Question
Piper (The Queen), and
Hi Jessica,
So me and my girlfriend have a Blue Cat named Piper. She's 15 months old and just yesterday (Sunday) had her first litter. She is very much a house cat, rarely going outside getting pregnant on one of her only trips out. She is very, very loving, caring and affectionate spending most of her time around the two of us, plonking herself on the sofa with us.
We were going to have her neutered but we were told that it would be best to let her have her first litter before doing so.
There were several cats hanging around her when she concieved, as many as five always trying to get her attention. Not suprising if you saw how gorgeous she is. Her litter of four all seem healthy and feeding well with Piper taking good care of them.
She went into labour at 12:00pm when she came and jumped on the sofa with us and had them right there and then with us either side of her. We found this really suprising but have read that it means that she just feels safe and protected around us for doing that. The labour seemed to go with no hiccups with her eating the placentas and cleaning the kittens.
She finished at what we thought was about 3:30pm so we left the room to let Piper have some time with her litter of three kittens to bond but when we came back, we found that there was four kittens. She'd had another kitten while we were out of the room which came as a bit of a shock. So at 4:00pm she had finally finished and spent the whole day with her kittens.
She's been feeding them, grooming herself and the kittens, had a little to eat and had a fair amount of cat milk so all seems good so far. She is even having no problem with us handling the kittens. I read that it's personal choice as to whether to handle them and to only do so if the Queen trusts you, which she must do to have the kittens right next to us.
My problem is that Piper, the Queen, is still panting heavily and pushing as if she is going to have more. I have read on the internet that as more than one could have fathered the litter then it could be a gap of 24 hours before she has the next lot.
We had our suspicions as to which of the hovering cats got her pregnant which seem to be confirmed as all the four kittens have come out looking like him. It is very possible however that there was more than one male that got her pregnant.
Now whenever we leave the room, she follows us and leaves her kittens behind making me feel that there may be more to come as she would want to be with us as she was with the first four.
I suppose we're just worried as to what the cause of her heavy panting and pushing is so any help you could give us would be greatly recieved. Piper is very important to the both of us and would be devastated if anything were to happen.
Apologies for the long post but I believe that to answer a question efficiently, then you need all the information which I hope I've provided.
Many Thanks
Jason
AnswerHi Jason. Piper is a beauty, and she looks like she's doing a wonderful job! Definitely continue to handle the babies. I feel strongly that kittens who are handled daily from birth grow to be the friendliest and most adaptable adults.
It's common for some minor contractions to continue for a day or so after delivery, even if all the kittens have been delivered. It is also somewhat common for there to be a break of hours between the delivery of kittens. However, during this period, the cat should be restful. The panting and straining is certainly a concern. If this sort of thing continues for 45 minutes and no kitten is produced, it's definitely time for a vet visit. Sometimes a shot of Pitocin will help strengthen contractions enough that mom can deliver the rest of the kittens on her own. Sometimes there's a bigger reason why mom hasn't been able to deliver the kittens on her own, and they must be delivered by cesarean. If this goes on for hours, it can be life-threatening, so you may need to find an emergency center if it's night-time where you are. Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done from home to tell whether or not she's got any little ones left undelivered or to encourage delivery if she does.
As an aside, it's a myth that allowing cats to have a litter before spaying them will benefit them in any way, and in fact, spaying before they enter their first heat greatly reduces their chances of mammary cancer later in life. Just something to pass on when it comes time to find homes for the babies, but for now, enjoy your little ones!
Throwing Up and Pooping
Question
Pepper
Hi,
Well my cat is 12 years old and la
I think my kittens got into our horses oats (with seed hulls)
Question
Our newborn baby :)
Hi there,
My kittens are
Strange litter tray behaviour
Question
Edgar
I have a beautiful two year old n
Orphaned Kitten
QuestionQUESTION: My partner and l are very much animal
My cat, Spots
QuestionQUESTION: Hi. My cat Spots is a wonderful cat.
