# Cat in labour



## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

My ragdoll is 66 days and went into labour an hour ago. I can see contractions and she has a little wetness from her back end, but no kittens. 
This is my first litter and after phoning my mentor he said it takes as long as it takes, usually up to 2 hours. 
I can see her panting, I don't think she's pushing but the contractions are visible in her tummy.
Help, I am panicking, is this normal. How long should I wait until I take her to the vet.
She seems happy and has been purring, almost the whole time.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Just wait and see. It is possible that the kitten is breach and that takes longer. When did her mucus plug come out (is that when you started counting an hour ago)? 

I'd wait another hour .


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Baby no 1 born, big and healthy. Not a moment too soon,, this has taken 10 years off my life. I started counting from the start of visible contractions


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

yay congarats listen dont worry and be calm.How is your cat with you around her?Try not to interfere as that may put her off and delay labour it depends how she is with you really.

I would expect longer than two hours with a first litter and even to expect labour to be done in two stages.

-ie she may deliver the kittens from 1st horn then several hours later deliver the kittens from the other horn.

The longest i have had between a litter of kittens is 12 hours they were all ok.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Congratulations on kitten number one :thumbup: Hope everything goes smoothly now that she has delivered the first one.


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Phew, 3 kittens. They came so fast the first two came before placentas and got tangled up. The cords were everywhere and the kittens seemed to be trying to crawl but getting nowhere. She has eaten 2 placentas and ignored the 3rd. I cut the cords of the tangled kittens, and mum did the 3rd one. 
She seems done for now, but I think there are still lumps inside. 
She has been fine with me interfering, here we go again...more contractions yikes.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

She doing great :thumbup: looks like she may do it all without no break well done mum cat.


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

4 gorgeous healthy babes, no need for my interference this time, she is acting like a pro :thumbup:
She is contracting again, :scared:


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

5 babies, omg I was hoping for an nice easy 3 haha.


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_5 babies !!!!! wow congratulations,:thumbup:,:thumbup:,_


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

Fantastic news..well done,what colours you expecting?


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Sounds good. Have you got a set of digital scales in grams? I always like to weigh the kittens at about the same time each day until they don't fit my scales. If they are all gaining weight all is well, though they can have the odd day of little gain. Stopping gaining weight is often the first sign something is wrong.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Well done mum cat and human midwife :thumbup:
Hope all of the little ones are doing well


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Mum is purring away, and babies seem fine too. Thanfully I think she is done at 5, I need some wine 
I have scales, should I start weighing them tomorrow?
Mum does seem to be reluctant to get some food and water, I have given her nutridrops and arnica as she seems a little shocked by all the action, and very tired.
I changed her bedding, but was hard as she is refusing to move. I will post pics when I get over my nervous breakdown


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

I have to bring a dish of water to Mai Tai and hold it for her to drink - I wouldn't worry about eating just yet if your girl ate all of the placentas. I usually leave weighing until the kittens are dry at least but if she will let you, you could weigh them now. 
I have the same problem changing bedding too


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Good idea, Lymorelynn. I forgot about those edible placentas. They are all dry and feeding but they are all white so identifying them will be more difficult. I read to use nail varnish on back nails, I will try that tomorrow :thumbup:


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

4 weight between 89 and 90 grams. 1 weighs 106. Are these weights ok, I thought they should be bigger


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

I have all white kittens at birth too and have found a thin strip of fleece makes a good id tag. Getting nail varnish onto tiny claws isn't easy  and needs to be replaced every so often too.
Their weights aren't too bad for a litter of five kittens. Check them around the same time each day and look for around 10g increase. So long as they are feeding well they should soon plump up


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## cats galore (Jul 17, 2012)

congratulations on the birth of the 5 little ones. so glad all went well. i can't wait for tabitha to have hers. she's still holding on to them! can't wait to see photos of them:thumbup:


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## gkovacs (Jul 3, 2012)

Well done to both of you! Don't know how you do it. I am a midwife for humans and am sure i would find kitten births more stressful than the deliveries i attend!


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Many congratulations - woot woot - five gorgeous muchkins :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

congratulations on the newborns and glad all went well. what colours are the parents. i adore ragdolls.


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your kind comments, all seem to be happy and feeding, even mum :thumbup:

I tried to take pics but need the computer to attach so will put them on tomorrow. I think I have 2 girls and 3 boys, will double check tomoz when weighing and colour coding them.
I think they will prob be all seal points, like mum. I should know in a week or two


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Hi, I was just wondering what to do about keeping babies warm. I have upped my heating to 22 degrees, but am not using a heat pad. I have one but was worried about overheating, but mum seems to leave them to sleep in a big pile and she also prefers the lid off the kittening box, I think she likes to see us for reassurance. Should I be putting the pad in or am I being neurotic again haha


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

If you do use a heat pad you must leave the lid off. If you have your heating on all the time then it won't be necessary to use one at all. I only use one in very cold weather and overnight when the heating goes off for a few hours.


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Thanks for that Havoc, I put the lid on at night as I don't keep the heating on overnight. Mum seems happy to leave them when the are fed and forming a big pile of kitties. I will leave my heating on for the next week to make sure they are warm and safe


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Just play it by ear and stop worrying. If there had only been one or two kittens then the heat pad could be a good idea. You've got enough there to create a wonderfully warm ragpile all on their own


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

I've not used a heatpad at all - 5 kittens and one mum in warm(ish) weather make enough heat.


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Please can I ask more advice. I am having a nightmare identifying them all. I weigh them at 7 every night, but it's anyone's guess which are which lol. I have tried nail varnish on back nails ( mum licked it off), felt tip on back paws ( mum licked it off), little paper collars I bought before they were born (I don't feel comfortable using these, one got a foot stuck, but I'm scared of doing them too tight as they are growing pretty quick). I have bought food colouring today, but not sure this is ok to use. I got all these ideas after trawling the Internet but none seem to work :mad2:
I know Lymorelynn uses material, but I'm not sure how to do this, would I just tie round their necks?
My mentor doesn't bother weighing them at all, but his experience probably helps him to identify any that aren't gaining weight.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

ok the paper id tags..i cut them into strips of 4 when using on new borns.

I measure how much i need b4 peeling off the paper.I do this by puting it around their necks and as long as i get a finger behind it i know its ok.

Then its not to tight or too slack.

When you have cut how much you need put around kittens neck and peel paper back off.

It is tricky as they wiggle but you get there.

You will need to replace it as they grow around 3 weeks for me.


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## Lisac27 (Jun 8, 2012)

Ok, I will try cutting into 4, I only cut in half so they were prob too wide. Thank you


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