how do i know if my cat is in labour?

[rhonadanny]

• how will i know if my cats in labour?
• will she pant?
• will she dilate?

[PurplePixie]

cats are a bit private, so she might wait until night time or when there's nobody about before she has the kittens.

The signs that labour is about to happen are...she may become very restless & keep going behind furniture etc as if looking to make a nest, you could put a clean box with a towel in it for her. She may lay on her side & pant a little bit. sometimes the first sign can be a tiny amount of clear fluid dripping out of her. You'll be able to see her tum rippling as she has contractions...there is a small amount of straining & the first kitten will come fairly quickly & the others will follow.

There shouldn't be a too long a wait between kittens, if there is you may need to intervene...but she should manage fine on her own. Good luck!

[MargeB]

Intervene?

[PurplePixie]

By intervene I meant get some Veterinary help. Now & then I had to give the Mum a hand to rip the birth sacs open & sever the cord...but not often.

[mycatis]

You'll know when it starts, trust me.  Usually they manage fine but my cat was useless when she gave birth I had to break one cord (the poor kitten was hanging from her upside down for ages) and had to remove one sac and rub one kittens chest etc to start it breathing, quite scary at the time but they all lived so just keep an eye on her. Also mine gave birth in the middle of my bed so I spent all night trying to sleep on a chair (I'm too soft) If there are any problems just phone a vet for advice