The epic tale of Missy's delivery...
My little volkswagon with fur, Missy, came to Mom and I yesterday around 2pm. She was clearly freaking out, and she 'spotting' a little. I've been worried, cause is too young and she was HUGE towards the end of her pregnancy.
She got in between Mom and I, as close as she could to both of us, and started the non stop purr-pant combo that means labor is starting. I expected a difficult labor. I did NOT expect full labor to start at 4pm and last till 1am.
She stayed on the sofa, with a tiny bubble of amniotic sack crowning, for a very long time. The rule of thumb is 'if she pushes for four hours with no birthing...call the vet. Just, and I mean JUST before the time was up, she raced up the stairs to the highest darkest room. It's officially a bed room, but to us it's an attic. Jason wanted to bring her back down but I said "No, we have follow her."
Mom, Jason and I trucked up the stairs and found hiding in the attic room. We got her into a box filled with towels and I donned my rubber gloves. I figured I would stroke her head and encourage her...but she would do all the work. As usual...I figured wrong. She had very little what was happening, and was terrified and in pain, with no idea what to do.
The first kitten seemed stuck in the chute. I picked up her front end and massaged her tummy while she locked eyes with and screamed. Gravity and the tummy rub brought out our first wee one. But he was not moving, and she was just staring at it like 'what the hell?'
I cleared it's mouth and nose from the sack remnants and rubbed it's tummy lightly. I did not think it was viable, due to being stuck in the chute for so long. But it finally starting moving. She took an interest then and began licking it in earnest. I was very proud of her. The afterbirth plopped out. I waited and waited. I picked up the cord and stuck it to her mouth. She looked at me like I was insane. She got another contraction and when her mouth opened...I put the cord in it. She bit down, severing the cord. Suddenly she got the idea and ate the afterbirth. I had to hand feed it to her, she would not let go of my arms.
Two more babies came, each one with clutching me and me licking her forehead. Yes, you read that correctly. After the third birth...she just collapsed. But I could movement in her tummy. She climbed up onto me and had a very bloody bowel movement. Jason cleaned that up while Mom watched the other ki8ttens and made sure everyone was moving and breathing.
The fourth kitten fell out with a plop. She was uninterested in this now. Poor thing had been at this all day and late into the night. The sack on this one was intact, the baby squirming inside a bubble of fluid. I tore open the sack, blood and amniotic fluid going everywhere. This little bugger started screaming instantly. She ate threw the cord and I realized the afterbirth was still inside.
I held her up to my face and she grabbed my beard. She gave a mighty push and the after birth flew out. I laid her downn with her babies and we thought it was over.
I laid down on the floor next to her birthing box and she went back and forth from licking her finally nursing kittens to licking my hand. We all thought we were done. For about fifteen minutes.
The last kitten...she did all the work herself. Either instinct showed it's face at last, or she had learned from my help on the four before. I like to think it was a mix. I felt her tummy. She stopped panting for the first time in eleven hours...and I just knew we were done.
I collapsed onto Jason, my head on his leg...and as I noticed I was covered in blood and amniotis fluid and poo...I just closed my eyes and listened to the nursing babies and Mom tearfully telling Missy what a good girl she is.
Jason broke our silence with..."Honey...I love you so much...how on earth did you know how to do that?"
"I'm a witch, silly," I replied.
"I know a lot of witches who couldn't do that!", Jason whispered.
Mom answered him, "Those are called 'wiccans', honey. It's not remotely the same."
Today, Mother and kittens are just fine. And I am utterly exhausted.
She got in between Mom and I, as close as she could to both of us, and started the non stop purr-pant combo that means labor is starting. I expected a difficult labor. I did NOT expect full labor to start at 4pm and last till 1am.
She stayed on the sofa, with a tiny bubble of amniotic sack crowning, for a very long time. The rule of thumb is 'if she pushes for four hours with no birthing...call the vet. Just, and I mean JUST before the time was up, she raced up the stairs to the highest darkest room. It's officially a bed room, but to us it's an attic. Jason wanted to bring her back down but I said "No, we have follow her."
Mom, Jason and I trucked up the stairs and found hiding in the attic room. We got her into a box filled with towels and I donned my rubber gloves. I figured I would stroke her head and encourage her...but she would do all the work. As usual...I figured wrong. She had very little what was happening, and was terrified and in pain, with no idea what to do.
The first kitten seemed stuck in the chute. I picked up her front end and massaged her tummy while she locked eyes with and screamed. Gravity and the tummy rub brought out our first wee one. But he was not moving, and she was just staring at it like 'what the hell?'
I cleared it's mouth and nose from the sack remnants and rubbed it's tummy lightly. I did not think it was viable, due to being stuck in the chute for so long. But it finally starting moving. She took an interest then and began licking it in earnest. I was very proud of her. The afterbirth plopped out. I waited and waited. I picked up the cord and stuck it to her mouth. She looked at me like I was insane. She got another contraction and when her mouth opened...I put the cord in it. She bit down, severing the cord. Suddenly she got the idea and ate the afterbirth. I had to hand feed it to her, she would not let go of my arms.
Two more babies came, each one with clutching me and me licking her forehead. Yes, you read that correctly. After the third birth...she just collapsed. But I could movement in her tummy. She climbed up onto me and had a very bloody bowel movement. Jason cleaned that up while Mom watched the other ki8ttens and made sure everyone was moving and breathing.
The fourth kitten fell out with a plop. She was uninterested in this now. Poor thing had been at this all day and late into the night. The sack on this one was intact, the baby squirming inside a bubble of fluid. I tore open the sack, blood and amniotic fluid going everywhere. This little bugger started screaming instantly. She ate threw the cord and I realized the afterbirth was still inside.
I held her up to my face and she grabbed my beard. She gave a mighty push and the after birth flew out. I laid her downn with her babies and we thought it was over.
I laid down on the floor next to her birthing box and she went back and forth from licking her finally nursing kittens to licking my hand. We all thought we were done. For about fifteen minutes.
The last kitten...she did all the work herself. Either instinct showed it's face at last, or she had learned from my help on the four before. I like to think it was a mix. I felt her tummy. She stopped panting for the first time in eleven hours...and I just knew we were done.
I collapsed onto Jason, my head on his leg...and as I noticed I was covered in blood and amniotis fluid and poo...I just closed my eyes and listened to the nursing babies and Mom tearfully telling Missy what a good girl she is.
Jason broke our silence with..."Honey...I love you so much...how on earth did you know how to do that?"
"I'm a witch, silly," I replied.
"I know a lot of witches who couldn't do that!", Jason whispered.
Mom answered him, "Those are called 'wiccans', honey. It's not remotely the same."
Today, Mother and kittens are just fine. And I am utterly exhausted.