My Cat just had a kitten

Question
Hi Ali,
I know you can't answer any veterinary questions, but I am hoping you can help me based on your experience.  I have a female cat, about a 1.5 years old who delivered one kitten very early yesterday morning.  My husband and I were asleep in the same room, but by the time we got up the kitten was already clean and momma cat was taking care of her/him. However, since the kitten delivered the momma cat has been acting real funny.  She has these spells where she has what looks like tremors and her breathing is increased.  Last night she cried almost all night and today she is not paying much attention to the baby.  Do you have any thoughts?

Thanks,
Katie

Answer
Katie,

This is a veterinary emergency. There could be a few things wrong, but my guess is that there is still a kitten in her reproductive system. She needs to see a vet immediately and have a c-section, the baby is likely already deceased, but if surgery doesn't happen soon mom will die. In the meantime you need to make sure to keep the baby warm and offer some kitten milk replacer so that she doesn't die before her mom is able to take care of her. The second best guess that I have is that she may have a calcium or magnesium deficiency which also needs to be treated by a vet urgently, but since she has only given birth to one kitten she is likely to have a large kitten stuck in her birth canal....You may be wise to have mom spayed while she is undergoing her c-section so that this emergency doesn't occur again and place mom's life at risk. I hope that you find this information helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.