Cat birth

CONTENTS:

First birth of a cat
Cat before giving birth
- What does a cat do before giving birth?
- How does a cat go into labor?
- Signs of childbirth in a cat
How long does a cat give birth
Cat birth at home
- What can the owner do to help the cat during childbirth?
- How to deliver a cat
How many kittens can a cat give birth to?
Cat after childbirth
- What to do after giving birth to a cat?
- When can a cat get pregnant after giving birth?
- When can a cat be spayed after giving birth?
- The cat does not have milk after giving birth
- What to feed a cat after childbirth
How to understand that the cat gave birth to all the kittens?
cat can’t give birth

Childbirth in a cat is a natural process that ends a pregnancy and consists in the fact that the fetus leaves the uterus through the cervical canal and vagina (birth canal).

First birth of a cat

As a rule, experienced cats themselves know what to do. But if the cat gives birth for the first time, problems may arise, since the cat does not quite understand what is happening to her. And in order to know how to help a cat give birth for the first time, you need to understand that childbirth for a cat is a lot of stress.

The first birth of a cat: what should the owner do? First of all, it is necessary to prepare in advance a cozy place for childbirth. As a rule, a spacious box acts as a delivery room, and the sides should not be too high so that the cat can easily get inside. “Rodzal” should be in a quiet secluded place.

Also, to help a cat give birth for the first time, you need to cook:

Surgical gloves.
Cotton buds.
Sharp scissors.
Clean cloth (cotton) or diapers.
Clean towels (terry).
Cotton buds.
Gauze or cotton swabs.
Boiled thread.
Milk formula in powder (from a veterinary pharmacy or pet store).
Pipette or rubber bulb.
Syringe.
Container for used materials.
Liquid antiseptic (veterinary).
Antibiotic ointment.

It is better to put everything you need in one place in advance (about a week before the expected date of birth). And do not forget to put in a prominent place the phone number of the veterinarian, who can tell you what to do or come if necessary.

Cat before giving birth

Many owners ask how a cat behaves before giving birth. You need to know this in order to prepare for the birth of a cat and not to miss its beginning.

What does a cat do before giving birth?

A few hours before giving birth, the cat begins to show anxiety. From now on, it is better to be nearby in order to provide assistance to the pet if necessary.

Active washing, as the cat’s genitals increase in size and turn pink. There should be no discharge in a cat before childbirth.
Decreased activity. Before giving birth, the cat’s behavior becomes apathetic and aloof, she looks bored. Don’t try to entertain her.
Decreased appetite. Water must still be available at all times.
Bending as in contractions. This feature of the cat’s behavior before childbirth is explained by short contractions of the uterus.

Also, a cat before childbirth can behave somewhat unusually: meow loudly, seem scared, try to hide in a secluded corner. Therefore, a few days before the expected date of birth, close the cat’s access to hard-to-reach places.

What can the owner do to alleviate the condition of the cat before childbirth: to be near, to stroke, if the cat allows it, to speak in an even, gentle voice.

How does a cat go into labor?

Another common question of owners: how to understand that a cat has started giving birth. The onset of labor in a cat is marked by contractions – uterine contractions. Contractions in a cat begin a few hours before the appearance of kittens and increase gradually. You should take the cat to the “rodzal” and prepare everything you need.

Signs of childbirth in a cat

Owners often ask what are the signs of the onset of labor in a cat. To understand that the cat will give birth soon, the following signs will help you:

The cat’s belly takes on a pear-shaped shape – it drops.
The cat goes to the toilet more often because of the more frequent urge to urinate.
The birth plug comes off and mucus is released.
Water leaves, while the cat is carefully licked.
Breathing becomes more frequent, shortness of breath is possible.

As a rule, the first kitten is born within 2 hours after the start of strong contractions in a cat. If the cat pushes for 3 hours or more without success, or brown discharge with an unpleasant odor appears from the vulva, immediately take the cat to the veterinarian. Perhaps surgery is needed.

How long does a cat give birth

Another popular question from cat owners is: how long does a cat’s birth last?

The duration of childbirth in a cat should normally not exceed 12 – 18 hours (from the moment the first kitten appears).

If the cat’s labor lasts longer, this is a bad sign. If the duration of childbirth (from the first to the last kitten) takes more than 24 hours, this is also a sign of pathology and a reason to seek help from a specialist.

If the birth of a cat lasts more than 48 hours, the probability of getting live kittens is almost zero. To save the cat and kittens, most often in such cases, surgery is needed.

Cat birth at home

It is useful for owners to know how to organize the delivery of a cat at home and how to help a cat during childbirth at home.

What can the owner do to help the cat during childbirth?

First of all, carefully observe the birth and keep the veterinarian’s phone on hand. If you see that something has gone wrong (for example, if the first kitten did not appear within 7 hours after the onset of strong contractions), seek professional help as soon as possible.

Keep calm and, no matter what happens, do not shout or flicker in front of the cat’s eyes. Ask that no one else enter the room until the cat has given birth. Talk to your cat calmly, affectionately.

How to deliver a cat

Another popular question of owners: how to give birth to a cat? Make sure that when giving birth to a cat at home, the placenta does not remain inside the animal. The placenta remaining inside can cause an inflammatory process.

Please note that after each kitten there is an afterbirth, which the cat usually eats. But do not let the cat eat more than 2 afterbirths – this will cause indigestion.

If the kitten starts breathing inside the bubble, it may stop breathing. Take the kitten (carefully!) in your hand, lower the head down a little so that water flows out of the spout. If that doesn’t help, shake the baby a little. Make sure your breathing is back to normal. The kitten’s tongue should be pink. If he turns blue, wrap the baby in a diaper and hold it upside down for a while. As soon as the kitten squeaked, it can be given to the mother.

If your cat does not gnaw the umbilical cord, your task is to cut the umbilical cord for her. Pull the umbilical cord with a thread (about 2 cm from the kitten’s tummy) and cut it with disinfected scissors, wipe the cut with an antiseptic.

Wipe the babies with a soft diaper, put them on a heating pad covered with a bedding.

As a rule, after the completion of childbirth, the cat looks relaxed and peaceful, and begins to feed the kittens. At this point, the best thing you can do to help your cat in labor is to leave her alone after changing her bedding. Make sure your cat has food and water in the bowl. Keep other animals away from babies, including a cat if he lives in your home.

How many kittens can a cat give birth to?

Another logical question of the owners: how many kittens can a cat give birth at a time (for the first time or even the maximum number)?

As a rule, for the first time a cat can give birth to 1 – 3 kittens, since the cat’s reproductive system is not fully formed. Older cats also give birth to a small number of kittens – their reproductive function fades.

How many kittens can a cat in the prime of life give birth to at a time? As a rule, up to 6 kittens. In the end, nature endowed the cat with only 8 nipples, which means that it is difficult for a cat to feed more than 8 kittens.

However, there are also exceptions. No one knows exactly how many kittens a cat can give birth to at most, but 12 kittens have been born.

Cat after childbirth

What to do after giving birth to a cat?

This is also a popular question from owners. Childbirth can be considered completed if 1,5 – 2 hours after the birth of the last kitten, the cat has no contractions, the stomach is soft and all afterbirths have come out. During this period, the main thing is to properly feed the cat and protect it from stress.

If the birth went without complications, as a rule, after 14 days the cat recovers completely, and the kittens grow significantly.

When can a cat get pregnant after giving birth?

Often, owners ask how quickly a cat can get pregnant after giving birth and can a cat get pregnant immediately after giving birth? It should be borne in mind that giving birth and feeding kittens is a huge burden on the cat’s body, which exhausts the animal and can lead to diseases.

So after giving birth, the cat needs a recovery period. On average, a cat comes into heat 1-2 months after giving birth. But even if the cat is ready to get pregnant immediately after giving birth and starts asking for a cat, take measures so that pregnancy does not occur.

The maximum number of births in a cat is 1 time per year. In this case, the cat has the opportunity to recover from previous births and raising kittens.

When can a cat be spayed after giving birth?

Sometimes owners are interested in whether it is possible to sterilize a cat after childbirth and when can a cat be sterilized after childbirth? Veterinarians cannot answer this question unambiguously. The answer to the question of how long to sterilize a cat after giving birth depends on whether the cat is nursing kittens. If a cat is nursing kittens, do not spay her immediately after giving birth. As a rule, veterinarians say that a cat can be spayed no earlier than 2 months after birth. Sterilization of a cat after childbirth is fraught with serious complications (up to death) and is possible only in exceptional cases.

The cat does not have milk after giving birth

There are several reasons why a cat does not have milk after giving birth:

Stress.
Infection. In this case, treatment with antibiotics is necessary.
Lack of maternal instinct – occurs, as a rule, in a young cat.
Bad nutrition. Give your cat more dairy products, vitamins and protein.
Hormonal imbalance.

In any case, you need to contact a specialist and follow his recommendations.

What to feed a cat after childbirth

Many owners are concerned about the question of how to feed a cat after childbirth. How to feed a newborn cat?

During the first 10-12 days after birth, the nutrition of a nursing cat should include only nutritious, natural and easily digestible foods: sour-milk, cereals and vegetables. If the cat is very lacking in meat, you can give dietary meat in boiled form.

It is better to exclude dry food: a large amount of salt and a small amount of liquid makes it difficult for a cat to produce milk after childbirth. However, if the cat has an allergy, a sudden change in diet is contraindicated. In other cases, the usual foods are introduced into the diet of a nursing cat on the 14th day. Keep in mind that after giving birth to a cat, you need foods that contain magnesium and calcium. Check with your veterinarian about which nutritional supplements to choose. It is important that food for a lactating cat is always fresh. Water must be freely available.

How to understand that the cat gave birth to all the kittens?

You can understand that a cat has given birth to all the kittens by the way she behaves: she takes care of the born kittens (licks, feeds), the cat’s breathing is even, the heartbeat is normal. After the birth of the last kitten, the cat is thirsty and hungry.

The belly of the cat that gave birth to all the kittens is soft, without seals.

If you cannot understand whether the cat has given birth to all kittens, you should seek the advice of a veterinarian. If in doubt, the cat will have an ultrasound of the uterus.

cat can’t give birth

Normal birth in a cat lasts no more than 18 hours. If the process is delayed, then the cat cannot give birth normally. What to do if the cat cannot give birth?

First of all, seek help from a veterinarian. There are a lot of reasons for birth pathologies, and only a specialist is able to properly help your pet.

If 24 hours have passed since the start of labor, and the cat still cannot give birth, most likely the kittens are dead. And in this case, an operation is necessary. But first, x-ray diagnostics may be needed.

The main rule: if you see that something went wrong during the birth of a cat, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible!