Childbirth In A Cat: How To Understand That She Has Begun To Give Birth, What Are The Signs Of The End Of The Process And How Long Does The Birth Of Kittens Take, Video

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

Cat childbirth, or how to help your pet in a difficult period

A good housewife understands how important it is for her pet cat to feel loved and cared for. Especially in such difficult and at the same time joyful periods of life, such as childbirth. Kittens will be born very soon, and you need to know in advance how to behave during this important event.

Content

• 1 Feline stages of labor

  • 1.1 Initial stage
  • 1.2 Transitional stage
  • 1.3 Second stage
  • 1.4 Final stage
  • 1.5 The optimal age of a cat for the first birth of offspring
• 2 How to help a cat during childbirth
• 3 What to do with kittens after they are born
• 4 Reviews of cat owners about the birth of their pets

Feline stages of labor

By the behavior of the animal, you can understand what exactly is happening inside its body and whether childbirth is taking place correctly. It is important to stay close to your pet and pay attention to any symptoms.

initial stage

During this period, the cervix relaxes, and the mucous plug in her throat liquefies. Gradually, the harbingers of contractions come, in which there is a slow contraction of the muscle fibers of the uterus. Now the periods between cuts are decent.

During this time, oxytocin is rapidly produced in the feline body. The ligamentous pelvic apparatus and muscles are relaxed. If you touch the cat's abdomen, then you can feel the movements of the babies, but the uterus still contracts slightly. At this time, the animal shows the following signs of close births:

• the genitals swell (a few hours before the contractions);
• bloody, yellowish, or clear, thick, sticky vaginal discharge;
• breathing and heart rate increase;
• chills and tremors occur;
• sometimes the body temperature rises.

Sometimes a cat's body temperature rises during the initial stage of labor

The initial stage lasts about 12 hours. She smoothly moves into the second stage of labor.

Transition stage

Gradually, the contractions become more frequent and longer. The uterus continues to work, and the fruits "pass" to its expanding neck. Gradually, the fetus moves into the vagina. The pain experienced by a cat giving birth for the first time may look scared. She makes heart-rending sounds and is waiting for help. Now the owner must talk to the animal, caress it.

With the growth of contractions, intrauterine pressure increases, the chorion (membrane of vessels) is ruptured. The aqueous and urinary membranes with fluid (amnion and allantois) are “installed” into the cervix and widen its path. Since that time, the cat's body has one large birth canal, consisting of the vagina, uterus and its cervix. The contractions continue and attempts are added to them due to irritation of the nerve endings by the presenting parts of the fetus located in the pelvic walls and tissues of the cervix.

During attempts, a pregnant cat meows plaintively and asks for protection from the owner

When pushing, the cat's stomach hardens, and the animal itself emits a plaintive meow and breathes like a tired dog. Between contractions, the woman in labor feels relief and relaxes. Gradually, the kitten sinks into the basin, after which it is pushed to the exit under pressure. The transitional stage lasts about 12 hours.

Stage two

Now the strength of the contractions is considered the most powerful. An amnion appears between the legs of the animal, after which it breaks. A yellowish liquid flows out of it. This process is called the discharge of amniotic fluid. With the help of amniotic fluid, the pathways are lubricated and the kittens move faster.

Soon, parts of the kitten - head, tail and paw - become visible from the vulva. They appear and then "go" back. Often at this moment, the expectant mother is resting and gaining strength before childbirth. After resting, the woman in labor carries out a couple of strong attempts. A kitten appears, connected to the mother with the afterbirth and the umbilical cord. The cub can be born in the fetal membrane or without it. From the moment of the beginning of the attempts to the birth of the kitten, it should not take more than half an hour. If the stage is delayed, attempts continue and no part of the kitten is shown outside, then you need to consult a veterinarian. When the "baby" appears outside, within 10 minutes it is usually fully born.

A kitten can be born with both tail and head first

Final stage

If the kitten was born in the fetal membrane, then the cat gnaws at it, carrying out a full processing of the "baby":

1. Thoroughly licking the kitten's face, cleaning his mouth, nose and body to stimulate blood circulation and respiration.

   

   After giving birth, the cat licks the kitten's face, cleans his mouth, nose and body

2. Forcing the first branch of feces, then gnawing the umbilical cord.

After that, the "baby" abruptly inhales air and his lungs open. The animal begins to breathe. After the birth of the kitten, the new mother rests for 10-60 minutes.

When the baby is born, the mother cat gives birth to a placenta, which sometimes comes out after each cub is released, and in some cases - several kittens (several placentas come out at once). When this happens, the cat immediately eats some or all of the afterbirths. However, this is not the case for all cats. Such an instinct, most likely, was preserved in the animal from wild ancestors, accustomed to not leaving traces in order to preserve the offspring.

Usually, a newly-made mother gnaws the umbilical cord on her own, as if rubbing it in her teeth. As a result of such actions, the blood vessels are twisted and overtightened, so bleeding does not occur.

After the birth of some or all of the kittens, the mother-cat lies on one side and pushes the “babies” to the nipples. Sucking kittens allows them to get all the nutrients in the first minutes of life, contributes to the contraction of the cat's uterus, the production of colostrum. It happens that childbirth is suspended, and the mother cat starts caring for the cubs. But after 12-24 hours, the delivery process can start again.

Several times I had to observe the birth of cats. All of them were successful and did not require human intervention. But all animals are different. For example, my sister's cat asked her for protection and purred plaintively during contractions. The sister felt sorry for the animal, and she sat with the pussy all night, holding the poor animal in her arms, until 3 kittens were born. Another case was with a friend's cat - when I went to visit her, the whole family tried to help the animal in childbirth. However, it was evident that such attention was more annoying for the cat - she tried to hide from prying eyes. As a result, 5 healthy kittens were born.

The optimal age of a cat for the first birth of offspring

The ideal time for the first mating of cats is 10-15 months, but no later than one and a half years. At this time, the growth and development of the animal is completed, its genitals are formed. It is recommended to skip the first two estrus of the cat, and then proceed to untie. The critical period for the first mating is 4 estrus. Mating should occur at the 5th maximum. It is better to finish with mating at the age of six, since having crossed this line, it becomes difficult for cats to give birth.

How to help a cat during labor

The owner must understand that childbirth is a physiological process, and nature will "do" everything herself. If, of course, they go well. Still, a few tips on how to alleviate the cat's condition will not hurt:

• with weak and prolonged contractions, you need to actively, but gently and gently massage the cat's stomach and back;
• if the kitten gets stuck in the birth canal, you should slightly pull it by the paws (for the left, then for the right). You can also pull the "baby" out by the folds on the neck. At the same time, grabbing a kitten by the head is strictly prohibited;
• after giving birth, you need to examine the kittens' mouths. If they are blue or purple, then they have hypoxia. In this case, it is recommended to massage the chest until the kittens breathe normally;
• if the animal crosses the umbilical cord of the kitten too close to the navel, then the "baby" may bleed. In this case, the owner himself must squeeze the umbilical cord, tie it with a thread and cauterize it with iodine or any other antiseptic. It is impossible to overtighten the umbilical cord, as the kitten may develop a hernia;

• if a cat who is busy with another kitten forgets to break the amniotic membrane, then you need to do it for her, otherwise the "baby" will suffocate.

  

  If the cat forgot to rupture the amniotic membrane, then the owner must certainly do it on his own

What to do with kittens after they are born

Usually, a mother-cat herself takes care of the cubs, but if there are more than seven of them, then you can help her - one by one, put the kittens to the nipples so that everyone has time to eat. The room in which the "den" of newborns is located should be dark, warm and dry. During the daytime, natural light can penetrate here, and this will be enough. On the 8-10th day, the kittens' eyes open, and the help of the owner becomes unnecessary.

When a cat is born with more than seven kittens, the owner can control the order of their breastfeeding

In fact, cats do not always like it when they are disturbed while feeding the cubs. In our yard in the summer, a cat gave birth to three kittens. The children looked after them, but when feeding the animal did not allow the children. The cat warned at first with a menacing look, then with a displeased rumbling. But one boy still tried to help the kitten move to the animal's nipple, for which he was bitten by the parent cat.

Testimonials from cat owners about giving birth to their pets

Feline birth is a natural four-step process that does not need to be interfered with unnecessarily. The main task of the owner is to calm the animal and try to be close to him. Then the kitty will be calm, and the "babies" will be born on time.