Open-mouth panting???

danimarie

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Our Lily who is pregnant and we are unsure of when to expect her little ones because we JUST took her in a few days ago...... has been open-mouth panting off and on throughout the day (exactly like a dog does).

It seemed to calm down when we brought her in the air conditioning early this afternoon, but it just started up again, and she's been in her own room (where we really hope she'll give birth) for over an hour now. The temperature is about 75-80 degrees. Is that too hot for her??? Is that why she is panting like that, or is this a sign of impending labor???

It scares me to death everytime she does it.

We are trying to make her stay in the second bedroom, which we'll have an AC in on Friday, but if it is important to keep her cooler, we'll bring her in the bedroom.


I just don't know why she's doing that!!! We have plenty of water and food for her, she's really scaring me!!!

What should I do???
 

brittany_nicole

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Can you feel the kittens kicking? Has she started producing milk yet?

If she stops panting when she goes into an air conditioned room then my guess would be she was just hot.
 
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danimarie

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I've felt the kittens kicking since we got her, really strong earlier today!!! It was the coolest thing I've ever felt (even cooler than a pregnant person!!!
)
She has not started producing milk yet, that I know of...this is the first time I've ever done this!


Should I take her back into the air conditioned room? She was outside prior to us taking her in, which is the same temperature as the room is, plus we have a fan in there to cool it off.

I don't know what to do here. She's not "nesting", or what I thought would be nesting. We put blankets and towels in the closet in that room, put a dim light in one corner (on the other side of the room, not near the closet) and her food, water and litter box are near the place we want her to give birth, but she's not showing any interest in it.


I'm just not sure what to do here. When we had her in this room (the air conditioned bedroom), she was getting hissy and wanted to get out...I figured it would be a good time to confine her to her own room.
 

brittany_nicole

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She should start producing milk when she is really close to giving birth, so if she isn't producing any then I don't think the panting has anything to do with the pregnancy. If you are worried about it, a trip to the vet won't hurt.

If I were you I would bring her into the air conditioned room. On Friday when the bedroom she is currently in is air conditioned, just move her back if she is more comfortable being in her own room.
 
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danimarie

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Just to update:

We brought her back into the bedroom with the AC (and subsequently had to kick our 5 month old kitty who sleeps with us every night out... he's not too happy
)
but her panting DID stop.

It's just freaking me out that it's been off and on all day. To me , it's a little chilly in here...I know when women are pregnant, they feel hot all the time, is the same true for cats?

She's on the bed, hogging up my side right now.

Those kittens are definitely doing somersaults in her belly tonight though!!!
 

xxtashaxx

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some cats dont produce milk untill the kittens are born. the panting could well be to do with labour, my lilly had panting on and off for about 2 days before she went in to labour and it wasnt because she was to hot. just keep an eye on her and see how she goes.
 

keisha

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My kalli didnt get milk untill after the first kitten was born-and th en it came in fast. So you cant really use whether or not she has milk now as a sign of impendig labor. But Kalli did the open-mouthed panting thing when she was in labor. So i would just keep watching her. You could keep her in the room with the airconditioning. Incase it is because she is too hot.
 

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Panting could be anything from heat or overexertion to a sign of heart or respiratory failure. It could also be a sign of labor. If she improved in a cooler place and is eating and acting normally, then probably it's more heat related or potentially labor. The best bet would be to keep a close eye on her. If you can feel the kittens moving, they'll be here very soon!
 

jenniferl

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Ginger didn't produce milk until after all 5 kittens were born. She also didn't show hardly any signs of labor. She had gotten under the bed (which was blocked off with all kinds of pillows and blankets) and wouldn't come out. A little while after we got her out she went and laid down in her litter box so I got her a new box with newspaper. She finally settled down in her lap and then all of a sudden she started having contractions and three contractions later out came her first baby.
 
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danimarie

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Lily is doing EXACTLY what Ginger was doing, as far as getting under the bedskirt and blankets covering next to the bed.

I made her a nesting box by taking a large cardboard box, putting it on its side, putting sheets and a towel inside, and covering it with her preferred blanket so it's dark and private....and keep encouraging her to use it, although she's being resistant. I've given her three separate options....a closet, that box, and a laundry basket. Tonight is her first independent night in her own room, so hopefully she'll start to get more comfy with her options.


I think she's close, you can feel those kittens inside STRONG now....and man oh man is that cat having mood swings.
Poor thing!!
 
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