ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE ATLANTA HUMANE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

AN UNFORGETTABLE FOSTER EXPERIENCE

Lessons learnt from my first time with a pregnant cat

There were several reasons why I wanted to say ‘no’ to fostering a pregnant cat: I lived in a small apartment, I had no prior experience with pregnant cats (only a pregnant hamster), I thought I was a dog person, etc. However, when Nicole our Foster Coordinator asked, I forgot all the reasons and said ‘yes’! I am so glad I did, because it was an experience that I will always cherish.

Meet LucyLove

I named my foster cat LucyLove, just one of the hundred loving names I called her. She was just over eight months old, technically a kitten herself, and already on her way to becoming a mother! I was nervous when I got her home as I didn’t know when she was due and what to expect. In fact, at first, I doubted that she was even pregnant. She was a small-sized cat and besides slightly enlarged pink nipples, there were no clear signs of pregnancy. But after a week, I could feel a lot of movement in her belly and that confirmed there were kittens inside! Yippee! I could feel the tiny heads bobbing about. So exciting!

LucyLove, an angel who touched my life        

Pregnant cats get hot. They like cool surfaces

     

LucyLove was super sweet and affectionate. She loved her belly rubs so much that she let me clean her ears and trim her nails without any resistance while I rubbed her belly. I did a lot of reading online and watched cat birthing videos on YouTube to prepare myself for the big day.  And of course, Barret and Starr (experienced fosters) were always at hand for advice and support. 

B Day – Birthing Day 

One morning, she seemed extremely affectionate and a little restless; I could sense that her time had come. I put fresh towels in her queening box and I waited. She kept moving in and out of her box and wanted her belly rubbed. I then noticed some light yellow/brownish discharge from her vagina. According to my online research, that was a sure sign that labour was about to begin. She then started getting more restless and moved several times between her litter box and queening box. I couldn’t force her to choose the queening box and for obvious reasons, I didn’t want her to give birth in her litter box. So I took the litter out and laid out clean towels. That was a good move as her contractions started soon after.

The first vaginal discharge that signalled labour would begin

The kittens are here!

About two hours after the vaginal discharge, she began panting and having strong contractions. Suddenly, a dark greenish sac started to appear. I donned my disposable gloves. Armed with warm water, clean towels, sterilised scissors and thread, I was ready if I had to assist. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do a thing. She was the perfect mama! She ruptured the fluid sac around the kitten and licked it vigorously to urge it to breathe on its own. That done, she cut the umbilical cord neatly with her teeth leaving a small stump and proceeded to eat the placenta. The kitten soon moved to her nipple and started suckling. 

Rupturing the fluid sac and cutting the umbilical cord

Within five minutes, her second set of contractions began and I could see the second sac emerging. This happened four times as she had four kittens. I made sure to note that she had expelled all four placentas because a retained placenta could make her sick. The entire process right from the vaginal discharge to the last kitten’s birth took three and a half hours, and I noted down all the details meticulously. I monitored her closely for the next 24 hours to make sure there were no more arriving, as sometimes cats can take long breaks between kittens.

Exhausted mama with her four babies

Post-birth care

I waited till the next day to change the bloody towels as I didn’t want to disturb the nest so soon. I hand-fed LucyLove food and water while she lay in her box exhausted. For a few days after birth, the mother rarely leaves her kittens so I wanted to make sure she was eating and drinking well. Mama LucyLove’s mammary glands were now full with milk and the kittens were feeding all day. It is normal for the mama to have a little post-birth bleeding or discharge for a few days, so don’t worry if that happens. I fed mama four to five times a day (even while she was pregnant) with wet kitten food as she needed the extra nutrition and calories. Inspite of having a voracious appetite, she still seemed so small and thin but that was because all her nutrition was being diverted towards the kittens.

The kittens are growing

To experience the process of birth was in itself the greatest joy but that joy doubled as I watched the kittens going through the various stages of growth. They were born blind and deaf with their eyes tightly shut and ears stuck to their head. After a week, their eyes slowly showed signs of opening and by the end of the second week, their eyes opened up. They were dark bluish and opaque. Though open, it would be another couple of weeks before they could actually see anything.

The umbilical cord stump dried up and fell off after a week

By the third week, their ears perked up and they began moving about a lot more. By the fifth week, they were jumping out of their box and playing with each other actively. Mama LucyLove started taking longer breaks from them. I now introduced them to wet kitten food. I mixed the wet food with water to make a porridge consistency. I dipped my finger and applied some to their mouth to get them to lick it. It took a few tries till they started licking the food by themselves and slowly transitioned from sucking to licking. By the sixth week, they were eating wet and dry food while still drinking mama’s milk. They played all day with each other, exploring the power of their teeth and claws, and discovering new sights and sounds. Up to the sixth week, mama stimulated their privates and licked them clean every day. 

Week One

Week Two

Week Four

Soon they copied mama and starting following her into the litter box. I also helped by moving their paws to stimulate digging. They picked up the cues and soon they were adept. Mama had her own litter box; the four kittens shared two other boxes. I could see mama teaching them cat skills, grooming, and etiquette through her communication with them and by example. 

Goodbyes are hard

I returned LucyLove to Atlanta Humane Society when the kittens were eight weeks old as they were independent by then. LucyLove spent two weeks at the shelter waiting for her milk to dry up. She was soon spayed and ready to be adopted. With every passing day, the kittens grew stronger, bigger, and naughtier.
I enjoyed playing with them and loving them; they proved to be real stress-busters at the end of a tiring day. I got very attached to LucyLove and her kittens which meant I was obviously heartbroken when they had to be returned. But the good news is that all four kittens and LucyLove were adopted by loving families! That makes me a happy and proud foster mama.

From L to R: Pickwick, Dottie Dee, MoBro and Moto Moto

The whole birthing process was so easy because mama cat was around and I didn’t have to worry about a thing. She did everything from start to finish and didn’t need too much of my help. All I had to do was keep her well-fed and happy. Thanks to LucyLove and her kittens, I discovered a deeper love for cats and learnt valuable lessons along the way.

Here are a few important points to keep in mind:

• Make sure that the pregnant cat is de-wormed, vaccinated, and free of fleas and ear mites before you take her home (I discovered that LucyLove had tape worms, fleas and ear mites). This ensures that the mother is in the best of health and doesn’t pass on anything to the kittens. The staff at admissions will help you with administering all the treatments.

• Feed the mother as much food as she wants especially when she is nursing.

• Make note of the time between each kitten’s birth. If the mother has strong contractions for more than 30 minutes but there’s no kitten coming out, you might have to consult a veterinarian as the kitten could be stuck (very rare) in the birthing canal.

• Count the number of placentas following each birth. It is important that all are expelled as a retained placenta could cause infection in the mother.

• If the cat has a big litter, she doesn’t have to eat all the placentas. She can eat about four or five and you can throw away the rest as eating too many might cause indigestion.

• Don’t handle the kittens too much in the first week except for weighing them and changing bedding. But from the second week onwards, start petting them regularly as they need to get used to human touch.

• Make a note of their weights at birth. Then weigh them regularly to ensure that all are eating well and gaining weight steadily.

• Keep the shelter's emergency contact information on hand if you need any help at any time.

Just do it!

For all you first-timers out there, if you have ever contemplated fostering a pregnant cat, I hope that my story will inspire you to take on the opportunity. It is a very rewarding experience and you will have saved so many lives in the process.