Tell Me About Your Kitty Births!

[gsholup]

I have a mama cat who should be giving birth any day now and I have been reading many posts to familiarize myself with others' stories to learn what to except. It would be great to have some of the information in one spot! Here are some questions I have for people who have been through a kitty birth:

1) How many kittens were born and how many kittens survived?
2) Where did your cat give birth? Did she accept the area you set up for her or pick her own spot?
3) What were the first signs of labor and how long did it take after they started for the first kitten to be born?
4) Did your cat give birth in the morning, afternoon, or at night? Were you home when she gave birth?
5) Did you have to intervene during the birth or did your mama cat handle everything herself?
6) Any tips or info?

I know every birth is different, but it's nice to have an idea what to expect - plus, it's fun to hear the stories anyway! Thanks in advance for your time!

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS! My first kitty birth in over 25 years was April 30, 2017. I adopted Kelly, a companion cat, from a lady entering hospice. In the next month, Kelly's spay date was continued 3 times. During the last 2-3 weeks, I realized she was pregnant; because she was underweight when adopted, I had her on grain-free quality diet. 3 days before spay day, my daughter had Kelly give birth on her, on her bed! We moved the baby and Kelly into a box in the closet but Kelly returned to the bed to have 2 more babies. For the 4th, she settled down into her birthing box and delivered there. Sadly, baby number 6, who was a runt, died a little over a week later, presumably due to underdeveloped lungs and heart. Had I known how to tube-feed, I might have been able to save him. Since then, I have found out about Kitten Lady on YouTube and the online presentation of Maddie's Fund's "Critical Care of the Sick Neonatal Kitten".
Anyway, Kelly and her 5 remaining kitties are spayed/neutered/vaccinated and healthy!

 

[Irunwithscissors]

I have a mama cat who should be giving birth any day now and I have been reading many posts to familiarize myself with others' stories to learn what to except. It would be great to have some of the information in one spot! Here are some questions I have for people who have been through a kitty birth:

1) How many kittens were born and how many kittens survived?
2) Where did your cat give birth? Did she accept the area you set up for her or pick her own spot?
3) What were the first signs of labor and how long did it take after they started for the first kitten to be born?
4) Did your cat give birth in the morning, afternoon, or at night? Were you home when she gave birth?
5) Did you have to intervene during the birth or did your mama cat handle everything herself?
6) Any tips or info?

I know every birth is different, but it's nice to have an idea what to expect - plus, it's fun to hear the stories anyway! Thanks in advance for your time!

Ours was 2 weeks ago. Everything was totally normal. We're sitting on the front porch talking and she runs up meowing over and over. She's not a talkative cat! She had some green stuff on her behind so we grabbed her up and popped her into the box we made in our laundry room. Maybe an hour later we had a kitten. Followed by another... And another... Finally around 3am I went to bed. I stayed with her the entire time. She cleaned them, chewed the umbilical cords, ate the placentas, etc. The next morning my husband checked on her first and asked how many kittens we had since he went to bed earlier that night. I told him 4!! He said nope... Pretty sure there's 5. No way. I was so sure she was done at 3am. Here we are 2 weeks later, 5 perfect kittens with blue eyes and ears almost up. You'll do great!

 

[catsknowme]

Awww....what cute babies

 

[Mouse80]

Ours gave birth, while I was at the hospital with an emergency. I came home to be told that Gray had delivered a stillborn, premie on the kitchen floor.

While I was looking for a box for the poor baby, I spotted what looked like meat on the floor of the living room. It was a placenta, with a cold, lifeless baby attached. I picked him up, and felt him move.

I had to return to the hospital that day. Again, when I returned, I found another deceased baby, but this one was in her designated birthing box.

Our one surviving baby is amazing. He’s delayed because he was a premie, but he’s super smart, and he’s fired on by every member of the house, including the dogs!