1yr old cat has partially given birth

Question
She's birthed only 1 after 4 hours of trying but I can feel 2 more in her other horn. She seems to desperately want me to massage her, contractions appear to have stopped and it's now morning & 11 hours later. We have no money to take her to the vet, it's a choice between feeding my family at the end of the month or taking Cleopatra to vet. How long & hard should I massage her? I understand you are not a vet, but I am DESPERATE to save my baby!!

Answer
Hi there.  If contractions have stopped and she's not pushing, she may be out of the danger zone for now.  Cats may have a break between delivering kittens for several hours, and sometimes, even a couple of days.  If she's eating and behaving normally and isn't straining, you may be able to monitor her.

You can gently massage her back if she enjoys it, although there isn't any scientific evidence that this can encourage delivery.  I wouldn't massage her stomach area at all.  This could injure the kittens and also weaken contractions.  Some gentle massaging of the sides of the belly after complete delivery is okay if your kitty enjoys it.

If your kitty is straining to deliver her kittens for longer than a couple hours, or if she's not eating, is vomiting or hiding for several hours, then this is evidence she's suffering complications.  If this goes on too long, there's a good possibility she may not survive.  You could call around to see if any vets offer assitance to people in certain financial situations.  Many will offer reduced or free spay services, and she could be spayed and have the kittens delivered by c-section.  I hope it doesn't come to this, but if necessary, it would be in her best interest to relinquish her to a shelter where she may receive vet care at this point.