Hi

I 'think' my daughters 10 month old kitten is pregnant. I've been reading all the relevant threads on here and it's all pretty scary stuff!

My questions are:

It can be up to 1hr between births but how do you know when she's done? Because it says that if it's more than 1hr you should seek a vet but how do you know that the last birth wasn't the last birth, if you know what I mean?

I read on one site advice if a kitten isn't breathing, they said something about stimulating it to start it breathing but I can't find that site again and it's not mentioned anywhere else. Does anyone know? I hate this to happen and a kitten died when I could have prevented it.

Well, I'm not a breeder and I am sure there will be someone along to give you expert advice soon.

I just have pet moggies and when Tabitha had her litter 12.5 weeks ago I judged by her size that she had had all the kittens. There was a longish gap between three and four but she still looked big - quite lopsided in fact. After number five she looked slender again. I don't think that is always the case though.

One of Tabitha's kittens didn't seem to be breathing so I just rubbed its chest gently with a finger and put Tabitha's mouth on it and she started washing it vigorously. It may have been the wrong thing to do but it worked!

Watching Tabitha's kittens born was one of the most wonderful and exciting moments of my life. It was a bit scary as I am very squeamish but I did read a lot beforehand and I think some of that came back to me at the time.

I wish you loads and loads of luck.

I have never had a cat give birth that performed exactly to what the text books say. Yes there is lots that can go wrong and it is a huge responsibility Mum and babies lives in your hands but most cats are excellent at doing it all themselves (unless they are siamese and too posh for the icky stuff in life ) so don't worry.

Books are great for what to expect, but trust your girl. If she is happy and not unduly distressed in anyway then everything is fine. Some cats have been known to have 48 hrs in between kittens, their owner thinks they are done, and then they find an extra one suddenly.

Mums don't tend to be overly attentive to babies whilst they are giving birth, they clean them and do the necessary but then they are concentrating on the next one. If she settles down with her babies and encourages them to feed then thats a good indication that she has finished. Make sure that you have the same number of kittens as afterbirths, sometimes they can get detached in the birth process, but you don't want one left inside as that can cause an infection so keep a count.

When the kitten is born, Mum should clear off the bag and her licking them helps stimulate their breathing and circulation, but if one looks lifeless, then you may need to intervene. It doesn't always work but its worth persevering, especially if they have a pink colour to their nose and mouth etc. This is bit of a quick explanation but clean the kitten and rub gently with a towell or flannel, make sure their mouth and nose are clear from mucous, kitchen towell is good for soaking this up with the rubbing you may find the kitten starts to gasp a little if so keep going if not try swinging them - hold the entire kitten securely between the palms of your hands so the head isn't flopping around, stand up and keeping a firm grip swing your arms downwards, this will help get rid of any mucous the kitten may have inhaled. Then its just a matter of rubbing and swinging. You can also give them mouth to mouth, open their mouth a bit cover their nose and mouth with yours and give a short blow. Most of the time a couple of swings and rubbing is enough. Make sure the kitten is warm, have a heat pad or a covered hotwater bottle near by so that you can keep them warm until Mum is finished, it they get too cold that slows down their circulation. The Old Style siamese club sell excellent fleece nests with a little micro waveable heat pad in the bottom. They are great for popping kittens in to keep warm and dry off whilst Mum is busy.

Hope that helps a bit. Do you know when Mum is due?

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"Love a lot, trust just a few and always paddle your own canoe"
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Thanks Saikou, for all your advice.

I've just remembered that I have a fleece bed in the attic that has a microwavable pad that goes underneath. But I'd never of thought to have used it if you hadn't mentioned it.

I don't know when she's due that's another thing that worries me. But I've read that she will leak milk a couple of days before so, assuming that's true, I'm going to examine her daily.

I'm going to find a nice box and move her food and litter tray somewhere tonight and hopefully get her used to it all being in one place.

hi
just noticed you said that your cat will leak milk prior to birth.....mine never....just trying to let you know that all cats are different. My cat went very quiet in the days prior to birth, she followed me around constantly and was very clingy too.

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Nic xx

My girl showed absolutely no sign she wanted to give birth whatsoever, then 3 days overdue she popped out 5 babies and pretty blooming quickly i may add lol xx
so yes all cats are definitely different lol xx

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Ooh I'm getting quite nervous. I'm obviously not going to get any notice then. She's sleeping and eating a lot at the moment with the occasion burst of energy.

Can you keep your laptop/pc near her as I am sure there will be at least one of us with experience online when the happy event happens, in case you need to ask anything

Try not to worry too much, the vast majority of cats kitten perfectly naturally.

You only need to worry if the cat has been actually straining for over an hour. A rest of several hours between kittens, with no straining, is quite normal and there is no cause for concern as long as the cat is happy.

Liz

Hello and Welcome G-700Girl - how exciting - a new queen. Well I think you have lots of advice but to fill in any gaps and here I cross my fingers and hope that I have not missed that someone has already posted this ... the key things to look out for if you do not have a date as such, might be these:

1 Normal gestation is between 63 and 68 days but as Kim says, queens do behave differently and you can never rely on a textbook delivery. My own queens have typically delivered on days 66 to 70. For guidance, expect babies around day 65, plus or minus a couple of days.
2 nipples start to become pink at around 21 days
3 tummy begins to swell with growing babies and appetite increases at around four weeks
5 at 7 weeks you may be able to see tiny movements in queens tummy, queens likes to eat well and sleeps more
6 at 8 weeks you definitely should be able to see some movements and queen tends to eat more frequently but smaller amounts - she will also be showing nesting behavour, finding nooks and digging around, treading fabrics to form a bed, trying to find hidy-holes.
7 at nine weeks she might be more sedentary and perhaps a little more clingy.

Sometimes a queen will refuse food the day before the birth but some queens tend to eat normally. Just before the birth you will see a slight colourless discharge. Birth can be expected around 24 hrs afterwards.

Breeders tend to allow for kitten watch over a period of several days.

Regarding your question about how to know if there are any more kittens, well the trick is, if you are inexperienced, mostly trust your queen, she will make it clear when she is "done". All you need to do, as Kim explained, is to make sure that you have (or have seen - some queens will eat an afterbirth) the same number of afterbirths as kittens. The queen will be happily licking her kittens and lying back for them to suckle or cleaning herself up etc.

Experienced breeders or some vets will be able to palpate the tummy to feel for any kittens still inside if necessary. Cross that bridge when you come to it. My guess at the moment is that your daughters queen will be so natural that she will make it plain when she has completed delivery of all her kittens.

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best purrs

Ra

http://www.bobergsiamese.co.uk/