Hi! This is Jess. I'm a volunteer here at supplies4petz.com and I wanted to share an amazing animal experience with you. I work at an animal shelter, and I recently decided to foster a pregnant cat. Though we did not expect her to have her kittens for a couple of weeks, she went into labor only two days after I took her home! Though it's only been a week so far, I've learned quite a bit from this experience, and I hope to pass on some useful information.
First, if you're caring for a pregnant cat, be sure to feed her kitten food, or a food that is specified for cats and kittens. Cats, like humans, have very different nutritional requirements during pregnancy. It is also beneficial to add a milk replacer into your pregnant cat's diet. This can be mixed in with canned kitten food to add nutrients, and should be continued until 2 weeks after the kittens have weaned, to help the mother's body recover. I have been adding about a tablespoon full of KMR milk replacer to a 3oz can of kitten food twice daily in addition to having dry kitten food constantly available.
The labor and birthing process is a fascinating thing to observe. You can actually see the contractions rippling across the mother's belly like waves. Many cats prefer to be secluded and can actually stop the labor and birthing process for a full day if they feel threatened or uncomfortable, but I was lucky enough to get the perfect fostering experience. Thumbalina is a long-haired, white, mitten-toed cat with a great temperament. She purred during labor (which is typical) and rather than shunning company, she nuzzled my hand and encouraged me to pet her. She did not mind my picking up her newborn kittens to keep them out from underfoot while she was giving birth to another. Most cats do not need assistance with the birthing process. It is helpful, however, to be present and ready to help if needed. After each kitten is born, the mother should lick the baby clean, eat the placenta, and chew the umbilical cord. You should have warm water and washcloths on hand to help clean the kittens if the mother is not doing it, as well as sharp scissors and dental floss or string to cut and tie off the umbilical cord if necessary.
Labor can last several hours, with up to an hour between kittens. However, if the cat is having contractions and active labor for over an hour without producing a kitten, this is a sign of complications and you should take her to the vet immediately. Thumbalina was in active labor from about 8pm to midnight. She had a total of 5 kittens on the night of 11/12/07, and early the next morning she had a stillborn. It had been 7 hours since her labor had stopped, so I think the kitten was already dead when her labor began, but I attempted to revive it anyway. If you are faced with an unmoving kitten, the best thing you can do is ensure that it's airways are clear and try to stimulate breathing by rubbing its sides vigorously but GENTLY with a dry washcloth.
After labor, Thumbalina settled down to nurse the kittens. I was concerned that she didn't seem to be producing much milk, so I checked each of the kittens before and after nursing to ensure that they had the typical big full belly. If at all possible, the kittens should be on their mother's milk for at least the first two days to build up their immune system. It's been a few days, and the mother and kittens are all doing great! Nursing has been successful, and everyone seems healthy. I will update on their progress later. Feel free to contact us with any questions!
The kittens are a month old now, and there have been so many new developments! Their eyes have been open for about two weeks now, though their vision is still developing. Two of them have had issues with their eyes crusting closed due to minor eye infections, but I have taken care of that (with veterinary advice) by putting plain old neosporen on their eyes. It's a gentle antibiotic and it does the trick for minor eye infections, but if the symptoms persist always visit your vet to get a stronger prescription antibiotic cream or eye drop.
They have been much more active; they now walk, bathe themselves and eachother, and two of them have even learned to climb out of the box that is their "nest!" They show some signs of playfulness, occasionally batting at a toy or a sibling's tail, but thus far they still lack the coordination and muscle control to play much.
At the one month mark, it's safe to introduce kittens to canned food, but be sure it's a pate-style canned food formulated specifically for kittens. This is a fun rite of passage, and most kittens will take to canned food quickly. To get them used to the taste, I put a little food on my finger and rubbed it on the kittens' gums to get them interested. Most of them immediately started licking the food off of my hand, and a few started to voraciously chew at my fingers(kittens have sharp teeth)! After introducing them to the taste of canned food, I put a saucer of it in with them, and made sure they knew it was there. 4 of them ate immediately but I'm still working with the 5th.
Of course, the kittens will not be fully weaned until the 8-week mark. I'll keep you posted! Hopefully this information will help someone out there. Feel free to email if you have any questions!
