Pregnant Dinosaur

[Koteburo]

Hi!
Thelma better known as "The Dinosaur" is a very tiny female cat, a russian blue/DSH cross that got super pregnant. Needless to say we are totally pro spay/neuter and against backyard breeding. She lives with my parents, a rescued beauty. Anyways my mom went out of town to help her sick sister and her dog for a month, my dad scheduled the surgery wrong, she escaped in between his feet when he opened the door a few times -_- and the result: A tiny, bonsai cat that looks like a perma kitten now very, very pregnant.
Since she is very small (she's about 10 or 11 months but she's just tiny) we are concerned that her petite size could present a challenge when the moment of giving birth comes. Last night she didn't leave my mom and dad's side. She slept with them and they slept with the light on since she was making tiny effort sounds and her pupils were dilated so they could keep an eye on her through out the night.
This mornkng everything seemed fine, she walked, ate, everything normal. Of course they're prepared to take her to the vet if necessary (I hope not )
Anyways has anyone here experienced having a very tiny cat in labor?
I had my fair share of assisting female kitty ladies but never this small
She looks like a 5 month old kitten hehehe

[sandyrivers]

Hi,

My cat Stibule was very small and but a kitten herself when she was pregnant.
She gave birth to 4 healthy kittens 3 years ago who are still with me and thriving!

I would not worry that much for the delivery of the kittens, but I would be prepared in case anything goes wrong and she needs assistance...
A good supply of gloves, some seringes for feeding the kittens if she dosn't have enough milk, some clamps for the umbelical cords if she can't chew them, a good supply of kitten milk you can get at the pet store, perhaps a heating pad you can set on low and put towels on in case she turns away from her kittens...

I was overly prepared when Stibule gave birth to her kittens, and as small and young as she was, she did a terrific job on her own.

Oh and of course, keep your 24/7 vet number on hand... You can also call the vet and tell them about the situation, this way they will know who you are and what the situation is if you need to call them and ask for help!

hope this helps. Keep us posted on what happens!

sandyrivers

[khager]

When I was a kid my mom's cat got out and got pregnant, she was very very small. She ended up having 5, but the 5th one got stuck and wasn't breathing. My dad did kitty-cpr and got him breathing so they all ended up ok, but we had to help them learn to walk straight. They were so cramped inside her their legs weren't quite right. She did fine during the birthing, but me and my dad stayed with her the entire time to make sure she didn't have any problems.

My mom-in-law's cat got pregnant a few years ago, also very petite. She ended up with 6 completely healthy babies and the only issue we had was having to break the sack on the runt. Again, we stayed with her the entire time to watch for problems. Mom-in-law didn't get her fixed and her and her sister went and got pregnant again, at the same time, and they ended up with 11 babies between them. The second cat was only about the size of a 6month old or so, and we had to combine their kittens because she wasn't making enough milk for them. If all goes well during the birth you should still keep an eye on that since they don't have any reserves to hold them if you don't catch it.

Hope it goes as easy for you, we had so much fun even if they were unexpected

[ownedbycats]

I don't know about the birth itself, but afterwards, she will likely need high protein food (canned if you aren't already feeding her that.) as much as she wants. Also, try to switch the kittens to solid food as soon as possible to take the demand of being the sole food producer off Mom as soon as possible.

[Koteburo]

Well, she has her kittens now 4
She had the 1st one a bit stuck but with some walking and gentle belly rubs from my mom came out. They all did.
They're at my parents so I get all the reports from my mom.
They seem to be getting properly nurtured and although Dino didn't want to stay with them much at the beginning and they had to capture her 3 times aftef escaping through an open window she's more accepting now and taking better care of her babies while my parents oversee everything is going well.
I will post pics soon. My mom is slacking
She says she doesn't want to disturb them with pics but a couple of pics with no flash with her cell phone of the little rats won't hurt.
I'll keep you updated.

[ownedbycats]

If Dino will allow it, try using a flashlight instead of flash. A steady source of light is less disturbing that sudden intense flashes of light and should prevent startling cats. Just be careful of the kittens' eyes. You can also use desklamps if you have one.