Why My Cat Had Kittens but Still Looks Pregnant

So it’s happened, your dear cat had kittens but you’re wondering WHY she still has that ‘pregnant’ look. Is she going to go into labor again?

You may be wondering why your cat still looks like she’s got a baby bump after giving birth.

After giving birth to her kittens, your mom cat will have retained the extra fluid and fat that accumulated during gestation. Which is why it seems like she’s still carrying around a litter of kittens.

It takes some time for the body to shed the water weight and reduce the extra fat stores that were built up during pregnancy.

If you notice that your kitty isn’t getting any smaller after a few weeks or even several months.

If she seems to be ballooning in size despite being on a strict diet and exercise regimen. Consult with your vet to determine whether there’s an underlying problem causing the abnormal growth.

Also Read: Why Is My Mom Cat Hissing at Her Kittens? [Surprising Facts]

How Do I Know If My Cat Still Has Kittens Inside Her?

The first thing your cat will do after she’s given birth to all of her kittens is to eat the placentas. These are what nourished the kittens while they were in the womb and eating them enables her to recycle the nutrients.

This is a good way for her to replenish what she’s lost during the birthing process. And, it also keeps any evidence of the kittens’ birth from attracting predators.

You can tell that there are still kittens inside if your cat continues giving birth for more than an hour or two. If your cat shows no signs of discomfort and isn’t making any attempts to give birth, you should take her in to see a veterinarian as soon as possible.

How Long Does It Take for A Cat to Give Birth?

Whether you have a pregnant cat or you’re just curious, understanding how long it takes for a cat to give birth is an important part of the feline life cycle.

The average cat pregnancy lasts about 63-65 days, though some litters are born as early as 57 days while others are born as late as 70 days.

That’s quite a range, how do you know when the big day is coming? The first sign that delivery is imminent is often restlessness.

Within 24 hours of going into labor, many queens (pregnant cats) will begin to pace, vocalize, and have diarrhea.

This is known as nesting behavior and can be observed in most mammals, not just cats. Next comes stage one labor, contractions become more intense, and the queen begins to make repeated trips to her nesting area.

If she doesn’t have a nesting area set up yet, she’ll choose a quiet place that feels secure. You’ll notice that she appears uncomfortable during these contractions, she may cry out or even begin panting like a dog.

Stage two of labor is when things really get moving along: the cervix dilates fully, and kittens begin to emerge at regular intervals

All cats can experience complications during labor and delivery, so it’s helpful to know what to watch for and when to seek veterinary care.

Pregnant Cat Bleeding but No Kittens

Pregnancy bleeding is a common condition in cats. Bleeding during pregnancy may be due to various causes.

There are many possible reasons for a cat to have bleeding during pregnancy. Some of these causes can be serious, while others are not so serious.

It is important to know the cause of bleeding in order to prevent it from happening again. In most cases, there will be no kittens born if a cat has been bleeding during pregnancy.

However, there are some exceptions, if the bleeding was due to an ectopic pregnancy or other medical condition, then the kittens may still be alive but at risk of dying before birth (these babies require special care).

The best thing you can do for now is take your pet to the vet so that they can determine what happened with her body and what can be done about it!

Common Reasons for Cats to Bleed During Pregnancy Include

• A miscarriage or complication with the pregnancy, such as an incomplete abortion.
• An ectopic pregnancy where a kitten has become implanted in the fallopian tube instead of in the uterus.
• A bacterial infection, such as pyometra.
• An injury or trauma to the abdomen or vaginal area.

A cat bleeding while pregnant is always an emergency. Most of the time, the cause of this bleeding is something that can be corrected with treatment.

However, some of the causes can lead to complications for both the mother and her babies. If you have a pregnant cat and she is bleeding, you need to take her straight to the vet so that he can help her.

Symptoms Of Dead Kitten Inside Cat

If you suspect your cat has passed a kitten but still has one or more trapped in her birth canal, it’s important to monitor her for symptoms that indicate that she’s going into labor. These include:

• Panting or open mouth breathing
• Shallow breathing
• Weakness
• Loss of appetite
• Avoidance of being touched

When to See a Vet If You Believe Your Cat Has a Dead Kitten Inside it.

If your cat shows any signs of distress after giving birth and you notice signs of a kitten still in the birth canal, you should take her to a vet immediately for an X-ray.

The vet may be able to see the kitten on the X-ray and confirm or rule out whether it is still alive. If Your vet confirms that that the kitten is still alive and in distress, your vet will need to surgically remove it from the uterus.

Kittens generally die inside a cat between 4–6 weeks of age, often due to the mother cat’s poor health or inadequate resources.

The dead kitten may be delivered through the birth canal along with other kittens in the litter or retained in the uterus. With this latter problem, a number of possible complications can occur.

If the dead kitten remains in the uterus for too long, necrosis (tissue death) can result as well as extensive bleeding and an influx of bacteria which can lead to sepsis (poisoning from bacterial toxins). These are all potentially life-threatening conditions for the mother cat.

Cat Giving Birth for The First Time

The first thing you should know is that when your cat gives birth, it will typically happen in multiple stages.

These stages can sometimes overlap, so you’ll need to watch carefully and make sure you are ready for everything that happens. In general, there are four stages,

1. Active Labor The cat’s cervix dilates, and contractions become more frequent and stronger. Kittens move closer to the opening of the cervix, and they may appear at this stage.
2. The mother cat will begin pushing the kittens out of her body They will come out one by one. But in some cases more than one kitten will come out at once.
3. At this point, all of the kittens are born, and your work is not over yet! You must still care for them until they are old enough to be on their own.
4. This stage is known as weaning. After the kittens have been born, they will need to be fed by their mother until they are old enough to feed themselves. This means that you should start feeding them right away if possible. It’s a good idea to use kitten formula for this purpose because it contains all the necessary nutrients for kittens.

Also read: How To Get Kitten to Stop Nursing on Sibling

My Cat Had One Kitten and Stopped

It’s not uncommon for cats to have a single kitten, though it’s more typical for them to have several kittens in a litter.

A single kitten is not a sign that your cat is sick, nor does it mean she’s unhealthy. Sometimes, a mother cat will simply only have one kitten.

It’s actually pretty rare for a feline mom to have ten or more kittens at once. There are some breeds that are known for having large litters, but even so they usually don’t go beyond eight or nine.

It can be disappointing not to have more kittens in the house, but it is far from abnormal.

My Cat Had One Kitten and It Died

One common reason for a stillborn kitten is that a mother simply isn’t ready to give birth yet. Her body hasn’t developed enough milk, or she hasn’t been through enough labor contractions before giving birth.

 Kittens born early usually don’t survive. Occasionally, a kitten can be born at the right time but die due to some kind of birth defect.

A common defect is a cleft palate, where the top of the mouth didn’t form correctly, and the kitten can’t nurse properly or breathe easily.

This type of defect will usually make itself known when a kitten is born very weak or makes strange noises while breathing.

Stillborn kittens are ones that die while they’re still in the womb, or shortly after birth. This can happen due to a number of factors, such as,

• Congenital disease
• Genetic defects
• Maternal stress
• Kittens being born too early or too late (sometimes when the mother has her first litter, she may have trouble giving birth to them on time).
• Lack of nutrition (this is most common if the mother is too young or too old to be having kittens)

Kittens Born Days Apart

kittens can be born days apart. In fact, it’s not uncommon for kittens to be born days apart within the same litter.

If this happens, the mother will usually continue feeding all of her kittens as though they were born at the same time.

How do they do this? Well, the reason multiple kittens can be born days apart is that a mother cat’s gestation period lasts only about 60 to 65 days.

This means a cat is pregnant for just over two months. The gestation period can vary between breeds and even individual cats; however, it’s rare for a cat to be pregnant for more than 70 days.

These factors allow for some variation in when a kitten is actually born. For example, if you know your cat was in heat during April and then had her first litter of kittens in June.

You can assume that her gestation period was somewhere between 60 and 70 days long. However, since the gestation period is only about two months long.

There are only so many different possible dates when those kittens could have been conceived.

If you know how old your cat was when she had her first litter, or if you already know the date of conception, then you can look up the average length of a cat’s gestation.

However, if your cat has been pregnant for longer than 70 days, then you should take her to the vet as she might have complications with her pregnancy.

If your cat seems to be in pain or distress, especially after giving birth to several kittens already, you should call your vet right away as she may need medical help.

Can A Cat Have Kittens 2 Weeks Apart

Yes, it is possible for a cat to have two litters of kittens with two weeks between them. The first litter of kittens will be born right around the 65th day of pregnancy, and the second litter can be born at any time after that.

Some cats will even get pregnant while they are still pregnant, which is called superfetation. But this is not as common as having kittens from two different litters within a couple weeks of each other.

It’s also possible for a cat to have one litter of kittens and then give birth again in 2 weeks.

 This is because their pregnancy lasts about 9 weeks so if you have 2 litters 2 weeks apart then it’s possible for to be born 2 days after the first one was born.

Read also: Why is Mother Cat Panting While Nursing?

Conclusion

Lots of people assume that if their cat is still looking pregnant or distended after giving birth, then something must be wrong.

The truth is your cat’s body will take some time even several weeks to return to normal. During that time, your cat may look like she’s still pregnant or distended.

The most important thing is to monitor your cat’s health over the course of her pregnancy. And get medical attention if she becomes weak or shows any other symptoms that may be related to the pregnancy.

https://www.petplace.com/article/cats/pet-health/signs-of-cat-labor-and-kittening/

https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/cat-bleeding-during-pregnancy