Stage 1 Labor

[Mooncake18]

Hi everyone

So my 1 year old indoor cat snuck outside around December 30 and is 100% pregnant.

She's super close, the kittens entered the birth canal around 36 hours ago (she's like a quarter of the size she was!), being more vocal, sleeping frequently. But there is no discharge and I'm unsure how long the kittens should be in the birth canal before I get worried. I felt a few contractions yesterday but nothing today.

I've read every article I can find but can't really find anything. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[StefanZ]

Give her calcium rich food / fluids, goats milk, youghurt, kmr - whatever you have and she likes, and wait!

 

[Mooncake18]

She's being super spoiled at the moment with all of these nutritious foods, I've been plying her with KMR and all the wet food she can eat! I think she's enjoying my impatience secretly

 

[StefanZ]

Why I write about being sure she gets extra calcium rich food, is, a low level of calcium may cause weak labor work. So this is a cheap safeguarding to be sure she is loaded.

Her need of extra calcium for the growing kittens is another story.

 

[Mooncake18]

Why I write about being sure she gets extra calcium rich food, is, a low level of calcium may cause weak labor work. So this is a cheap safeguarding to be sure she is loaded.

Her need of extra calcium for the growing kittens is another story.

You would not believe it!

I have spent the last few days positive that she had dropped too far and almost looked not pregnant. She was sleeping a fair bit and had a little bit of discharge but nothing had changed.

About 20 minutes ago (1:30am my time) I was lying on the bed being near her for comfort when I swore I could hear a kitten meowing, super young. I cycled between thinking I was crazy and then thinking the upstairs neighbour had a new kitten once I had noticed my desexed male cat reacting to the mews.

I grabbed my partner and had him stand still in the bedroom and listen. It took a few minutes but finally he heard it whilst standing next to our closed wardrobe. We immediately sprang into action because damn it I wasn't crazy and after some minutes we had found 3 kittens, two alive and one dead unfortunately. We haven't had the cupboard open for 2 days so we knew they had been in there all that time. She hadn't reacted or tried to look for them or displayed anything other than nonchalance until we placed the two live kittens in the nesting box. One of them latched immediately and the other had a bit of trouble so I got him going with a bit of KMR but he's howling like a champ and freshly latched.

I want to leave them to feed for a bit before I weigh them but thank goodness one of them had the lungs of a warrior.

 

[Sarthur2]

Most cats would have been frantic to get to their babies. What luck you heard them!

 

[Mooncake18]

I’m still super paranoid. But all is well and the two have cute little pot bellies now from feeding all night. Here is a picture!

 

[Mooncake18]

One week since their birth and they are both doing fantastically!