Okay I know that the header wasn't a question but that is because I have some many! I had a lot of cats give birth as a kid but now that I am an adult I am worried about so many things regarding the approaching birth of my grankits!

1) If one of the kittens dies, what do I do?
2) What if one of the kittens gets stuck? I remember as a kid my mom gently pulling the kitten out. Is this the right thing to do?
3) Do I help mom clean the kittens or leave her be?
4) Is there anything I should immediately provide my cat after giving birth?
5) What if my cat has no marital feelings towards her babies?
6) Do I need to provide mom anything to help the babies stay warm after birth?
7) What if my cat gets outside and gives birth out there? It's winter! I don't want them to freeze!
8) Is there any specific way to tell how far along my cat is? From what I have read I know she is at least 4 months along. I only want to know so that I know the general window to make sure my cat doesn't go out.

Okay that's it for now. Thank you for all relpies!

1) If one of the kittens dies, what do I do? Gently remove it from the mother, and bury it in a corner of your yard. If you have snow, I'm not sure. I'd probably put it in a box in the freezer for spring burial.
2) What if one of the kittens gets stuck? I remember as a kid my mom gently pulling the kitten out. Is this the right thing to do? The less you do and the less you hover, the less stressed the mother will be and the more likely the birth will go well. I will PM hheath, our cat expert, to give you more help with this.
3) Do I help mom clean the kittens or leave her be? Watch and help only if absolutely necessary. All females I knew who had kittens instinctively took care of business. This is another question hheath may know more about.
4) Is there anything I should immediately provide my cat after giving birth? She should already have a box ("nest") that's she's in, in a dim, quiet place. Have fresh water in the usual place. Another question for hheath.
5) What if my cat has no [maternal] feelings towards her babies? She most likely will.
6) Do I need to provide mom anything to help the babies stay warm after birth? No.
7) What if my cat gets outside and gives birth out there? It's winter! I don't want them to freeze! Don't let her get out any longer.
8) Is there any specific way to tell how far along my cat is? From what I have read I know she is at least 4 months along. I only want to know so that I know the general window to make sure my cat doesn't go out. Hheath to the rescue again!

Thank you so much! I can't wait to hear from hhealth especially for the last question. You wouldn't happen to have an answer for the other question I posted on my cats pregnancy would you?

A domestic cat pregnancy lasts 61-69 days (2 months or a little more).

Here's a web page on kitten delivery --

Cat Giving Birth - The Way Kittens Are Delivered (http://www.cat-pregnancy-report.com/cat-giving-birth.html)

Thank you

1) If one of the kittens dies, what do I do?

Take it away from the mother and dispose of it the way you would any pet that's died.


2) What if one of the kittens gets stuck? I remember as a kid my mom gently pulling the kitten out. Is this the right thing to do?

If the mother is pushing and nothing is happening, then you can gently help ease the kitten out. Don't pull, as you can hurt the baby, but you can try to ease it into a better position and guide it out with VERY gentle pressure.

Most likely, that won't be needed. Cats have very few birthing problems (something like 90% don't need help in the birthing process).


3) Do I help mom clean the kittens or leave her be?

Only help her clean them if they come too close together for her to take care of one before the next is born, and only to make sure their nose and mouth is clean so they can breathe.


4) Is there anything I should immediately provide my cat after giving birth?

Water and food as nearby as possible. She's going to be tired, and she won't want to leave her kittens for the first week or so. Make sure her food and water, and possibly litterbox, are within sight of the nest.


5) What if my cat has no marital feelings towards her babies?

You can bottle feed the kittens and take care of them yourself. The best thing to do, if that's needed, is to talk to a local vet and have them show you what to do.


6) Do I need to provide mom anything to help the babies stay warm after birth?

Make sure she's in a warm room and has a blanket for the babies. If the room is prone to drafts, then try to have the nest covered with a blanket, like putting a blanket over the top of crib rails, to keep out the draft and keep in the heat. Mom's body heat will keep them warm enough, as long as the room isn't chilly.


7) What if my cat gets outside and gives birth out there? It's winter! I don't want them to freeze!

Is she an outdoor cat? If not, and even if she is, she'll almost positively want somewhere warm and dry to give birth. If she has any favorite places to lounge, make sure she has a birthing box nearby big enough for her to stretch out in all directions, and fill it with newspaper for her to shred and give birth in (it's easier to clean up than blankets, and many cats like to shred their nesting material).


8) Is there any specific way to tell how far along my cat is? From what I have read I know she is at least 4 months along. I only want to know so that I know the general window to make sure my cat doesn't go out.

She can't be four months along. Cats are only pregnant for 9-10 weeks. There are guides, but they aren't always helpful, especially in the later half of the pregnancy. A rough estimate is to take the time you first noticed her getting bigger, and estimate the due date about 5-6 weeks from that point.

It's by no means fully accurate, though.




After the kittens are born, you need to keep her inside and away from any unfixed toms. She'll go into a kitten heat anywhere from the day after to six weeks after the birth. If she gets pregnant again, she'll stop producing milk and abandon, if not outright turn on, the kittens so she can start providing for the new litter.

Once the kittens are weaned, you should think about getting her fixed. Until then, you'll need to keep her away from unfixed toms, to prevent more kittens.

Woops I meant to say 4 weeks not months my bad. So far she is eating a whole lot, her belly is huge, and I can kind of feel the babies. I read that the day of or a few days before she goes into labor she is going to stop eating as much and lick herself a lot. She'll be anxious and yowl a lot. Is that true? I also read that I can take her temperature and if it goes under 101 degrees then it means she is about to go into labor. About the keeping the kittens warm. The only place in my house I can put them that has a door is our bathroom. I was planning on putting Vera in there with some blankets, a litter box, and food and water when she starts showing the signs I mentioned earlier. It does get a little chilly sometimes but I plan on having the heat up so that the bathroom stays warm. Should I provide her a box and put a blanket over it? Would my cat get cabin fever or anything from being stuck in the bathroom for 4 weeks?

BiWiccan, if you have time on your hands this weekend and want to read a good story and pick up some helpful information, please consider this --

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cats/edith-mommy-461542-63.html

Hheath had rescued pregnant Edith from the streets, so has first-hand knowledge of cat and kitten care. There is another thread somewhere in Cats that had hheath started in which she talks about when she took pregnant Edith into her home and figuring out many of the questions you are asking.

Here's the other thread wg mentioned.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cats/what-signs-cat-labor-452880.html

Just an update ^.^. The kittens were born about a week ago. They are adorable. Most of the information ended up being useless on the actual labor because I wasn't even home lol. My mother in law ended up having to help Vera with the kittens because she was, for lack of a better word, lazy. She got the first kitten out fine but after that she just flat out refused to push. My mother in law had to gently rub her belly to encourage her pushing them out.

How many?

What color?

Male? Female?

Photos??

at a week old, it'll be just about impossible to sex any of the babies. The only exception are calico and tortoiseshell cats. Genetically, they have to be female (because the genes for black and orange fur are both carried on an X chromosome).

There are (from what I can tell) 3 males and 2 females. There is a set of male twins that are both black, an orange tabby (male), a grey kitten that has a few spots showing up so I wonder if she isn't calico, and a black and white tabby (female). I will post photos as soon as I can. I didn't even think of posting a pick and my only picture is from right after they were born. I'll post an updated one soon :)

BTW I posted another question about the kittens I would love you to have a look at. Thankies! :)