Cat Labor & Kittens

Question
Ok so this cat wanders up on my door step 1 month ago, I could tell she was pregnant, so now we are trying to have kittens, I was told by a neighbor that she was dumped off at my house by onw of my in laws & he said she was the only kitten that her mother delivered, so far she has had only one kitten about 2 and a half hours ago & it was still born, & now she is just meowing & pacing the floors... She will not remain still unless she is laying on me or one of the kids... I do feel atleast one more kitten in her tummy but I do not feel any movement please tell what to do or what to expect....

Answer
Hi Jacky.  If your kitty hasn't settled down and delivered any more kittens by now, she should see a vet right away - within the hour, preferably.  A stillborn kitten, restlessness and the fact that you can feel a kitten that isn't moving are all signs that there may be a big problem with the delivery.  

Most deliveries are wrapped up in a matter of a few hours.  Occasionally, there are those that take all day long, or even the rare deliveries which span a couple of days, and mom and kittens are okay in the end.  However, as a general rule, deliveries which take more than 6 hours start to finish are problem deliveries, and any hard contractions that don't result in a kitten within an hour are a real cause for concern.  

Kittens who have passed away before they were born pose a special risk to mom.  Live kittens respond to contractions with movements that help push them through the birth canal.  Dead kittens lack this ability, of course, and this makes them more difficult to deliver.  Additionally, dead kittens begin to swell as the body begins to decompose, which begins to happen quickly due to the heat of the mother's body.  The swollen body becomes too large to pass through the birth canal.  And the bacteria building in the decomposing body become toxic to the mother within just a day or two.

If the vet suspects a problem, they may try to induce labor with an injection of Pitocin.  If the mother is unable to deliver the kittens naturally, an emergency spay surgery will be recommended.  If any kittens are still surviving, they may be able to be saved if this is your wish, but you will need to bottle feed them, stimulate them to move their bowels and bladder and keep them warm immediately after delivery.  Mom should be ready to take over this duty around 24-48 hours after her surgery.

Best of luck!

Jessica