Pregnant cat

[Stacy]

I think this is the right place for it.. Well, one of my cats is pregnant and any day now I think she will have kittens.

This is the first time I'm experiencing this and I'm really scared and need some advices, please!!!

First one, I know she needs to find her own place to have the kittens, but should I put something there like a blanket or something? I'm asking this is because I already did and she just pulled it out. But, I don't think she should have kittens on the plain carpet (it's not soft at all).

Another thing is her food and nutrition after she had kittens. What do you suggest?

And if you have any additional tips, please let me know!

:sunny:

[Rubi Waters]

it's all instinct to her, let her find her own place where she feels it's safe for the babies & she will basically do everything on her own.

as long as she's getting a name brand food those have all the nutrients she & babies usually need (unless they happen to be sickly then they will need special stuff).

good luck to you and kitty :)

[fire_Raven]

i'd suggest being with the cat... i've seen two litters of kittens be birthed and about 5 litters of pugs, give the cat somewhere comfy to be (a bow with a pillow inside... worked for the pug O.o) keep the kittens in the box, or the mother cat will move them to hide them from children (if there are any around) and it'll take you AGES to find them... keep water and a bit of food inside the box until the kittens are born, then move that stuff outside the box...

[Mex]

Hi I am in the same boat as you, we have sought of inherited a half-starved cat that has a belly full of kittens. I checked out a cat book and it's advice was to put a few boxes around the house with a flap cut out for an entrance. You will need to encourage the mother to use the boxes by closing her in a room with one for a period of time. The mother or queen will eventually choose the box that suits her. If not you can always place her in one once the litter is born. They also suggest that you use paper towelling for bedding as it is easy to clean and much less change of little kittens sufficating if caught amongst the bedding. The flap can be put up to keep little kittens in as well. Cats are pretty self sufficient when it comes to giving birth and an average litter is 4 with approximately 30 to 45 minutes in between each kitten. If a kitten is born feet first and is caught, you can free it using a towel and making sure that you pull it out gently as close to the kittens shoulders as possible. Anyway, enough rambling from me, I hope this helps! Good luck!

[MidnightSun]

Our cat had 3 litters of kittens. As long as you keep food and water near by she should be fine. We put out a box for her for her 2nd and 3rd litters..but for her first she found a spot under my moms bed next to the heat register *it was November at the time* We moved them and stuff..Katie after a while didn't really care. Just keep a close eye on them all and it should be fine :)

Congrads to you and your kitty, btw!

[WynterWynd]

I have had eight litter of kittens born to me, and almost everyone of them delivered in a box, save the one that decided my hair looked like a good place in the middle of the night!!:eek: I would not put a pillow in for the kittens as they can roll of and smother under the sides of a pillow, also if you think the box just has to have something in the bottom of it, use news paper. Its the easies to dispose of, after all are born. I used a towel, just the size of the box after the kittens are born, that way there are no layers for the babies to get under ( I kept several of these around for daily changing) Put the box in a quiet, non-drafty area and she should use the box just fine all on her own, tho some will not get into it even tho they are in labor right until its time to push. As far as extra nutrition after the kittens are born, as long as she doesn't have a huge amount of kittens, she will be fine on the diet that she is eating. You may want to supplament it with a little more protien and some store bought canned cat milk. If she does end up with a bunch of kittens, she will need extra vitamins while nursing the wee-ones, because they will sap all the nutrients out of her body and she could go into siezures from this. (One of mine did this after having a litter of nine) Once she was on the vitamins, everything was fine again. She will move the babies if she feels bothered (too many people walking buy or people near her and the box or she feels a draft) this is inevitable, she will eventually move them. I just made a point of doing a head count several times a day, and an attempt to put them back in the box at night.
Keep an eye on her if you are there when this(labor) happens, I wrote down the times that each kitten was born. It helps keep track of the time between kittens in case labor stops progressing. I have forgotten how long is too long between births before a vet needs to step in, so you may want to call one for that info. And its totally normal for them to cry/scream when they are pushing. It should take no more that a few minutes for each kitten to be born (come out of mom) One of ours also had a c-section because her labor did not progress. But she was a very small cat, unfortunaley the father was not!!!:eek:

Good luck and happy kittening!!!;)

[Yvonne Belisle]

When my cat had her kittens she tried to have them in my lap and she handed them to us as she cleaned them. She also delighted in the kids playing with them just after they were born. Maybe she is just an anomoly?

[Stacy]

(((Everyone))) thanks a lot for your suggestions :)

I think the kittens will be here any day now cause she's starting to breathe hard and I can see that she's occasionally feeling pain..

I'll keep my eye on her and will be there when she's having them (hopefully I won't faint cause I'm very baaaaad with blood 8O ).

Keep her (Peppy) in your mind during these days and I'll let you know as soon as they come out :)

[Saphra]

My cats have had a few litters of kittens, don't stay with them the entire time, but check in on them because sometimes they will have problems with the birthing and a kitten can get stuck. Also, t he mothers sometimes do not clean the kittens very well, so a warm wash cloth works good with that if the kittens are still gooey when you see them....

[Stacy]

Thank you Saphra! :)

Kittens should be here (I think any day now!)!! :)

p.s. Yickes!!!

[materra]

Keep the closet doors and drawers closed. Our cats always headed for them. Pet the cat and you will feel the tummy tense with labor if she is in labor. And if she lets you. they can be touchy about that at times like thesel Good luck.

[tabcat]

A few years ago my cat Dot had kittens. Before she gave birth I put boxes around the house and tried to get her interested, but she spent her time climbing trees instead. The morning she went into labor, she came to me and led me to a closet where she basically directed me to set up a box with old t-shirts. And believe me, she didn't get in the box until I had it the way she wanted it! I decided to leave her alone and let nature take it's course, but she followed me out of the room and threw such a fit that I went back to the closet with her where I quite literally held her paw while she labored. After she started having kittens, I understood why she had wanted me around: the first two were born less than a minute apart, so I ended up breaking the sack and cleaning up the first one, while she pushed out the second. The third kitten came about ten minutes later. The fourth kitten about ten minutes after that and was a true breech (tail first) and I had to pull him out. I've always been flattered that Dot trusted me so much, and boy what a cool experience!
As for food, I fed Dot a high quality kitten formula because it had extra calories and calcium (per vet's instructions).

[Stacy]

(((Everyone))) Thank you for your sggestions and advices!

Peppy got last night 4 kittens.. She did it on her own, although I was up all night just in case she needs me..

Once again: thank you :heartthro :heartthro :heartthro

[flar7]

remember, when it comes time for their eyes to open, she will
probably move them to a dark place. heheh, then its find the
kitties day. After you know where they are, leave them there
unless its dangerous, because she will keep moving them back
anyway.

[Rubi Waters]

(((((Stacy,Peppy & kitties))))))) glad everyone's ok :)

[WynterWynd]

Yeah new kitties! :boing:

[Stacy]

Thank you ((((ALL))))!!! :) :)
I'm very happy that she got thru it.. (and me) 8O

Leo (7-month old) is sooooo scared.. He's just going around the house and heesing (sp?) at me all the time!!

[shnen]

hissing? ahhh, he probably has no clue what to think of al the new additions!

[WynterWynd]

One of my males did that, another growled like I had done something wrong!! I think they just get upset that there are more cats in the house.

[Stacy]

:T

He's sooo cute.. although now he's calming down a bit..

[WynterWynd]

It just talkes time for them to adjust. Two of mine are still walking around with 'air leaks' everytime the see Jinx. :crylaugh: So just give him tim

[Stacy]

Yesterday, Leo went under the bed (where kittens are) and Peppy was there, as well.. She let him get very close to them.. And I didn't hear no growling or hissing.. I think he's completelly calming down..

[Blueowl]

I love baby kittens...they are so cute! Congrats Stacy! Glad everything went well!!

[Magestya]

Congrats, I'm glad everyone is okay!

Blessings,
Magestya