# Rapid heavy panting after birth



## Emma game (Jun 2, 2018)

Hi, I wondered if anyone has any experience of constant rapid heavy panting from a queen (long haired) after birth. All kittens were born from my maiden queen last night but my queen is still panting heavily and breathing very fast now. I have already contacted my vet but have been advised to observe her. Any experiences of this please? I'm already an anxious wreck having stayed up with her all night every night for the last 4 nights! Thanks in advance.


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## Lula10101 (Aug 11, 2017)

How long has it been? I had a girl do this...she delivered 2 kittens, then seemed to settle, but was still a bit pant-y. After about 4 hours she delivered another kitten! She continued to pant for about 30 minutes after that. 

Do you think she has another kitten to come? How many has she had already? When was the last one delivered? 

(sorry to bombard you with questions!)


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## Lula10101 (Aug 11, 2017)

If you take her to a vet, they could scan her with ultrasound and confirm if there was another to come. I have done this once before - it is stressful to take them to the vet, but actually they cope with it surprisingly well, and I just decided it was better to have a stressed queen than a queen with a kitten stuck in her.

Sorry you are going through this stress.


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## Emma game (Jun 2, 2018)

I am so sure she has had them all. We had a very detailed ultrasound which showed 4, the birth was textbook, she ate each placenta and each kitten was born at 30 minute intervals. I cannot feel another kitten so I really don't think there is one remaining. I will call the vet again and ask though, thank you.


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## Emma game (Jun 2, 2018)

Sorry, I missed your first reply. She had 4 kittens, as per the ultrasound (I realise they aren't always accurate), she had the first at 9.30pm and last at 11.30pm. Everything went perfectly, especially for a maiden with no intervention needed at any stage. She is long haired and it is warm and she is looking to me for reassurance. My kittening box is set up next to the bed and I haven't moved from her side since yesterday afternoon when contractions began (well I have actually barely left her side for 4 days and nights when she began showing some early signs of labour!) I am probably just over anxious but she is my absolute world, this litter has been meticulously planned as I hope to keep back a girl for myself, but most important is my cherished girl is all ok!


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## Lula10101 (Aug 11, 2017)

Hopefully she will be fine. That is quite a long time to be panting for....perhaps give her some very tasty wet food...I'm just thinking maybe she is hot and dehydrated? I'm fairly stumped with this one though..I would probably take her to the vet if there is no improvement soon, just to be on the safe side..hopefully other people will be along soon with more experience and suggestions.


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## Emma game (Jun 2, 2018)

Thank you. She is fed a raw diet so had had fresh meat and water, eating and drinking fine. Still heavily panting. Keeping a very close eye. Thanks again.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

If the kittens are suckling she could be having after-pains as her uterus contracts down. Hopefully it will have stopped by later on, if not I'd be inclined to take her plus kittens to the vets in normal hours. You don't want to paying the bill for going in out of hours!


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## Emma game (Jun 2, 2018)

Thank you. It's constant very fast breathing and panting. She isn't too hot. She is leaving the kittens at the moment, I have to gently encourage her back to them. She seems quite confused and upset but I'm with her and reassuring her constantly.


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## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

@Emma game had your queen settled down now? Personally I'd be extremely concerned if one of my queens didn't return too normal breathing within about 30 minutes of finishing birthing.

Sometimes a heat pad or heat lamp can cause a queen to pant however. I always leave a gap at the side of the box so that she can escape the direct heat.


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## Emma game (Jun 2, 2018)

Hi, I took her straight to the vet who did an x Ray to check no retained kittens. It was all fine. I wanted her calcium levels checked but vet disagreed and said to take blood she would need to be sedated which would not be a good idea as she was extremely agitated. I am giving her a calcium supplement and it's settled down but she is still panting when nursing. I am going to call the vet again tomorrow. She is very attentive and eating, drinking, going to the loo fine. I've not slept now for over a week, so stressful! Thanks for your reply!


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Too much calcium is a!so bad. I've never had to give a supplement when I fostered or to my own queen's.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Is your vet experienced with breeding cats? Perhaps your mentors could recommend another clinic, I’d be very concerned if one of my girls was panting for days after birthing.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Emma game said:


> Hi, I took her straight to the vet who did an x Ray to check no retained kittens. It was all fine. I wanted her calcium levels checked but vet disagreed and said to take blood she would need to be sedated which would not be a good idea as she was extremely agitated. I am giving her a calcium supplement and it's settled down but she is still panting when nursing. I am going to call the vet again tomorrow. She is very attentive and eating, drinking, going to the loo fine. I've not slept now for over a week, so stressful! Thanks for your reply!


If she is ONLY panting when nursing she might have strong afterpains as her uterus contracts.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Persian by any chance? I've had a few of mine pant for the first day, sometimes 2, after birth, particularly when kittens suckle. I found it helpful to cool them by moving them to cotton quilts, the hand sewn type rather than duvets. I made up a few with my last litter that had cotton on one side, bamboo inner for wicking and coolness, and thena soft side if kittens were cooling too quickly. I also clipped the bellies of the mums who were panting a lot, much more severely than the more settled girls. Sometimes it can be strong afterpains, and other times distress or over-heating. Some girls just take a very long time to settle after having kittens. If I can feel they are too hot, when they choose to leave kittens, I will encourage them onto a cool mat which they love once they've worked out it will ease their poor sore boobies, and if they're with the babies, I will get a wet facecloth and wet their backs, heads and ears everh 20 mintues or so. I find that a good soaking means her belly can still keep the kittens nice and snug whilst the water evaporating from the rest of her keeps her nice and cool. It seems to be a Persian thing as I've never seen this with any other breed.


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## Emma game (Jun 2, 2018)

Thank you everyone. Not a Persian! She is significantly better, on a maximum dose of calcium. She is eating, drinking and generally well, it was just the panting, but the calcium seems to have stopped this. Fingers crossed everything is ok now. She is an absolutely brilliant and attentive first time mum! I think this is a good example of just how difficult breeding can be. I've been surviving on a couple of hours sleep for well over a week now, spent a fortune at the vets, spend every minute with my queen to monitor her, this on top of spending a huge amount taking her to shows, all health tests, stud fee, snap test fees, travel to the perfect stud who was a seven hour drive away so required a night in a hotel and four seven hour drives, ultrasound costs, premium food etc etc and then the kittens will all need to be wormed, vaccinated, neutered, registered.... I am lucky enough to have two fantastic mentors but this has been hugely challenging both financially and emotionally, which I was prepared for. I only breed to keep back a kitten for myself but I just couldn't imagine going into this without all time and money I have spent on preparing over a long long period of time. It will all be worth it I am sure but I would be lying if there haven't been times when I have been so worried about my queen that I seriously considered whether breeding was the right decision as first and foremost she is my treasured best friend and family pet, despite giving me so many fantastic wins at the shows. But I am passionate about my breed and I really hope I will have a lovely girl to keep for myself from this litter. Thanks for all the replies to my post.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Pretty please reconsider giving her calcium. Without knowing her levels, you could be putting her heart under severe stress. If she's fed a complete diet and has been right through pregnancy, there should be no need for her to have calcium supplements, particularly at the highest dose and just for panting. Please at least ask your vet to do bloods before you keep giving this to her. She is probably just too hot when kittens are feeding, and is experiencing pain while they feed. Honestly, panting whilst feeding has been completely normal in all but a few of my litters. Didn't stop me worrying, but I was content with keeping a close eye. If it's a calcium deficiency, there are loads of other signs that will alert you to that.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

I second Carly. Calcium is not something to be played with, and as she says cats fed a complete diet are very rarely deficient in it, and that includes pregnant & nursing queens. It seems to be something that US breeders like to do.


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