Expert: W - 10/28/2008

Question
A 2yo persian birthed 2 partially developed fetus approx 2.5" at 65 days, no term fetus were birthed.  No signs of illness or discharge during pregnancy or after delivery. What would cause this?

Answer
Hi Jacquie
Without a full history surrounding your Persian, it is almost impossible to arrive at one single cause for this aborted delivery.
Causes of early delivery resulting in non viable kittens include:

Trauma
She may have injured herself in the past few days and caused fatal damage to the foetus and they have been delivered early. The injury could have happened if she brushed against something, was accidentally knocked or kicked in her side, or she landed badly after jumping from somewhere.

Environmental
Extreme cold followed by extreme heat against her may cause the foetus to abort. Could she have been exposed to severe cold and then snuggled up to a radiator on a cat cradle perhaps. Certain toxins being ingested could cause abortion. Was she exposed to some radiation like radio masts etc. This could also damage the foetus and cause abortion.

Genetic
Was the mating close, that is was she mated to a close relative, father, brother, uncle, grandfather. This could cause non viable pregnancy.

As I said there are no simple answers here. One thing I would consider is whether to use her again in a breeding programme. To arrive at an unbiased answer you should ask your self this.
Has she had a litter before? How many kittens were born?
If not and this is her first pregnancy is she a silent caller? Do you know anything about her litter mates? Persians can be difficult in birthing as their heads may be wider than the birth canal and need assistance in delivery and some do end up with C Sections. Average litter sizes can vary from singetons to five kittens, so you need to think carefully and investigate backgrounds to the siblings.

I hope this has helped, and I am happy to answer any follow up questions you may have.

Ray