siamese cat giving birth

Question
my cat gave birth to 2 kittens on friday evening with in about 2 hours, she delivered 2 more about 12 hours later, andmay have one more to deliver, but i am not certain, she does seem comfortable, is eating and drinking well, this is her 3rdlitter and in the past delivered much quicker.
    thank you, barb

Answer
Hi Barb.  She doesn't seem comfortable, and that's the key.  It's time to get her to the vet ASAP.  

A cat's uterus is separated into two horns.  With most labors, all the kittens in one horn are delivered, and then all the kittens in the other horn are delivered, normally with no break in between.  Sometimes, there will be a break of 5 or 6 hours in between delivering the kittens in one horn and delivering the rest of them.  Even 5 or 6 hours is a long break.  12 hours really is pushing it, but thankfully, the kittens are healthy in your cats case, I presume.

However, there is no reason for there to be another long break.  If there is another kitten, I'd be inclined to think there's a problem.  I've helped deliver dozens of litters, and I'd say a good half of them ended up with complications, resulting in the need to induce labor in cats who delivered one or two kittens and then went out of labor, all the way to emergency c-section.  Unfortunately, some complications have resulted in the death of the kittens, and one almost killed the mother (kittens were stuck in the birth canal).  

After all of that, I have to say I have become nervous and recommend to see a vet if there is any doubt at all that all the kittens have been delivered.  A vet will usually be able to feel an undelivered kitten just by palpating the abdomen.  If one is found, most respond to an injection of Pitocin to induce labor.  If she doesn't respond, an x-ray may be suggested to find the location of the kitten to decide whether to try to extract the kitten manually or with surgery.

Really, when you think about it, it's well worth the money.  If you get her to the vet, and there's no sign of trouble, it'll cost you less than $50 on average, to give you peace of mind.  If a complication is found, it'll cost you under $100 to save your cat's life.  If x-rays and emergency surgery are needed, the bill may be a bit higher, but it's still worth the money to save your cat.

Did you count the placentas expelled?  Sometimes a placenta will detach during birth, and if not passed, it will begin to decay inside the uterus, and this is quickly deadly.  If you're not sure a placenta was expelled for each kitten, this is another emergency situation, even if all the kittens were delivered.

There are also deadly complications like infection of the uterus, which is terribly common, and hemorrhaging.  These have different treatments but also must be treated immediately.