Expert: Ali - 3/10/2009

Question
my cat is pregnant and since yesterday 10a.m she is very restless and is crying alot and plz tell how to deliver the kitten and help the cat during delivery so that the cat and kitten both are saved.

Answer
Bobby,

Without help to deliver these kittens it's quite possible that the mother cat will die along with the whole litter, there must be at least one veterinarian in your area. If cost is an issue I have a list of resources that provide low/no cost care to pet parents needing a helping hand, but I would need to know the general area you are writing from in order to provide you with this information because it just isn't practical to list hundreds of resources every time someone needs them. It's quite obvious that this mother cat requires veterinary care, it's not okay to just leave her with a belly of potentially dead kittens to decompose inside of her, the only chance to save mom and any of the kittens is to have a caesarian section performed and this is a highly technical procedure requiring years of training, this surgery can't be performed at home by a layperson. The only humane choice is to have a vet get involved and decide on a humane course of treatment from there.


_____________________________________________________________________
Bobby,

If your cat has been acting restless since yesterday morning without producing a kitten or showing obvious signs of imminent delivery I'd recommend having the cat seen by a vet. There's not really anything you can do at home if there are complications with labor and delivery of kittens, these are urgent situations requiring the intervention of a qualified vet. Your cat may have a large kitten blocking the birth canal and preventing the litter from being born, if this is the case she may require a caesarian section in order to save her life as well as try to save the lives of the kittens. The longer that you leave a situation where there may be complications with the delivery of a litter of kittens the less likely the kittens are to survive. I would recommend that you have mom spayed if she requires a caesarian to prevent further complications with giving birth as well as avoiding further litters to contribute to an already serious pet overpopulation problem facing shelters worldwide. Spaying and neutering saves lives because shelters are often forced to euthanize healthy, adoptable animals simply because they run out of time, money or space. There are also a number of health benefits to spaying and neutering pets including prevention of certain cancers and potentially life threatening infections as well as behavioral problems which may result in euthanasia.