Trying to get prepared..

[sylvastar]

Hi, I’m new to the site, just started coming on here when I took in a stray almost 2 weeks ago..

So here it goes, I just moved into an apt and the land lord had been feeding this stray cat/kitten for a couple months, She is a beautiful calico bobtail, she let them start petting her after about 2 months, but it’s on her terms with no sudden movements.  I had mentioned that she was cute and that I loved bobtails and they encouraged me to take her in. So the weekend I moved in I spent some time with her outside and that is when I realized she was prego.  I don’t know how far along she is, but I felt some bumps in her belly. She is probably 8 to 9 months old… so she is pretty young. Because I did not know how far along she was I thought it was really important to get her inside and adjusted ASAP. SO… I got her in. It was pretty traumatic, for us both... she does NOT like to be held. But she adjusted really well. She took to the cat box by day 2 and has been doing really good, she even will lie on her back and let me rub her belly. In doing so I noticed her nipples are pink and enlarged... and I know that tells me she is over 3 weeks.

So she had been inside for a week and was doing really good and I had talked to the vet and they said I could bring her in to see if she had worms and any other stuff and I was going to take her this week, I had guessed that I had 3 more weeks to go, probably due around march 19-27.. But then on Saturday I think her mucus plug came out... So that worried me because I’m not ready for the kittens. Also found out she has tape worms.. So I called the vet and they said to not bring her in until after, that they can’t treat her until she has the kittens… and that she may be closer than I thought.. (Personally I think going to the vet will be pretty traumatic for her… and I was worried about the babies) They also said that the mucus plug does not tell how long we have left. She is not acting like she is going into labor anytime soon, still eats like a hog and does not nest.

Soo..

1: I guess I’m asking people to tell me how long it took after their cat lost the plug, that the kittens came... Any that took 3 more weeks? (It’s been 2 days.)

and

2:  She is a young cat, and I’ve never had a cat have kittens... what do I need on hand if she needs help... (I heard something about tearing the cords… or tying them? And something to put on the cords some kind of antiseptic.  Should I have some kind of kitten formula on hand in case?)

and

3: How worried do I need to be about the worms?

sorry for the long story.. and Yes I'm getting her spayed as soon as its possible, yes she will only be an inside cat.

 

[sylvastar]

Oh and her name is Gisele

 

[sylvastar]

1st picture is when i first brought her in.. this is a little over a week later.

 

[orientalslave]

If you follow the vet's advice the worms shouldn't be a problem.  She is clear of fleas?  The usual sign is flea dirt in her coat - little black specks that stain red if you wet them.

Things to prepare:

Make sure you have your vet's emergency details - what phone number and where.  If the 'where' is different to usual, make sure you know where it is.  Also make sure you have a secure cat carrier.  She will probably not need any help, but the middle of the night isn't the time to be finding these things out.

She probably won't need any help - I've had to break a few cords and that's it.  I just tear then with clean fingers as far away from the kitten as possible.  They bleed if you cut them - cord sissors are blunt for that very reason.  Have never put any antiseptic on the cord stump either, neither have various friends who have breed kittens.

The kittens shouldn't need any bottle feeding, and it's a real art - they don't have a cough reflex to start with so if you feed too fast it goes into their lungs.     You can also get into a cycle where you feed the kitten so it's not hungry so it doesn't suckle so you feed it so it's not hungry and so on.

I would have lots of washable bedding to hand - not towels as tiny claws can get caught.  Some puppy pads are useful as well.  Cardboard boxes make great disposable nests.  If you don't live on your own she needs a quiet place away from all other animals to have her kittens.

Another thing I have is a set of electronic kitchen scales that weigh to 1g - about 1/25 oz.  I weight the kittens at about the same time each day and keep a record.  Being a bit of a nerd I put it into Excel.  The first sign of things going wrong is often that a kitten or all of them fail to gain weight.

The final thing is a camera!  I took photos of the kittens I fostered last year each week when I weighed them, and it really showed how they were growing.  By the time they were 3 weeks old they were too big to fit on the scales and were growing well so I stopped.

You will get through mountains of food and kitten litter!  Cat litter you can buy online, the problem with buying a pile of food online is that it the cat then changes it's mind about what it will eat....

 

[StefanZ]

Mucus plug they can lose much earlier too.  So this is a verry uncertain sign. 

Im worried about the vet who doesnt want to deworm her before delivery. Right? 

The most common IS they got dewormed. Both tape and round.  Round can also go over into kittens, tape not. The tricky is with exactly whitch medicine to use, some OTC brands are dangerous. That is why we always recommend to ask your wet do it, or at least, advise which brand attainable at your country to use.

We do have now several parallell threads with just got kittens. Please do read them too!

Tx for adopting this girl.  God job of you and your land lord.

Good luck!    *vibes*

ps. Welcome to the TCS site and our Forums!

 

[momto3cats]

She's a beautiful cat!

Tapeworms are generally not an immediate danger to the cat - deworming medication is probably more dangerous to the kittens than a mom with worms, so I can understand why the vet wants to wait until after they are born.

Having been outside, she will most likely have roundworms as well, and she can pass those to the kittens in her milk. Mom and babies will all need to be dewormed when they're old enough (usually 4-6 weeks, from what I've read).

I would want to have some KMR formula on hand just in case, and kitten bottles, droppers or feeding syringes to feed them with. If, heaven forbid, the mom dies or gets very ill, you will need to feed the kittens and it's better to be prepared ahead of time. Usually though, she will do just fine giving birth and raising the kittens on her own.

Good luck!

 

[sylvastar]

Ok thanks. Guess its just the waiting game now.. she does not seem like she is going into labor anytime soon. I had her confined to the bath room after I found the plug, but I'm letting her have access to the living room now because I hate for her to be confined for 2 or 3 more weeks. She will probably shock me and have them on the couch or under the couch. Ive given her a couple boxes to choose as a nest but she does not really show much interest in them. I guess I will let you guys know if I have any more questions. Thanks for the information.

 

[sylvastar]

Ok, so another question. Tonight I let Gisele out of the bathroom when I got home from work. She laid on the couch for about 5 min and took a cat nap, and the whole time I could see the kittens moving around with each breath she took. Then she just walked around and laying down and exploring different spots for about 2 hours.

Then I spent some time petting her and I was scratching/rubbing down her back and she stood still, like she liked it, and then turned around like she was going to rub against my hand but instead she bit me. She has never done that before. So I backed off. Then a little bit later she was letting me pet her again and as I petted her I rubbed her belly, she usually loves that, but this time she turned around and hit me with her paw, and then walked away.

So... Could that mean she could be going into labor tonight? Do cats ever get a little aggressive going into labor?

Or maybe she is just in a bad mood?? I guess pregnancy could do that to you.

 

[brinnan]

Ok, so another question. Tonight I let Gisele out of the bathroom when I got home from work. She laid on the couch for about 5 min and took a cat nap, and the whole time I could see the kittens moving around with each breath she took. Then she just walked around and laying down and exploring different spots for about 2 hours.

Then I spent some time petting her and I was scratching/rubbing down her back and she stood still, like she liked it, and then turned around like she was going to rub against my hand but instead she bit me. She has never done that before. So I backed off. Then a little bit later she was letting me pet her again and as I petted her I rubbed her belly, she usually loves that, but this time she turned around and hit me with her paw, and then walked away.

So... Could that mean she could be going into labor tonight? Do cats ever get a little aggressive going into labor?

Or maybe she is just in a bad mood?? I guess pregnancy could do that to you.

Last week my pregnant girl got super aggressive and attacked my face the day before she had the kittens. Now she is back to the sugary sweet lovebug. I do think aggressiveness is a possible sign.

 

[StefanZ]

Yeah, with lotsa hormones surging... Both motherly calming hormones, "milk hormones" too, and also protective agressive hormones.....  You can surely get odd feelings and odd combinations.

 

[sylvastar]

Well, still no kittens, but I think she is Really close.

I noticed yesterday that her back mammary glands have gotten a lot bigger, they look like they are full of milk and sagging a little. She is still eating lots of food and while she has not been as aggressive as she was on Wednesday, she still has a bit of an attitude.

 

[sylvastar]

Ok, so still no kittens. but getting closer. i do have another question. Gisele is a very small cat as she is very young and ive noticed that she can not lick down there to clean her bottom area. and that has been for a week and she is only getting bigger. im worried that she is going to have problems when giving birth because she can not reach down there to cut the cords. is this sometthing to be worried about or will she be able to reach down there once they drop more and she has one? i try to be there as often as possible but i work during the day. i do have a friend that stops by to check on her.. but im just worried she will have complications.i know people have had to tear the cords because the cat wont, but has anyone ever had to because the cat could not reach it? 

 

[catnamedpanda]

My last pregnant foster was so round she could not get down there. She had no problems once it came time to having the kittens though.

 

[sylvastar]

Okay, thanks for letting me know. Ive been worried about that. She is starting to show signs of nesting tonight for the first time. Keeps going in and out of one of the boxes I've set up for her. We will see.

 

[lilkim]

any news did she have them 

 

[sylvastar]

Nope.. still no kittens.. She has been grooming a lot today, she cant reach down there seeing as she is to big but, she tries. I can tell she has been going in the different nest Ive provided cause the bedding is all pulled up like she was digging in it. She is still eating, and is still cranky she just hit me again and this time i was petting her face and i stopped and she hit me with her paw and hissed at me.. who knows.. she is just cranky.

Any day now though.. what about you any kittens?

 

[sylvastar]

Here is an updated picture of her from last night.

 

[lilkim]

aww well no sign of mine yet 

  but she still very playful and still biting and digging claws in ill try post some pics up later of her but you cant always see my cats nips as she is very fluffy ha 

 

[catlady33]

Hi, newbie here

Any kittens yet? One thing I have noticed is the kitten movement seems to slow down a bit right near the end of pregnancy...probably 5-7 days before delivery. Probably due to over crowding as the babies get larger? not much room left to move? lol

Although I have had fosters where the movement seemed to pick up near the end and actually can still see them wiggling during labor....but more commonly it seems to slow a bit. Has anyone else noticed this? Anyway, my girl, Bella is almost ready to give birth too. She's so loving! I will post a pic soon.

You have a beautiful little girl there by the way

 she's sooooo pretty

 

[lilkim]

any news yet my smudge been a bit different today and catlady i think your right about the kittens moving because i hardly see them now but can still feel them now and then if my vet was right she should have them by next tuesday my cat but am hoping sooner because she looks ready let us know with any knew updates