Expert: Ali - 4/27/2009

Question
QUESTION: My kitty is pregnant and ready to give birth. I have had kitten before with a different cat. My kitty is smaller than most cats and has been bleeding for 2 days. Is that normal? I put her in the bathroom but am conserned that that will cause her alot of stress. I have looked all over my house for babies and have not found any anywhere. How do I know if she had them or not? Do you have any tips for me?

ANSWER: Kari,

I do think that this mom should be allowed out of the bathroom because it's possible that she does have kittens who aren't being fed/cared for. Let mom out and watch her closely - if she's had the kittens she will likely lead you right to them if you're patient, quiet and calm. If mom doesn't go to any kittens I would suspect that something's wrong and she needs urgent medical attention. If you haven't found the kittens yet it's possible that mom is having serious complications with the delivery of her kittens. I would recommend that you have mom seen by a vet as soon as possible because if she's losing blood consistently over a period of time that could be dangerous for her. Normally during birth there's a bit of blood, afterwards mom can sometimes lose small amounts of blood for a day or two following the birth. Sometimes small cats can have serious difficulties with labor and delivery and in some cases it's not possible for them to deliver larger kittens vaginally. The sooner that the vet sees mom the sooner s/he can determine whether or not mom's having serious problems with the delivery, if there's some sort of infection going on, etc. Unfortunately I'm not a vet and I can't make diagnoses, but in my experience it's best to have cats in this situation assessed immediately to determine the best course of action. If mom has had stillborn kittens she may have eaten them - it's not uncommon, in fact this is a behavior that developed to protect surviving offspring in the nest from predators. Unless mom leads you to a litter of kittens within your house there's no way to know for sure if she's had the kittens without having the vet perform an exam. It's important to understand that female cats can become pregnant very soon after delivering their kittens so mom should be kept indoors and away from any intact male cats to prevent further litters. Since you mention mom's small size it's quite possible that she's having a complicated delivery and she may need the vet's help, without it the kittens and their mother are at serious risk. Not knowing what's going on with a cat who is pregnant and has been bleeding for two days is a bit dangerous, a lot can happen in 48 hours and cats are very stoic, when they show signs of being in pain or unwell things are often worse than they appear.

If mom has to have a caesarian to deliver her kittens I'd recommend that you allow the vet to spay her at the same time to avoid further pregnancies. There's a serious pet overpopulation problem affecting shelters and rescue organizations worldwide and all too often shelters are forced to euthanize healthy, adoptable animals because they run out of time, space and resources to devote to each animal. Spaying and neutering pets has many medical and behavioral benefits aside from the obvious benefit of population control. Spaying and neutering cats prevents uterine, ovarian and testicular cancers. The earlier in life a cat is sterilized the lower their risk is of developing prostate or breast cancer. Unspayed female cats are at risk of developing a potentially life threatening uterine infection called pyometra which causes the womb to fill with pus - if the uterus ruptures and infection spreads throughout the abdomen the cat's chances of survival aren't good. The only treatment for pyometra is to spay the cat although doing so while she has such a serious infection increases the risks during surgery, the financial cost is higher because the surgery takes longer and is more complicated. In North American cats the leading cause of death is euthanasia secondary to behavioral problems. Spaying and neutering cats prevents serious behavioral issues such as using urine/feces to mark territory inside and outside of the house, fighting with other cats (which can result in some pretty expensive vet bills to treat abscesses and other infections), wandering away from home in search of other intact cats to mate with, caterwauling to decide which male gets the right to breed with specific females in season, howling to advertise their availability to mate and sterilizing cats also reduces the likelihood that they'll develop aggression towards people. Spaying and neutering saves countless lives every year, it's a responsible and ethical choice that could very well save your own cat's life.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your advice but unfortunately I took my kitty to the vet the very next day to have her looked at it it was determined that she did have 2 babies in her belly that were stuck. I was told she needed to have a caesarian and then they would spay her. Unfortunately, the vet called me about and hour later and told me that she had end stage feline luekimia and recommended that i put her to sleep.

Answer
Kari,

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your cat. I know how much losing a special feline companion hurts. I've taken the liberty of including a piece of writing that's helped me find comfort after losing much loved cats over the years.

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...