# Cat had only "1" Kitten...



## summerbreeze (Jan 1, 2005)

Hi everyone,
I'm new here & I thought maybe someone here can shed some light on if this is normal or not. We just realized our cat was pregnant within this past week, there were really no tell tale signs up until a few days ago when her belly began to swell, as well as her nipples. Plus, we thought we were in the clear becuase our new male cats were fixed 2 months ago. She must have gotten pregnant within just days of the males getting fixed. But anyway, she's always been a rather skinny cat, and really didn't put on any weight except for the mid section- and even then, it wasn't noticable unless she lied on her back. 2 nights ago I got her calm enough to let me feel her belly (she's really skiddish about being touched sometimes)- and I felt some movement in her tummy. Took about 5 minutes to feel a noticable kick. That following morning, I was suprised to see some signs of pre-labor, afterall she hadn't picked up any nesting habits. We picked up a rather large cage for her to have her kittens in (so the other cats can't disturb her)- and she had one this morning between 4-5 a.m. The kitten is doing just fine, other than being rather small, but so far there are no other kittens. The mother is doing fine as well, being protective & happily purring when I pet her. Is it normal for a mother to have only 1 kitten? How would I be able to tell if more kittens are in her belly? I tried feeling the belly but it already feels patchy in areas because of the milk in the nipple ducts. Any thoughts? Thanks.


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

its possible, but I don't know how "normal" it is. It might be that she's so small (or young? how old is she?) that her body could only manage to keep one baby.

However, its possible there are still more inside her. They may be alive, they may not. She needs to see a vet. I know its a holiday weekend and most vets are closed, but an emergency clinic might be around you. If not, call a few vet's offices anyway. Some have 24 hour operators who answer and try to help with problems while the office is closed, others (like the one I work for) have answering machines and offer pager numbers to any on call doctors.

She really needs to be checked out. It could save her life, her new kitten's life, and possibly any kittens still inside her.


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## summerbreeze (Jan 1, 2005)

Yeah, there is 24 emergency vet about 2 miles away. I'm just worried that packing her & the kitten in the car is going to stress her out. I think I'll call them first & see what they say, thanks.


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## summerbreeze (Jan 1, 2005)

Oh & she is 3 years old, but has always been underweight.


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## Zalensia (Aug 25, 2003)

Is this her first litter?
Keep an eye on her to see if there are any signs of straining, as if she is still trying to give birth.
Ideally as said its a good idea to get a vet to give her a feel over.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Just wondering if your momma kitty and kitten are ok? 

Did you go to the vet? maybe they addressed for you why she is under weight also besides the important issue of her pregnancy!? Sending prayers everything is OK. Keep us posted


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