Ok, I am looking after a cat for a neighbour who is on holiday, they havent had the cat long and they got her from RSPCA. she is supposed to be about 9 years old, but I think she is in labour. She wont stop crying and she now has a discharge from her rear end. she wont settle and keeps digging at the carpet! What do I do? Have no experience of birth with animals, and I dont think that having five kids myself is going to help me much. Should I just let her get on with it? will she need Help? I just thought that the cat was fat, you know over fed, not pregnant! Help someone please!!! Sarah, pulling hair and not smiling :(

I would phone your vet, explain the situation, and see if they'll take her in (and bill the cat's owners).
Good luck.
:)

Hi, cats generally do fine in labour without help, just be there so that if anything does go obviously wrong you can call the vet. Are you sure she is in labour though - I would have thought the RSPCA would neuter any animals leaving them (don't know for sure though). Hope all goes well!

Fiona and Saffy

She is definately pregnant, I can feel them moving around in her tummy now! I asumed that the RSPCA would have neautered her aswell but if they were told that she had been done by person that handed her in would they have checked or just taken their word for it? I think owners are going to get a bit of a shock when they come home!! I have now sorted her out a box and an old towel and she seems to have taken to that for now at any rate. any more advice is most welcome from those in the know about these things, as I havent a clue, and the vet said to just let her get on with it but to phone if she gets into difficulty. How the hell am I going to know if she gets into difficulty? thats what I want to know!!! Sarah

Hi

you really should stay with her as the first born can be a shock. As the kittens get near to being born you can see tightening just as you would a human birth and if you watch you will see the contractions getting closer from say every five minutes to every four and so on.she may panic and try to hide somewhere dark as long as you can see what is happening fine if not move her to an area were better suited. She may not want anything to do with her babies at first so make sure you keep them warm and keep showing mum what see has got and in time she will settle down with her.If this is not her first litter she will know what she needs to do and all you have to do is watch and make sure she doesnt have any problems.

good luck

nicki

thanks Nicki, most greatful, I dont know who's more nervous me or the cat! If i sit near her box she will lay in it, but if I move away she follows me meowing at the top of her voice, is it wise to feed her at all or should I just give her water for now? I take it this could take some time, she keeps licking herself but the odd thing is she is purring like a train!! how will I know if anything is wrong, how long do I leave her to her own thing? I am just afraid that I will not know if she is in trouble! this is worse than giving birth myself!! Sarah

HI Sarah

you could offer her a drink but i dont think she would take it.My cats alway wanted me near by when in labour comfort thing ha ha.The purring is natural cats purr when in pain another comfort thing.As for knowing if somthing is wrong if she appears to be straining for say over an hour with no kitten then phone your vet.when she does start to strain if you count the pushes you will notice that they increase. when mine start to strain say between eight or ten times with each contraction i know the kittens are coming. And yes this could take some time i have sat up all night before now and my cat started her labour ten oclock at night and she didnt stop until seven in the morning.Let me know how things are going.

nicki

hi
well i breed cats,and i am sure that she will be fine cats ,seem in most cases to give birth easily if you need help or advice just email me,mine never seem to have any problems though so i am sure all will be fine.keep us posted

Thank you both, most helpful. I feel abit calmer now and she seems to be taking everything in her stride. I think I panic'd because she is not my cat but I am responable for her at the moment. I will keep you both posted on how she is doing and hopefully things will go smoothly with no problems. thanks again for you advice it is much appreciated. Sarah :)

Any babies yet?
Bec

no babies yet, but lots of discharge and lots of noise, and I cannot leave her side. I am hoping she is getting close now. gotta go now as she is getting out of box to come see where I disapeared too!! Sarah

Put us out of our misery! How are they all?

hi mason,
any news yet?,i hope all is going well and that you can stay calm,as i said earlier she should be fine,i hope you are all ok.x

Just read the thread, wow what a shock the owners will have when they come home. All cats that I have known have never had any trouble having their babies. Except my neighbours cat that was only 6 months at the time, I came over just to see her plop a kitten in front of me and meow and just look at me, I removed the sack told her to put her in a box with blankets and she did fine after that, watched her deliver 2 more to make sure but all was well, she had 5 in total.

Do hope all go well and I wouldn't worry to much good luck :)

ttfn :)

How did everything go?????

I do hope there is a PURRRfect end to this thread :)

Hi Mason
any news yet ???? the suspense is killing us all. Hope it all goes well or has gone well :)
Tracey

Good point you have there Tracey;
Please let us know how it's all gone.I have been thinking about it on and off since you posted.

My two cats are both neutuered but Oscar my male moggy did have a habit of bringing home Kittens, when he was younger.

The "she" cat a dozen houses down seemed at one point to have a litter of kittens every year and although they weren't Oscars and he didn't like the she cat either, he had a habit of "kittenknapping" a kit when they got to about 5 weeks I assume they must of just been out in the garden he brought 5 different kittens home over a 4 year period. I hasen to add we kept none. A shock the first time though I will admit it does baffle you where a 5 week old kitten has arrived from when you get home from work!

I think he's just an old softie, regardless of his size.

Karen

I am so sorry everyone, I dont know why but I havent been able to get past old Iparkins so have not been able to post. Yes we have Kittens!!! three to be exact, two black and white and one ginger with a white collar. unfortunately there was a number four but was born dead. They were eventually born late Wednesday night mother and babies doing well! so sorry I have kept you all hanging in the air. :D Sarah

very happy to hear they are doing great and congrats :)

Won't the owners have a surprise :D

Good luck, keep her indoors cause they do come into heat about a month or so from having kittens I think, I'm sure someone will come along who knows for sure. Im sure my friends cat was nursing 6 week old kittens when she accidentally got bred again, she now locks the male up (she thought they were like dogs every 6 months). :( Lesson learned there.

ttfn :)

Congratulations Auntie Sarah!!!!

I will tell owners when they return to be careful and keep her in. not knowing if she has had kittens before I am concerned about one thing though, she keeps laying on top of them and I have to rescue them every now and then. I am so scared that she is going to suffocate them. I have been to the vets with them, thought it best to get them checked out, all is well and he didnt even charge me, nice vet :D any ideas on how I can stop her squishing her babies, its like she is trying to hide them or something! thanks to everyone. Sarah :)

It could be that she is feeling threatened, my dogs have done the wame trying to hide babies. Is it possible to make a 'cave' for her so she doesn't feel so threatened? All the cats I've had that have had kittens have always given birth in a confined place and been quite happy about it.
Bec

What a brilliant neighbour u are:D
Lel

Congrats to cat and midwife, yes cats come in every few weeks or so so keep them locked up until she's done!
Bec

Ahhh that great news, sorry about the still born but at least mum and babies are doing ok,:)
Tracey

she is in a box and I have put her in my bedroom as thats the only sacred place in our house, and I have drapped a towel over the top of the box so that she is nice and cozy. I have banned the kids from seeing her at the moment, which they are not happy about but I dont want to end up hand rearing them if I can help it. Is it normal for her to not go out to the loo as I have tried to take her out to go and she just runs straight back to her babies, as far as I am aware she has not "been" since Wednesday, no mess in my room anyway. :) Sarah

Have you got a litter tray in your room for her? I would put one close to the kitten-box. Bitches have to be dragged forcibly to the garden for a few days after whelping, so I would guess cats are just as reluctant to leave their babies.
:)

Congrats, is great watching them being born isn't it, i do feel for the mother tho! My cat screamed when she had kittens! Keep an eye on her from a reasonable distance, as if she feels threatened or unsafe she may try and hide the kittens in the bizarrest of places. And yes unlike humans they can mate again very soon after having kittens, i think it can be as early as a few days! She may be hungrier than usual so she might need extra rations.

hi mason,
a cat comes into heat as soon as her litter is born(strange but true)keep her in if you can,buy her a litter tray.glad you are all doing fine,ive been reading the threads again and spoke to a friend of mine who works for the r.s.p.c.a. and shes said that if a female cat goes to them to be rehomed and there is no history e.g (owners havent got her spayed or if she was a stray) they open them up anyway to find out wether they have been spayed.
so if your friend did get her from the r.s.p.c.a,i would get her to call them and ask why this wasnt done,they may offer to spay her free of charge if it genuinely was an error and they had not done the appropriate check to see if she was spayed or not.
good luck.jane.xx

How are the kittens getting on, and were the owners suprised??