How to know when your cat is about to give birth...

[kbellchaser3]

SOO I am about to be a "grandma" for the second time, I was not present for the first pregnancy/birth, and am in need for some ways to see if she is close to giving birth or not...

As of right now she is eating A LOT and has been very aggressive to her kitten from her first litter; time that he wants to play/clean her/even just come NEAR her she growls/attacks him. Mind you when I say attack I mean swat with her paw or fight him off a little, never in a life-threatening manner, then quickly runs away.

She wanders around the house a lot and likes to sprawl out where ever she can, especially in out arm-chairs(she LOVES them). She seems to be in a lot of discomfort because generally when she lies down or curls up she would nap, but now she leaves her eyes open when she does this and it seems that she is in a lot of pain.

Her stomach is huge right now and we can actually see the kittens inside of her moving and feel them kicking; which leads me to believe that she is fairly close due to their size.

My main concern is that I want to be there with her through her process of going through labor/giving birth/tending to the newborns, it's just I need to know when it's going to happen. I know that one cannot predict this occurence, but I would like to know the signs for when this should occur. At this point I am terrified to leave her on her own should she give birth in my absence. For one reason because her kitten lives with us I do now know if she would try to hurt him; two because I do not want anything bad to happen to her during the birthing and I am not there to aid her in what she needs.

As of right now she is trying to get into our closets, so we made a nest for her in our spare closet, with a big comfy blanket at her disposal. What all else should I need for the birthing? What all else should I do in preparation of the birth? I know that I am presenting a lot of information and a lot of questions, I am in search for guidance and a little help in this field that I am not accustom to.

Any information that can be given is welcome! Thank you very much!

[14+kitties]

If you are concerned you could try asking your vet. I am assuming your cat has had her regular scheduled visits for her pregnancy? Or you could ask your mentor if you are a breeder.

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome, kbellchaser3.

Most of the members here are very strongly spay/neuter so not a lot will have first-hand experience with birthing kittens. There are a few, though, and I'm sure they'll be chiming in soon with some advice.

Have you had her checked by a vet to make sure everything is progressing well? The vet can also give you things to watch for and signs that would indicate there's a problem.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by kbellchaser3

and has been very aggressive to her kitten from her first litter;

so why would you breed her again ? Do you know how many cats get put to sleep in shelters because there's just too many ?

About your question , please consult a vet. Members here mostly rescue , because there's too many cats and dogs homeless ... so no , not many of us experienced breeding.

Once your cat delivers and the kittens are old enough , please have your cat spayed ! There's no need for more cats in the world ...

[kbellchaser3]

She had a vet appointment not to long ago, about 5 weeks perse, and the appointment was originally for getting her spayed; SO to my dismay, because the first pregnancy was not planned by any stretch of the imagination, we found out that she was pregnant! They told be that they thought that she was 5 weeks from giving birth and that they could actually feel 3-4 kittens within her stomach.

During the visit I inquired as to what I should do about this, i.e. vitamins, appointments, etc., and they informed me that as long as I kept her in good health, made plenty of food available to her at all times, and monitored her progression that would be all that I would need. They told me that there was no reason to bring her in again, unless there were complications with the pregnancy, until after her kittens were born for their first check up and her wellness.

A quick background on my mamma cat... Aubrey... She was an indoor/outdoor cat, hence her getting pregnant twice without my knowledge. I have had her for a year at the time of the first pregnancy, a friend of mine was transferring to Hawaii and couldn't take her so I adopted her. I wanted to wait until she was done feeding/raising her first litter for her to get spayed; so in all, including the pregnancy, that was about 8 months. We were brought her in for her check ups and scheduled for her to be spayed/declawed, which was scheduled out a couple of months ahead due to every one else on my little island trying to do the same thing! This was, mind you, while we were trying to convert her to an indoor only cat, which she was not very pleased about, so every now and then she would sneak out an open door. So it was in this that she got herself pregnant yet again, which was a surprise to us because we never saw that she was in heat during this time! So you could only imagine our shock to find that she was well on the way with another litter! (In other words I guess my cat "gets around a lot", Lol... )


So as of now that is all I have been told by my vet as she and her kittens were concerned.

[14+kitties]

Oh crap - here we go again ------ Cats can be aborted and fixed at the same time. They do not need to go through needless pregnancies. The rescue I work through to get mine done have aborted many kittens. The world simply does not need more unwanted kittens who pump out more and more........
Also, please do not get her declawed. That is considered animal cruelty and is banned in most of the civilised countries. The exception being the US and Canada. There are some US cities who have started to ban declawing as well. Cats can be taught to use scratching posts pretty easily. Keep her claws trimmed back and let her use her posts. She will do fine.

As for birthing the babies - keep her in a room of her own, with no visits from her first litter. That way there will be no issues with her trying to kill her son.

[kbellchaser3]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

so why would you breed her again ? Do you know how many cats get put to sleep in shelters because there's just too many ?

About your question , please consult a vet. Members here mostly rescue , because there's too many cats and dogs homeless ... so no , not many of us experienced breeding.

Once your cat delivers and the kittens are old enough , please have your cat spayed ! There's no need for more cats in the world ...

Why would you assume that this was done on purpose? I am an owner of 4 rescue animals, and yes I do know that there is a cat/dog over population. This was not intentional by ANY means and I don't just drop them off at the shelter either... I find them all good, caring, and nurturing homes; in the process I ensure that they are cared for and given all the care that they require! If you were not intending helping me with my problem then why would you reply to my post and be so condescending to me when I am seeking help in earnest?

If you would read what I have ALREADY posted ON HERE I was in the process of getting her spayed when we found that she was pregnant... so please if you intend on being rude to people when they are CLEARLY seeking help/advice on something, please just keep your comments to yourself.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by kbellchaser3

scheduled for her to be spayed/declawed,

Please read about declawing. It's butchering cats ! There's many vets who now refuse to do it , that means something. You can trim their claws and buy a cat tree so they can "work" their claws on it.

Please reconsider the declawing ! Your cat will thank you for it !

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by kbellchaser3

This was not intentional

but you let her go outside , when she wasn't spayed


please just keep your comments to yourself.

Only trying to educate you !

[cassiek]

Welcome, kbellchaser3 to pets.

Sorry, I can't offer you much advice on your situation because I don't own a cat nor have I ever had an animal in my care that has been pregnant.

I am happy to hear you will find all the kittens good homes. It might also be a good idea to have them all spayed/neutered before adopting them out, so they do not contribute to the pet over-population as well.

I don't think anyone was trying to be rude to you, and I apologize if you feel that you have been treated unkindly. Remember though you came here looking for advice on your pregnant mama cat (for the 2nd time - oi!), to a very pro spay/neuter board with most of the members involved in rescue in someway or another (I believe this is all stated in a flagged post). A lot of us have witnessed the horrifying, cruel result of these type of situations, and find it difficult not to get upset when we hear of a situation like this.

Please keep your cat indoors until she is spayed after this litter. Good luck to you and your mama cat!

[kbellchaser3]

[QUOTE=14+kitties;915808]Oh crap - here we go again ------ Cats can be aborted and fixed at the same time. They do not need to go through needless pregnancies. The rescue I work through to get mine done have aborted many kittens. The world simply does not need more unwanted kittens who pump out more and more........
QUOTE]

If I being a human being who does not support abortion for us humans, why would I support it being done to animals? I see that as wrong and THAT is cruel...

Why are yall attacking me when I am SEEKING help? Did I post on here to be baggered by animal activitists and to hear about the over poplulation of cats in the World? NO! I am here simply to seek help with my pregnant cat that I care for deeply, not to hear a bunch of people go ON and ON about their "personal" views on what the matter!

I came to this site seeking help... NOT for this BS... So if you have rude comments don't post them here...

[cassiek]

Honestly kbellchaser3, you should probably try another resource than this site. You came here seeking help on a matter that quite frankly not a lot of members are well educated on simply because most of us have never had a pregnant animal in our care. I'm just stating the facts.

Your vet or a breeder is probably your best resource. You could also try looking at your local library for some books on the topic.

Best of luck.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by kbellchaser3

scheduled for her to be spayed/declawed,

Some info for you on declawing: http://www.pawproject.com/html/

Sorry, I don't know anything about pregnant cats.

[aslan]

Originally Posted by kbellchaser3

If I being a human being who does not support abortion for us humans, why would I support it being done to animals? I see that as wrong and THAT is cruel...
a human has the choice of getting pregnant a cat just does it out of instinct.
Why are yall attacking me when I am SEEKING help? Did I post on here to be baggered by animal activitists and to hear about the over poplulation of cats in the World? NO! I am here simply to seek help with my pregnant cat that I care for deeply, not to hear a bunch of people go ON and ON about their "personal" views on what the matter!

I came to this site seeking help... NOT for this BS... So if you have rude comments don't post them here...

it is unfortunate that you feel the members are bashing you,,just as it's unfortunate that you didn't read two key sentences in the forum rules when you joined...This is a pro spay/neuter forum and more importantly we are not vets. Call your vet and ask for the information you need. I might suggest you get the information from them too on what to do if a kitten or kittens are being born breach.

[kbellchaser3]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

but you let her go outside , when she wasn't spayed


please just keep your comments to yourself.

For one, you have no idea what the circumstances that were at hand at the time and if you READ what I posted about "her sneaking OUT" when there was a door open AFTER her first litter had occurred, MAYBE you would understand.

We made sure that she was inside at all times AFTER the first litter, but our roommate, who is THANKFULLY not a roommate anymore, would be neglectful of this and allow her to flee through an open door. When she tried this with me I would catch her and bring her back inside.

ALSO before the first pregnancy she was going outside for over a year without any problems with her getting pregnant, as to there were no stray cats in our area that we needed to worry about.

SO YOU PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO YOURSELF. THANK YOU.

[14+kitties]

[QUOTE=kbellchaser3;915817]

Originally Posted by 14+kitties

Oh crap - here we go again ------ Cats can be aborted and fixed at the same time. They do not need to go through needless pregnancies. The rescue I work through to get mine done have aborted many kittens. The world simply does not need more unwanted kittens who pump out more and more........
QUOTE]

If I being a human being who does not support abortion for us humans, why would I support it being done to animals? I see that as wrong and THAT is cruel...

Big difference between human and animal abortions. Humans are not being euthanized by the millions every single year. 4 - 6 million in the US alone.
Why are yall attacking me when I am SEEKING help? Did I post on here to be baggered by animal activitists and to hear about the over poplulation of cats in the World? NO! I am here simply to seek help with my pregnant cat that I care for deeply, not to hear a bunch of people go ON and ON about their "personal" views on what the matter!

We are not animal activists for the most part. Just people trying to be responsible pet owners.

I came to this site seeking help... NOT for this BS... So if you have rude comments don't post them here...

Ok - some help -

http://ezinearticles.com/?Cat-Labor-...th--&id=806357

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...1185935AASlquL

http://www.wikihow.com/Help-a-Cat-Give-Birth

http://www.cat-pregnancy-report.com/

http://www.cat-world.com.au/parturition-birth-in-cats

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Cats-1606...GIVE-BIRTH.htm

http://cats.about.com/od/reproductio...rthprocess.htm

Hopefully some of those sites will give you some help.

[aslan]

Originally Posted by kbellchaser3

SO YOU PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO YOURSELF. THANK YOU.

Kbellchaser as this is a forum people are entitled to their opinions. Unfortunately you may not always like what people have to say.

As i stated already,,,call your vet and get help from them.

[Ford]

Since this is devolving into rudeness by both new AND old members, despite the blinders, this thread will now be closed.

kbellchaser3, you might find some helpful advice here--
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=69867

But the best advice is to speak with your vet as they are the ones to give you the proper answers since members here are generally pro spay/neuter, and therefore there isn't a lot of experience. Secondly, the best advice is to make sure that you get Mamma spayed ASAP so that there are no more "accidents".

Best of luck, and please let us know everything turned out okay.

Your friendly neighbourhood mod,
Ford