what do i need to watch for when my cat goes into labor how will i know if she is in labor?

Question

what are some signs to look for 24 hours before my cat goes into labor. and what should i watch for during labor. Will she stop eating will her temp drop what are some for sure signs that labor is going to be in the next 24 hours. I have delivered puppies before is it the same. I have done tons of research but everything i see says something different. And i dont need to know i should get her spayed i know that i took her in this winter and had an appt for her to get fixed and it was to late so please dont post any rude comments like every free to good home takes the place of blah blah ive seen you put that on evey question like this and i didnt let her get this way and we live on a farm and all of the kittens are staying here. I think that it is rude for you to put that when everybody isnt trying to add to the problem some of us are trying to help and all you know is the question and nothing else. And she will be spayed along with the kittens when they are ready. anyways please help

Answer 1

Labor And Birth:
Twenty-four to forty-eight hours before the onset of labor your cat will seem more anxious and restless. It will often poke its head about looking for a place to nest and have the litter. But be advised that in some cases nesting behavior can occur as early as three days before delivery. At this point confine her to the room you want her to birth in. This should be a darkened room with an impervious floor in a quiet area of the house. Place food and water in the room.

Cats that are about to go into labor will usually lick their abdomen and vagina persistently. There is often a discharge that precedes birthing but the mother will lick it away as rapidly as it appears. Her cervix will be dilating but no outward signs accompany this. She will loose all interest in food and become serious and attentive to only her licking. If you are perceptive you may notice an increase in her breathing rate. It is quite common for the mother to sit with her mouth open and yowl loudly or pace the room. As her labor progresses and uterine contractions begin pregnant cats will lay on their sides and intermittently squat and press downward to expel the kittens. Do not interrupt or disturb the mother during these periods – just watch from a door left ajar.

The first kitten should arrive within an hour after the onset of labor. Sometimes labor lasts only a few minutes before the kitten arrives. Other kittens should arrive with an interval of ten minutes to an hour between them. Each kitten arrives wrapped in a jelly-like membrane filled with clear fluid – the amniotic sac. Good mothers immediately begin licking the kitten forcefully, which shreds this sac allowing the kitten to breathe. This licking stimulates the kittens circulation and respiration. In the exceptionally rare case where the mother does not free the kitten’s mouth from the obstructing membrane the owner should do it for her and follow this with a vigorous rubbing of the kitten in a soft towel to dry it and stimulate respiration. The mother will also chew off the umbilical cord at this time. If she forgets to do this to one or more of the kittens, tie off the cord with a length of dental floss and snip the cord about an inch long. It is important to let the mother do these things herself if she will because through licking and mothering the kitten she bonds with it and recognizes it as her infant.

The mother cat will probably begin nursing the kitten before the next littermate arrives. If she doesn’t place the kitten on one of her nipples. The nursing will stimulate her uterus to contract further so you may seen a bloody or greenish discharge at her vagina. She may eat a few of the afterbirths. There is no problem with this.

It usually takes two to six hours for the entire litter to be delivered. If labor persists beyond seven hours it is wise to take the mother and the kittens to a veterinary center. While she is delivering keep her area quiet, calm and dimly lit. Don’t become involved in the birthing unless you are certain that you are needed. Once the last kitten has been delivered you can quietly clean up the mess she has left behind. Place a fresh bowel of water and some cat food beside her – mother cats don’t like to leave their kittens for the first day or two. She should spend about seventy percent of her time nursing the kittens. Remember to keep a comfortable temperature in the room – kittens can not regulate their body temperatures during their first six days.

In a normal delivery, strong uterine contractions are accompanied by abdominal contractions and expulsion of the kittens. The first thing you will see is a small, greenish sac visible in the vagina, which will be followed by the kitten. The placenta is still attached to the kitten at this time. It will slowly drag out following each birth.

Although delivery of each kitten can take up to two hours the average time is thirty to sixty minutes. A kitten should not spend more than fifteen minutes in the birth canal. While in the birth canal, pressure on the umbilical cord deprives the kitten of oxygen. If you should see a kitten in this predicament grasp it gently through a soft clothe and pull it with a motion that is backwards and downwards. Grasp the kitten by its hips or shoulders and not by its legs. It is normal for kittens to arrive either head first or tail first.

After birth, The mother may discharge a bloody fluid for up to 10 days. Cats usually lick the discharge up as fast as it is produced. Only become concerned if the discharge becomes pus-like or has a strong odor.

Things To Keep On Hand When Your Cat Is Expecting:
Keep plenty of clean towels on hand when your cat is expecting. Go to WalMart and purchase a bottle of tame iodine solution (Betadine) for antiseptic, some Q-tips and a pair of blunt scissors. Buy a package of dental floss in case you need to tie off the kitten’s umbilical cords. A baby nose suction bulb works well to clean mucus from the mouth and nose of infant kittens. If it is cold, buy a heavy duty-heating pad.

Serious Problems:
You should contact your veterinarian if events do not unfold as I have generally listed them. Also contact your veterinarian if:
1) The pregnancy lasts more than 66 days
2) The mother’s temperature has been below a hundred for more than one day
3) The mother goes off food or becomes depressed, weak or lethargic
4) A kitten becomes lodged in the birth canal for more than ten minutes and you can not dislodge it
5) The mother continues to have contractions for more than four hours and no kitten appears
6) More than five hours elapse when you are certain another kitten is still present in the mother
7) The vaginal discharge has a strong odor or appears infected
8) You counted less placentas than you have kittens
9) Kittens will not nurse or appear weak
10) A mammary gland (breast) is hot, hard or painful
11) Kittens mew continuously, do not sleep and are agitated
12) Kittens are not receiving enough milk to keep their stomachs plump and distended
13) The Mother’s temperature is over 102.5 and two days have passed since birthing

Answer 2

i help assist, 5 cat births 4 dog births and they all vary. One is Heavy breathing, when you look at her tummy it will harden and you will be able to see the outline of all kits. The closer she is to have them the more closer the contractions will be.
She'll start pushing when she is ready, but time it all cause if she goes too long with out giving birth the kits are in danger and in between birth of each kit, same as it is with people. . I always help break the sack and remove the kitten from so the mother could spend less time and energy on that part and so she can rest up a lil more. Yeah she'll eat the junk the kit was in. Just keep it all cleaned up and get ready for the next.

After all that let her be in a dim lit room or dark room, no noise or she'll find a new place she feels safer at. Check in every now and then to make sure all kits are in front of her and not under or behind. Do that for a good few weeks or more(or big enough to get moms attention.)I lost a few cause the mother didn't know any better especially if this is her first.

Answer 3

No preaching here things happen but I am happy they'll get fixed. First off make sure that you have an area prepared for her (a box with a blanket or towel in a closet will do just fine) bring her to that spot once or twice before she goes into labor and if you're lucky she'll give birth there. There are no sure signs to predict exactly when she'll deliver (just like humans) but if she trusts you she will definitely let you know. She will behave very loving with you (almost manic), constantly talking, complaining to get your attention. (because she's nervous and anxious) You will see her stomach go in and out while she's having contractions. She will probably want and expect you to stay with her while she delivers so please do. Pet her and talk to her kindly. Lucky you it's very wonderful to experience!! Good luck! (don't worry too much the odds are that she'll be a pro at it)

Answer 4

Their temp does drop within 24hrs before labor. That is the best way to know for sure it is going to happen. But they usually wait till nobody is around before they give birth, which happens at night a lot. But the temp is the best way. Thats how I knew my persian was going into labor by taking her temp everyday for about a week and when I noticed it had dropped it was in the afternoon and I found her with one kitten already born at 5am.She went on to have 4 more,if I hadn't taken her temp then I am sure I would've missed the birth.

Answer 5

lucky you.your mama kitty will probably start nesting, like the dog. try setting up boxes w/blankets. she.ll be thirsty about three hours before giving birth.the contractions will be visible and you should be able to feel them. it's been awhile since i've "delivered" kittens. the best bet is to let mother nature take her course.cats have been having babes without any help sofar.just watch for any big change in her demeanor and enjoy those kitties

Answer 6

when my cat had her kittens she hid under my daughter's bed. There were some blankets stored there and she had made herself a nice little bed. She had the kittens while we were shopping and till we got home she had everything cleaned up and was nursing. The cat we have now came from a farm and it is the best cat we have ever had. Good for you for giving them a good home.

Answer 7

If the side of the cats tummy are tight enough, you have to start watching closely when they pee. Blood will show. The cat will also have a tendency to hide when it's in labor, so look for good hiding spots.

Answer 8

I assume your kitty has a bed already. If she is close to you as affectionate, she will meow some to you. She will get in her bed and not come out. She will do like a dog with the breathing until she delivers the kittens.

Answer 9

A cat getting close to going into labor usually goes searching for a nesting spot. Some first-timers don't even do that, I've had more than a few who had their first kitten in the litterpan! Some individuals stop eating shortly before birth, some don't. I have found that temperature drop isn't always a dependable indicator either. Almost all the cats who were good mothers (and out of many over years, i've only seen a few who weren't good mothers) started staying in the nest boxmost of the time, a day or two before giving birth.

I used to raise show cats so my mother cats were in big long nursery cages. I would set up a nest box (a large plastic litter pan makes a nice box for a cat to have a litter in) and put a heating pad set on low, under the box. I would put some newspapers and shred more newspaper on top of that, in the box. I also covered the end of the cage that the box was in, because cats like dark quiet areas to have their kittens in.

You could set up such a nest box at one end of a small area such as a closet or other small area (a bathroom usually isn't a good place, because mother cats like secluded quiet places for their litter.)

When a cat is kept in a small area with a nest box provided, the cat then doesn't have the opportunity to choose the middle of your bed or some other such place to deliver in. However, some cats do like to give birth in their litter pans!

Most cats are good mothers naturally and do a good job of cleaning up the kittens and cutting cords when the kittens are born. However, if the mother doesn't clean up the kitten within a couple of minutes after its been born, you will need to clean the sack and fluids off the kitten's face and help get it breathing. You can use a washcloth and rub the kitten a bit roughly with it (supporting the kittens head and body of course, and holding the kitten with its stomach down, not on its back, and tilt the kitten so its head is pointing downward and a bit lower than the body, this helps gravity pull the fluids down away from the kittens lungs too, until the kitten starts to cry. You can use the kind of syringe made for cleaning human ears (with the slim tube on it) to gently suction fluids out of the newborn's nose and mouth.

One major thing is to make sure that the cords are cut soon after birth. Some mother cats don't cut the cords and if the cords start to dry out, the placenta and cords attached to the kittens become sticky and shrink and cords can end up wrapped around legs, etc, cutting off circulation to the body parts the dried cord have gotten wrapped around. You can cut the cord at a distance of about an inch away from the kitten's body. I usually wash my hands well and keep rubbing alcohol handy and if I have to cut a kitten cord, I put alcohol on my fingers and make sure to get it under my fingernails too, and then use fingernails to gently "saw" through the cord. This mimics the chewing kind of motion a mother cat uses to cut a cord and the kitten is less likely to bleed after the cord is cut. If you use scissors to cut the cord, keep a piece of regular sewing thread handy and if the kitten bleeds, just tie the thread around the piece that is still attached to the kitten, at least 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch away from the body, which will stop the bleeding. (I am guessing you probably don't have such things as hemostats handy for clamping cords, so I'm giving the way to do it with common household items here).

Check the kittens bellies every day for about a week after they are born, to make sure the belly button (umbilicus) isn't infected. You can gently wash this area every day with hydrogen peroxide too. If you see a belly button looking swollen or see any pus in it, the kitten will need to see the vet for antibiotics. If you do see a belly button that looks infected, have the vet check the whole litter because usually if one kitten has a cord infection, it won't be the only one.

Once the kittens are born, cleaned up and settled, then change the bedding in the box completely. I usually replace it with newspaper on the bottom and then put a folded towel on top of the paper. I also keep a heating pad under the box and check the inside of the box to make sure that the nest is nice and warm (not hot). Make sure you have a good heating pad and try to avoid the kind that shut themselves off after a few minutes, if you can.

The other way to keep a nest box warm is to use a brooder lamp thats made to hang above newly hatched chicks and keep them warm. You want the nest to be warm, not too hot, and you want to be sure that the lamp or electric cords etc, aren't touching or too close to anything flammable.

Newborn kittens and pups cannot control their own body temperature, and it takes 3 to 4 weeks before a baby animal is able to totally keep their body temperature at normal. Chilling is one of the greatest dangers for a newborn puppy or kitten and thats why making sure they are warm enough (but not too hot, you can judge by looking...kittens or pups too hot will not pile together, the mother won't want to cuddle with them, they may even pant....kittens who are cold will often crawl into corners and weaken, make sickly cries, and die if not warmed up.

If the room the nest is in is warm, and the box is in a warm area of the room away from drafts and the mother is one that spends most of her time in the box with the babies nursing, you may not need to use any kind of supplemental heat. But its still best to be ready to deal with any common problem that might arise, just in case.

The book Cat owners home veterinary handbook by Carlson and Giffin has a great section on birth of kittens, how to tell if a cat giving birth is having a problem and needs the vet, and how to deal with newborns. It even gives good clear instructions on how to use a feeding tube to feed a kitten if you should have to do that, plus tons of other information on cat health and care.

Answer 10

She will probably try to hide if left to roam free. You need to put her in a room of the house if you are worried about her. She will try to carry the kittens off and hide them after she has them.