bathing a very pregnant cat?

loveskittys

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hi all ! this is my second post I didn't get many answers with my first post but after some research on this site I got the answers I needed but this time I didn't find to many posts on this subject so im starting a thread , serena my pregnant craigslist rescue has ben here with me for 44 days and was very visibly pregnant when we got her so im guessing she is due any day now she is unable to clean her self and has gotten quite dirty on her hind quarters if you no what I mean this started about a week ago and was cleanable with a warm wash cloth however she recently had a runny bowel movement and rolled in it is now on her back in her fur covered in litter she is trying the best she can to maintain her body but she has fell short and I need to bathe her its gotten bad she seems like a willing participant but im scared I will hurt the kittens she is only days or hours away from birth (she's ben pacing hard today)  is it ok to give her a simply bath maybe with baby wash? 

  ps: the rolling in it part may be a bit dramatic she decided to use the covered litter box that she hasn't ben able to fit threw the door in weeks and made  a mess and had a bad attempt at covering it and trying to turn around and squeeze her self back out the door I also switched to non clumping litter today
 

maewkaew

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Yes it would be OK to gently bathe her as needed to clean that mess off, if as you say, she seems to be wiling . you don't want to do it if she gets very stressed about it and you don't want to be roughly grabbing her around her belly, of course! Just be careful how you handle her. You might need 2 people so one can hold on to her while the other does the bathing.
And you maybe don't have to bathe her entire body. maybe can just put her in the sink and bathe the part that is dirty , to minimize stress .

if you have a spray attachment , get it so water is adjusted to the right temperature and amount, and then hold the spray nozzle up close to the fur that is dirty, rinse as much as possible that way, then add some baby shampoo or dawn dish soap, wash it well, use that wash cloth... maybe use a grooming comb too to loosen up stuck litter.

Then rinse with the spray nozzle, alternating with pouring water over that part of her that has soap.
Adding a little white vinegar to the water can help get the soap out , and it is very important to rinse very well to get all the soap out.

Especially if she has long or thick coat, make sure you comb it out before you bathe her! or the water will make any tangles get even tighter.
If she is a longhair, you could also trim the fur around her rear so it won't get messy as easily.

Also a probiotic supplement daily might help with her loose poop. ( which is not that abnormal for a cat in very late pregnancy) . Many people on here just use the kind sold for humans
 
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loveskittys

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Thank you for the reply bath time went very well she was just laying in the sink like she was enjoying the spa day 
   I also think today might be the

day she has ben very affectionate and purring very loudly for no reason ,  keeping my fingers crossed for a healthy small litter 
 
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loveskittys

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today is the day she had one kitten at 4ish in my sons bed she has since cleaned her self and went to sleep its ben well over two hours and I can still feel kittens moving in her belly I guess she is just taking a pause in labor she seems to be content for now
    im going to figure out how to put pictures in here once she's all done
 

StefanZ

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Yeah, such pauses are quite common, and nothing much to worry about, as long as she is contend and dont have visible problems.  Such a pause may be hours or even days.

Watch out of course, but you dont need to worry as long as she doesnt worries.

Good luck!
 
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loveskittys

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oh good thank you I just seen your reply minutes after I started  another thread lol she is very content and the babies in the belly are still moving and kicking I've ben fostering for awhile now and have had cats go hours between kittens but never this long so I started to worry and she's just cool as a cucumber
 
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