Before birth
The cat will let you know that birth is approaching with its behavior. They do not leave their owners, they can meow loudly and fuss. By the time of birth, you need to prepare a place where both the cat and future kittens will be comfortable. This can be an ordinary box lined with soft cloth. It needs to be placed in a warm, dry place, preferably where the woman in labor will be least disturbed. In addition, the place must be protected from drafts. You also need to close all cabinets - this is a favorite place for cats. Just before giving birth, the animal does not leave the nest. About a week before giving birth, the animal is switched to light nutritious food, such as chicken.
For medical supplies and instruments, be sure to prepare oxytocin, cotton wool, alcohol, scissors, dry wipes, and toilet paper.
A few hours before or just before giving birth, cats' water breaks. Try not to leave her from now on. Ask your family to be quiet. If there are guests, it is better for them to leave. There should be maximum peace and quiet in the house.
Preparation
Preliminary measures will not be superfluous, although most breeds cope well with pregnancy on their own . So what should you do if your cat gives birth for the first time?
First , we set up a nest. A regular cardboard box is perfect for this. We put a diaper or any other fabric on the bottom for convenience. Experienced owners recommend using several layers of soft paper or baby diapers. Special houses for cats are suitable for nesting. The main thing is that the expectant mother has free access.
Secondly , the cat should build a nest in a warm, ventilated room. We exclude drafts and the presence of other animals. We exclude the toilet and bathroom. The ideal option would be a small room where the cat will not be disturbed. For example, a storage room.
Thirdly , in order for the pet to successfully give birth, it is provided with food and clean drinking water. All this is placed near the nest or place where the cat prefers to sleep. Presumably she will give birth there.
What items will be needed to help the cat, stimulate and speed up the process? The list may change, but if the owner has most of the above, then half the battle is already done:
- Disposable diapers and wet wipes.
- Scissors.
- Disposable syringes and a number of medications to eliminate complications.
- Vaseline oil to stimulate the vaginal muscles.
- Surgical (or silk) thread to tie the umbilical cord.
- Iodine, brilliant green, disinfectants.
During childbirth
Between contractions, massage your cat's belly using gentle movements from the throat to the tail. If pushing begins, place your hand under the expectant mother’s hind legs - this way she can rest on it and the pushing will be more productive. During pushing, the animal may defecate. Remove feces in a timely manner. When the amniotic sac appears from the vagina, pay attention to which part of the body is present. If it's the head, everything is fine.
If contractions are regular and the kitten moves no more than 5 minutes, your main role is observation .
What to do if the cat cannot give birth to the “last baby”?
Let us emphasize once again that only a veterinarian can accurately identify the presence of “belated” kittens and only with an ultrasound (or x-ray, at worst). We would not recommend touching and kneading your pet’s belly on your own. So you are unlikely to be able to understand whether the cat gave birth to all the kittens or not, but it is entirely within your power to harm the animal.
So, there is a baby in the womb. For some reason, a cat cannot give birth on its own. What to do? If the animal is not very exhausted by childbirth and the muscles of the abdominal wall and the uterus itself are contracting normally, you can try to stimulate the “second round” of labor by administering oxytocin . In this case, there is a chance that the contractions that have started again will help bring the matter to an end.
But you need to remember that oxytocin is not the safest drug, and therefore when using it you need to take into account important nuances:
- If after administration of the first dose (no more than 5 IU) no signs of contractions are observed, further administration should be considered pointless and even dangerous.
- If the cat's body temperature does not exceed 37.5° Celsius, it is also not worth artificially inducing labor.
- Bradycardia, tachycardia, and other cardiac or respiratory disorders are also contraindications for oxytocin.
Thus, drug stimulation is not used too often, since for this the general condition of the cat must be close to ideal. But this, taking into account some “problems” at birth, does not happen often. In other words, we need some other option. And if the cat did not give birth to the last kitten, this is a cesarean section.
Possible complications
Weakness of labor
One of the most common complications developing in cats during childbirth is weakness of labor. If contractions are sluggish, irregular, or absent altogether after the water breaks, give the animal an injection of oxytocin in a dose of 0.1 ml. Use an insulin syringe to inject the required amount.
Malpresentation of the fetus
If a kitten is born with a paw or tail, it is best to immediately call a veterinarian. If this is not possible or the journey will take a long time, try turning the fruit over yourself. To do this, wash and disinfect your hands thoroughly. Lubricate your little finger with Vaseline or vegetable oil. Set the bubble very carefully. Place the animal on its hind legs and, shaking slightly, try to unwrap the fruit. Of course, only a specialist can turn a kitten with its head, but after the procedure it will move with its tail and not with its paw, it is quite likely.
Under no circumstances should you forcefully pull out the fetus .
Interfering with the birth process can seriously harm both mother and fetus. If the passage of the kitten is delayed, you can lubricate the inside of the vagina with vegetable oil. If the fetus does not come out within a few hours, you need to go to a veterinary clinic. The birth may have to be performed surgically.
Reasons: why is only one kitten born?
There is no need to worry, as the likelihood of having an only baby, especially in a young cat, is more common than it might seem. The physiological reasons why one kitten may be born are not related to health anomalies, and are most often associated with age or the course of pregnancy in the early stages. However, among the factors associated with singleton pregnancy, shortcomings in animal care often appear.
The main reasons for the birth of one kitten:
This phenomenon can be observed in older females.
- Heredity. Some breeds, for example, Persian cats, are characterized by a minimum number of kittens in the litter. Genetic predisposition also influences the offspring. This happens if several generations in a pet’s family produced only one cub.
- Age. A cat that is too young or old is more likely to give birth to one kitten. The first pregnancy in an animal, as a rule, often ends in the appearance of a single calf.
- Physical state. The formation of kittens largely depends on the resources of the mother’s body. With a lack of vitamins and poor nutrition, a cat may produce a litter only once, and an exhausted animal may not reproduce at all.
- The only egg fertilized during mating.
- Reproductive function of a cat. The health, age and fertility of the partner affect the quality and quantity of semen, and therefore the success of fertilization.
- Intrauterine processes. Not all fertilized eggs attach to the wall of the uterus, and at a later date, resorption of the fetus may occur in the cat.
After the baby arrives
If the birth goes well and the kittens are born alive, but you want to help the animal, take the following steps.
- When the kitten appears more than halfway out of the way, you can slightly pull it up. Under no circumstances should you make sudden jerks or turns. Movements should be neat and smooth.
- Following the fetus, the placenta will appear. Pull it up too.
- If the kitten was born with an intact bladder, tear it at the head.
- Cut the umbilical cord at a distance of 2 cm.
- Make sure your cat eats the placenta. This is a very light food and, at the same time, provides all the necessary substances.
- Place the newborn next to the mother. She should actively lick him. The kitten should squeak, and at this time we are waiting for the next one.
If the kitten does not squeak and the mother does not pay attention to it, you need to free it from the remnants of the amniotic sac and wipe it with a dry cloth. This will stimulate you to start breathing on your own. If the baby is not breathing, turn him upside down and actively stroke his body. Blow lightly into his mouth. Press down on your chest until it bends about 1/3. This will help the lungs expand. As soon as the baby squeaks, give it to the cat.
In the vast majority of cases, difficulties occur only with the first kitten. The rest are born without complications. You just need to make sure that during the period of pushing the cat does not crush the already born kittens.
Sometimes it happens that a cat becomes aggressive and scatters or eats babies. In this case, it is better to take them to a warm heating pad and leave the mother alone, changing them periodically. After all the kittens are born, they can be placed on the mother in labor. By this time she usually calms down.
How to induce labor at home
It should be understood that there are a large number of drugs on the market. In any case, it is better to consult a veterinarian who will take into account the individual characteristics of the cat. A number of drugs are excellent at inducing and accelerating the birth of your pet. Let's look at the main medications that are used for stimulation:
- Oxytocin . Perhaps the main drug used in difficult childbirth. However, incorrect dosage can lead to bleeding and cervical rupture. Before use, consultation with a veterinarian is required!
- Travmatin . Used as an analgesic and prophylactic for difficult childbirth. Travmatin is effective in healing wounds with damage to the genital organs. Prevents infection of the uterine cavity by pathogenic microbes.
- Gamavit. Directly stimulates the muscles of the uterus. Often used in prolonged labor and difficult cases.
- Calcium gluconate . A lack of this element often leads to complications along with oxytocin. The drug increases labor activity as it acts. It also provokes the formation of milk. Used to relieve nervous tension after childbirth.
A lack of calcium leads to the development of eclampsia - acute postpartum depression, which negatively affects the nervous system. Causes severe cramps. In advanced cases it leads to the death of the animal.
Veterinary practice knows cases when labor can be induced without the use of medications. Let us note two main methods.
Option one
The owner puts on gloves. Puts the cat in a position where she goes to the toilet "in large quantities." Next, massage the abdomen in a circular motion. After a couple of minutes, dip your finger in Vaseline oil and insert it into the cat’s vagina about a centimeter. Circular movements are repeated again. Mechanical actions help stimulate and speed up labor.
Option two
When oxytocin is contraindicated for a cat for some reason or the owner does not risk using it, then the following method will come to the rescue. In a disposable syringe, mix 2 ml of ascorbic acid, 4 ml of glucose, 4 ml of calcium gluconate. We administer intramuscularly or intravenously, but only after the female has given birth to her first baby.
For every 5 kg of weight, 1 ml of the resulting solution is sufficient . It is also used after childbirth as a prophylaxis against eclampsia.
How many kittens does a cat normally give birth to for the first time?
When purchasing a cat, you need to understand that over time it will grow up and often produce offspring. These animals are particularly fertile and can give birth up to 3 times a year.
How many kittens does a cat give birth to for the first time is a question that interests every owner.
A lot or a little, and what if there is just one or seven? Of course, having many kittens is difficult for both the pet and the owner, because, in the end, he will have to place them in good hands.
And not all furry murkas are titled, where the waiting list for their children is scheduled for years in advance. And if you are against sterilization, then you need to study everything about the cat’s pregnancy and the birth process.
Because at least once a year you will have to take them. I would also like to note that domestic pets are less adapted to life compared to their street relatives, so they often require the help of their owner, and sometimes a veterinarian.
So, let's talk a little about cat pregnancy itself.
How many kittens can a cat give birth to for the first time?
The most important and logical question. Typically, sexual maturity in an animal occurs at the age of 8-9 months. And now she will be able to get pregnant and bear offspring, but this is a risk factor, because the body is still too young.
Large litter
And if in the natural environment we cannot influence this fact in any way, then it is recommended that pets not be mated until they are 1 year old. It’s even better to wait until 1.5 years, when the animal is stronger and ready to bear full-fledged and healthy offspring.
Typically, first-time cats carry and give birth to a small litter of 1-3 babies. This is explained by the not yet fully formed reproductive system. Old-time cats also give birth to few kittens, because... Their reproductive function is already fading.
Well, healthy cats in their prime usually give birth to up to 6 kittens. Nature has decreed that a cat has only 8 nipples, which means it can feed no more than 8 cubs at the same time. But there are also exceptions to the rules.
It is unknown how many kittens a cat can give birth to, but there have been cases when cats give birth to more than 10 or even 12 babies.
