Pregnant cats belly really firm / kittens feeding

dg25

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Hi! So, she is 65 days pregnant and is due any day. I was just wondering if it’s normal for their belly to be really firm? I’ve noticed a change in her belly the past few days as well as her mammary glands have gotten bigger in the last day or so. Obviously their bellies are firm when pregnant, but hers feels like really hard? Is this normal? It’s only been like that for a day. Could this be the kittens repositioning themselves or is something wrong? Thank you!
 

StefanZ

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Could even be beginning of labor..

What exact were the changes ypu noticed these last days?
 
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dg25

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A few days ago her belly just felt different. As in a different shape and not as firm. For a minute i thought she had already given birth. Then yesterday it just seems really hard and plump again and I can feel little lumps (kittens) sticking out. I can see lots of movement still. Is this a normal pre-labour thing? Thanks!
 

Sarthur2

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Oh, yes, it is normal for late stage pregnant cats to have very firm bellies! :)
 
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dg25

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Lol turns out it is a pre labour thing as she had kittens 20 minutes later :lol: Thank you!!
 

Kittycatcat

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Oh Wow Congratulations 😊
How is mama doing and babies? Did she have many? Hope it all went smoothly.
 
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dg25

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Thank you! Mamas doing great as well as the babies :) She had 6! 3 boys and 3 girls! I’m so happy everything went well!
 

Kittycatcat

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Thank you! Mamas doing great as well as the babies :) She had 6! 3 boys and 3 girls! I’m so happy everything went well!
Thats great news! 😊 I'm sure we'd all love some pics.
 

Sarthur2

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Watch for a runt with a litter that size, and be prepared to hand feed formula with a syringe to supplement if one or two are not gaining 6-10 grams or more daily. Here’s a helpful link:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

:)
 
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dg25

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My female who had kittens 2 weeks ago is struggling to produce enough milk for her 6 kittens, i’ve been supplementing since they were 3 days old but it seems like the majority of the calories their consuming is from the formula. I’m giving them 5ml daily but they always seem hungry so I’m thinking she is not producing enough. Is there something I can do to help this? Vitamins? Special diet? Any tips? Thanks!!
 

Sarthur2

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Oh dear! Feed her as much canned wet food as she wants. You can also offer boiled chicken, scrambled egg, cheese, full fat yogurt, dry kitten chow, and formula for her to drink.

The bottom line is that 6 kittens is a lot for a mom, and you will need to supplement more than 5mLs each per day. Begin supplementing each kitten every 3 hours for now, and let each drink as much as they want at each feeding. They must gain 6-10 grams per day, and as each week goes by you can extend the time between feedings by one hour. They clearly need more food. This will continue until they begin weaning to soft foods around 5-6 weeks old.

Keep us posted as to how this goes. :)
 
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