i am fostering a mom cat with 5 newborns (4 days old) and she has extremely rapid breathing. it is not hot in the room where she is...i even have a fan blowing as we have had some warm days. am wondering if this is normal. has anyone else experienced this? i did take her to the vet and they said it was but it doesn't seem right. she is also experiencing diarrhea, and tonight i saw blood on her bottom. i will probably take her back to the vet but was just wondering if anyone has seen this too. thanks!
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Mom Cat With Newborns - Extremely Rapid Breathing
- Thread starter dione
- Start Date
I'd take her back to the vet, although being a mum can be hard work, after labour is over she should be happily grooming and nursing her kittens - could be some retained afterbirth or mastitis or something, I'd get her checked out asap if she seems unhappy or uncomfortable. The diarrhoea and blood (4 days after labour) is worrying, that would be enough to make me suggest vet again.
Are the kittens getting milk from her ok?
Are the kittens getting milk from her ok?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
thanks for replying! the vet did take an xray to make sure there weren't any more kittens still inside. they said she had eaten the placenta (may be the reason for the diarrhea?) she seems very attentive to her kittens...i see them nursing very often. she is eating ok herself and was drinking also. i worry the diarrhea could cause dehydration. maybe the blood is just because her bowels are irritated. the vet tech though (and this is a vet practice i have trust in) seemed very cavalier about it all. maybe i'm overreacting.
Eating the placenta is instinctive (it cleans up something that might attract a predator), but it isn't really good for the mother.
With diarrhea and blood four days after giving birth I'd definitely want the word of the veterinarian that everything's okay, not just the tech, and I'd want a clear explanation for the blood, not just "Oh, it's nothing! Don't worry so much." You're absolutely justified in wanting to take her back in; try to bring a stool sample with you if you can.
Please keep us informed, and once all this is past we'd love to see some pictures.
Margret
With diarrhea and blood four days after giving birth I'd definitely want the word of the veterinarian that everything's okay, not just the tech, and I'd want a clear explanation for the blood, not just "Oh, it's nothing! Don't worry so much." You're absolutely justified in wanting to take her back in; try to bring a stool sample with you if you can.
Please keep us informed, and once all this is past we'd love to see some pictures.
Margret
Cats bleed on and off for 7-10 days after giving birth while the uterus heals, just like human moms.
The diarrhea is probably related to hormonal changes and will clear up soon. What foods is she eating?
Moms eat placentas to not only throw off predators, but in the wild they do not leave their kittens in search of food for a day or two, and placentas contain nutrients. However, eating 5 of them will cause diarrhea.
Nursing is hard work, and some cats do breathe heavily. It can also be related to low calcium levels, which can be dangerous.
Give mom a dish of kitten formula to drink NOW and every day while nursing. The calcium tends to relieve the heavy breathing in most moms.
If she is no better - or worse - over the next 24 hours, get her back to the vet.
Please keep us posted!
D dione
The diarrhea is probably related to hormonal changes and will clear up soon. What foods is she eating?
Moms eat placentas to not only throw off predators, but in the wild they do not leave their kittens in search of food for a day or two, and placentas contain nutrients. However, eating 5 of them will cause diarrhea.
Nursing is hard work, and some cats do breathe heavily. It can also be related to low calcium levels, which can be dangerous.
Give mom a dish of kitten formula to drink NOW and every day while nursing. The calcium tends to relieve the heavy breathing in most moms.
If she is no better - or worse - over the next 24 hours, get her back to the vet.
Please keep us posted!
D dione
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Yes, eating up 5 placentas may add to the diarrhea.
Be sure she gets extra salts to recompensate for salt and electrolyte losses, for example baby pedialyte. Or you can make something yourself.
Extra calcium is good, as mentioned above. Goats milk, kmr, full fat plain youghurt, some cheese are good sources.
Be sure she gets extra salts to recompensate for salt and electrolyte losses, for example baby pedialyte. Or you can make something yourself.
Extra calcium is good, as mentioned above. Goats milk, kmr, full fat plain youghurt, some cheese are good sources.
How is she doing today?
Yes, how is mom doing now?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
First I would like to thank everyone who replied to my original post. Your thoughts, suggestions, and knowledge were all very helpful and appreciated! Mom kitty (I'm calling her Fawn) seems better. Haven't seen any diarrhea for a few days now. I'm giving her KMR once a day which she laps right up. I feed her Fancy Feast grain free canned, and Solid Gold grain free dry. She is being a good Mom, attentive to her babies. She still does that rapid breathing thing - mostly when nursing. (I jokingly call it 'Ghostbuster's' breathing . If any of you have seen the original movie it's like when Sigourney Weaver, the actress, became possessed by Gozer and Bill Murray was trying to talk to her at her apartment. HaHa) Sorry...got off the subject. Anyway, I'm now making sure the kittens are getting enough milk from Mom. I will try to post some photos soon. Thanks again everyone!
I'm fostering a mom and kittens for the first time, so I definitely have very little experience, but my mama cat did the same thing. She is feral so trying to take her to the vet would be no simple task, so I waited it out (she didn't have the other symptoms, just the panting). After about a week she stopped doing it. I think it was just pain. I know when I had my daughter they told me that nursing her would stimulate my uterus to go back down to normal size, and it was uncomfortable. Not sure if the same happens with cats or not.
