What are the signs that my pregnant cat is about to give birth? And how long after these will labor start?
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Her due date is four days from now, but I’ve read that labor can occur earlier so I want to be prepared. Will appreciate answers from cat moms who have first-hand experience with pregnant cats. Thanks
A cat is normally pregnant for nine weeks. Her over friendliness towards you is natural behavior for a pregnant cat. However your cat will decide what she wants to do when she does have the kittens she may go and find a dark hide away to be on her own or she may feel happy enough to have her kittens in a box you want to provide for her.
The first signs of labor can be quite subtle she will take herself away to her birthing space and you will see her tummy start to ripple with the contractions. Don’t worry most cats are quite able to give birth on their own and their should not be any need for you to intervene.
See my page re cat pregnancy for more information here
http://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-in-heat.html
Also here is some info for your cat and kittens.
the time will depend on how many kittens there are. she will find a safe place and start purring, if shes an inside cat the safe place may be under a bed, maybe put a cardboard box with something soft in it under the bed. if shes on outside cat she may go under the house. sometimes there is a trace of blood come from where the kittens come out just before they give birth
Wow my cat climbs in bed with me one morning and you can tell she is having contractions and starts pushing so i got nervous and just laid beside her and all of a sudden she starts screaming, i thought something was wrong and jumped out of bed to call my husband so she jumps out of bed and i had to stop her at the doorway and make her lay down because she already had a kitten coming out. But after that she did good, not too much pain, I had to help cut the cords and help one start breathing because she was too worried about eating the sac, that was a little scary, just stay calm and you’ll be a good midwife. Umm my advise would be read alot online it helped me out, or i wouldn’t have known what to do with the kitten that wasn’t breathing, which was rub him off upside down and i had to shake him a little and he started breathing. It took my cat hours to deliver all, it was only a few minutes between the first two than about six hours till the other two came.
Well I don’t know about cats (eugh) but my dog just had her puppies a while back and she was very sensitive and very touchy-feely. She stated doing things that she usually didn’t do, like jumping on the couch or going under the beds. I guess looking back on it now she was just trying to find a place to have her pups. But I’m sorry im not an expert on cats, maybe try googling it. You may also be able to call a vet. Maybe they will actually answer you question without charging you. Haha, damn vets.
Cats will usually start "nesting" where they find like a pile of clothes towels or blankets and bunch them up or fluff them. my cat always tried to find a small quiet area and kept going into it and coming back out. they do a lot of moving around before labor. My cat also had like a blood clot come out of her about a hour before the first kitten. Your best bet is to lock her into a small room or closet and wait it out. Cats like to hide when giving birth. And some cats cry a lot before birthing starts. Trust me..if mama cat is around close to you when labor starts you will know
Here are some signs that your cat is about to give birth that I hope are helpful. The mammary glands begin to develop further a few days prior to giving birth. During the first stage of labor, which can last up to six hours, the female cat pants and purrs and seeks an appropriate nest. Please do not bother her once she is settled in her nest as disturbing her may stop the labor.
The second stage of labor usually lasts only ten to thirty minutes, and rarely longer than ninety minutes. A vaginal discharge signals imminent birth. Next the contractions begin and she is ready to start to deliver. If the first kitten isn’t born within an hour of these strong contractions, take her to the vet. Normally, a dark green-gray bubble, which is the placental sac containing the first kitten, begins to emerge from the vagina; it should be fully passed within thirty minutes. Normal kitten presentation can be either tail or face first. Kittens are usually born fifteen to thirty minutes apart.