Labour Problems??

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jessica,

Thanks so much for this service!! Its truely awesome that we can get help from people out there that know!! Thanks heaps!!

We have a beautiful Ragdoll girl who is about a year and 3 months old!! She is pregnant and is 64 days along in gestation today!! This is her first litter!!

Our problem is: Last night she had discharge which started as a light yellow mucous colour and then changed to a clear liquid with a tinge of blood (no overpowering smell)..... very similar to the previous discharge that other cats of ours have had just prior to giving birth and she was also starting to push!! (so we were expecting kittens to be born last night or very early this morning!!)

She had mild contractions for about 3/4 hours (not very hard but she was definitely pushing) she was cleaning herself quite alot and was staying in her bed (in a dark cupboard area) not eating or drinking - just showing clear signs of being in labour!!

But then she just completely stopped pushing, her mucous has almost dissapeared and she does not seem to be in labour anymore!!
She still has not eaten today or had any fluids although she has been moving around a bit - coming back and forth between my husband and I for affection and going to the toilet but most of the day she has been sleeping.
She does not seem to be in any pain - she has not cried at all and has not started pushing again!! When we pat her or say her name she is fully alert and responsive - just no more signs of labour!!

Our main concern was that she basically started with labour signs, but then just stopped!! I am VERY protective with my babies and I did not leave her side all night last night or all day today (1 hours sleep is a bit of a hard one - he he!) and I CAN NOT even think of leaving her again tonight!! But we are wondering if a visit to the vet should happen tomorrow or if it is a somewhat normal thing that she started labour and then just stopped!! Because I am so protective of my babies I don't want to rush to the vet at 4/5am for something that might stress her out  or that might be somewhat normal!!

Please help!!
Thank you very much!!
Tiffany



ANSWER: Hi Tiffany.  What an exciting time!

Truthfully, this is a situation that occurs somewhat frequently, and sometimes, cats resume labor on their own and deliver without a hitch.  However, it's also commonly an indication of a problem.  Because going without addressing a problem delivery for just one day can be fatal to both mom and kittens, it's always better to have a vet look at cats who go into labor and then go out of labor.  This is true at any stage of the game, but especially so when you know the cat is full-term.  

Because your Ragdoll is definitely full-term, the vet is likely to induce labor with an injection of Pitocin once they confirm she is physically able to deliver the kittens naturally.  An x-ray may be necessary to help confirm this.  If it appears she went out of labor because she is anatomically unable to deliver the kittens, an emergency cesarean will be recommended.  You will need to nurse the newborns as soon as they're delivered, and for the first couple of days, until mom is home from the hospital and is feeling well enough to feed them.  Most moms will take over at this point, but you should be prepared to hand raise the litter in case she doesn't.

Your vet should have kitten formula and a bottle available.  The labels say to feed newborns every 3-4 hours.  I lost half my kittens on this feeding schedule.  For the first two weeks, they really need to be fed every 2 hours, like mom would feed them, for their best chances of survival.  Sometimes newborns are best to start feeding with an eyedropper or syringe, as the nipples of the bottles are rather large.  Most newborns eat about 3-5 mls of formula each meal.  

You'll also need to stimulate the kittens to urinate and defecate after each meal by massaging their genital area with some warm, wet cotton balls, and be sure they stay in a warm area (32 degrees Celsius for the first week) or have access to a heating pad, which should be wrapped in a towel and kept on the low setting.  

Best of luck. Hoping all goes smoothly!

Jessica



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jessica,

Thanks so SO much!! You saved our girls life!!
As soon as we got your e-mail, we rushed her straight to the Vet!!

Turned out that her 2 babies had died and actually started to rot in her belly!! So she had a huge infection (and huge $1000 vet bill :-o he he) and had to have a cesarean to remove the poor deceased bubbies and then they de-sexed her, cleaned her up, put her on anti-biotics and a drip and she had to stay in there for a few days!! Our poor little girl is now home with us and is recovering!!

I just wanted to REALLY THANK YOU!! Our girl is still with us and hopefully will be for a long time yet!! I'm the type of person who puts my babies before ANYTHING so the $$$ didn't bother me at all (gave hubby a small heart attack though, he he) but I wasn't sure if I was just stressing too much, so your advise made me realise that my instincts should be followed and its always safer to spend a bit of $$$ just to be sure my babies are ok!! Even when absolutely nothing could be wrong - why take the risk!!

We've actually started a small savings fund JUST for our babies!! So if we ever have any emergencies, we will have a fair bit of $$$ on hand so money will not ever be an issue!! (vets in our area don't bulk bill so we're really looking at our babies futures!! Just in case moments!!)

So thank you so SO much!! Without your timely advise, we might have waited just a few hours extra and our beautiful Cocoa might not still be with us!! Thank you!!! You saved our girl!! And I don't know what I would do without her, so in a way, you saved me too - from ALOT of grief and sadness!! Thank you!!

Wayne, Tiffany and Cocoa - who will be around for many years to come!!

Answer
Tiffany, I am so happy to hear she recovered!  It's sad she lost the babies, but it's a wonderful gift that she's still with you.  I, too, have had a couple of very close calls with my cats.  Labor problems are more common than people realize, and many people, even breeders, don't recognize the warning signs until it's too late to save the mom.  Great job catching her symptoms!  Your are obviously very in tune with your kitty.  She is just as lucky to have you as you are to have her.