Information about the birth of kittens - stages and everything you need to know
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Cats are among the common pets bred in our homes, and they are among the
smart and playful animals and their physical interaction with people,
despite the different breeds, color and size, but the kinetic and active
characteristics dominate most of them, even if we find breeds that tend to
be calm and quiet, they make sudden movements to play with the breeder and
their human family.
Therefore, it is very important to know the signs and stages of the
approaching birth and everything that matters during this period in order
for the breeder to be attentive to the health of his cat.
Our article today will cover all the information about the birth of
kittens, the stages and everything you need to know.
Duration of the “baby kittens” position
There is no specific period of time in the delivery process, as this
period ranges from two hours to six hours, depending on the health
condition and the number of fetuses.
And sometimes the birth of a cat is the longest. “intermittent birth” is
a problem in some cats when they are anxious or afraid, and the reasons
are, changing the place they chose, so they choose the place that they
find safer than others, or the presence of strangers in the house, or a
lot of noise near them.
It is recommended that all residents of the home stay away from the cat's
place at birth.
From the beginning of the childbirth period, the first cat descends
within a few minutes to an hour, after which the cats descend one by one
with a period of maximum an hour starting from 10 minutes for the first 3
cats in a normal, healthy and psychological condition.
After the birth of the first 3 kittens, the rest will probably take more
time depending on the V-shaped uterus that the kittens become in its side
limbs.
What are the signs of approaching childbirth?
You notice that your cat is becoming more anxious days before giving
birth.
She moves a lot at home and goes to places hidden from view.
The cat's appetite for food decreases significantly.
24 hours before birth, the body temperature drops, you will notice that
she is looking for a warm place even when the weather is hot.
The cat takes the defecation position, but does not defecate, and this is
the last stage.
Stages of childbirth
These stages are divided into three basic stages, we will explore each
stage separately.
The first stage
In the normal average, the first stage lasts within 12 hours and can
increase with other cats, these symptoms start from the first stage with a
sudden successive contraction of the uterus to lead to the dilation of the
cervix to the beginning of the birth process.
These contractions take over and increase to a short interval between
them that does not exceed a few seconds.
The second phase
This fun, after the contractions reach a stage that is successive, fast
and very strong, with the dilation of the cervix, the cat is ready for the
delivery of beautiful kittens.
The first cat born in the birth canal with the mother's pressure in
progressive stages on the cervix until the newborn cat comes out
completely, as the new born comes out in a fetal bag with the help of
fluids until complete descent looks like a gentle fall, followed by
fluids.
Immediately after the complete exit, the mother cat tears the bag with
her teeth and licks the cat and cleans the mouth and nose by suctioning
until the cat breathes and begins to meow, then the cat goes to lick the
rest of the body.
If the cat does not do this and it rarely happens with kittens in their
first birth, the breeder who has a very good relationship with the cat can
do this process with a soft cloth “soft towel” and gently wiping over the
nose and mouth and suctioning the nose area with a sterile medical syringe
until the little one begins to breathe and meow and then completes Clean
the rest of the body.
The second stage takes from 5 minutes to an hour in normal justice
for each cat born.
An important note:
If the contractions last more than an hour, the breeder should contact
the vet for guidance or take the appropriate decision, but this problem
remains from the first cat to the second, and after that, the breeder is
not obligated to stay with the cat.
In the form of a cat that does not know how to clean the little one and
remove it from the bag, “the process is instinctive” and it happens very
rarely, but if it happened with the first and second cat, the mother
became able to clean, there is no need for the breeder to stay.
Third level
After the birth of the cat, the placenta is torn and removed from the
womb, the cat proceeds to clean the newborn and makes sure that he is
breathing normally and knowing this is instinctive, then proceeds to cut
the umbilical cord of the cute newborn and eat the placenta.
The number of placentas and the number of kittens must be equal because
the placenta remains inside the womb of the mother cat may cause serious
diseases and rot that leads to the death of the cat.
In general, the survival of the placenta or the survival of a cat
that was not born, and we always say that it is one of the rare things
that the mother shows symptoms of the disease and you must go to the vet
directly.
As for the umbilical cord, if the mother is not able to cut it, the
educator can also intervene and cut it with a piece of gauze at a distance
of three cm from the belly of the newborn and then from the placenta
side.
Instinctively the newborn, after birth, cleaning and cutting the
umbilical cord, goes to its mother's womb to breastfeed. The fact that the
newborn remains in its place indicates a problem.
What are the signs that a cat has finished giving birth?
The first sign that the cat has finished giving birth is that it goes
directly to clean itself at the level of the reproductive system to its
body, to what is left behind in the birth process.
The cat's stomach remains swollen.
After birth, the cat goes to its litter box more than once, but it will
not eat much of the effects of birth, its price is that it will
defecate.
After childbirth, there are secretions of pious secretions that the cat
does not spit and clean, but the abnormal secretions will remain, so if
you notice this and these secretions are green or red in color and have an
unpleasant smell, you must contact the veterinarian.
In conclusion:
The breeder should pay attention and note all of the above, cats that
give birth naturally without help, there is no need for a person to be
close to them. The mentioned negative points are things that rarely
happen. Do not take revenge on your cat if it eats the young in the belief
that it will return them to its stomach to protect them from something
water, very worried about it and more What worries the cat is the presence
of a dog near her who is not familiar with each other or the presence of
strange people entering the place where she is cuddling the young.
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