You are here:

Cats/cat's unusual labor

Advertisement

Expert: - 4/4/2011


Question
My cat Lilly, is a little over a year old, & this is her 1st pregnancy. She went into labor on Friday, April 1..about 9:30 p.m.
She started to have a normal labor except she jumped into my lap & delivered the 1st kitten. Then I moved her & the blanket into the floor. All went well with the 1st kitten, she cleaned the sac off & ate the placenta. About 1 hour later the 2nd kitten was born. She did the same as she did with the 1st kitten. So about midnight I checked to see if she delivered another one. She hadn't, & I went to bed thinking there would be more in the morning. At 6:00 a.m. no more kittens & I'm sure there is at least one more kitten in there. So we wait..I've heard from a few people that their cat had a few & then had a few more in the next couple of days. Here it is Sunday about 2:30 p.m. & her water broke again & we saw visible contractions off & on for about an hour. But no more kittens ! She has been nursing pretty good but does move her kittens around a lot & sometimes doesn't go back to them, so we move them back to her, which is the same spot she gave birth. I think all this is weird. And hope she gives birth soon to the other one & she is ok & the kitten not dead. So is any of this normal? Do cats wait a few days to finish delivering?

Answer
Heidi,

No it is not normal for a cat to take several days to deliver their babies - no more so than it would be for a person, in fact cats generally have reasonably quick deliveries once they begin having kittens - often averaging a baby every 15 minutes to half hour or so until the entire litter is born. The best chance your kittens have of survival is to have Lilly see a vet ASAP to determine whether or not she needs a caesarian section to deliver any remaining kittens. The reason that momma is probably moving away from the kittens is because when they nurse she has uterine contractions that hurt her - especially if there are one or more kittens still stuck inside of her womb....Unfortunately for Lilly the best thing for the kittens that have already been born is to nurse from their mother as much as possible. The sooner Lilly gets treatment the better off she'll be and the better her kittens' chance of survival are. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again - I'm happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali

Cats

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Ali

Expertise

I am the proud guardian of 5 mixed breed cats ranging from 12 weeks to 13 years old and one purebred ragdoll. I have 20+ years experience working with mixed breed cats from a variety of different situations. I have fostered cats/kittens with special needs/behavioral issues. I have rescued/rehabilitated/re-homed a variety of stray/abused cats. I can offer advice on managing feral cat colonies, rehabilitating strays and finding them forever homes. I can help you to determine whether a cat is stray or feral, there IS a significant difference. Improperly introducing a new cat/kitten can result in aggression between newly introduced cats because cats are territorial by nature and they don't like sudden changes in their environment. To learn more about a peaceful way to introduce a new cat into a home with other cats please check out my previous answers on this subject. Proper nutrition for cats can be confusing, I recommend checking out catinfo.org which was created by a veterinarian (Dr. Lisa Pierson) who takes a common sense approach to explaining feline nutrition. Cat behavior and instincts are different from those of humans, I can help you understand your cat's needs so that you can meet them adequately and have a balanced, psychologically and physically sound kitty. Cats vary in personality, energy level and intelligence, different approaches may be required to achieve results in terms of training and interaction with your feline companion. An intelligent, high energy cat must be kept busy or they will make their own fun. I am NOT a licensed veterinarian and I can't offer medical advice. If your cat is ill/injured my advice is always the same: get prompt medical treatment provided by a veterinarian. If finances are an issue I will try to find resources in your area that can help with medical costs or make other choices to ensure the welfare of your cat.

Experience

I have fostered feral and stray cats, rehabilitated and homed cats that many people recommended euthanasia for. I am willing to make an effort to do the research and ask questions because I care enough to find solutions to behavioral problems rather than giving up. I have an interest in the use of alternative therapies to help provide the best possible care for all cats and I can say in all honesty that I've seen some incredible things happen for some incredible cats and their human caregivers when the right alternative therapeutic modality is used by a qualified veterinarian with expertise and experience in the field.

Education/Credentials
I've earned my diploma as a veterinary assistant with honors.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.