7 Cat Labor Signs - How To Tell Your Cat Is About To Give Birth
You’ve waited for weeks, your cat has become rounder and rounder, you’re excited about the forthcoming birth of her kittens - but how can you tell when the time has arrived? Suddenly it seems that your cat starts to act differnetly and you need to know if this is really It.
Are her kittens about to be born?
How can you be certain?
What signs of labor can you expect to see?
It’s natural for any cat lover to want to give the very best care to their pet. But when illness strikes - or in this case, due to give birth to kittens - we often feel very stressed and helpless. All of a sudden, we realise that we just don’t know enough to be of help.
After all, we’re cat owners, not vets! You need to know what to expect and you need to know what to do.
Your cat’s pregnancy will have lasted around 64 days but it is very unlikely that you will able to be that accurate. Instead, you will need to be able to recognise the different stages of pregnancy and be alert to the signs which will indicate that your cat’s labor is about to begin.
At first, you may have noticed that your cat begins to eat much more than usual and you will start to see her unborn kittens making distinct movements in her belly.
Also, she will have been displaying ‘nesting’ behaviour - looking for a safe, warm and quite place in which to give birth. Hopefully, you will have already provided a suitable ‘nesting box’ for her to use, otherwise you may find that she has chosen to give birth in the middle of your bed!
Then, as your cat nears the start of her labor, her appetite will reduce dramatically. It may even disappear completely.
Sign number three is that of ‘clingy’ behavior. Your cat will want to be with you all the time, looking for affection. As time brings her closer to the actual birth, she may start pacing around and seem particularly nervous or even excitable.
Another, unmistakable sign of impending labor, is ‘calling’. If you have never heard your cat make this sound before, don’t worry, you won’t be able to mistake it!
As the time approaches, you will see your cat repeatedly licking her bottom as she reacts to changing sensations in her body as she prepares for the birth of her kittens.
Finally, as your mother cat begins to feel the onset of her contractions, she is likely to appear anxious and uneasy. She will repeatedly enter her nesting box and ‘tread’ the nesting material as she seeks to arrange it to her liking.
When you see this last behaviour, you can be quite sure that your lovely cat is entering the first stage of the birth process - your cat’s labor has begun!
But you can’t just sit back and with for your kittens to arrive. To be in control and ready and able to help should an emergency arise, you must have prepared youself by learning about your cat’s birthing process. That way you will know what is normal and what is not, when to remain watchful and when to intervene. That way, you will be giving you cat the very best care that you can.
