one kitten born where are the others

Question
hi, i wonder if you could maybe help me some advice....I have an 11 month old female that unfortunately has got pregnant (i say unfortunately as this was never meant to have happen as she was going to be spayed) and last night she gave birth to one kitten who is fully furred, feeding really well and in excellent health....we have had litters of kittens before so can establish that this kitten is fine but the mum has not produced any more kittens since....she is not in any distress, not having any contractions at all, is majorly happy and eating like a horse...she is a very attentive mum so far and on feeling and massaging her tummy we know there are more kittens in there and that as of now they are moving.....i see no danger signs at all but im concerned as to how long a break she could have between birthing....when she had the first baby she had 2 small contractions and then baby was out but theres been nothing since...is there a chance that this baby was maybe born a bit prem and the others arnt quite cooked yet? lol

Obvioulsy i want to do the best for her and kittens so any advice would be greatly appreciated
ty
debi

Answer
Hi Debi.  There are a few possibilities.  One is just as you mentioned, that this kitten has been born as little prematurely, and the others will arrive on time.  Many premature kittens appear perfectly healthy at birth, but their health may start to fade around 7-10 days old as the underdeveloped organs can no longer support the kitten's growing body.  Hopefully this won't be the case, but should you notice this little one isn't as strong as his siblings around that age, you will know why.

There is a less common possibility.  Cats can conceive kittens at each mating during a heat cycle.  So if their heat lasts for 5 days, and they mated on days 1 and 4, they may have kittens that are at different stages of development.  In a human pregnancy that lasts nine months, there would be no difference, but since a cat pregnancy lasts only 9 weeks, a three or four day difference in development can be significant.  Sometimes when a cat delivers only one or two kittens out of a litter, it may be because those kittens were conceived earlier than the rest of the litter, and that they are being delivered on time, while the rest of the litter is being held until their full term.  Due to the shape of the cat's uterus, this is unlikely in most cases.  The kittens conceived first are usually lined up at the back of the uterus and the "younger" kittens would normally have to be born first to allow them passage.

Stress can also be a reason why labor might cease.  Cats can go out of labor when they become too stressed or feel unsafe.

There are cats who take unexplained breaks between kittens.  Twelve hours isn't entirely uncommon.  Some cats even go a day or two between delivering the first and the last of their babies for unknown reasons.  But the most common reason a cat won't deliver her whole litter is a physical problem with the delivery.  Some vets will say to watch the cat for a day or two and bring her in then, unless her behavior changes for the worse.  Because of the number of complications I've seen with deliveries, I personally won't allow my cats to go more than 6 hours between kittens, even if mom seems content.  No babies after 6 hours, off she goes to the vet.  In general, the vet will do an x-ray to ensure nothing has gone REALLY wrong, and if all is in the clear, they will give a shot of oxytocin to induce labor.  If something has gone bad, the cat will need to be taken in for an emergency surgery.

I hope all goes well!

Jessica