Gestation Gestation is the period from conception to birth.  As reckoned from the first day of successful mating, it averages 65 days.  Kittens born on the 63rd or 69th day fall within the normal range.  Siamese cats may carry their kittens 71 days.  However, if the queen kittens before the 58th day, the kittens probably will be too young to survive. Determining Pregnancy During the first three to four weeks of gestation, there are few detectable signs except a slight gain in weight. By 35 days the nipples begin to enlarge and pinken.  Next the breasts enlarge and as the time of birth approaches a milky fluid may be exptressed from the nipples. (note:  Many queens have breast enlargement after a normal heat period;  this alone should not lead to a diagnosis of pregnancy.) The uterus in cats is a Y-shaped affair with a horn on each side.  The kittens are carried in the uterine horns.  By 28 days of gestation, an experienced breeder or veterinarian can tell by palaption whether a queen is pregnant. How to Palpate for Kittens Have your queen stand up comfortably.  Place your hand under her tummy with your fingers on one side and your thumb on the other to allow the contents of the abdomen to slip between.  The structures you should identify first are the two kidneys.  They are found at the level of the last rib.  Below the kidneys you can feel the colon.  It contains soft, putty-like stool.  Furthest to the rear, just in front of the pelvis, you can feel the uterine horns and the bladder.  The bladder could be mistaken for a pregnant uterus if it contains much urine.  By gently pressing with your fingers in this area you may be able to detect firm lumps, which are the kittens growing in the uterine horns. Palpation must be done with great care.  Heavy pressure or too much squeezing could damage a kitten or even cause a queen to abort. At 28 days kittens are no larger than a small walnut (about one inch in size).  At 35 days they are floating in capsules of fluid and are more difficult to detect. At this time an owner may first notice the queen's abdomen is getting larger.  By 49 days kittens are sausage-shaped and their heads are usually large enough to be felt as separate structures. Unless you are experienced at palpating the pregnant uterus, a negative palpation does not rule out a pregnancy.  In this case veterinary examination is desirable to confirm a true pregnancy or establish the diagnois of FALSE PREGNANCY, a condition more common than most people realize.  Signs of false pregnancy usually disappear at about five weeks, but in some cases may continue up to 45 days.  Other causes of an enlarged uterus are Pyometra;  and collections of mucus or fluid in the uterus. Morning Sickness Cats, like people, can suffer from morning sickness.  Usually this happens during the third to fourth week of pregnancy.  It is due to hormonal changes, plus stretching and distention of the uterus.  You may notice that your queen appears apathetic.  She may be off her feed and vomit from time to time.  Morning sickness last only a few days.  Unless you ae particularly attentive, you may not even notice it. Treatment:  If your queen seems to be suffering from morning sickness, feed her several meals spaced throughout the day.  Your veterinarian may want to prescribe a drug to relax the uterus.  Vitamins B and C also may be given. Labor and Delivery The uterus of a cat has two horns which communicate with a central uterine cavity.  The outlet or cervix cmmunicates with the vaginal birth canal.  The kittens, encircled by their placentas, lie within the uterine horns. There are three stages of labor.  In the first stage the cervix dilates which opens the birth canal.  In the second stage the kittens are delivered.  In the third stage the placenta (afterbirth) is delivered.  Queens usually lie on their sides when preparing to give birth. The first stage, which may last for 12 hours or more, begins with rhythmic breathing and purring which increases as the moment of birth approaches.  The queen becomes noticeable more active, digs at the floor, goes to her litter box and strains as if to pass stool, and often cries loudly.  As her uterus contracts her abdominal muscles contract at the same time.  She may turn her head as if to snap at her groin. Occasionally a novice queen becomes extremely distressed, runs from room to room, seeks out her owner and cries pitifully.  She requires comforing.  Take her back to her kittening box and sit beside her.  Speak soothingly and continue to pet her.  If this doesn'tn settle her down, she may need to be traquilized with Acepromazine (0.125 mg./lb). In the opposite situation a queen becomes upset by having her owner present.  She should be left alone in a room with her kittening box and checked on frequently. With the onset of delivery, one uterine horn contracts and pushes the presenting part of the kitten down into the central cavity.  Pressure against the cervix causes it to dilate.  At complete dilitation, the kitten slides into the vagina.  The water bag around the kitten usually ruptures before the kitten is born, lubricating the passageway.  Straw-colored fluid is passed.  Then a kitten should be delivered in a few minutes. After the head is delivered, the rest of the kitten slides out easily.  Instinctively the mother removes the fetal membranes, severs the umbilical cord and begins to lick and clean her kitten.  No attempt shoud be made to interfere with maternal care.  This is an important part of the mother-kitten bond.  She is learning that this is her kitten and she must take care of it.  If she appears rough it is only because she is trying to stimulate breathing and blood circulation. If the queen is occupied with another kitten and forgets to remove the amniotic sac, you should be prepared to step in and strip away the fetal membranes so that the kitten can breathe. A placenta follows a few minutes after the birth of each kitten.  The queen may try to eat some  or all of the placentas.  It is not essential that the queen consume the afterbirths.  The ingestion of several placentas can produce diarrhea.  You may wish to remove the placentas from the nest.  However, it is important to count them since a retained placenta can cause a serious post-natal infection. If the cord is severed too cleanly or too close to the kitten's navel it amy continue to bleed.  You should be prepared to clamp or pinch off the cord and tie a thread around the stump.  The stump should be cauterized with iodine or some other suitable disinfectant. Most kittens are born 15 to 30 minutes apart but this is quite variable.  Although most deliveies are complete in two to six hours, it occasionally happens that a queen goes out of labor, appears at ease and cares for her kittnes, and then 12 to 24 hours later goes back into labor and delivers the rest of her litter.  There may be no apparent rason for this seeming interruption.  Perhaps the first kittens were delived from one uterin horn and the remainder from the second.  It is important to be aware that this can happen, so that undue anxiety or unnecessary surgery can be avoided.  But when a kitten is not born iwthin tow hours and the queen appears to be continuously straining and in distress, then something may be wrong. After your queen has delivered her last kitten, ask your veterinarian to examine her to be sure there are no retained kittens or placentas.  He may administer an injection to clear the uterus.. Assisting the Normal Delivery When labor is going well it is best not to attempt to aid the queen as she knows by instinct how to deliver her kittens and take care of them by herself.  But on occasion a large kitten gets stuck at the vaginal opening.  The head or presenting part appears during a forceful contraction, then slips back inside when the queen relaxes.  At this point it is wise to step in quickly and complete the delivery.  Once a kitten moves out of the uterus down into the vaginal canal, oxygen from the mother gets cut off.  Delivery must proceed rapidly. It is not difficult to complete a partial delivery if the following steps are taken: As the presenting part at the vaginal opening place your thumb and index finger on each side of the perineum just below the anus and push down gently to keep the kitten from slipping back into the mother.  Next, grip the itten in the birth canal and silde the lips of the vulva over his head.  Once this is accomplished the lips hold the kitten in place, giving you a chance to get another grip.  Now grip the skin of the kitten with a sterile piece of cloth behind his neck or along his back and draw him out.  Apply forceful traction only to the skin, not to the legs or head,  as this can cause damage to a joint.  Often it is helpful to rotate the kitten first on way and then another, especially when something seems stuck.  The birth canal is usually wider one way than the other.  Feline Obstetrics If it is impossible to get prompt veterinary help or if the water bag breaks and the kitten is stuck in the birth canal, the following steps should be taken to deliver the kitten: Clean the outside of the vulva with soap and water.  Put on a pair of sterile gloves and lubricate your finger with pHisoHex, K-Y Jelly or Vaseline.  Place one hand under the abdomen in front of the pelvis of the queen and feel for the kitten.  Raise him up into position to align him with the birth canal.  With you other hand slip a finger into the vagina and feel for a head, tail or leg.  When the head is deviated and will no pass through  the outlet of the pelvis, insert a finger into the itten's mouth and gently turn his head, guiding it into the birth canal.  Now apply pressure on the perineum just below the anus (a maneuver called feathering).  This induces the queen to strain and holds the kitten in the correct position so he won't slip back into the improperone. When the kitten is coming as a breech (rump-first), hold the kitten at the pelvic outlet as described. With the vaginal finger, hook first one leg and then the other, slipping them down over thenarrow place until the pelvis and legs appear at the vulva. If the mother is unable to deliver a large kitten coming normally, the problem is due to a shoulder locking the birth cansl.  The head is seen protruding through the vulva.  Rotate the kitten first one way and then another so the legs can be brought forward.  Insert a gloved finger into the vagina alongside the kitten until you can feel his front legs at the elbow.  Hook them and pull them through individually. Once the kitten is in the lower part of the birth canal, he should be delivered without further delay.  To stimulate a forceful push by the mother, gently stretch the vaginal opening.  If you can see the kitten at the mouth of the vagina but he disappears with relaxation, grip the skin at the nape of his neck with a sterile piece of cloth and pull him out.  Time is of the essence, particularly when the kitten is a breech.  It is better to take hold and pull out the kitten even at the risk of injury or death since the kitten, and perhaps the others, will die if something is not done. Sometimes the blockage is due to a retained placenta.  Hook it with your fingers and rasp it with a sterile cloth.  Maintain slow and steady traction until it passes out of the vagina. When the uterus becomes exhausted and stops contracting, it is difficult to correct a malposition.  Many veterinarians feel that if after two injections of oxytocin 30 to 45 minutes apart, effective labor and delivery do not occur, then Caesarean Section is indicated.

This page was last updated on: May 12, 2002