About to give birth???

baseballcat

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I believe my Main Coon kitty is about to give birth -- her first and mine too! This morning she was not interested in eating which is unusual. I can hear a tiny mewing noise from behind a very heavy 4 drawer metal filing cabinet. Prowling around the edges I cannot see a thing, nor could I move the thing without a great deal of trouble. Do newborns make noise??? Is it possible that she is giving birth?
 

Sarthur2

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Welcome!

Yes, tiny mewing indicates a kitten! You need to move the filing cabinet and get your mother cat and her kitten(s) into a proper nest, which is a bin, basket or box lined with a clean blanket and big enough for mom to stretch out.

Do you plan to spay your cat after this litter?

Keep us posted! :)

B baseballcat
 
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baseballcat

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YES! I rescued kitty #1 behind the cabinet, then she had 2 more on the kitchen floor. I made a box for her, then thought it best if I didn't hover around so much, so I let them be. Three hours later I discovered 3 more! Momma wants to be with me at all times and will begin to move them into the room wherever I am. (She dropped them onto the kitchen floor when I was cooking!) So now I just move the basket into the room where I am. Last night I took the basket to my bed listening to periodic mewing/purring sounds all night -- so sweet!
 

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Sarthur2

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Six kittens! Oh my! :)

These high level, post-delivery hormones will diminish over the next day or so and she should settle down with her kittens.

She’ll need to be in a quiet, private area like your bedroom away from foot traffic. Put her food, water, and litter nearby. Right now she is craving affection and acknowledgement of her new brood and her job well done.

Make sure all six kittens are nursing. It’s common with six kittens or more to have a runt or two who get bullied off the nipples by the bigger, stronger kittens. If this happens, put the runts to mom when the others are sleeping.

Mom needs extra calcium while nursing. Buy a can of powdered Pet Ag kitten formula at a pet store or Walmart (no Hartz) and give mom a couple dishes a day for the extra calcium. Also feed her as much canned wet and dry food as she wants for now.
 
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baseballcat

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Six kittens! Oh my! :)

These high level, post-delivery hormones will diminish over the next day or so and she should settle down with her kittens.

She’ll need to be in a quiet, private area like your bedroom away from foot traffic. Put her food, water, and litter nearby. Right now she is craving affection and acknowledgement of her new brood and her job well done.

Make sure all six kittens are nursing. It’s common with six kittens or more to have a runt or two who get bullied off the nipples by the bigger, stronger kittens. If this happens, put the runts to mom when the others are sleeping.

Mom needs extra calcium while nursing. Buy a can of powdered Pet Ag kitten formula at a pet store or Walmart (no Hartz) and give mom a couple dishes a day for the extra calcium. Also feed her as much canned wet and dry food as she wants for now.
Thank you!!! Would scrambled egg/hard boiled egg substitute for calcium? Milk or cream? She's being a very attentive mom!
 

Sarthur2

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Scrambled egg is fine. No cow’s milk. Cats cannot digest lactose and it gives diarrhea; however, full-fat goat’s milk is okay. You can also crush an egg shell very finely and sprinkle a bit into her food daily. Eggshell is pure calcium. Low calcium can lead to seizures so supplement as best you can.
 
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baseballcat

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Thank you for your support! Sadly, 3 kittens survived to Day 3, then died. I thought once we got through the first couple days we were home free. Alas, not to be. I had believed the kittens were nursing, although it was difficult/impossible really to tell for sure. Because they were squirmy and active, and Moma was attentive I assumed all was well. I was depressed all day -- silly me. I thank you for responding!
 

Furballsmom

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I was depressed all day
Not to feel at all badly about feeling badly for those little lives. There may have been other issues that you couldn't easily observe.

Sometimes we never know whether an early death might save an animal from bigger troubles health wise in the future.

RIP sweethearts, you are now in a place of warmth, peace and everlasting sunshine :rbheart:
 
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