How to Help a Cat Deliver Kittens

When we think of a cat having kittens, we tend to believe it's just a natural thing and that the mother cat will have the instincts to know what to do and how to take care of her kittens as they are being born. Most people wouldn't think that you would need to help a cat deliver her kittens, but a cat, especially a very young cat or one delivering her first litter of kittens, may very well need some help in order for all the kittens to survive.

A Young, Pregnant Stray Cat

In the fall of 2007, I noticed a young, female cat, around seven to eight months old, hanging out in our yard. She was friendly and let me and my daughters pet her. I saw that she had a flea collar on, so I assumed she belonged to someone and wasn't too concerned about it. The cat continued to be in our yard every day and would come to us for attention, even jumping up in my lap. I noticed that she was getting thin, so we started to put food and water out for her to make sure she would be all right. I began to wonder if she had been abandoned, but still thought she had to belong to someone, so I didn't feel the freedom to take her into our house. The weeks went by and we continued to care for her. Then the temperature dropped and I was concerned that she wouldn't survive out in the cold, so I finally brought her in. She was a sweet cat that would only come to "kitty", so we named her Miss Kitty as she quickly became a part of our family. After only a couple of weeks of living with us, I commented that Miss Kitty was getting fat. I wondered if it was because she was being well cared for or if there was more to it than that. A couple more weeks quickly answered that question as it became very obvious that she was pregnant. I now had a very young, pregnant cat with no idea when she would deliver. I had previous experience with taking in another very young, pregnant cat and knew that such a young cat, that is little more than a kitten itself, didn't always know how to take care of the kittens when they were being born. I had been told with the first pregnant cat to leave her alone when she was delivering because she would know what to do, but one of the kittens ended up dying while she giving birth. I cried so much, believing I should have been there to help her and that I probably could have saved the kitten's life. I didn't care what anyone said this time, I wasn't going to let that happen again.

A Place for the Young, Pregnant Cat to Have Her Kittens

Once I realized that Miss Kitty was pregnant, I knew we needed to make a place for her to have the kittens or she would pick somewhere that I probably wouldn't like. The first young, pregnant cat I had taken in my house delivered sooner than I thought she would and decided to give birth in my laundry basket on my white pajamas! So this time I had my daughters get a good sized box that completely closed. We then cut half of one side out, leaving it high enough so the kittens wouldn't be able to get out when they were really little. Next, we put a couple of old towels in the box. We showed Miss Kitty the box, which she inspected and then promptly left. I was concerned that she might not take to the box, because she liked to sleep under the blankets with me, at my feet. I was concerned that she would give birth to her kittens in my bed while I was asleep. Not only did I not want the mess in my bed, but I was afraid I might accidentally hurt a kitten or that they might suffocate under the blankets! To my relief, Miss Kitty started to spend a little time in the box. As she got closer to having her kittens, she spent more time in there, but she still liked to sleep with me at night. I was hoping that she would have her kittens during the day, in the box and not in my bed.

Signs that a Pregnant Cat will Deliver Soon

As I was getting ready to leave early one Friday afternoon, Miss Kitty was acting strange. The cat was on my bed meowing at me like she was upset and kept reaching her front paw out at me. I could tell she wasn't acting normal and it really seemed like she didn't want me to leave. I was pretty sure she was going to have her kittens that day and I really wanted to be there to make sure everything was okay. I had already done some research and knew that if the mother didn't clean the faces of the kittens off when they were born that they may not be able to breathe and could die. I believed that's what had happened with the kitten that had died before and I didn't want it to happen again. I had to leave though and was going to be gone for a few hours. I took a moment and went over to the bed to talk to her. I told her I would be back in a few hours and to wait for me to come home to have her kittens. Now I realize that I had no control over whether the cat was going to give birth while I was gone or not, but nevertheless, she didn't have her kittens until after I got home.

Helping a Young Mother Cat with the Kittens During Delivery

As soon as I got home, I went to check on Miss Kitty. She was in the box, obviously getting closer to starting to deliver her kittens. I sat by the box and instructed my daughters to get a bowl of warm water, a couple of washcloths, and some hand towels. My older daughter also grabbed the camera and then both girls came to sit with me. We watched as Miss Kitty delivered her first little, white kitten and began to clean its face like she was supposed to. It started to wiggle around and I knew it would be okay. But as the young cat continued to deliver kittens, she was washing their bodies instead of their faces first. I took a washcloth, dipped it in the warm water and gently washed the little brown and black striped faces of kittens two and three, dried them with a hand towel, then promptly returned them to mom. When the fourth kitten came out, it wasn't moving or breathing and Miss Kitty was washing it's bottom. I took the little kitten in my hands and gently, but quickly washed its face with the warm, damp washcloth and dried it with a hand towel, then continued to wash and dry its body, hoping to stimulate it into breathing. Within moments, it started to breathe as its little brown and black striped body began to wiggle around. Satisfied that the kitten was okay, I returned it to its mother as Miss Kitty gave birth to a very energetic orange and cream striped kitten that was wriggling all over the place. Miss Kitty started to wash the kitten's face and it was obvious that this one was just fine. My older daughter, who was taking videos on and off throughout the deliveries, continued to tape a little more of the kittens and their mother as we kept an eye on everything and waited to see if any more kittens would arrive. We watched Miss Kitty continue to wash her kittens for a little while and then made sure each kitten found its way to mom and started to nurse. I then took in everything that had happened as the realization that I had saved one of the kitten's lives sunk in. The very thing I had been afraid might happen would have if I hadn't been there to help take care of the kittens as they were being born. This very young cat, delivering her first litter, wasn't exactly sure what to do as one kitten after another had come. She only washed the faces of the first and last kittens, leaving the fourth kitten unable to breathe and bound to die. With a little help, all five kittens survived. The kitten whose life was saved ended up being the very frisky runt of the litter that we, of course, named Runt.

As you can see, a cat that is very young and/or delivering her first litter of kittens may very well need help to ensure that all the kittens survive. If you will be the one caring for a cat and her kittens during delivery, please do plenty of research and/or talk to a veterinarian ahead of time. There can be other complications other than the ones I have written about, some requiring emergency veterinary care in order for the mother and/or kittens to survive.