Your pet is pregnant and during all these weeks you have given it all the attention and care it deserves, and as the delivery approaches you want to stay close in case things become complicated. In principle, most cats can give birth without difficulty, but it is important to know when things are going well and when the animal needs our attention, so in OneHowTo.com we offer you some tips so you know how to help your cat give birth.
Detecting when your cat is about to give birth is easier if you observe their behaviour: the animal will have a loss of appetite, take on a strange behaviour that can be elusive and will also lick the vulva often. Given these signals the time is very close, so you should pay attention.
The most common action is that, a few days before delivery, you prepare a box with cotton cloths for our cat and kittens to be warm and comfortable. But if for some reason the animal has decided to do it on the floor you should not move her place, instead, you should lay out some clean towels around her so the kittens will be warm when they come out.
Note that cats prefer dark places to give birth, so make her a secluded and dark delivery bed, switch the lights off if you can so she feels more comfortable giving birth.
Once all kittens are out you can move the entire family to the box. Note that to carry out this step you should have a really good relationship with the cat, because her instinct will lead her to protect the young and things could get somewhat violent. If she trusts you she will know that you will not hurt them.
Each kitten is born in a separate bag that the cat will clean and then it will cut the umbilical cord. In the case that your cat does not clean the bag you must do this yourself. With a clean and soft towel take the little animal and start to clean it, especially in the mouth and nose, then rub its torso to help it breathe.
If your pet also fails to cut the umbilical cord you will also have to intervene. In principle do not be nervous, take a piece of string, pass it through some alcohol and tie the cord at 2cms from the body of the kitten. Then leave another 2 cms and using scissors, also previously disinfected with alcohol, cut the cord. It is a quick process that only requires a bit of concentration and staying calm.
With each kitten your cat will expel one placenta that she will then eat. It is important to pay attention and make sure that the animal ejects all placentas, if any remain inside after a day you will need to quickly take your pet to the vet.
Once your cat has finished giving birth, the kittens will begin to suckle. If any little one is left behind you must bring it closer to the teat and wait for it to grip, this is very important for all the animals to get fed properly and survive.
Do not be alarmed, the time between the birth of one kitten to the next can range from minutes to hours, so before you worry you should have a little patience and act only when you notice that after four hours of labour a kitten remains inside. In this case you should then take your cat to the vet.
If you notice that your cat is in the process of contractions but fails to give birth after several hours, you should go immediately the vet. The same applies if you notice that a kitten is stuck in the birth canal.
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