Is my baby having a baby!?

Sarthur2

Cat lady extraordinaire
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Mar 8, 2015
Messages
35,987
Purraise
17,680
Location
Sunny Florida
Okay, this is not an emergency. If she has another kitten, you let Mother Nature take her course. It will be born when the kitten and mom’s body are ready. This may be tomorrow, or a few days from now.

Did the vet do a scan, or how has he / she determined that there is another kitten? If mom is holding on to it, it is Mother Nature’s way of saying it will come out when it is ready!

Are the other kittens still nursing well?
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #162

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
The baby is doing ok for now I think, but they’re definitely warm because it’s really warm in my house. Baby 3 is more secluded from the group half the time. The other two babies will sleep together and it will be sleeping by itself. I often have to put it on a nipple to eat and even when I do the other babies will push it away because they’re much bigger. I’m keeping a close eye on baby 3 for sure. I’m actually more concerned for Millie to be honest. She has not left the box once since giving birth, not to goto the litter, not to eat or drink or anything. She has gotten maybe an hour or two tops of sleep since giving birth. She is very very worried about her kittens all the time. She won’t even lie down for them to eat properly, she just squirms around licking them constantly. Even the vet said she seems way too over protective of the babies which could mean she’s stressed out. She has drank lots water but only a hand full of food since giving birth. She ha not gone to the bathroom once unless she’s going in the box but I don’t think so. I also don’t think she’s going to give birth to this next kitten by 8am tomorrow, she is showing no signs at all of labour. I just wish 8am would hurry up so they can check everything out again .
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #163

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
Okay, this is not an emergency. If she has another kitten, you let Mother Nature take her course. It will be born when the kitten and mom’s body are ready. This may be tomorrow, or a few days from now. Leave it be!

Did the vet do a scan, or how has he / she determined that there is another kitten? If mom is holding on to it, it is Mother Nature’s way of saying it will come out when it is ready! Leave it be!

i am going to reiterate - Leave it be. Are the other kittens nursing well? If so, all os well.
Oh! I just read this, I couldn’t see it because it was on the other page. I am supposed to take Millie back in at 8am so they can check the kitten again. Yes they did an X-ray and the kitten was in the birthing position but not in the birthing canal. It’s heart rate was 200. So should I deny the vets request to help her go into birth if thats what they choose? Because they were saying if she hasn’t by the morning then they might have to do something like that. Maybe I’ll just give the vet a call in the morning and tell them I will wait it out a bit longer, I think bringing her back in will make her even more anxious.
 
Last edited:

catsknowme

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
11,458
Purraise
6,679
Location
Eastern California,USA
I would ask them the risks of waiting, especially if Millie isn't actively straining or showing other signs of distress. It is quite possible (very likely) that the unborn kitten was conceived later and isn't ready. Let's hope and pray that Millie's stress is from continuing to be in early labor. Also, vet visits probably make her nervous, anxious and overprotective. Perhaps she needs some more quiet time to focus on the baby.
If I recall correctly, it's common for new mama cats to stay in the nest. Mother Nature prepares them to be able to be on their own, hidden from predators, until forced to go hunt for food. Eating the placentas has its practical value (ew!)
Have you tried giving the runt some supplemental feeding? Maybe a tiny bit to start. Aside from weighing and feeding, try to avoid handling the kittens as over-handling is now recognized as one possible extraordinary factor in Fading Kitten Syndrome, which is much more common than one would imagine.
To answer the potty question, here's a useful link:
Mother cat doesn't want to leave her kittens to eat, drink, or use litter box
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #165

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
Okay, I’ll do that then. She is an indoor cat, I’m positive she only got out the one time so that isn’t it unfortunately. I was thinking the same thing about her needing a quiet space so I made sure my kids were quiet all evening, we left her and her babies alone in the room with the blinds closed. Me and my husband even slept down stairs so that Millie could be by herself. I haven’t touched the kittens except to weigh them and since then I only weighed baby 3 and touched baby 3 once or twice to put it on a nipple. It’s so hard to know what the right thing to do is in this situation. I want to leave Millie and her babies alone but I worry that if I don’t help baby 3 that it won’t get the proper nutrients. 🥺 I had no idea having kittens would be so stressful haha. Thank you for the link!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #166

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
Also, I poked my head in on them this morning, no signs of labour still but she’s definitely peeing in the box. I have her litter box not two feet from the box but she won’t even go that far away from her babies. I was able to remove one soiled blanket from the box and I’ll get the other when she and the babies have moved to the other side. She still hasn’t ate any of her food either so I’ll try her with wet food this morning.
 

Sarthur2

Cat lady extraordinaire
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Mar 8, 2015
Messages
35,987
Purraise
17,680
Location
Sunny Florida
She’s full from eating placentas, and it’s not uncommon for moms not to leave the nest for a day or so. Good she’s finally peed, and she should begin to get hungry soon and even need to poop today.

She is resting and recovering, and her attention to her babies is 100% normal and as it should be. Moms are in a high hormonal state for about 48 hours after giving birth, and you will see her visibly settle in more soon.

Since the unborn kitten is not in the birth canal and mom is not in distress, waiting is best.

What does Baby 3 weigh today? If it is not gaining or has lost weight, you’ll want to supplement.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #168

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
I called my vet this morning and they told me to call a labour and delivery specialist so I did and they told me to come in.... she’s like it’s very important that we see your cat and make sure the kitten is okay. I told her it will stress her out because it’s about a 40 minute drive from my house and she said I still need to bring her in as soon as possible. Ugh I really just don’t know what to do. My gut is telling me to wait until at least this evening, she seems fine but that vet kind of freaked me out. No I haven’t weighed baby 3 yet, I will in a bit.
 

catsknowme

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
11,458
Purraise
6,679
Location
Eastern California,USA
Great news on the baby! It may be that the first vet saw something that we are not aware of so it's off you go although it's too bad that you and Millie have to deal with that road trip. I just want it to be an awesome experience for your family - what a great time for your kids and the kittens! My brother, sister and I still share memories of our cats & kittens - and some of those memories are 60 years ago!
 

Sarthur2

Cat lady extraordinaire
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Mar 8, 2015
Messages
35,987
Purraise
17,680
Location
Sunny Florida
An ultrasound will reveal if the kitten is alive. A stethoscope should also pick up its heartbeat. But even a deceased kitten can be delivered stillborn. I think vets do not have enough trust in Mother Nature. I hardly think going to a specialist (and paying those fees!) is necessary, but it’s your call.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #172

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
Okay so I called three different animal hospitals that are in my city and close to my house. All three told me to come in and have her checked out to make sure the kitten is still alive and they said if she’s peeing in her box she could be stressed out. So I guess I’ll just take her in to the closest hospital and see what they think should be done. I’m not taking her until late this afternoon though. I hope I’m making the right decision here.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #174

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
I came in to check on her, it looks like her water broke or something but she isn’t contracting or pushing... she’s acting normal just taking care of her kittens
 

Attachments

  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #175

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
I’m at the vet, the kitten is alive and well but they want to do a c-section because Millie has a bunch of poop in her bowels and pee in her bladder that she won’t let go of for some reason and the kitten is on the larger size. I told them no because I simply don’t have the $2500 they quoted me so they are running some blood work to make sure she is okay and giving her oxytocin and fluids to try and help her give birth and goto the bathroom. If that fails we have no choice but to get her in for the c-section. I’ll update later.
 

Sarthur2

Cat lady extraordinaire
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Mar 8, 2015
Messages
35,987
Purraise
17,680
Location
Sunny Florida
They can express her bladder and also give her an enema if need be. You might want to ask about it.

It’s wise to try oxytocin first. Is she contracting?

Can they put you on a payment plan if she needs surgery? Or apply for a Care Credit card?

When you said she was peeing in her box earlier, I thought you meant her litter box. I didn’t realize she was peeing in her nesting box. That is unusual, so she may not feel well. The blood work will tell lots.

I do hope whatever happens goes well. Are the kittens with her?

Do keep us posted! Sar27 Sar27
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #177

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
Her blood work came out good but she didn’t go into labour after two doses of oxytocin. She’s in for a c-section and spay now. Will update after.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #180

Sar27

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
133
Purraise
170
She’s out of surgery, she’s doing good but kitty didn’t make it after everything it went through😔 yes, the kittens are being fed at the vet. I can go pick Millie and kittens up in a couple hours hopefully.
 
Top