Got any help for me and my cat?

Question

Sorry it’s so long; I just need help and want to give as much information as I can.
I hate that I have to go through all of this to get a straight answer, don’t see people on “trying to conceive” saying “you know there are too many people in the world, you should get fixed.” But anyhow, to make things clear; We adopted a very young cat, with all intentions of having her fixed only to find out as we were giving her a flea bath the day we got her that she is pregnant. As soon as it is time we will have her spayed. We were just giving a good home to a homeless cat; not trying to make more cute little kitties (can adopt plenty at the pound.)
Yes I know she is pregnant (don’t know how far along,) and after trying to find out last night if the slight bloody discharge she had was a sign of birth or something wrong (and being told she was having her period…lol) I know she is close to ready for birth, and I think that covers everything. Sorry to make a short question long, it’s just hard to take some of the things people say…ouch.
The problem is I think the kitten is going to be stillborn, read this happens in young cats and I can’t see it moving, so will the “queen” still deliver? So far she seems really fine, I am just over worried (will take her ASAP to the vet if something goes wrong.) The kitten is really low, moving towards the birth canal, and it seems like she should be in labor; she just isn’t following any of the “stages of labor” I keep reading. She isn’t doing anything motherly, she is still eating, and worrying her mommy sick (that might have been one.)
Anyone know what is going on? I also read that the “queens” can hold off delivery if they are upset, could my worrying be upsetting her? How will I know if something is wrong if she seems so fine?
Lastly, is it possible the kitten is still alive and just because it is so close to time I don’t notice it moving? Btw, I say kitten because luckily it feels like only one. I just don’t understand how it can be a stillborn when she is so healthy and went though all the progression of motherhood every well considering her age. I mean she does still run-a-muck like a kitten herself but the baby even grew nicely.
Any help for a *pacing* future kitten owner (hopefully) would be so appreciated, you wouldn’t understand.

Yeah thanks for yelling. If you read the question I will when somethings wrong , but my cat is fine. I just think I am way too worried, its hasn't even been that long. Just tryin to get some pointers.

Answer 1

First, thank you for saving this homeless kitty, and being so accepting of her pre-existing condition. We have 8 rescue kitties and one rescue hamster. I'm totally on your side.

Unless your mama kitty is showing signs of distress, isn't eating and eliminating, she's most likely alright. It will be obvious to you when the labor process begins. Pre labor spotting isn't uncommon unless it's very excessive. If you haven't already given her a place to give birth, go ahead and do this and show mama where it is. A box with old towels, in a quiet place with low light is best, like in the bottom of a closet with a lamp on low. Don't let your mama cat know you're nervous, just know in your heart hat the God of All Creatures will take care of her, she will feed off your nervousness, so even though you are wigging out with worry, keep a calm facade up. You might consider giving her a good brand of kitten chow to eat to boost her caloric intake so her system isn't taxed, works sort of like pre-natal vitamins. Once she delivers, give her all the quiet time you can stand, just change her water and litter and keep her fed. Fifteen - 20 minutes of visiting time every few hours is enough for the first week or so. If she feels too disturbed, she will move the kittens to a quieter place.

Kittens react differently while in the womb. Some are active right up until they enter the birth canal, some become quieter as the mom's hormones and organs begin to shift in preparation for the birth. Don't be surprised if she does have more than one kitten, they sort of clump together because of lack of room as they grow.

If the kitten you are concerned about has already died, mama will most likely "spontaneously abort" the fetus, because that's how nature works, if something is wrong with the baby, the body will try and rid itself of it. If the deceased kitten begins to decay inside the body, and the mama is unable to deliver it, she will become sick and septic very quickly.

I have lived with cats since I was still in my crib, and that was 40 years ago. While I have a lot of experience, I'm still not a vet or a vet tech, and anytime I have a question, I just call my vet techs and ask them about what I'm concerned about. They absolutely do not mind, they would rather ease your mind, answer your questions than have a worried pet parent. Just keep a close eye on Mama, and for your own peace of mind, give your vet techs a call, they deal medically with this stuff all the time, and absolutely don't mind answering your questions.

I hope any of this helps.

When the kitten/ kittens are born, did you know you will be a GRANDMOTHER? Best of luck to you and God Bless.

Answer 2

Cats don't have periods. They have 'seasons' - this is what happens while they are ovulating, which they can do while pregnant believe it or not. Human 'periods' occur at the end of ovulation.

Cats don't usually leak blood when in season, I would be a littler concerned about that. I strongly advise you to get your cat to a vet asap to be checked out - it is not a good idea to wait until she has or hasn't given birth. If any of those kittens have died inside her, the next thing you'll have is a very ill cat indeed. This is not something to wait over.

How old is the cat? It's true that young kittens are less likely to carry to term, but if she's over about 10 months I would expect her not to have a problem. They are capable of getting pregnant from 4 months of age.

You're clearly worried, so please do the right thing and have the cat checked by a vet asap. They can palpate and tell what's going on with the kittens in there, they can even do an ultrasound to tell you if the kittens are all healthy and if they're ready to be born. Your cat also needs a general health check, and you clearly need lots of advise - this is not a good place to get it.

I also don't think that cats have kittens is in ANY way comparable to humans trying to conceive. Different species, different minds, different situations, different rights.

Chalice

Answer 3

I think the person yelled at you because the one thing that is abundantly clear from your question is that you don't know if something is wrong. Can't you just call the vet's office and speak to a vet tech? This is sort of like calling the doctor's office and speaking to the nurse.

I honestly think you are having your first birth and you know what you've read, but you don't know how that looks in reality. So you are guessing, and all the possibilities that are coming into your mind are freaking you out, sort of.

If you have a vet or you know a vet, call his office, and tell them your predicament. I mean, if you had a pregnant little queen in your home, you kind of should have taken her in to be tested for some illnesses, and to have her wormed (because she can transmit those vermin to her babes). To me, your little pregnant lady sounds like she is cool and calm -- eating and resting, which makes a lot of sense. Once the birth process begins, it is a little like being on a speeding train, and neither woman nor beast can slow it, so she will have to respond when her body starts chugging. Also, you have no way of knowing how much or whether that little kit inside her is moving.

I'm not sure your queen needs help, but you really need to speak to someone who has been through this and who is an expert whose expertise you are sure of. So really, call the vet and speak to the vet or a vet tech. You are like the father in the delivery room, which is a little like a caring bull in a china shop. Relax, already!

Answer 4

It sounds like you are extremely and unecessarily worried. If it bothers you as much as it sounds, you could go to the vet and pay for an ultrasound, and see if the vet can induce labor. It sounds like you are near a nervous breakdown.
Considerations
1. The cat will go into labor, despite the health of the unborn kitten. I don't read where you went to the vet and verified that the kitten is dead. You may be worrying yourself needlessly.
2. If the mother cat is tiny, it may deform or kill the kittens. Or they may all live. I doubt that there is just one.
3. You must understand that there is a wisdom to nature. If the kitten died, something was wrong with it. Healthy kittens don't die.
4. The mothering instinct is not always present in young cats the first time the give birth. I had a similar situation. The mother cat was very young. She had her first kitten, and left it on the floor. Then she hopped up on the bed and gave me a look of extreme panic. She walked me over to the thing that came out of her hind end, and looked at it, and looked at me repeatedly. She thought the kitten was something horrible. I had to teach her how to nurse. Once she began nursing, and she liked it, she changed her attitude about motherhood. She had 4 more kittens through the night, and they were all healthy. All those cats lived to a ripe old age.
5. Sometmes nature knows best. I had another very young stray cat come through my kitty door and give birth in my closet to three kittens. Each day one of them died, and it looked like she had stepped on them. After the second one died, I took the other kitten away, and raised it myself. It was the most wonderful little kitten with such a darling personality. However, when it was learning to walk, I noticed that it kept falling over to one side. As it grew it became apparent that one side was growing and the other one was not. It seems that none of her bones ossified (hardened)on one side. I think the cat new that her kittens were deformed and killed them at birth, to save them the pain of a slow death. I had to put the kitten down, it was screaming in agony. It broke my heart. I felt that I should not have save it for this kind of pain.
6. Cats rarely have problems giving birth, They sometimes give birth on the full moon. No one knows why. I guess it is easier to find a good place to give birth when the moon is full.
7. She will not give birth if you are hovering around. It's nature again. It is correct that you should prepare a bed for her in a closet of area of the house with little or no traffic. I know you want to be there to help if necessary, but you can't fight instinct sometimes. SHe knows that you have all the answers and she will meow if she is in pain. Ordinarily, cats don't make noise when they give birth.
I believe that all things happen according to God's plan.
You can only do what nature allows in its greater wisdom.

Answer 5

I had this experience a few years back. I was given a kitten that was already pregnant. One kitten was stillborn and 3 were born alive but either she was too young or knew the kittens wouldn't survive; she abandoned them. 2 ended up getting pnemonia within days and died. The third I really thought was going to make it but ended up dying after 10 days. I was heartbroken as I'd done everything the vet had told me to do. When I took them to the vet he said they were preemies, the mother was just too young and he had warned me they probably wouldn't survive but we gave it the best shot we could.
I don't mean to upset you but that was my experience. The mother cat was just fine through all of this and we had her spayed and kept her for years.
I hope you have a better experience.

Answer 6

I'd have her wait a whole week, that's 7 days before she gets really active again because if she tears open it's not going to be good, it'll take twice as long to heal, and then she could get an infection if she's playing and it only rips from the inside. She doesn't need to be running or bouncing around a lot. Do not let her lick the area.

Answer 7

have you taken her to the vet? the best way to have all of your questions answered is by having a vet examine her - they will also be able to hear kitten's heart beat if it is still alive - and if she doesn't go into natural labor because the baby is stillborn I think you'd have to bring her to the vet anyway because I don't think you can just leave that inside of her

Answer 8

firstly YES I have said to people that the world is over populated (over 6.5 BILLION of us already.. and according to the United Nations human over population is the # 1 threat to out continued existance)...
leave mom a long for a while - she should be in a quiet room to herself where she can have food water and litter box... check her every 3 hours if there is a problem call the vet immediately...
and you probably dont want to hear this - but yes if the kitten is born dead - consider it a blessing... (over 8 million kittens euthanized in the USA alone every year..)

it could be that mom didnt receive proper nutrition (high quality kitten food) throughout her pregnancy or she was bred to a relative of hers (inbreeding) or who knows what....could be from the flea bath too!!!!

anyhow what ever happens please keep her indoors only until she can be spayed...
if she still has fleas use a FLEA COMB to remove them... NO CHEMICALS

Answer 9

My farm cats all had kittens on their own. They'd find a quiet place away from disturbance and make a nest. I'd set her up a little bed or nest box in a dim, quiet room, and leave her alone for a while.

Answer 10

Stop worrying, take her to the vet for a chck up. Only by seeing her will anyboby be able to really help.