little girl looks so very young and her instincts are probably not fully mature. once you have stimulated them, I would hold the baby's rear up to her to sniff and maybe she will get the idea. their instincts are to keep smells down so as not to attract predators to the nest. It's a good thing that you took her in - elimination stimulation is extremely important!

 

[catsknowme]

What cute little tigers!! And they are doubly blessed to have both you AND a mom to care for them. Godspeed & tailwinds west to the little kitty angel who went Home early. And Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the Fab 4!

 

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

Reading the articles on this site was so very useful, thankfully I had supplies prepared and knew what to do, she didn’t cut any cords, and only ate one placenta. I gave her ample time and left each placenta near her head after cutting the cords but removed them when they got cold. Also a very good piece of advice was layering puppy pads and pillowcases (I didn’t have that many fleece blankets) so that I could remove a layer after each birth. When she was done I wrapped a rolled up fleece blanket around the nest loosely so she can rest her head. She’s being a very good mama so far, doing her best, but she is very grateful for help! The rescue I am with told me not to handle the kittens, I’m not unnecessarily but sometime one gets away and cries and the others are nursing and she just looks at me in panic so I help baby find a nipple. She loves to be petted and will come out of her nest for a minute to get some pets when babies are sleeping. Thank you everyone for all the help I will continue posting here!

 

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

Another update... weird. At about 2 am, 12 hours after the stillbirth and 14 hours after the last live birth, I noticed Valka pushing again. After 2 hours she delivered a huge stillborn kitten, easily twice the length of the others. I had to pull him out. It was heartbreaking, she’s looking all over for him he weighed 186g

 

[CatzAngelsFosterMama]

Rest In Peace Light Fury and Night Fury

 

[golondrina]

How is Valka now? No wonder she was so big. Thanks goodness you took her in! I admire the way you helped her considering you were inexperienced. She is indeed very fortunate to have "found" you.

 

[catsknowme]

Golondrina is absolutely right - Valka was very blessed that you were there to help her! I appreciate what the rescue is advising about handling the kittens because some people don't have those instinctive boundaries - they will hold & pass around a baby kitten, especially when human kids are around, and when the chilled/uncomfortable baby mews in distress, they giggle with delight at the "cute" "baby sounds" and also find it amusing when the frantic mother cat anxiously calls and begs for her baby back (*I am specifying this for lurkers - I know the handling that you are doing is helping & is BETTER for the kittens).
Godspeed, Light Fury and Night Fury (awesome names) - their little spirits have returned to the realm of the ancestors and those yet to be born. It is probably Divine Wisdom that has given Valka all that she can handle with the 4 that she has, especially being so little herself.
Thank you for the updates - we really appreciate them. TCS members really do exemplify "A trouble shared is a trouble halved; a joy shared is a joy doubled"!

 

[StefanZ]

Re handling of infants. All that said, some handling is good as you yourself noticed.
Its in part a myth to never touch the kittens. May be true with a very shy momma, but seldom otherwise.
Look most breeders and rescuers do weigh every day...
Not touching may easily end tragically: we had examples of the whole litter gone because of fleas. The caretaker believed in not touching them....
Not overdoing isnt the same as never touching.