It is extremely one of the best news that your cat is expecting and is ready to give birth to her little ones. Undoubtedly, everybody desires a mother-to-be to feel a smooth birthing procedure. But unfortunately, things do not always turn out according to our expectations. One of the most terrible complications that may occur during the laboring period of cats is the kittens left inside them. Let’s discuss the indications regarding how to tell if a cat still has kittens inside from my own experience.
When a pregnant feline is ready to give birth, remember that she will prepare herself around her vulva, be vocal and tired, eat less, and breathe quickly. Moreover, she will begin nesting, prepping the place she has selected to give birth, also known as the birthing box.
Key Takeaways
- The gestation period of a feline will be almost nine weeks or between 63 to 65 days.
- The common signs of Labor include panting, eating less, hiding away, grooming extremely, etc.
- Some primary indications to tell if a feline has babies inside are heavy breathing, behavioral change, licking her private parts, not focusing on babies, etc.
- Numerous cats will deliver their kitten in around 6 hours.
- Two significant birth difficulties a cat faces are uterine inertia and mechanical blockage.
What Should You Know About the Gestation Period of a Cat?
Suppose you are wondering whether a kitty is expecting or not. In that case, the best option is always to confirm the news with a professional veterinarian. Usually, the gestation period of a feline will last for around nine weeks or between 63 to 65 days. But sometimes, there might be little exceptions. Similar to human beings, mother-to-be felines can birth their little ones a bit early or later than their gestation period.
Additionally, felines have about five pregnancy stages, the first being initiating the estrus cycle. A feline should be in her heat phase to become pregnant, which is her estrus cycle. Also, queens have their heat cycle for around six days every 2-3 weeks.
While this cycle continues, the feminine cats become responsive to the tom cat. Being extremely receptive to male cats during the estrus cycle will result in the rapid pregnancy of the queen.
The gestation phase finishes at the miracle of birth. Particular symptoms will assist you in assessing in all of those five stages how near the mother is to her delivery.
What are the Signs your cat is in Labor?
When your feline gets ready to deliver the kittens, the birth canal will relax and become wider. In addition to this, her kittens will take the accurate position for delivery. As soon as she enters this stage, which typically lasts 6-12 hours, you will observe a proper change in your feline’s behavior.
Some of the most popular signs are as follows:
- Panting
- Becoming vocal and restless
- Passing a small quantity of brown /red mucus from the vulva
- Eating less
- Hiding away
- Grooming significantly, particularly around her vulva
- Nesting (rubbing and walking around her birthing box)
How to tell if a cat still has kittens inside?
When your feline begins delivering her babies, you will need to check the period properly. Keep in mind that it usually takes about 4–16 hours for a queen to give birth to all her little ones, but it can also take more time.
Let’s have a look at the signs that show your queen has not completed her delivery process yet.
Heavy Breathing:
As we all know, delivering offspring needs a ton of energy, which is not easy for your feline. Suppose you observe a feline mom breathing heavily after giving birth to her kittens. In that case, there are greater chances of infants inside her.
Remember that if a feline is breathing heavily, it is closely linked to her contractions. When a feline is done with having little ones, her breathing will get back to normal as usual.
Licking her Private Parts:
Another sign of having kittens inside her is that a feline will begin licking her private parts. When you notice that your feline is licking her genital region during the delivery period, it might be because of the presence of more babies. Moreover, this gesture of licking explodes the slim liquid-filled membranes encircling each baby as it goes via the birth canal.
Becomes very Vocal:
Since Labor is difficult, a feline will vocalize extremely while delivering offspring. Suppose you notice that your feline is making various vocalizations, such as noisy meows. In that case, there is the possibility that there are still babies inside her.
However, suppose you see a queen vocalizing even after her delivery period is finished and she has given birth to the last kitten. In that case, this is a concerning thing. It can be an indication of pain, which means something is wrong, so be ready to call your vet.
Change in Behavior:
When a feline is ready to give birth, it is normal for her to safeguard her children as well as herself. You will notice an apparent change in the behavior of the queen. One of the most normal behaviors of felines is that they become extremely attention seeker during this phase.
However, some might become aggressive and will not allow you to come closer to them. That’s why if you notice a feline becoming an attention seeker or aggressive, it can be due to kittens inside her.
Not Giving Attention to her Infant:
When a feline is still in her delivery period, she will not give all her time to connecting to or focusing on her infants. Suppose you observe she is not giving proper attention to the kittens she has just delivered. In that case, there is a chance that her Labor is still going on.
It is crucial not to overlook your feline’s consciousness during her birthing phase. In such cases, don’t rush, as there will be a lot of time to adore the new kittens once it is confirmed that all of them are delivered.
If Placenta Has Not Passed:
Remember that the placenta gets passed in around fifteen minutes after every baby is born. The queen will ingest this fetal membrane after the birth of every baby, so watch out for her carefully. But, in some cases, the placenta will not pass; if you notice this, there are chances that more babies are inside a feline.
You might think about why do cats eat the placenta? Numerous felines eat placentas because it is a method for keeping hunters far from the birthing region and from their little ones. Remember that a feline always delivers offspring without our assistance, so she will typically behave as if she does not have a human to tidy up her birthing place.
How long is a cat in Labor?
Numerous felines will deliver their little ones in around 6 hours, except if there is an issue. It might be average if you see a more extended time between babies without contractions. But if there are delays and extreme contractions, you will need to take it seriously.
Furthermore, if you see that your feline is having strong contractions for over 20 minutes without giving birth to a kitten, or on the other hand, if it is taking more time than 10 minutes to deliver a baby that is observable in the birth canal, you will need to contact a veterinarian.
Significant Symptoms of Dead Kitten Inside Cat You Should Know:
The death of kittens is possible inside the mom’s utero due to different reasons. Suppose the baby dies during the early days of pregnancy. In that case, it is mostly because of a hereditary abnormality or an issue with the placenta. The placenta is an organ that associates the embryo with the uterus and gives all the required nutrients.
Some of the common symptoms that there is a dead baby inside feline are as follows:
Heavy Bleeding:
One of the most normal symptoms of a dead baby inside the feline’s mom is heavy vaginal bleeding. It can go from minimal spotting to extremely heavy bleeding, and you may observe discharge coming out with the bleeding. Moreover, this bleeding can be consistent, or you will notice it occasionally.
Vomiting:
It is one more Cat miscarriage sign of the queen. It occurs because the infant’s body occupies space typically loaded with food. Subsequently, the feline might vomit what she has ingested or be unable to hold food. If you observe that she is vomiting, calling the vet to prevent other potential causes like disease is significant.
Restlessness:
As we have already discussed, unexpected behavioral changes can likewise show that a queen has a dead baby in her belly. She will become restless and start to walk forward and backward, stroll from one place to another, and look confused. It occurs because she is in pain and realizes something is not correct. Also, she is still determining what is going on. However, she is in distress and wants support from you.
Lack of energy:
If you observe a lack of energy in a queen, this could be another indication. It is because the little one’s body is utilizing a ton of energy and nutrients that the mother feline will otherwise utilize. As an outcome, the mom might appear to be drained and exhausted. Suppose you see her to be lazier than normal. In that case, it is highly recommended to contact a vet so there will be fewer chances of other illnesses.
Abdominal pain:
Suppose there is a dead kitten inside a cat. In that case, it will pressure the mother feline’s gastrointestinal or urinary tract. It results in pain or distress during peeing or defecation. As a result, the mother shows indications of vocalization, stressing, or moving all through the litter box without any waste.
How to help a cat push a kitten out?
No doubt, a mother-to-be feline must be permitted to have a space or room when she is close to giving birth to the kittens. As soon as you notice she is ready for delivery, be alert, as you might need to help her deliver the babies. If you observe that a baby is trapped in the Birth canal, you need to pull the infant immediately using a clean towel.
After that, quickly apply the tight grip and pull the baby to a little downward point tenderly. Keep pulling slowly and consistently until the baby comes out. Call the vet immediately if you have difficulty delivering the little one or the queen is uncooperative.
In addition, when you see that your feline will soon give birth to babies, one question might pop up: How many kittens can a cat have at once? The period between babies is not constant; it can be as short as 10 minutes to as long as an hour in the typical case. Mom cats typically have an average of 4 babies in every litter.
However, it can go from 1 to 12 babies. Just for your information, it is observed that bigger litters are more often in family breeds, for example, Siamese, Oriental, and Burmese.
What birth difficulties are faced by cats?
If a mother’s feline is extremely healthy, it is impossible that she will experience any birth difficulties. However, some of the most common challenges in queens while giving birth incorporate uterine inertia and mechanical blockage. Mechanical blockage occurs when the diameter of little ones is vast compared to the birth canal diameter of the mother.
Another birth difficulty called uterine inertia may occur when the uterus is very fragile for contractions. However, these difficulties will likely be with older felines, who are fat and give birth to generally oversized babies. These situations mainly occur in feline breeds with flat faces and large heads, like Persians.
What to do after your cat gives birth?
Once your feline delivers the kittens, observing her and her infants is significant to ensure they are all comfortable and flourishing. A queen typically gives her little ones all they require, so she prefers to stay away to be comfortable in parenthood. Once she has given birth, you should keep the space where she lives with her babies warm and cozy.
- Make sure the place they are living in is calm and do not permit other people to interrupt them unnecessarily.
- Don’t forget to keep different pets far from your feline and her little ones.
- Ensure their bedding is kept dry as well as tidy.
- Take care of the infants to ensure they are adequately fed, yet try to avoid as much as possible.
Final Thoughts:
Undoubtedly, it is a significant time when you know your cat will soon become a mother. As soon as she is ready to give birth, you will notice various changes in the feline. She might become restless, more vocal, and much more. However, when she begins to deliver her babies, you wonder if the cat is done delivering all the babies. In such a case, a question comes up in the mind: How to tell if a cat still has kittens inside? There are several indications shown by a queen if there is any baby left inside.
Moreover, some cats even face birth difficulties. All these points related to the birth perspective have been mentioned above in detail. This information will be helpful for you.
Reference Links:
- https://www.catster.com/guides/how-to-tell-if-cat-still-has-kittens-inside/
- https://askmycats.com/how-do-you-know-if-your-cat-still-has-kittens-inside/
