Mary Allen
The birth of a kitten is always exciting! Most of the time, the cat moms do everything alone anyway. However, you can now support your cat. Here you can find out everything about giving birth to cats and what you should bear in mind.
When the day comes for the expectant cat mom to go into labor, she will usually retreat to a place where she feels safe. It’s not always the place that you have prepared for her – it can also be the laundry basket or the wardrobe. Even after the litter, it can still happen that the mother cat keeps changing her hiding place. Most of the time, the young kittens are carried away to a new hiding place after just one day. Therefore, offer your cats several cozy dens that they can move into.
Once in the hiding place, the expectant cat mom will scratch and purr loudly. If you notice a reddish discharge, it usually only takes about an hour for the first kittens to arrive.
You Should Keep This in Mind When Giving Birth to a Cat
The whole birthing process takes between two and six hours. Childbirth is stressful for your cat and can be very painful – especially for the first kitten. It’s completely normal for her to “cry” and “whine” a bit.
When the last kitten has seen the light of day, the mother cat lays aside and cleans herself. During the birth process, you don’t actually have to give the cat any help. She cleans her little ones herself and also bites off the umbilical cord. However, you should pay attention to the following things:
- The mother cat has to lick her offspring’s noses so that the kittens can breathe.
- The umbilical cord should stick out an inch or two. If you bite too short, it could become infected.
- Most mother cats eat up the afterbirth, which is completely normal. Count them, though, because nothing should be left in the queen.
- The first milk that the little ones get from their mother is very important: the so-called colostrum is particularly rich and strengthens the immune system of the young kittens. If one of the little ones doesn’t find the teat immediately, you can put it on. After a day and a half, the kittens get regular milk from their mother cat.
Complications in a Cat Birth
It is important that your veterinarian is informed before the birth. This way he is prepared and can react more quickly if something is wrong with the birth. Most birth difficulties have been observed in pedigree cats. There are different causes of complications during childbirth, such as:
- The mother cat’s pelvis built too narrow
- Cat won’t go into labor
- oversized, malformed, or dead kittens
Contact the vet immediately if you notice that after an hour of contractions, there are still no puppies born and the mother cat is becoming increasingly distressed, has a fever, or notices a foul-smelling vaginal discharge.
Despite all this excitement, try to stay calm. Otherwise, your nervousness could spread to your cat, and sometimes birth problems are caused by stress.
After the Kittens are Born
In the first two weeks, the new cat mom needs one thing above all: rest. Your responsibilities as a cat owner during this time are as follows:
- All-round care for the cat mother and offspring
- bring food
- ensure cleanliness
- Set up a litter box nearby
- cuddle, caress, etc.
However, you should be careful when cuddling. Most of the time, the cat mother only tolerates the closest caregivers in the vicinity of her babies. Therefore, please note the following:
- Strangers should only be allowed to approach the kittens after about four weeks.
- Children should only play with the kitten under the supervision and should only be allowed to look at them for the first few weeks.
From week to week the little kittens are getting naughtier and like to play with the children. With all the fun together, however, the need for sleep and the rest of the cat offspring must always come first and be respected.
Determine the Gender of the Kittens
The first two to three days are the easiest time to determine the gender of kittens. If you miss this moment, it won’t be easy to see for weeks. In small tomcats, the distance from the genitals to the anus is about 1.5 centimeters greater than in a female, where the vagina and anus are very close together.
Already Knew?
Identical twins are the rarest in a litter of cats. Almost always, each of the kittens hatched in the womb from their own fertilized egg.
The babies do not necessarily have to be full siblings. Family cats in particular, which share their territory with many other cats in suburbs or rural areas, are mated by several tomcats within their few fertile days so that their litters consist of half-siblings. In stray cat colonies, on the other hand, there is a top dog who fiercely defends his sole right to start a family around the clock.