# How long does labor last?



## Adrienne (Jan 15, 2005)

Once a cat goes into labor how long does it normally last? I know that there may not be a "normal" amount of time, but I would like a general idea or how long did your cat's labor last? Thanks.


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## emma_pen (Nov 2, 2004)

In total, from first contraction to last kitten, Isis' labour lasted 5 hours. She was pushing without any signs of kittens for an hour, then had 4 kittens pretty spaced apart.


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## CJ (Mar 2, 2005)

*labor*

I have had a cat produce a litter in as little an an hour and a half ( she had 5 kittens). Joli, persian, usually has litters in about 6 hours or so. The last litter she had was something else. She had the first kitten around 5 on a Saturday morning. I waited for more. NOTHING until Sunday morning when she had another one around 10. 6 in the evening comes around and she produces 2 more. THEN Monday evening between 5 and 6 she produced another 2 kittens. How strange is that?!! They were all healthy and weighed around 3 to 3 1/2 ounces each.


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## Adrienne (Jan 15, 2005)

*Re: labor*



CJ said:


> I have had a cat produce a litter in as little an an hour and a half ( she had 5 kittens). Joli, persian, usually has litters in about 6 hours or so. The last litter she had was something else. She had the first kitten around 5 on a Saturday morning. I waited for more. NOTHING until Sunday morning when she had another one around 10. 6 in the evening comes around and she produces 2 more. THEN Monday evening between 5 and 6 she produced another 2 kittens. How strange is that?!! They were all healthy and weighed around 3 to 3 1/2 ounces each.


That is pretty funny. She was just taking it in shifts . The vet thinks that she will only have 2 kittens MAYBE 3, so hopefully she won't drag it out that long.


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## Raul-7 (Sep 17, 2004)

*Re: labor*



CJ said:


> I have had a cat produce a litter in as little an an hour and a half ( she had 5 kittens). Joli, persian, usually has litters in about 6 hours or so. The last litter she had was something else. She had the first kitten around 5 on a Saturday morning. I waited for more. NOTHING until Sunday morning when she had another one around 10. 6 in the evening comes around and she produces 2 more. THEN Monday evening between 5 and 6 she produced another 2 kittens. How strange is that?!! They were all healthy and weighed around 3 to 3 1/2 ounces each.


Are you a breeder!? How are you going to keep up with those many kittens. :wink:


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

As the others said, Adrienne, it varies. A lot depends on how many kittens there are. Usually a female (queen) should not labor more than an hour before producing a kitten. Sometimes there's a very large kitten that is having difficulty being born. Other times, mother doesn't have time to clean and rub up on kitten when another comes along, leaving a very delicate job to you. If this happens, take the sac off immediately and clean out the kitten's mouth with a dropper, if necessary, and rub the kitten vigorously, but not roughly, until it squeaks. Sometimes they come out squeaking! No two births are exactly alike. Good luck!


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