Expert: Karen Craft - 4/8/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi!

I have a 5 month ond kitten named xena. Four days ago i was holding her and felt sometihng move in her stomach so i phoned the vet as i was sure she was not pregnant ( i thought she was much younger as she is so small). The vet said that if i can feel things move it is late in pregnancy and that amazed me because looking at her her stomach is tiny and it was not "hard" . She still runs and jumps into the air and slams into my other cat (rolling , tumbling , fighting) She is still the same rough energetic kitty as always. I kept a eye on her belly for the next couple pf days and could still feel somthing move and there was a lump on the side of her stomach that moved when my hand was resting on it. i also hear lots of gurgling sounds from her stomach (im guessing a kittys head) so she IS pregnant.
Yesterday i came home from school and she was acting strange. very very affectionate , purrinng alot and changing positions. frequently as if she was very uncomfortable.licking  her vagina and belly all night and today . Her stomach also went much bigger - it sortof looked like the babies where lying parallel to the floor pushing her sides out. Anyway after a few hours i hopped into bed and she hopped up on the bed with me as per usual. then i noticed what i thought where contractions - her stomach hardened , her eyes looked a bit crazed , she was panting but then she fell asleepstopped panting ext. I used this opportunity to feel the area between her leggs (not her vagina but higher up , a bit lower then where a womb is on a human. i could feel quite clearly that the kitten/s have moved right down to the bottom area. I should tell you that ALSO as of last night i have not been abe to feel the kitten/s but i guessed that was because they have shifted so low.

I actually think she may have only one as she really is tiny!!

Now , today i woke up from my sleep and xena was acting very normal. she is eating , running around , attacking things (more than usual actually , and she is chewing shoes , toys , books?) , rubbing against me alot and purring. she overall seems very happy but sometimes for a split second frustrated. When i hopped out of bed i noticed about 7 drops of a clear fluid on my floors where she has been walking. what is this? I am really concerned that she was in labour last night but because of her size she was unable to push the baby out. But at the same time she only had a few contractions and she never meowed or showed signs of pain except for in her eyes so i am wondering if it could be something else?

Could the fluid be amniotic? and if it is does that mean the kitten wont survive if she does notget it out for long?

Or do you think yesterday could have been a "pre" labour , a way of shuffling the baby into the right position before birth?

I dont have any money to take her to the vet and i wont for a week and a half so i am very concerned. i dont know what i would do if i lost her! She does seem very happy though (extatic almost) but today when i touch her lower abdomen she flinches. every other day she has been more than happy to let me touch her anywhere as we are very bonded.

Thankyou in advancer for answering my question ! i do hope to hear from you soon!!

:)

ANSWER: Hi Tazzan,

Here are a few links that you should read. Cats can go into labor then stop. And very young cats do sometimes have a litter of one. They sometimes make lousy moms. Be aware of that. Read these. They will answer a lot of your questions.

http://www.2ndchance.info/felinelabor.htm

http://www.kittens-lair.net/cat-mating-and-pregnancy/pregnant-queen-and-stages-o

http://hubpages.com/hub/Cat-Pregnancy-and-when-to-Call-the-Vet

Hope this helped you. Good luck and take care. Also if she doesn't take care of the kits write back and I'll help you out there.

Ciao, Karen



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

QUESTION: hi again

Its been another 24 hours and she is still showing no signs of labour and i can still not feel the kittens. she is running around like she is not pregnant but she still has the babie/s in her belly. she is no longer lickingher stomach or her vagina and she is not aleeping as much as she previously was. she is also not super affectionate any more infact i would describe her as tempremental. there is no discharge/blood. can cats "pause" labour forthis long? and i am still concerned that i can feel no babies move. im worried they might have dies due to how unbelieveable psycho she has been the past couple of days jumping and rolling and slamming  herself into walls and off of tall cupbourds ext

Answer
Hi Tazzan,

She needs to be seen by a vet. This is something that should now be checked. I am not there. I cannot help you further. If labor has stopped with a kitten still inside it may die and her along with it. This is serious. When I don't have the money my vet will hold a check until it is good then will deposit it. Ask your vet if he will do the same. He should. Or borrow the money. But she needs to be seen by a vet. Good luck and take care. And let me know what happens.

Ciao, Karen