A few hours ago my cat started going into labor and having contractions. But it has been an hour and a half since the last one. I was wondering if this is a bad thing or if cats can have a false labor.

Cats can appear to go into labour and deliver one kitten, appear normal, and then more over a period, so don't be surprised at what you see.

But she hasn't had a kitten at all. It was just contractions and then.. nothing.

Cats can stop their labor for up to a full day if they don't feel safe. If she doesn't seem distressed and there's no kitten in the birth canal, just give her time and space. She may not actually deliver until sometime tomorrow.

But she hasn't had a kitten at all. It was just contractions and then.. nothing.

She could be in labour on and off for 48 hours, so sit tight. She will be okay.

Thanks guys =]

Thanks guys =]

Keep us posted ! HH just had a litter of kittens and is still playing with them; so possibly had first hand experience !

Tick

She has started having contractions again, and now is panting and meowing loudly. Also, I was sitting by her and she was having slient contractions, where she didn't meow at all, so I'm wondering if she has been having them and we just didn't notice it because she wasn't making any noise. Another question I have is, she can't reach her backside to lick anything away, should we help or no?

HH just had a litter of kittens
Actually, her cat Edith was the one who had the kittens. :D

Actually, her cat Edith was the one who had the kittens. :D

Haha, okay, yes but you would think HH was the mother the way they are cared for.

Tick

She has started having contractions again, and now is panting and meowing loudly. Also, I was sitting by her and she was having slient contractions, where she didn't meow at all, so I'm wondering if she has been having them and we just didn't notice it because she wasn't making any noise. Another question I have is, she can't reach her backside to lick anything away, should we help or no?

That may spook her into stopping labor again. Just keep an eye on her. As she has the kittens, she'll be able to reach better and better.

It may take as long as a couple hours before the first kitten is born. The rest should come more quickly after that.

Just make sure that each kitten gets it's nose and mouth cleared right after it's born. If the kittens are coming too close together for mommy to do it, wrap the tip of your finger in a soft towel and VERY gently wipe it's nose and mouth clear so it can breathe.

If she lets you, now would be a good time to get mommy used to you handling the kittens. Just pick each one up after mom's done cleaning it and make sure that it's face is properly cleaned and that the umbilical cord is cut about an inch, or so, from it's body and everything looks OK.

Does anyone know if her not being able to lick herself down there(because she got to big) is a bad thing?

Jessika, just leave her alone to deal with her labor and delivery. I don't agree with messing with natural processes when animals (cats and dogs) know how to deal with it better then us. Don't go near her, don't touch her, don't touch the kittens, don't try to clear their airways, don't do nuthin. Let nature takes it course. It isn't the first time in many years I have had cats and dogs deliverying. We try to over simplify our pet's daily lives too much when they can handle a lot that we can't even imagine.

The only time I haven't followed my own advice was a breach birth in a mare.

Tick

It shouldn't matter. Like I said, she'll be able to reach better as the kittens are born. If she's that big, then you're either expecting a lot of kittens, or a few very large kittens. If they are large, then she may have problems giving birth.

Is she a small cat? I assume this is her first litter, at least with you. Do you have any idea who the father(s) is? A large tom might mean large kittens.

it shouldn't matter. like i said, she'll be able to reach better as the kittens are born. if she's that big, then you're either expecting a lot of kittens, or a few very large kittens. if they are large, then she may have problems giving birth.

is she a small cat? i assume this is her first litter, at least with you. do you have any idea who the father(s) is? a large tom might mean large kittens.

It could have been several 'toms'

it shouldn't matter. like i said, she'll be able to reach better as the kittens are born. if she's that big, then you're either expecting a lot of kittens, or a few very large kittens. if they are large, then she may have problems giving birth.

is she a small cat? i assume this is her first litter, at least with you. do you have any idea who the father(s) is? a large tom might mean large kittens.

She is a very small cat, maybe part Siamese but we are not sure. And yes, this is her first litter. We do not know who the father is because she had gotten out one night and came back four days later. It is mostly my mother and father who are concerned and I'm asking questions for them.
Right now it seems like she is trying to push, and she is panting a lot. Plus much more contractions much quicker than before. Personally I think they are going to be coming soon.

you would think HH was the mother the way they are cared for.
True. Hheath is doing all the work while Edith just lies around. I wonder how the potty training is going.

It could have been several 'toms'

I know. Every kitten in a litter can have a different father.

True. Hheath is doing all the work while Edith just lies around. I wonder how the potty training is going.

I have never had a new kitten, as young as some of them have been, that didn't train themselves given the opportunity. It was never a problem.

She is a very small cat, maybe part Siamese but we are not sure. And yes, this is her first litter. We do not know who the father is because she had gotten out one night and came back four days later. It is mostly my mother and father who are concerned and I'm asking questions for them.
Right now it seems like she is trying to push, and she is panting a lot. Plus much more contractions much quicker than before. Personally I think they are going to be coming soon.

Don't worry too much if it doesn't seem like she's in distress. It was about an hour and a half between the placenta being visible and the first kitten actually being born with my cat.

If she wants to get up and walk around, or use the litter box, let her. She'll know when it's time to lie down and REALLY push. The first kitten should take the longest. The rest should be born with only a few minutes of pushing, each.

How long can a kitten be in the canal before it becomes unsafe?
*Question from my Father*

Here's a few sites that may help:

The Stages of Feline Labor - When Your Cat Gives Birth (http://www.2ndchance.info/felinelabor.htm)
Feline How-To Manual: Pregnancy and Delivery ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc. (http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/howto15.html)
Feline Reproduction: Giving Birth to Kittens - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company! (http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1738)
Permes Cattery : Feline Labor Stages (http://www.permescats.com/FelineLaborStages.aspx)

Okay so her water just broke I didn't know that cats water could break. Can they? It was like a small sack filled with fluid and now kind of bloody. My mom is freaking out and thinks something is wrong.

How long can a kitten be in the canal before it becomes unsafe?
*Question from my Father*

Your father is thinking of normal human births, but this is different, Jessikka. You have to realize it is survivial of a species, if that kitten was not mean to be, it will be born dead and that is all there is to it. Just let that pet of yours give birth the best way she can without human intervention.

If you don't want to have advice here, call your vet, or take your momma cat into a vet and have them deal with it, if you want substantiative information.

Tick

Okay so her water just broke I didn't know that cats water could break. Can they? It was like a small sack filled with fluid and now kinda of bloody. My mom is freaking out and thinks something is wrong.

That would be the placenta around the first kitten. That means the kitten should be following soon. There should be an afterbirth after each kitten. She'll probably eat it.

Tick,
I do want to have advice here, it's just I'm getting two different answers for everything. One person said this the other said that. You know what I mean? I'm just worried about the safety of my cat.

Please do not start "many" threads on the same subject, they have been merged and/or deleted

Tick, We ended up having to go to the vet because the kitten was to big to fit through the birthing canal. They ended up having to do an emergency C-section. Thank you for the advice on how to watch my cat give birth, but if I had listened to you, my cat would be dead, along with the kittens.

Fr,

I'm sorry about posting many threads, I was scared and didn't know what to do. And this is the first day that I have had this, so I was also slightly confused as to what to do. I'm sorry if I have been an annoyance to anyone here. And I will learn from this little mistake.

To any others who want me to keep them posted.
We went to the vet around nine, where they gave my cat (baby) an x-ray to see what was going on. It turned out that there we only two kittens and they we to big to be delivered naturally. (I learned that this happens a lot with smaller animals) So they told us they needed to do a C-section if we wanted Baby and the kittens to live. The vet also pointed out that she couldn't see one of the kittens skulls and thought it was just being blocked by something else. Turns out that kitten didn't form right and had no skull. (I am very thankful that the kittens were not delivered at home because this would have traumatized my little brother and sister.) So all in all, 1300$ later we have one healthy kitten( which we named Expensive) and one healthy Momma, who is still getting used to this whole "being a mommy" thing.
And this lead me to another question.
Is it okay for the momma to leave the little one along for short periods. She has already fed the baby once and I don't think that she is rejecting him/her (We don't know yet) but I am worried for the kittens health.
Thanks for all the help guys!

Thank you for the advice on how to watch my cat give birth, but if I had listened to you, my cat would be dead, along with the kittens.
!

Hi again Jessikka, after quite a few cat litters, some good, some bad, I have learned to roll with the punches as far as momma cats delivering babies. Some have been really sad. I think I was the one who said call a vet, so don't put a guilt trip on me my dear. I don't think I advised you 'on how to watch your cat give birth', even animals need privacy at this time, and only a comfortable, quiet place to actually give birth. I believe I said that cat birthing takes time which is from my own personal experience.

One thing I wouldn't do is sit on a help desk asking for advice if one of my animals was in jeopardy. The only advice I would seek in an emergency for one of my own, is a vet IMMEDIATELY. How many threads did you start, two; and how long were you on your computer typing away asking questions while your cat was suffering. We are all volunteers here with lives and work to do of our own, and many experts not on at the same time, so your questions would have had to wait in line.

I never bring an animal into my home, cat or dog without having one or other spayed or neutered. A responsible pet owner has that done without question. Only you are the one who put your cat through that trauma by not having her spayed when you had the chance. Now, follow my advice and have that done so she won't be in this predicament again.

Tick

I'm glad you took her to the vet and were able to get her the c-section she needed. Did the spay her at the same time?

Yes, it's fine for her to leave the baby for short periods. It shouldn't be too long, though. Newborn kittens can't regulate their body temperature. They need mommy's body heat to keep them warm.

Having just had a c-section, she may be too sore to handle baby bumping into her repeatedly to feed and climbing on her. As long as she's feeding and cleaning the baby and it's not getting chilled, it should be fine.

HH,
Yes we got her spayed at the same time! The vet threw it in for free lol. She has been doing really good all day, staying with her and cleaning her and the baby has been nursing ALL DAY!
My mother says that I have the "New Mommy Syndrome" because all I have done today is watch her and the kitten. (From afar)
I haven't even gotten any sleep since yesterday.
All in all, I'm a wreck. Over one little kitten.

I did the same thing when my cat had her babies. I didn't sleep at all the night they were born, and almost didn't go into work so I could stay home and watch them. Granted, I had six babies to ohh and ahh over ^_^

they're 8 weeks old, and I still just watch them sometimes.

My mother finally got me to go lay down around 12ish and I don't even remember falling asleep. I wish she had more but I am SO happy that we got out of that vets office with Baby and one kitten.(who has a teensy tinsy mohawk!! )
Did your momma ever leave the kittens and follow you around a bit, because she is doing that with me, she goes back to baby after a while but only with a little bit of coaxing from me or my mother. (I'm sorry I'm asking so many questions. There's just so much stuff I don't know! Before we were never that close but today it was like she didn't want me out of her site. She would cry every time I left.
And she doesn't seem to be learning how to pick the baby up. She is trying but I think she is hurting him/her/.. because they start crying loudly. And the she starts to panic and ends up grabbing the baby where ever she can and it meows even louder. Did you ever have that problem?

Like I said, as long as she's feeding and cleaning the baby and it's not getting chilled, it's OK if she leaves if for a bit.

As for picking up the baby, I can't help you with that. My edith NEVER picked up her kids. I had to move them after they were born and put them back in the nest if they managed to escape. I don't think she had any idea how to go about picking them up, so she didn't try.

Thanks so much for all the help you have given me hh! Honestly without it I would be(even more of) a nervous wreck!

It's what I'm here for. I'm just glad I'm able to help ease some of your worries.