My cat Bootsie went into labor last night and about 1 am delivered her first kitten. I could see she was still having contractions and about 2:30 she delivered number 2. Around 4 am she delivered number 3. She cleaned them off and severed the cords and did everything she was supposed to do.
After the birth of the last one I was feeling of her abdomen to see if there were any more. She liked my rubbing her tummy and rolled over. I could plainly see a lump on her side. I felt of it and could feel the outline of kitten number 4. I could feel its head and bottom - it was about the same size of the other 3 and when I would press down gently it would move. (not my moving it- i could feel movement). I kept check for a couple of hours and then had to leave to take my son to the hospital for a scheduled surgery. When I got home I looked in the box. No number 4. I have felt of her stomach and can not feel it any more. She seems fine- except tired. She is eating and drinking and nursing the other 3 just fine. What could have happened to number 4 or do I want to know?
Disappearing kitten
Re: Disappearing kitten
I would advise spending a quick several minutes looking in the room of the delivery, everywhere for a live kitten # 4.....and if not found, getting the queen checked by your vet immediately....if there is another kitten, and has dropped lower, you may not feel it in the pelvic region, for this reason, you want to make sure a kitten is not stuck in the birth canal (twisted, stuck, etc). Since your queen endured over 6 hours of labor and did not produce a fourth kitten (based on your assumption by feeling), she could have a kitten lodged in the birth canal and could actually be in danger, as well as the kitten.
..........Traci
Re: Disappearing kitten
Thanks for the tip. I had searched all around looking for the kitten and even checked the littler box. Never did find anything.
I took her to the vet this morning and he felt a mass about the size of a kitten he said but he did not think it was a kitten. He did xray y her and said what I felt must have been her uterus. The xray showed no sign of a kitten and he said she is healthy and seems fine and alert.
Maybe I am just crazy but I know I felt whatever it was move and I swear I could feel the outline of legs. Oh well I do feel better now.
I took her to the vet this morning and he felt a mass about the size of a kitten he said but he did not think it was a kitten. He did xray y her and said what I felt must have been her uterus. The xray showed no sign of a kitten and he said she is healthy and seems fine and alert.
Maybe I am just crazy but I know I felt whatever it was move and I swear I could feel the outline of legs. Oh well I do feel better now.
Re: Disappearing kitten
i suspect what you felt move was normal uterine contractions to decrease the size of the uterus....what you felt as legs i would not venture to guess
Re: Disappearing kitten
Ok I am not crazy. Now I know that what I felt was a kitten. I decided to clean my kitchen this afternoon. I had three large garbage bags of clothes that I was donating to charity and on thop of these bags were some winter coats that I had put there so I could clean them. I moved the coats and decided to carry the bags oout to my car. When I moved them I found- THE FOURTH KITTEN!!!!!!!
I almost cried when I saw his little lifeless body. I touched him and he was cold as ice. Then he moved and whimpered! I picked him up and wrapped him in a washcloth to warm him up. I called the vet and rushed him to them. They checked him and said he appeaed to be ok. TOld me to bring him home and put him with the others and try to get him to eat.
I finally got him to latch on and he nursed for about 15 minutes. He is now asleep with his litter mates.
Keep your fingers crossed. He was on that cold floor by himself for almost 24 hours at least.
I almost cried when I saw his little lifeless body. I touched him and he was cold as ice. Then he moved and whimpered! I picked him up and wrapped him in a washcloth to warm him up. I called the vet and rushed him to them. They checked him and said he appeaed to be ok. TOld me to bring him home and put him with the others and try to get him to eat.
I finally got him to latch on and he nursed for about 15 minutes. He is now asleep with his litter mates.
Keep your fingers crossed. He was on that cold floor by himself for almost 24 hours at least.
Re: Disappearing kitten
Not good news- I just went and checked and mom and 3 babies were laying all curled up together and my little kitchen floor baby was on the other side of the box by himself.
Re: Disappearing kitten
Jeana, I'm afraid you want to get him checked by your vet again immediately, he could be suffering severe hypothermia and hypoglycemia. When this occurs, he could fail rapidly, within minutes to hours, don't wait!!
I was afraid of this happening...I suspect your queen was dis-attached to this little one, she probably knows/senses he is ill and took him to another area outside of her other kittens. Cats do sense health issues and sickly newborns and they will remove them from the others. So, your only choice is to take him into your vet immediately, make sure he is not hypothermic or hypoglycemic, get treated as necessary,....then try to get the queen to nurse him for at least 24 hours, he needs that vital colostrum from her milk,.....then you will need to consider supplementing him with KMR Kitten Formula and bottle-feeding him yourself, it's his only chance for survival.
If your vet is not experienced with newborns or bottle-feeding kittens, ask his techs for help, for the KMR, for kitten bottles and nipples, and for instructions, etc.....we also have a full section on Kitten Care here.
Don't be afraid to post for more help/instructions for bottle-feeding tips, etc...but most importantly is getting the kitten to your vet or ER vet for a full health check, possibly glucose administration and getting his internal core body temperature raised to a safe level.
I was afraid of this happening...I suspect your queen was dis-attached to this little one, she probably knows/senses he is ill and took him to another area outside of her other kittens. Cats do sense health issues and sickly newborns and they will remove them from the others. So, your only choice is to take him into your vet immediately, make sure he is not hypothermic or hypoglycemic, get treated as necessary,....then try to get the queen to nurse him for at least 24 hours, he needs that vital colostrum from her milk,.....then you will need to consider supplementing him with KMR Kitten Formula and bottle-feeding him yourself, it's his only chance for survival.
If your vet is not experienced with newborns or bottle-feeding kittens, ask his techs for help, for the KMR, for kitten bottles and nipples, and for instructions, etc.....we also have a full section on Kitten Care here.
Don't be afraid to post for more help/instructions for bottle-feeding tips, etc...but most importantly is getting the kitten to your vet or ER vet for a full health check, possibly glucose administration and getting his internal core body temperature raised to a safe level.
..........Traci