Helping Your Cat Deliver Kittens
She might not need you, but be prepared!
Everything you need to know about delivering kittens, including when to leave her alone, when to help out, and when to call the vet.
Signs Cat is Going Into Labor
Pregnancies are as different from cat to cat as they are from woman to woman. In general, however, there are some things you can recognize as signs your cat is going into labor.
- She will start nesting
- She may lose her appetite
- She may become more affectionate and clingy
- She may become anxious or restless
- She may have a vaginal discharge
- She may lick and groom her vaginal area
She will start panting with her mouth open as she is very close to delivering, and soon, she will start trying to push. This is the beginning of her second stage of labor, with the third stage being the delivery of the placenta.
More than likely, your cat will handle the entire delivery with ease and require no help at all from you, and you should let her give that a try before offering assistance. There are instances where she’ll need your help, and you should always be prepared, have your birthing supplies on hand, and know when to call the vet.
Cat Birthing Supplies
- Lots of clean hand towels
- A pair of hemostats (or 2)
- A pair of dull scissors
- Unwaxed dental floss or thread
- Alcohol or iodine
Along with these basic things, you will also need your phone and the number of your vet and an emergency vet in case your cat delivers in the middle of the night and has trouble. It’s also good to have kitchen scales, a pen and paper, and permanent markers if you want to record births and keep an eye on each kitten’s progress. Keeping weight records is a good way of knowing whether or not each kitten is thriving.
Active Labor
As your cat pushes, you will see a bubble of fluid start to come out. If she continues to push without delivering the sac and kitten, you can pinch the sac, release the pressure, and the kitten should emerge quickly. Never pull at the sac! If you have a kitten that is out of the sac and halfway out of mom, you can hold him gently with a hand towel, wait until the next contraction, and give a gentle tug. If you pull too hard, you can seriously harm both mother and kitten.
How You Can Help Your Cat During Delivery
The most common occurrence is when the queen doesn’t remove the kitten from their sac. At this point, you can reach in, tear the sac from the kitten’s face, and then rub his face with a towel to clear it off. The kitten should start breathing. If not, you will have to clamp the cord with hemostats (if the placenta hasn’t passed, the kitten will still be attached to mom), cut with dull scissors between the placenta and the hemostats, hold the kitten between the towel, dry him, and rub vigorously until he starts to breathe. Once he takes a breath, give him to his mommy to nurse.
If the kitten sounds like he’s breathing fluid, you can hold him in the towel head down, and swing him downward and then upward and then downward and upward. This should clear way mucus. This doesn’t have to be a wild, crazy swing, just firm. You don’t want to sling a kitten across the floor.
When to Call the Vet
- If your cat has pushed hard for an hour and not produced the first kitten
- If your cat has pushed hard for 20 mins without producing subsequent kittens
- More than 10 minutes of pushing with a kitten halfway out
- If your cat ceases labor for more than 2 hours but you can still see kittens inside
- If your cat becomes fatigued and seems unwilling to continue
- If you see bright red, fresh blood
If you have any questions or need help, please feel free to ask in the discussion area.
You might also enjoy, "Caring for Pregnant Cats."
