My Baby Is Having Babies!!

Hey there! Haha, I remember when one of my females had babies for the first time. I was so nervous! First of all, as for her eating them, you probably don't have to worry about that. With domestic cats, it's very rare. I had a female who was very mean and I was worried about it too. But she turned out to be a perfect mother!

I'd love to give a few pointers, if you like? I've helped through three pregnancies so far and they can be very unsettling.

Make sure she has a nest, first of all. Second, when she actually goes into labour (she will start bleeding down there and panting, etc), make sure you're the only one there, or at least the only one close. She'll be very scared. A good pointer is to have a literbox nearby. She may think she's needing to go to the bathroom, and you don't want her trecking all over the place trying to go, then nesting, then going back again.

Items you'll want - sterilized scissors and paper towel.

For the most part, just sit with her quietly. You can't do much at first. When she starts to crown the baby, only help if the baby is stuck. It should come out in just a few seconds once it starts! No more than couple of minutes. Often, the first baby will get stuck so you'll have to grab it around it's hips and pull it out.

Mom will start cleaning the baby. The face is the most important. Try to help clear the face, then cut the pleacenta (sorry I don't know how to spell that. Basically it'll be a big mass of flesh attatched to the baby where it got it's nutrients from. Each baby will have its own) off and throw it away. It's kinda gross to watch the mother clean it the baby but try to help until you've made sure it's breathing. Afterward, just leave things.

Babies usually come about 20 minutes apart. It can be more or less, but this is the average. Keep with it. Once you think she's finished, try to help her settle in and get the kittens nursing. You may have to guide their faces toward the nipple to make sure they can find it.

Most important, don't take the babies out of the nesting area for any reason! If it needs to be cleaned, simply pull out whatever towels/nesting is there and replace it, keeping mom and babies close. When I was a child, I accidently killed several kittens by repeatedly taking them out of the nest. The mom would come get them and bring them back, eventually rubbing their necks raw so that they died.

hi, thanks aqua !! when you say nesting spot, do i make one out of a box? ( i read that on the internet, but they said sometimes they dont use what youve made for them) ill make her one anyways though. Im kinda nervous, i hope my neighbor is here when she goes into labor to help me. she is so cute now, being pregnant, i can feel the babies moving in her stomach, it brings back memories of being pregnant :) ohh im nervous!!! im going to write again when she has them. any suggestions are helpful, thankyou!!

When mine had her kittens, she took over the litterbox. Literally, she had the kittens in the box.
Fortunately, all of them were healthy, and a few days later there was a change of venue into the bottom of my x's closet.
The best thing to do is try using a shallow box with a towel, rags, or something else soft in it. Then leave it to her to decide on it.

i seen may cats give birth and have never seen them eat their kittens. it is imperitive however that you let her eat the placentas. cause she may have that instinct to eat them and accidentally eat the babies-sounds stupid i know buit those placentas are very nurishing and they eat them out of instict so not to attract predators. if you have the oppertunity to watch her give birth stay calm and dont act excited and talk in a high pitch voice. this can make her nervouse. and believe me the do WANT THAT MORAL SUPPORT. MY LAST CAT THAT HAD KITTENS HAD HER BUDDY (sorry bout the caps) her buddy was a male from a former litter-every time he started falling asleep while she was in labor she attacked his face lol- she was stressed and wanted him by her side believe it or not... we as pet owners do not realize that cats are actually pack animals. they do naturally hang out in family groups if left in the wild to become ferral. all we ever sii is getting a new kitten and the original cat gets jealouse- thats because the territory was already established. you cat will not walk away from them babies fro at least one complest day up to maybe 4 so make sure water is brought to her and also a little food to nibble. she will not eat as much as usual- i have no idea why bt thats how it goes. well good luck and learn how to "ski" so you dont step on a kitten lol- oh and they alost never have their babies where you desingnate a place for them, so you will probably have to move the babies to a safe place for her- and she may not agree with yo but do it till they are all safe

Please have your cat spayed the minute her babies are weaned. With millions of beautiful cats and kittens being killed every year, it's imperative that we each do our part to stop the Holocaust.

I think they only eat the kittens if there's a lack of resources and a danger of them starving. So I would imagine a well-fed and sheltered domestic cat would be quite unlikely to.

Yes, spay the cat as soon as she can be, it will also protect her from uterine infections. And have the male neutered also ;)

Congratulations! (: One of my cats had kittens a while ago. It went really well, and all of the babies got good homes.

I'm guessing that your cat has already had her kittens by now (since, you know, this was posted in 2008)...I hope it all went well!

Glad I just noticed the date! Hope the kittens arrived fine and healthy. Hope you got her and him fixed as soon as possible, b/c the female can go into heat again before the kittens are weaned. That's bad for her and them.As someone above said, it's mainly in the wild that the kittens are eaten. Very important for the mother to eat at least one placenta. The hormones in it help start the milk and her to recover. All good advice above. Keep them out of drafts, have high sides on the box to keep the kittens safe. Handle the kittens as much as possible to get them socialized with humans and to know you. Praise the mother! Feed her kitten chow before and after birth. She needs the extra protein and calories. Kittens are SO adorable!

It's not the female that kills the kittens, it's the male. Instinct tells the male that she will go back into heat once the babies are gone, so the male will sometimes kill the kittens. Keep an eye on the father. Also, please have your female spayed and your male neutered soon as they will reproduce very often. The animal shelters are full up with unwanted cats & dogs. THANKS!