Interrupted Labor with Stillborns

Heather D

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Hello.
I had a foster give birth to four kittens yesterday in less than two hours. There were no complications and the mom seemed to be in great spirits.
I checked on them this morning and all was still well. The mom was active and wanted her fresh can of food. I left for three hours to run some errands and when I came back it appeared that she had just given birth again. She hadn't delivered the afterbirth yet, but the kitten was already dead. I am not sure if it was stillborn or passed after the delivery.
The nesting box was a mess as compared to yesterday's deliveries. Appears she pooped and peed during the birth and bled much more. Upon cleaning the linens, I noticed she had another dead kitten. Again, not sure if it was born this way or happened after the fact.

Is it normal for kittens born after interrupted labor to be stillborn? I'm just not sure what happened as she did so well with the first four. All those are still healthy and nursing great. The births were 24 hours or so apart.
 

StefanZ

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Re these placentas you dont see. Chance is big she did ate up them; they usually do. But if you want to play it safe, a vet check up is wise.

Kittens delivered later is quite common. They prob didnt fastened, if she was OK, happy, no visible troubles...
My guess it was some fault on them and this is why they are dead.

Pooing and peeing while in labor isnt unusual. Even if here it may hint a more difficult labor than with these first...

so, if she seems OK, is happily busing herself with the alive kittens, do observe closely but we may hope she is OK.

But if you DO have access to a good vet, and want to play it safe, do contact this vet, and hear if he wants to see her. He probably want to.

H Heather D
 

StefanZ

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Ps. Please do weigh the kittens every day. its the easiest way to notice if everything is ok, or if you must step in. A healthy kitten adds 10+ grammes a day.
If its much less, its alarming!

Also, get home goats milk or a good KMR. IF she happens to become ill, you will need to have some back up....
 
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Heather D

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Thank you for the reply. Yes, I have all that on hand as I have been fostering for our local SPCA the last five years or so. This just happens to be the first interrupted labor I’ve experienced so I wasn’t sure if the two kittens born 24 hours were stillborn due to the delay.
 

lucicat

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Thank you for the reply. Yes, I have all that on hand as I have been fostering for our local SPCA the last five years or so. This just happens to be the first interrupted labor I’ve experienced so I wasn’t sure if the two kittens born 24 hours were stillborn due to the delay.
I have a foster mama who gave birth to five kittens two weeks ago exactly.
30 hours later (!) she gave birth to one more that was perfectly fine and still is. So it’s certainly possible for them to delivery healthy kittens after a delay. Likely something was wrong with those two from even before. I’m sorry she lost two. 😢
 

lutece

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I'm sorry about the babies, it's always sad when there are stillborns. It is not your fault.

Kittens born after interrupted labor can be fine. But in this case I wonder if the stillborn babies might have died a bit earlier, and then it was more difficult for her to deliver them than the others, which might explain the delay, mess, and pee and poop. A live baby wiggles and helps itself move through the birth canal. If a baby is already dead, labor is more difficult.
 

catsknowme

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I agree with the others that the stillborn babies probably were unviable. Since cats ovulate and conceive after mating, the ages in utero may have been to different or the last two may have had congenital defects. Close monitoring of babies' weight gains and mom's behavior should be adequate for now. I would be especially alert for hypocalcemia.
 
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