Is Your Cat About To Give Birth? 7 Surefire Cat Labor Signs. | Cats

By JaneTompsett
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So your cat has been pregnant for awhile now and been getting rounder and rounder. Suddenly, her whole demeanour changes and you're standing there, wondering if this is really it - is your cat in labor?

Are her kittens about to be born?

How can you tell?

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, few of us have veterinary skills! You need to know what signs to look out for and you need to know straight away.

Your cat is due to go into labour around the 64th day of her pregnancy, although it is very unlikely that you will be able to be that accurate in your calculations. Instead, you will have to rely on your ability to 'read the signs' of the stages of pregnancy and of her impending labor.

Firstly, you are likely to have noticed that your cat's appetite will have almost doubled in the past weeks or so and you will be able to see her kittens moving around in her abdomen quite clearly.

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.

A further and very distinct sign that your cat is very close to going into labour is that she will begin to 'call' to you. Even if you have never been present when a cat is giving birth, you won't be able to mistake this particular sound!

As the birth draws near, your cat will start cleaning her rear end as she feels her body changing in preparation for the delivery 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 the hard work doesn't stop there - for you or your cat. To give your cat the very best care, you will need to learn just what you need to know to help her through the actual birth process and how you can best care for your cute, newborn kittens. So if you make sure that you have prepared for every situation, you will be able to be in control at all times and on hand with immediate and appropriate help, should your cat need it.

About the Author

Be sure that you are fully prepared to help your expectant cat deliver to her kittens. Learn all you need to know about cat labor signs and subscribe to Jane Tompsett's free Cat Owners Confidential newsletter by following these links.

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