# Cat having kittens



## Terrylt7 (Feb 29, 2008)

I have had cats all my life and have never had one that had kittens until now. LOL About 2 this afternoon she had one kitten, and hasnt had anymore yet. She is still large so I know there is a couple more. How long do they go in between kittens? This has made me a complete nervous wreck. LOL The one kitten is so **** cute. Thanks

Terry


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## ~Siameseifuplz~ (May 6, 2007)

I don't know much about birthing kittens, just wanted to wish you luck! Was this a planned litter?


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Far too much time has passed since that first kitten was born. If there are other kittens, they must be delivered now or they will die, and an infection could develop. Sometimes a young mother just can't deliver on her own, and a C section is necessary. Please take her to the vet asap. Please do not wait until morning. Let us know how she is, please.


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## Terrylt7 (Feb 29, 2008)

Total time in labor can vary from several hours to 24 hours or more, with the mother cat normally having some breaks and rest from labor in between kittens. 


I have been doing a lot of reading online and I found this. I have read that its not unusual to be times between the kittens. This is nerve wracking.


Terry


http://www.hdw-inc.com/delivery.htm


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Terry, are you a breeder? I bred both dogs and cats for years. For the sake of her kitty's health, she should contact a vet immediately. From your source:


> While most feline deliveries are thankfully problem-free, if a queen is in HARD labor, with strong contractions and pushing hard for more than 45 minutes without results, you should definitely be concerned and phone your veterinarian for instructions. It may be a simple problem where your vet can even talk you through manually turning a kitten into a better delivery position. However, it could mean the kitten is just too large to deliver, or is wedged in the birth canal, or it could even mean a torn uterus. Sometimes a queen needs a C-section but sometimes she just needs more expert help than you can give. Occasionally, labor stops and the veterinarian will give Oxytocin and/or calcium injections to start contractions again. And, by the way, should your queen need to have a C-section, provided your vet does not find anything wrong with the uterus itself, an otherwise healthy strong queen may well be able to have normal deliveries in the future, although her pregnancies should always be monitored very closely.



http://www.hdw-inc.com/delivery.htm


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## Terrylt7 (Feb 29, 2008)

She had the contractions and had the kitten and she hasnt had any contractions since. I have been with her all day. Eating and taking care of baby. I am not a breeder. Thanks


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That happened to me once, also. No contractions, no kitten. It was dead, and she couldn't push it out. The contractions stopped. Perhaps there's only one kitten, but only a vet could tell you. It would be unusual. In fact, I've never had that experience. If in doubt, call the vet.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Boy, I don't know... 
Shadow is the only cat I've had kitten since 30 years ago. Shadow only took 3-4 hours to birth her 5 kittens. I would be concerned with a pregnant cat whose belly looked huge, having one kitten and then nothing for more than several hours. ...and it has been almost 9 hours since you say she had the one kitten.

Were it me, I'd probably call a vet or ER vet clinic for advice. They may tell you to wait-and-see if she doesn't appear to be in distress, but I would feel better with an x-ray to tell for sure, possibly a shot of oxytocin and then consider C-section to save the mother and what kittens we could.

It might be nothing, but on the off chance it IS something, I wouldn't rely on internet information. No matter how well-meaning, non-alarming and how much it agreed with how I _wanted_ things to be.
Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Good luck and do keep us posted,
Heidi


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## Jimmyness (Dec 31, 2005)

I had the same problem, after having just one kitten she went 12 hours without having any other kittens so we took her to the vet and after getting given alot of contraction inducing medication she finally had the last two kittens. Sadly the last kitten has to be put down because she had birth defects.

How old is the cat? If she's realy young (1 year or younger) there is a higher chance things will go wrong in the delivery. Even once the kittens are born you should probably take them to the vet to check for birth defects that many effect their survival/quality of life. Considering you're not a breeder the kittens have a higher chance of developing genetic defects.

Im guessing this was a mistake pregnancy?

Goodluck with mumma cat, ill have my fingers crossed for you


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

How is your mother cat doing?


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## Terrylt7 (Feb 29, 2008)

Mom and kitten are doing wonderful. He is awesome. Yes it is a he. If there is a place for pics on here I will try to get some on.

Terry


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That's a big relief! I'm so glad they're ok!


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