pregnant cat temperature dropped

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I have a pregnant persian cat (around 62 days pregnant), so she might be due anytime now. Yesterday, I took her temperature several times and it was around 37.3 - 37.5 Celsius (below normal), which to my knowing means she should get into labor within 12-24 hrs. I also found a small strip of yellowish dried discharge sticking on her rear end hair, and not directly on the vagina (she might have licked it off or something, not sure). She was behaving very normal and did not show any other signs of labor since yesterday. She's eating, drinking, napping...etc very normally, except for a bit of extra purring while napping.. not sure if its really more than usual or its all in my head due to being over excited LOL! I also tried squeezing her nipples to see if she has milk, but so far nothing.
What do you think about this? will she be having her babies soon? should I stay up tonight to keep an eye on her?

Btw, I used two different thermometers and  both showed a drop in her temperature.

Thanks

ANSWER: Moe,

Yes, she is due any time now, and, yes, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on her.  We check them every 90 minutes when we think they are due.  What you also need to realize is every queen does it a bit differently, so she may still hold back another day or two.

Often the milk does not come in until the first kitten is born.

Anyway, please let me know when she has her babies.

Best regards... Norm.



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

QUESTION: Hi there..
Last night, my cat gave birth to two beautiful babies!! They both are large and healthy! One weighs about 3 oz and the other is 3.5 oz. I have been trying to express milk from her, but I don't see anything coming out since last night!! The babies are suckling on her breasts, but I dont know if they are getting milk or not.. they are not crying or anything they seem fine..
I tried to bottle feed one of them, but the milk would come out of his nose so I stopped!! I also tried tube feeding but didn't get the hang of it; when I inserted the tube just a bit he started chocking and crying so I stopped right away.. I don't know what to do!! Today is friday and in my country its like Sunday in the US. All vets are closed today!! Emergency vets are too expensive for me costs over $100 for just examining them! I'm worried that if I wait till tomorrow it would be too late!! What should I do?? Please help !!!

ANSWER: Moe,

Please, please, please, do not bottle feed or tube feed those babies!!!!!!!!!!  Hopefully it is not too late.  If people do not know what they are doing, the babies can get milk into their lungs and end up with pneumonia which will be fatal in almost every case.  The fact that you cannot express milk is not a problem.  If the babies are suckling and not crying, they are getting milk.  You can see if they are getting "rolly polly". A good thing to be doing is to be weighing the kittens at the same time every day. (We prefer a digital scale). If they are gaining weight, they are OK.

Newborns can go 3 days without eating. At this point, the best thing to do is to make sure they are in a warm place away from drafts, where mama feels safe.

So, at this point, begin weighing those kittens, and write down the weights every day at the same time. In the first weeks, they should each gain about 30 g in the first week and about 50 g each in each subsequent week. Even if they do not gain every day, as long as they do not lose weight they are OK.  If it turns out they need to be supplemented, you can have your vet show you how to tube feed and we can proceed from there.

If there is no damage done, they should suckle, quietly and, within a few days, mama may begin spending a little time away from the kittens.

Please relax and keep me informed as to what is going on.

Best regards... Norm.



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

QUESTION: Thanks for the tips.. I just weighed them half an hour ago! Thank god they gained weight already!
One more question if you may, according to an ultrasound done for the mother few weeks ago, I was told she will be having 3 or 4 babies.. I even counted the babies with the vet and what I am sure of is 3. She only had 2 babies until now.. I took her temp today morning and it returned to normal. How can I know if she will be having more babies?? Her belly is noticeably smaller now. Her weight after delivery is 8.6 pound, while on the last day of pregnancy it was 8.15 pounds.
Do you think she might have more babies? It has been around 24 hours since she delivered the first 2.

Thanks

Answer
More,

I have heard of females who will empty one horn of the uterus and then wait 24-48 hours and then empty the other horn.  If she has not done anything after 48 hours, I would get her to your vet.  We know she can have kittens normally, so, unless there is a problem in that other horn, or someone miscounted (it does happen), the vet may need to give her an oxytocin shot to induce labor.  But I would have an X-ray done if the vet can still palpate another kitten, just to see what may be going on. It is not always easy to tell when they are finished with the birthing process.

Best regards... Norm.