Expert: Teresa - 4/12/2007

Question
my  cat (about 1 1/2 yrs old) had 3 beautiful kittens under my house, i believe a day or maybe 2 ago. I brought her inside and she is quite happy to be in the closet with her babies, safe and out of the rain. however, she is panting really hard. she has food and water right beside her. she has eaten a lot since i last checked the food dish, but i am worried that she might not have had all of her babies or something is wrong with her. it is 10:45p.m. and no vets are open. do you know what it could be?

Answer
Hi Lane, thank  you for the question. Is your cat still eating ?? Is she happily nursing the kittens? Does she have diarrhea?? Her panting could be a sign of anxiety from being brought in the house. It could be a sign that she is hot or feverish which would be a concern. Some of the signs of a fever are loose stools, not eating, vomiting, and of course a raise in her temperature. If you have an infants thermometer you can take her temperature rectally if you feel capable. You would need to use some vaseline. A temperature or restlessness will often mean that there is a retained kitten or afterbirth in her which would be very serious. It could also be indicative of milk fever which can be fatal. A normal temperature is 101.5 F. See what you can find out and you can write me back ! Teresa