The birth of a cat is a moment of joy and emotion, since soon playful little animals will come into the world that will become great pets. This, taking into account that the delivery has been sought, and not because of an accident. To avoid unwanted births, it is advisable to sterilize your cat.
However, even if the intention is to make the cat a mother and, despite the fact that births in these animals are not usually problematic, there can be some problems in the birth of a cat like the ones we review in this article on our site.
The reproduction of the cats
Female cats, which reach sexual maturity at approximately half a year of life, are seasonally polyestrous animals, that is, they have various heatsof a little less than a week, which are repeated every 2-3 weeks. In principle, this jealousy occurs in spring, although it depends on the living conditions of the animal, since those that live on the floor have more constant light and temperature conditions and it is more complicated for the cat's body to recognize the change of season.
Gestation usually lasts 65 days, although as is often said, biology is not an exact science, so this may vary slightly in some cases.
Advice before giving birth to the cat
If you think your cat is going to have puppies, it is advisable to visit a veterinarian for various reasons.
- First of all, to make sure that there really is a pregnancy, this can be found with an ultrasound, which is a fast, simple method with no side effects, although depending on the nature of the animal it can be something complicated.
- Secondly, to perform a physical examination on the mother-to-be and to check that she is in good he althand can give birth without problems
- Thirdly, it is interesting to know how many puppies it houses inside and if they are alive. An ultrasound is of great help in these cases.
If you don't know exactly when your cat became pregnant in order to calculate the due date, by means of an ultrasound, taking some measurements, the date on which she will give birth can be predicted quite roughly.
In addition to the date, there are other signs that parturition is near that can be detected by looking at the behavior of the animal. For example, when the date approaches, the cat may be more affectionate, meowing constantly or looking for a secluded place to make a nest. Another quite specific sign is a drop in temperature: the rectal temperature, which is obtained by inserting a thermometer into the anus, of the cat drops by at least one degree as delivery approaches. As the rectal temperature of each animal can vary slightly, it is advisable to measure it regularly several days beforehand to know what your cat's temperature is in particular.
Expulsion of the mucous plug, detected as a whitish or yellowish discharge from the vulva, is a sign that labor is imminent. On the other hand, it is good to have the telephone number of an emergency veterinarian at hand in case you need their services for the delivery in case something does not go quite right.
My cat can't give birth, why?
When a cat has difficulties giving birth and even cannot expel any of the puppies, it is usually due to one of the following most common problems in childbirth of a cat, which should be resolved with the help of a veterinarian.
Lifeless Puppies
In order for labor to be triggered, the puppies must be alive If they are not, labor does not occur and it is necessary to resort to drugs and, if they don't work (which is quite likely), to a cesarean section. Check out our article on "How to Tell if Your Cat Needs a C-Section" to learn how to identify the symptoms and act quickly.
Dystocias
Dystocias are known as complications that make delivery costly In cats, giving birth to several litters of Small in size, they are less frequent than in other animals, which usually give birth to a single larger offspring such as cows or sheep. In any case, they can appear, so, if after the signs we have seen, which show that delivery is imminent, some time has passed without any kitten going outside, we should visit a veterinarian, who will try to reposition them and if this is not possible, perform a caesarean section. It is not recommended to administer oxytocin, a hormone that favors the expulsion of the content of the uterus in the cat, without having made sure that the position of the puppies is correct. If not, the uterus will contract trying to expel the puppies and, if this is not possible because one is stuck, the organ may tear when exerting force. The indiscriminate administration of oxytocin is something that some breeders do and it is a very serious mistake that can have very serious consequences for the mother.
Uterus loss of strength
In very long births, in which at the beginning it was costly to expel some pups or in births with a large number of them, the uterus may lose strength as the process progresses. There it could be advisable to administer oxytocin, but after having made sure that they are placed in a way in which they can easily come out. If this does not work, cesarean section is the definitive solution.
Placenta remains not expelled
Other problems that may arise are that, after delivery, there is a dead puppy inside the cat or remains of a placentaTherefore, if you notice that, after delivery, your cat is having a hard time recovering from it, and shows fever, signs of weakness or other symptoms of illness, it is advisable to go to a veterinarian to rule out these problems (by means of a physical examination and an ultrasound) or treat them, as the case may be.
How to know if my cat gave birth to all her kittens
In general, the birth interval between kitten and kitten is usually no more than an hour, so if after a couple of hours a new offspring does not appear, it is likely that the delivery has concluded. Also, after giving birth, the mother tends to sit up and dedicate herself to licking and caring for her young
Although in some cases cats can interrupt labor and continue after many hours, these are distinguished from a labor that has not finished, since, when they interrupt the birth, they get up, take care of their puppies, they can go to drink, etc., while if the delivery of a calf is not finished yet, the mother will still lie downIn the same place. If this is the case of your feline and you suspect that she is having difficulties giving birth to one of the kittens, remember that you should go to the vet as soon as possible to confirm or rule out any of the previous problems in the delivery of the cat.
If the delivery finally occurs normally, we recommend you consult our article on care for the mother and her offspring.
