Cat in Labour?

Ok. My cat had kittens 2 weeks ago.

If the cat is in labor this is what you'll see.

If you are really close to your cat she'll want you there for the birth. If you walk away and she follows you meowing then she wants you to come back to where she was.

My cat started doing that the day of labor.

Make sure the box is big enough for her to move around in. I didn't use a box, she found it a lot more comfy in a cleaned out closet. I put towels down and shut the door half way so it was nice and dark. Make sure wherever she has her kittens its nice a dark, very warm w/ no breeze. The kittens need to stay warm! Make sure mommy had enough room to move.

When she's going into labor she will lay down, stand up, move around, stand up again .. it'll look like she cant get comfortable. She'll start panting REALLY hard .. and then you'll see her start to thrust. Like she's going #2.

When the kittens are getting ready to come out she'll start to lick herself is her "area" until they come out. She'll do everything herself. If you can, try to stay around so you can make sure she does everything okay.

She'll bite the placenta off and eat it..there should be a placenta after each kitten .. it might not come out right away.

DO NOT hold the cat down while she's giving birth. This will stress her out and risk the kittens life.

When the kitten finally comes out it will be covered in a sack. Mom will lick it off. Make sure the kitten starts to move, it'll open its mouth, and maybe meow. If you do not see any movement get a small cloth dip it in water and rub the kittens face until it starts to move. I had water and a towel ready when she started giving birth so i didnt have to get up. If it doesn't move after awhile it's probably a still born.

Each kitten should come out within an hour.

If it's been longer then an hour and you can tell theres still more you need to contact a vet! I could tell there wasnt anymore b/c her belly was pretty much flat .. she was her old weight. She had her first kitten at 6am and 4th one (last one) came out at 8am. Most cats have an even number of kittens, some have been known to only have 1, especially if its a young kitten.

If you need anything else feel free to email me anytime. My newborns are 2 weeks and 5 days old today. You can email me whenever .. i can walk you through everything.

I did lose one to pneonmia. So make sure they stay warm .. this one crawled out of its spont into the path of a fan, got too cold and he passed away at the vet. (i had him cremated btw)

animalpassion@sbcglobal.net

good luck

It sounds that she is going to give birth soon, she keeps changing her position because she is trying to make it as comfartable as possible, when she is ready to start to give birth then her water will break (just like a humans) but it will only be a little amount of liquid.

What happens when they start to give birth is the cat will start 'pushing', when this happens she might keep circling around or start to lick her rear end, if the kitten has been sticking half-out for about two minutes then pull it out gently because it means that the cat is struggleing a bit. After the kitten is born the mother cat will have a 10-20 minute break inbetween whilst nursing the first kitten, during this time if the kitten cannot find her nipple then pick it up and place it on the nipple, also try and feed the mother cat some unflavoured yoghurt or vanilla icecream, just to give her a bit of energy. Just keep repeating this until all kittens are born, if you suspect there is still a kitten in her (or more) and she hasn't given birth to it within an hour of birthing the kitten before, take her to the vets and they will sort it out.

By the way here is kitten language;

If a kitten is 'crying' then it is either to hot or to cold,

And if a kitten is 'crying' and bobbing it's head around then it is hungry so place it on the mamas nipple.

Cats cannot pant, i am not to sure how they release sweat (heat) but the short little purrs are just...well...short little purrs!!!

As long as she is healthy then she will give birth fine,

Good Luck, and keep me posted on how the kittens are doing (my email address is miss_sunnyshine123@yahoo.co.uk)

Hope this helps if not there are many books and websites that you can go on.

:O)

she is doing that to your bed to try and prepare a spot to have the kittens, try to move her to a nice quit, dark location covered with soft towels or blankets so she will have the kittens there! or else you will have a mess on your bed. also what you are looking for,is this, when she gets real close to delivering, her butt hole will swell, and start to get larger and there may be a discharge. that will mean she is going to have the kittens. if this is labor, she will start contractions, give birth, clean and eat the stuff that is all over the kitten, eat the sac,and umbilical cord,{after she chews it in half} clean the kitten, and start all over again for the next kitten!! good luck. hope this helped.

The gestation period for cats is nine weeks. Pregnant cats, like humans, gain weight gradually throughout pregnancy. The energy requirements of pregnant cats are reflected by their weight gain. The energy needs of a pregnant cat should gradually increase so that, by the end of pregnancy, she is consuming 25% – 50% more than her normal amount of calories.

Pregnant cats lose weight after giving birth. However, their nutritional needs increase dramatically—energy needs can be two to three times normal, depending on litter size—in order to produce the milk supply that will support the offspring. Water intake is also important for milk volume.

To ensure a nursing cat is getting enough nutrition, give her a nutrient-dense diet such as kitten food. Without increasing the amount of food at each meal, increase the number of meals in the day. Free-choice feed her, offering unlimited access to dry food.

By five weeks of age, most kittens show an interest in their mother’s food. Gradually, the kittens will begin eating solid food and nursing less. At the same time, the nursing cat will usually start eating less. Most kittens are completely weaned by eight weeks after birth. By this time, the mother’s energy requirement is back to normal and she should be eating her usual pre-pregnancy diet.

If you are planning to breed your female cat, it is important to assess her body condition well in advance of breeding. Because of the physical demands of pregnancy and nursing, starting off with less-than-ideal health can cause problems.

An underweight cat often can’t consume enough food to support her and the developing kittens. Overweight cats may experience abnormal or difficult labor because of large fetuses.

Pregnancy and nursing are responsible for many changes in a cat’s lifestyle, as well as her body. Special attention should be paid to her changing nutritional needs throughout the entire reproduction process.

She's just searching for a confy cozy spot to have her babies on. Labour is not far off. When she goes into labour, than lay a towel under her so theres no kitten blood anywhere. Be sure to give a helping hand if a baby for some reason is stuck. Be sure to clean each baby and bring it to the mother after your done.

cats can take care of thereselfs very well but when she goes into labour she wont move for 3-4 hours before her first dilivery and the babies shouldnt be handle for a while getting your scent on them wont hurt them shes more used to you than anything else and she trusts you nothing to worry about there but babie kittens bones are about the tencile strenght of half a toothpick so watch how you pickem up theres nothing to worry about make sure shes got a good place to lay down were she wont have trouble ggeting tangled in cloths

It sounds like labor... My cat had kittens a couple of weeks ago... And i also helped her clean the kittens and she hasnt eaten them yet, so... Good luck, I dont know if you have any infomation on "queening" but your cat should have at least one kitten every hour and if she doesnt it is a good sign of complications. Its a good idea to have a emergency vet clinic number handy.

YEAH, IT MIGHT BE TIME. CATS LOOK FOR A LOCATION WHERE THEY FEEL SAFE.USUALLY IN A CLOSET,UNDER A BED, OR OTHER SEMI SECLUDED LOCATIONS.NATURE TAKES CARE OF THE REST.SHE WILL GIVE BIRTH,WITH A BIT OF PAIN AND PANTING.THEN SHE WILL CLEAN THEM.

well she may go to the bathroom alot clean her self alot, she may meow its sounds like shes ready but when the babies are born dont touch them for 2-3 days or she will eat them its a teritorial thing.

i say go with jennies answer