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Re: Kittens Due ... what to expect??
stolen from the net i'm afraid
As with human pregnancies, cats don't necessarily give birth exactly on cue. At some time between 60 and 65 days from the time of conception, your cat will begin to become restless in preparation for the birth. At this stage, you should remove the blanket from her bed (it may hide a kitten later) and carefully place your cat there. The next stage is up to her - you're probably more nervous than she is!
Once her contractions start, she should lie down on her side, though she may get up and move around at any time during labour. With the birth of the kittens about to happen, you will probably not need to do a thing - unlike human deliveries, cats are usually very capable of looking after themselves. A few reassuring words as she gives birth will help keep her happy.
The arrival of the first kitten may come at any time between 10 and 60 minutes after the contractions start. The kittens will be delivered one at a time, emerging along with the placenta. Most kittens are born head first, but around one third are born legs first. Whatever the case, a healthy cat should not usually have problems.
On extremely rare occasions, a kitten may not be fully born five minutes or so after first emerging. This is not usual, but if the mother shows some signs of distress at this point, you should contact your local Veterinary Surgeon. Remember: this is unlikely to happen; most cats experience no difficulty in giving birth.
Immediately after the birth of each kitten, the mother will bite through the umbilical cord and attempt to eat the placenta, which should emerge after each kitten. This is quite normal. Some Veterinary Surgeons and breeders remove the placenta before the mother eats it, as it may cause indigestion later on. If your cat doesn't mind you removing the placenta, you might like to take it out of her way. Otherwise, leave well alone. Mother knows best.
Normally, the sac which contains each kitten in the uterus will break as the birth is taking place. If a kitten is born with its sac still sealed (which is very unlikely), and the mother shows no interest in breaking it, you should tear it with clean hands and encourage the mother to lick the kitten.
The time between the birth of each kitten may be a matter of minutes, or over an hour. Much more than this, and the cat may be having difficulties. If in doubt, call your local Veterinary Surgeon. Usually, the birth of all kittens takes place without a hitch.
This time is extremely important to the newborn kitten. Vigorous licking from the mother immediately after the birth of each kitten clears any liquid from around the nose and mouth, encouraging the first few breaths of air.
After this, the mother encourages each kitten to suckle - giving them their first vital meal. This first milk is Colostrum, and passes on important nutrients as well as antibodies to protect them in the first few weeks after being born.
If you hear a kitten squealing at this point, it may be because they are not suckling. Have a quick check to make sure that each one is suckling properly - there could be an infection of one of the mother's nipples, meaning that one of the kittens is missing out on this important first feed. If this is the case, your local Veterinary Surgeon will be able to advise you.
Colostrum: The first secretion of the mammary glands immediately after birth, lasting for a few days and consisting of serum, white blood cells, and antibodies.
With several hungry mouths to feed, your cat will naturally need to keep eating well. Make sure she has plenty of water, and carry on feeding her on demand - four times a day, or perhaps even more. Let her eat whatever she wants - some feeding mums like energy-rich snacks such as cheese - as feeding kittens is the most energy consuming time in a cat's life. Now is the time to add some kitten food to her diet, if you haven't done so already, to build her own reserves back up and pass the best nutrients on to the kittens. You should also leave her alone to get used to her new family, looking in just occasionally to check that everything's okay.
She should stay indoors for a few days - and it's important to keep the Tom away (if he is still around). Toms have been known, to take a dislike to newborn kittens and, in some cases, cause them harm.
If any of the kittens seem neglected or are crying more than the others, you may have to help out, feeding it yourself with an approved milk substitute, taking over from the mother. If this happens, your local Veterinary Surgeon will be able to recommend the right milk substitute and equipment to use.
After about a week of life, the kittens will see the world around them for the first time their eyes open; a week or so after this, they will begin crawling around. By four or five weeks of age, the kittens will be playful, excited and keen to explore.
In the meantime, at the age of around six weeks they will start eating solids - ideally, a kitten food which contains all they need during this period of rapid growth, and which is made for small mouths to be able to eat it easily.
They will still need the support of their mother's milk until they are about two months old, along with their regular solid meals. You take care of the solid food mum will soon let them know when she thinks they've had enough of her milk! Kittens should stay with their mother until this age, and kept in the house to avoid picking up infection.
You should encourage them to use a litter tray (see: Toilet Training) by placing them in it after meals - the new owner will certainly thank you for starting this particular piece of training before the kitten moves into its new home! These first few weeks of a kitten's life are extremely important - each kitten is vulnerable and learns trust, affection and playfulness that it will carry through its life.
Hope it helps.
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