How To Give Birth To A Cat At Home: How To Give Birth If It Is Giving Birth For The First Time, What To Do And How To Help The Animal

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to give birth to a cat at home

Giving birth to a cat is a natural and physiological process that the animal can tolerate without any special help from the owner or veterinarian. This is especially true of outbred pets. However, in some cases, childbirth can be complicated, when the cat requires special attention from its owner. He, in turn, needs to know how to help a pet in this situation.

Content

• 1 Physiology of childbirth in a cat

• 2 Preparing for the birth of a cat

  • 2.1 Preparing the delivery site

  • 2.2 Required materials and accessories

    2.2.1 Video: what needs to be prepared for the birth of a pet

• 3 How to understand that a cat has begun to give birth

  3.1 Video: precursors of childbirth in a cat

• 4 How to help a cat during labor

  • 4.1 During fights
  • 4.2 During the appearance of kittens

• 5 Possible complications after childbirth

  • 5.1 Dead kitten
  • 5.2 The kitten can't get out
  • 5.3 The kitten got out, but the bubble sticks out
• 6 What to do with newborn kittens

• 7 Caring for a cat after childbirth

  • 7.1 Power
  • 7.2 Water mode
  • 7.3 Veterinarian examination
• 8 Owner reviews about giving birth to a cat

Physiology of childbirth in a cat

Like most mammals (including humans), a cat's labor involves three stages, during which the animal must be surrounded by the attention and care of the owner:

• the beginning of the first stage can be determined visually - the cat is losing water. At this time, contractions begin, accompanied by severe pain. The cat's behavior can be very agitated - she meows, rushes or, on the contrary, freezes;
• the climax of childbirth occurs when the first kitten is born, and within an hour - the next;
• after the kittens appear, the placenta comes out, which the cat usually eats immediately, but this can cause her vomiting and diarrhea.

Preparing for the birth of a cat

A cat is a very strong and fertile animal, so special preparation for childbirth is not required for her. She herself knows how to take care of herself and her offspring. The business of the owner is, without interfering with the process itself, to provide his pet with comfortable conditions for a successful delivery. You should start preparing about a week before the date of your expected birth. Beforehand, it is better to consult with an experienced veterinarian who will give practical advice, taking into account the peculiarities of the course of pregnancy of a particular pet.

Preparing the birthplace

The place for giving birth to a cat, and subsequently feeding kittens, should be secluded and familiar to her, without drafts and dampness, as well as other pets. There you need to put an ordinary cardboard box, in area and height sufficient for the free placement of the animal and its cubs in it. It is important to cover the bottom with a clean cloth: nappies, a light blanket or bedspread. And so that the pet can safely leave this "nest" after giving birth, without jumping over the sides, a hole must be made in the wall.

The role of a "nest" for childbirth can be performed by an ordinary cardboard box

Required materials and devices

Childbirth at a cat, although rare, can be accompanied by some force majeure circumstances, so the owner should know how to help the pet when they arise, and have the necessary means at hand for this. These include:

• clean diapers;
• moisture-absorbent wipes;
• silk thread for tying the umbilical cord of a kitten;
• scissors (preferably medical, with rounded ends);
• disinfectants (ethyl alcohol, iodine, brilliant green, chlorhexidine) for treating the owner's hands and navels in kittens;
• small enema (for suctioning amniotic fluid from kittens' noses);
• ampoule of oxytocin;
• syringes for injecting drugs.

Video: what needs to be prepared for giving birth to a pet

How to understand that a cat has begun to give birth

A cat's pregnancy lasts about 65 days. Owners who breed the breed need to know when fertilization occurred, so they can easily name the preliminary date of the onset of labor in the animal. However, lambing does not always occur on time, and in most cases the date of the onset of pregnancy is unknown, therefore it is important to remember the physiological signs, by the occurrence of which one can judge the onset of labor in a pet:

• about a day before the onset of labor, the cat becomes nervous and restless. She meows for no reason and is in search of a secluded place for future delivery;
• her appetite abruptly disappears, but the need for drink increases;
• two days before childbirth, lactation may begin - the release of colostrum from the mammary glands;
• just before childbirth, a mucous plug leaves, which the pet tries to lick.

Video: precursors of childbirth in a cat

How to help your cat during labor

By the time of the onset of labor, the pet must be in a place specially prepared for her. The presence of the owner during this process is highly desirable - so the cat will feel calmer. However, it is important not to allow panic, the presence of strangers and animals - it should be remembered that nervousness and fuss around it are transmitted to the animal itself.

During contractions

The period of contractions is the most painful for the cat, so it is important for the owner to relieve the suffering of the animal by his actions:

• you should calmly talk with the pet, lightly stroking it on the back. You cannot touch and press on the stomach. The cat should feel the benevolence and calmness of its owner;
• during contractions, the pet may experience frequent and strong thirst, so you should make sure that there is always clean drinking water next to it, but you should not force it to drink;

• if the contractions last more than 1 hour and cause severe torment to the cat, it is recommended to give her an injection of oxytocin at the rate of 0.2 ml per injection. On this issue it is better to consult a veterinarian.

  

  Oxytocin stimulates the cat's labor

During the appearance of kittens

During the appearance of kittens, the owner must be ready to help both the cat itself and the newborns:

• after leaving the kitten, you should carefully examine it, free it from films, and if there are residues of amniotic fluid in the respiratory tract, suck them off with a small enema. Usually the cat copes with all this on her own, but if an inexperienced mother does not take any action or it is noticeable that the kitten is covered with a film, does not breathe, then you should help her;
• The cat gnaws the umbilical cord on its own, but if this does not happen, then squeeze it with a silk thread and cut with sterile scissors at a distance of 1 cm from the thread towards the mother cat.

After giving birth, kittens should be close to their mother, who, obeying instincts, will begin to care for them on their own.

After the birth of all kittens, the cat takes care of them on its own

Possible complications after childbirth

A cat's birth does not always go smoothly. Sometimes complications occur, some of which can even threaten the life of the pet. The owner must recognize them in time and try to eliminate the consequences.

Dead kitten

The causes of stillbirth in a cat can be both intrauterine death and death from asphyxia during passage through the birth canal. If a kitten was born without signs of life (does not move, does not squeak for 10-15 minutes), then it should be removed from the cat and other healthy kittens.

I just had a situation when a kitten got stuck in the birth canal and died. We were at work all day, and that's when the cat began to give birth. When we returned, at first we did not suspect anything. But the cat had a dense lump under its tail. After about twenty minutes we realized that not everything is going smoothly. My husband got down to business, he made some manipulations, and a lump was born, but, unfortunately, already lifeless. Fortunately, the next two babies were born without problems.

The kitten can't get out

If the kitten cannot pass through the birth canal, stuck there, then it is necessary to inject the cat with 0.2 mg of oxytocin. When the medicine does not work and the situation is not resolved, it is necessary to urgently contact the veterinarian to solve the problem surgically. It is unacceptable to pull the kitten on your own - this can harm not only the baby, but also the cat.

The kitten got out, but a bubble sticks out

A cat can cope with this problem on its own, however, in the event of a difficult birth, if the animal is too tired, veterinary assistance may be required, the absence of which is fraught with dangerous consequences.

What to do with newborn kittens

During labor, kittens should be removed from the cat, but in a place that is next to her so that she can see them. Naturally, it should be clean and warm. After the afterbirth comes out and provided that the animal feels satisfactory, the kittens must be given to the cat, which will begin to lick and feed them.

Caring for a cat after childbirth

After giving birth, a cat needs special care and attention from the owner, as this is the key to a successful recovery.

Food

After the birth of kittens (approximately on the second day), the animal needs to be fed 2 times more than before delivery - the cat needs strength to recover and feed the babies. If the cat eats natural food, it is important to add vitamin and mineral complexes to the bowl with food. Food should be of high quality, specially formulated for lactating cats.

For mother cats, there are special foods that provide them with all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.

Water mode

If childbirth took place without complications, the cat should drink as much as she needs - there should be a bowl of water nearby

According to my observations, about a day after giving birth, a cat eats practically nothing, but drinks a lot of water. To support her strength, I offered her some kefir. This was the only food she agreed to. But starting from the second day, the appetite returned. There was a feeling that the cat was not eating at all, walking hungry all day.

Veterinarian examination

In the absence of pathologies a week after giving birth, the cat should be shown to the veterinarian. The specialist will assess how successful the recovery is, whether there are any hidden complications. In addition, during feeding, cats often develop mastitis, which also requires medical supervision.

Owner reviews about giving birth to a cat

I was not ready for the first birth of my kitty - I completely relied on the instincts of the animal and did not even study the whole issue in advance. Fortunately, the cat really didn't need help from me. But I underestimated the need for my presence in this process. My kitty was very attached to me. On the day of birth, she generally followed me with her tail, constantly meowing. I lay in my nest only if I sat down next to you. It got to the point of absurdity. I wanted to go to the kitchen. A couple of minutes later, my mother in labor stamped on me, and a newly born baby “came” for her on the umbilical cord. After that, I sat at the box all the time.

In most cases, a cat gives birth without complications, and she is able to transfer them on her own. All that is required from the owner is the participation and care of the animal. In rare cases, when any difficult situations arise, the cat needs qualified help. Therefore, the owner should stock up on the veterinarian's phone in advance in order to get advice in a timely manner or call a doctor at home.