Delivery of the cat: what to do to help her

2023 Author: Alex Livingston | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 11:39

If yours cat And pregnant and you are planning to have her give birth at home, it is good to know what she needs and how to help her before, during and after childbirth: in this way you can ensure her and her children not only greater safety but also the right comfort in a very delicate moment of their life. Let's see then what to do to help a cat close to giving birth.

In fact in most cases your cat it will not need your direct intervention while giving birth, but there are a whole series of precautions to be taken to make this experience as comfortable as possible. It is also very important to be able to identify any unforeseen events in time and stem or manage any emergency.

First of all, a little theory: gestation in cats lasts an average of 8-9 weeks, so we assume that you have had plenty of time to realize that your cat was pregnant and have taken her to the vet for some checkups to make sure everything was okay. So now you can prepare to assist her for what comes next.

An aspect to be taken care of from the beginning of gestation is that of Power supply: it is necessary to guarantee the cat adequate nutrition for her particular condition and make sure that she has all the energy necessary to carry on the pregnancy and subsequently take care of her kittens. If you notice that the animal tends to lose weight or show little interest in food, get help from the veterinarian to better balance its diet and make it eat more willingly.

As for the preparation for the actual birth, we recommend preparing for your cat a secluded and safe place in which she can give birth in complete tranquility: the ideal would be to dedicate a special room to her, possibly heated and poorly lit (newborn kittens are particularly sensitive to cold and light).

Inside, prepare a bed, perhaps with a rather large cardboard box lined with plastic and newspaper or old rags; then place a blanket on the bottom to ensure greater warmth and comfort. Whatever surface or material you use, avoid the objects you usually use because they will get dirty. Put in the same room too water, food and litter, so as not to force her to move away from her young.

Hoping that your intervention is not necessary, still prepare these objects in the same room that you will need in case of emergency:

• Telephone and number of the veterinarian;
• Gloves, clean towels, disinfectant, scissors;
• Sterile gauze;
• Powdered milk and baby bottles;
• The cat carrier, in case you need to take her urgently to the vet.

There are several signals which will indicate that the happy event is upon us. Look closely at the behavior of the expectant mother to notice them:

• The cat wanders around the house in search of the "refuge" that you have prepared and / or lies down on the bed (if it does not do it automatically you can kindly bring it closer to that area);
• Vomits, shows a drop in body temperature;
• Her nipples swell and turn pink;
• She appears restless, anxious, eats little, meows more than usual;
• If you leak blood or greenish fluid from your vagina, call a vet to make sure it's not a health problem.
• She licks her vagina persistently: this is the sign that her contractions they are arriving.

With the arrival of the contractions, the loss of water and amniotic fluid begins, after which the first kitten will be born. The cat should free the kitten from the amniotic sac and clean it, if you see that it does not you will have to think about it: break the bag very gently and clean its muzzle with a sterile gauze so that it can breathe, then place it close to the mother so that it can continue the cleaning operation. After giving birth, the cat should also expel the placenta and eat it, in order to take important nutrients for breastfeeding. It will then break the umbilical cord with teeth; if it does not, you will have to think about it, ask your doctor for advice on how to do this correctly.

All of this is repeated the same way for every puppy, who should be born to 30-60 minutes away from the previous one. Make sure that the interval is not too long and that each placenta has been expelled correctly: the health of the cat is at stake.

After giving birth the first will begin feeding time: check that all kittens are able to access the mother's nipples and feed properly, as the colostrum she provides is very important for their growth.

The new mother and the puppies must be cared for and kept quiet at least for the first 3-4 days: avoid confusion in their room, place the litter box near the bed and never miss adequate food and fresh water.