How to Help a Cat Give Birth - Assisting After Labor

1. Make sure that the kittens nurse as soon as possible. The early milk contains valuable colostrum with antibodies for the kittens.
- Be aware that kittens are both blind and deaf when they are born, so they will be seeking out the mother's nipples by smell and touch. Sometimes they do so right away, and sometimes they wait several minutes while they recover from birth.
- The mother may wait until all of the kittens are born before allowing them to suckle. However, if the mother appears to reject the kittens and refuses to allow them to nurse, prepare the milk-powder you purchased and feed the kittens yourself using a kitten-fostering bottle.[15]
- If the mother is allowing the kittens to nurse but there’s a problem with the milk coming in, you may see the kittens attempting to suckle and meowing instead. If no milk seems to flow, see the vet, who may be able to stimulate it, and in the meantime feed the kittens the milk-powder using a kitten-fostering bottle.[16]

2. Look after the kittens’ health. After the kittens are born, keep an eye on them to make sure they’re adjusting and settling in normally.
- If a kitten makes choking or gurgling sounds, it has fluid in its air passages. Hold the kitten between your hands with the head on your fingertips (think of making a sling from your hands). Gently swing the kitten downward. This will help to force the fluids out of the kitten's lungs. Use a gauze pad to wipe its face. Be sure to use gloves, but be careful, as a newborn kitten is very slippery.
- If the mother cat appears disinterested in her kittens, try rubbing her scent onto them. If she persists in not being interested, you may have to care for the kittens yourself. This will involve constant feeding and an incubator. It is too involved to explain as part of this article, so seek your vet's advice.
- Don't be alarmed if one of the kittens is stillborn (dead). Make sure he or she is really dead, though, before disposing of him or her appropriately. Try to revive a limp kitten by rubbing him or her briskly to stimulate him or her. Use a warm, damp facecloth to rub with. Other things you can try include raising and lowering his or her legs and blowing into his or her face and mouth.

3. Look after the mother’s health. Keep plenty of good quality food and fresh water immediately next to the nest after the birthing has ended. She won’t want to leave her kittens, even to eat or use the litter box, so keeping them as near as possible will allow her to take care of her needs while still remaining near her kittens. It’s particularly important that she eat so that she can keep up her own energy and pass on nutrients to the nursing litter.
- For the first day or so, she may not get up at all; keep the food near her bed if possible.
- Check on her to be sure she’s recovering well from the birth and is bonding with and caring for the kittens.

4. Record each birth. Record the time of birth, the gender, weight (use kitchen scales), and when the placenta was delivered.
- This information may be useful later for medical records or for documentation if you’re a breeder.

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