my cat just gave birth 6 hours ago

Question
QUESTION: Mila came to our bed last night and kinda took us to her place when she started having contractions after 30 min. aprox. she had one kitten, my husband and I checked her pregnancy too early so the vet couldnt tell us the amount of cats she would have, she just said they were definitely more than 2. We prepared everything for the birth, but at the very last minute she chose a small basket, she had the kitten there but since the place was too small she couldnt sit down comfortably without stepping on the new born, she also had some trouble biting the chord and cleaning the baby since the space was just too narrow, we decided to move the baby before it would get hurt since she was still having contractions, she calmed down a bit so we moved her as well, some liquid came out from her vagina the whole time, it was dark red almost black, we guessed it was blood. So it's been 6 hours now and she doesnt seem like having the other kittens soon, I see no tough contractions, she just breathes very fast from time to time.
I have been with her the whole time, she doesnt let me go away, as soon as I leave she leaves the kitten and starts meowing, then I come back and she goes back to take care of the baby.
I also noticed she lets herself fall over the kitten very often, I have to move the baby cus she'S kinda heavy, she also cleans the baby very roughly, and I noticed she tried to bite him, but while cleaning him.. kinda weird.. the vet said that was maybe a contraction.
I dont know if that intense cleaning action is normal, I think she has been a really nice mum so far, eventhough she's only 11 months
the vet told us that we should wait 5 more hours and check if she gets more contractions, if not we would have to take her there to have some shot to accelerate the process, still I think 12 hours before the first baby is kinda weird, Ive heard about kittens coming 24 hours later though.. but I just dont know if I should worry about this all.

ANSWER: Iris S.,

Sometimes a cat will empty one horn of the uterus first and wait up till 24 hours to empty the second horn.

Since you are in constant contact with your vet and, if nothing has happened in the 5 hours he gave you, yes, by all means take her in to your vet so he can give her an oxytocin shot.

One tip: get a shoebox or the like with some bedding for the kitten.  You should not transport mama and the new kitten in the same carrier as she could roll over and squash the kitten.

Her behavior in cleaning the kitten is appropriate and normal.  The rough cleaning helps keep the kitten stimulated.  As long as she is nursing and cleaning the kitten, all is OK.

The kitten should be getting fat on milk and gaining wait.  We use a digital postal type scale to weigh the kittens.

Please let me know how it goes.

Best regards... Norm.


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

QUESTION: Thanks Norm, you know, we went to the vet cus even though Mila looked quite ok, the vet had told us she had more than 2 in there, probably a big litter, I told my husband I didn't see any problems with mila, she seemed relaxed, and she was taking care of the kitten in a good way, the only thing I noticed was that one side of her belly looked a bit bigger than the other one, but not so big for a kitten I would say. The problem is that we didn't know how many cats she was gonna have and I told the vet and my husband that maybe we should do an x ray or ultrasound, just to make sure and know how many to expect, but they didn't see it necessary.
We went to the vet, and she told us she needed to have a c-section done, but I insisted on checking her again since the original plan was just to give her medicine to provoke contractions and she didn't seem so disturbed. The vet checked her with her hands and said, well there's definitely something there! and we HAVE to take it out, so at the end we couldn't do anything but accept cus we didn't know any better. So she cut her open, then she comes and with a shy smile on her face says: there were no kittens, I was actually grabbing the bladder, her bladder was huge, it seems like she didnt pee for a long time.. but oh well, now that we have her there, do you want to spay her already?
oh man, I was so angry... but of course our plan was to spay her after the first litter.. so we accepted.. it was already gonna be open so.. don't know.. we just said yes.. at the end she charged us 170 euros, only because SHE cannot tell wether she's palpating a kitten or A BLADDER! is that normal? cus I never had this before.. usually vets know where to grab and when they didn't they just had an xray done..
So we just explained mila's behaviour at the end and she told us we should never leave the kitten alone cus she will try to move her all the time (she's been trying to do it by biting or holding the neck.. I just dont know if she knows how to, cus the baby usually cries a lot when she's doing it)
and she (the vet) said this wasnt good cus she's just unexperienced and she might kill the kitten by sleeping on it in that new spot she chooses or by grabbing the baby wrong. So she said we should just put the kitten to get some milk and as soon as its over, then we should take her away from the mum. She said we were definitely not going to sleep good in the next days, and she was damn right! in 32 hours Ive slept 4 hours and my husband 2!
Im just very scared for the baby cat, I guess in a way cus of what the vet said, I certainly don't want mila to kill the little one, and I also need some sleep, but Im too afraid to leave them alone and Im sometimes also afraid to handle BOTH! even though she's a very sweet cat.. I had two cats giving birth earlier, but they were indoor/outdoor so Im guessing they were more mature, mila is 100% indoor. Im guessing that's the reason why she really acts different than my last ones, also due to her age.
The vet also told us we should go back there again to take the stitches out and to see if her breasts arent hard, cus if they are she could have old dry milk and she would have to do something about it. Of course it would be expensive as hell since a normal check up is usually from 25 to 45 euros.. I don't know what the real price should be, maybe it's ok, but back where I used to live I wouldnt need more than 10 or 15 dlls for checking the cat's weight and teeth.
What do you think and what would you do? should I better get another vet? Is it still ok she had only 1?

ANSWER: Iris S.,

Wow!!!!!  That is why an X-ray would have made more sense because the fact that she only had one kitten would have been obvious.  One problem with small animal veterinarians is that they do not get enough training in cat and dog reproduction.  Also, in US dollar terms 170 Euros is not a bad price for a c-section and spay.  The last c-section we had was an emergency and cost $700.00 and no live kittens!!!!!

The reason mothers want to move their babies is that they do not feel safe where they have them.  Is she in a birthing box?  Is it in a warm place with no drafts?  Do other pets or small children have access?

Does she have milk?  Is the baby nursing and getting fatter?

One way we have stopped the mama from moving kittens is to crate the mama away from the kittens for a couple hours and let the pressure of the milk build up.  Usually, the mama is so glad to get back to the kittens, she forgets about moving them.

By the way, when a mama moves her kittens, it looks like she is going to bite them.  Normally, the skin is never broken, but you still need to watch what she is doing until she settles down.

Please keep me informed about how she is doing.  I am happy to continue answering any and all questions about the situation as you have them.

Best regards... Norm.


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

QUESTION: Thank you so much, is very nice from you to follow up,  I might seem very desperate but it just freaks me out how sometimes doctors wont help much.

The cats are in our "anteroom" there's not much in this room, and also not so many spots where she can actually hide. There are no kids in this household yet, she has a boy on one side and that's where we put the little one when she's put in another room, mila didnt want it there so she is feeding and taking care of the baby on a cat bed, which is like a basket but very open, it is cozy and warm but I dont know if we should still get her used to the box, although it's not really so big. Ive been sleeping next to the basket cus Mila didnt want me away during the first hours, before and after the birth, and I havent moved because Im keeping an eye on them both, I dont want to have them separated all the time since I dont think its healthy for them, but I will do it when we really can't keep an eye on them and/or to make her stop moving the kitten, like you said.
The baby seems to be sucking milk, I don't know if Mila has milk, is there a way to check? I see the lower ones are more swollen and stiff or harder than the higher ones, but the baby always goes to the ones on the top, my husband said that yesterday, while the kitten was nursing, he noticed a different sound and then the baby started searching for more milk so he thinks "she ran out of milk in that one" We weighted the baby yesterday and after 14 hours of life he was 110 grams. The vet says it's pretty big.

Yeah and about the moving, I just got freaked out cus she doesnt really grab the kitten from the skin (as I thought it would be) she grabs the entire neck and if you try to take the baby away, she (of course) doesnt let go so easily. Is it still normal?

And how long does it take till she goes back to normal?? it's almost 24 hours and she still walks very very slow, she's really skinny and wont eat or drink anything, she puked several times yesterday after the op. and she pees A LOT, also when she goes to the cat litter she stays there around 5 minutes after she peed (sometimes she doesnt even do it, it might be only a feeling she has). I gave her one of her favorite treats, she loves that and it's not hard to chew, she ate it, then I tried to give her some kitten soft food and some cat milk (which she also loves) but she didn't want any.

Thanks for everything
and hope to hear from you soon.

Answer
Iris S.,

If Mila likes the baby in the cat bed, then leave them in the cat bed!!!!!

The grabbing the neck to move a kitten is normal.  It is disconcerting at first because it looks as if the mama is going to bite the head off.  As long as she and the baby are comfortable, and she does not try to move it again, all should be all right.  The more the baby can stay with Mila, the better for them both.  However, you will have to use your own judgement.  As the baby gets bigger and stronger, there will be less chance of a mishap.

As long as the baby gains weight every day, it is getting milk.  The baby should double its birth weight in the first week and gain about 100 g a week after that until weaning.

Remember, Mila gave birth and was spayed in one shot, so she is a little deflated looking and probably a bit ill from the anaesthetic.  Once she is nursing the baby in earnest, her appetite and weight should pick up.  It is not unusual for a new mama not to eat for as long as 3 days after birth.  You can try something tasty and easy on their system like baby food for the mama to see if she will eat and also keep it down.  Also, once the stitches are out, she will feel much, much better!

Thank you for informing me of Mila's progress.

I look forward to hearing how you are all doing.

Best regards.. Norm.