Your cat giving birth: what is normal and when to call the vet
The vast majority of cats give birth on their own, at night and without help, and the best thing you can do is stay close, quietly, without touching anything. But an obstructed birth is an emergency, and you need to be able to tell a normal pause from a problem. Here are the stages, what to have ready and the signs that mean you should call.
When labour is near
In the last few days the cat usually searches insistently for a spot: she checks wardrobes, scratches at blankets, climbs into boxes. This is nesting behaviour. Between 12 and 24 hours before the birth, many stop eating, lick their genital area often, are restless, pant a little or purr a lot, and some stick to their favourite person while others hide. The drop in body temperature used in dogs to predict labour is much less reliable in cats, so don’t obsess over the thermometer. If an X-ray has told you how many kittens are coming, you already have the most useful piece of information for the day itself.
Stage one: dilation
This is the longest and least visible stage. The cervix dilates and contractions begin that you can barely see from outside. The cat is restless, goes in and out of the nest, lies down and gets up again, and may pant, miaow or vomit a little. It usually lasts between 6 and 12 hours, and in first-time mothers it can reach 24 or even longer. As long as she is calm between bouts of restlessness, has no abnormal discharge and is not straining hard, it is normal. There is little for you to do at this stage: make sure the nest is ready and the room dim and quiet, with no visitors and no children or other animals coming and going.
Stage two: the kittens arrive
Now the contractions are visible: the cat strains lying on her side or crouching, and the sac with the first kitten appears. Normally it is born within an hour of the strong contractions starting, often within a few minutes. Kittens can come head first or back legs first, and both are normal. The mother breaks the sac, licks the kitten vigorously to clear its nose and get it breathing, and bites through the cord. The next ones arrive at intervals of ten minutes to an hour, though sometimes there are longer pauses. Each kitten usually weighs between 90 and 110 g (about 3 to 4 oz) and should start suckling within the first hour: the colostrum gives it its mother’s antibodies.
Stage three: the placentas
Each kitten is followed by its placenta, usually within a few minutes, sometimes together with the next kitten. It is normal for the cat to eat them: it is instinctive, it cleans the nest and it does her no harm, although you don’t need to let her eat them all if there are many. Try to count them discreetly: there should be one per kitten, and a retained placenta can cause problems over the following days. After the birth it is normal for her to have a reddish or brown discharge, with no bad smell, that tapers off over one to three weeks. What is not normal is heavy bright red bleeding, a foul-smelling discharge or a fever: any of these is a reason to see the vet.
Interrupted labour
Cats have a disconcerting quirk: they can give birth to some kittens, rest calmly for many hours, even a day or two, nursing and eating normally, and then deliver the rest. This is called interrupted labour and it is physiological. The key to telling it apart from a problem is the cat’s state: if she is relaxed, purring, caring for the kittens, eating and not straining, it is a normal pause. If she is restless, straining with no result, panting in distress or flat, it is not. If in doubt, especially if you know there are kittens still inside, a call to the vet costs nothing and can prevent losing kittens, or worse.
What to have to hand
Get these ready in advance: a few clean, dry towels, puppy pads, disposable gloves, kitchen scales to weigh the kittens, unflavoured dental floss or cotton thread and clean scissors in case a cord needs tying and cutting, a hot water bottle or a heat mat, and a tin of kitten milk replacer in case any kitten does not feed well. Also have the cat’s carrier ready, and your vet’s number and that of the nearest emergency clinic written down where you can see them. And a notebook: noting the time each kitten is born, its weight and when each placenta comes out will help a great deal if you need to phone.
When you should help
Hardly ever. But there are two situations where it is worth stepping in. If the mother does not break the sac within a minute or two, especially with first-time mothers or kittens born in quick succession, break it yourself with your fingers around the face, clear the nose and mouth and rub the kitten firmly with a towel, against the lie of the fur, until it breathes and cries. If the mother does not sever the cord, tie it with thread 1 to 2 cm (under an inch) from the kitten’s belly and cut on the placenta side. Then give the kitten straight back to its mother. What you must not do is pull on a stuck kitten or give the cat any medicine to speed up labour: that is the vet’s job.
Signs you need the emergency vet
Phone or go straight away if the cat has been straining hard for half an hour without producing a kitten; if a kitten is showing and has not come out within ten or fifteen minutes; if more than two hours pass between kittens while the cat is straining or clearly distressed and you know there are more to come; if a dark green or blackish discharge appears before the first kitten, which can mean a placenta has detached; if there is heavy bright red bleeding; if the cat is very weak, trembling or feverish; or if she passes 70 days of pregnancy without giving birth. In Spain, an emergency consultation costs around 60 to 150 € depending on the time, and a caesarean between 400 and 900 € during normal hours, a good deal more in the middle of the night.
The first hours afterwards
When she has finished, the cat usually stays lying in the nest, purring, with the kittens suckling. This is the time to change the soiled towels carefully, without moving her out of the nest, and then leave her in peace. Offer her water and food close by; many don’t eat until a few hours later. Check discreetly that all the kittens are feeding and that none is left out on its own or cold. Weighing them that same day gives you a baseline for the days that follow: they should be gaining weight from the second or third day. During this first week it is best to keep visits to the room few and short, because a mother who feels disturbed may move the kittens or neglect them.
Problems for the mother in the following weeks
Keep an eye on her mammary glands: if one is hot, hard, red or painful, or the milk is an odd colour, it may be mastitis, which needs veterinary treatment. Another emergency, less common but serious, is eclampsia, a drop in blood calcium that usually appears between the second and fourth week of nursing, especially with large litters: the cat is restless, pants, trembles, walks stiffly and may even have seizures. If you see anything like this, go to the vet immediately. And if in the days after the birth the cat stops eating, is listless, has a fever or a foul-smelling discharge, you need to see the vet too: she may have a uterine infection.
Cats usually give birth on their own: a quiet nest, silence, and watching without touching. Kittens arrive every ten minutes to an hour, and long pauses can happen if the cat is calm. Go to the emergency vet if she strains for half an hour with no result, if a kitten gets stuck, if dark green discharge appears before the first one or if she bleeds heavily.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.