How To Stimulate Cat Labor?

A caring owner should know how long a cat’s pregnancy lasts, what are the typical pregnancy stages, and what’s the labor process like to guarantee the safety of their furry friend.

However, many owners become overly protective of their felines and try to induce labor when the cat’s pregnancy length is still within an acceptable range.

A cat’s pregnancy is exciting yet stressful, especially if you have never dealt with it before. Fortunately, most cats give birth to healthy kittens without any issues, so all the owner needs to do is watch out for abnormalities.

When To Stimulate Cat Labor

Before you attempt to speed up your cat’s labor, you should understand that felines don’t usually need human help. A healthy cat should go into labor naturally when she and the kittens are ready.

The standard duration of a cat’s pregnancy is 63-65 days. However, some cats give birth to perfectly healthy kittens earlier or later, between 58 and 70 days.

If a cat is pregnant for too long, over 65 days, the owner may try to stimulate labor at home using natural remedies, moderate exercise, and creating a comfortable environment.

However, if a cat is pregnant for over 70 days, the owner should seek veterinary help. Note that calculating the exact duration of a cat’s pregnancy is tricky unless you know the date of conception.

The pregnancy duration is calculated starting with the conception day rather than the day the first pregnancy signs appear.

The only case when stimulating a cat’s labor is essential rather than optional is if the kittens die before birth. However, the owner should never attempt doing it at home.

The vet should perform a check-up to determine that the kittens show no signs of life and remove them as soon as possible to prevent infection.

Moderate Exercise

Moderate exercise is one of the most effective ways to induce labor in felines. A bit of playing won’t harm the cat if she isn’t yet ready to give birth but will stimulate her if the kittens are already on the way.

Furthermore, regular exercise maintains the mother cat’s muscular tonus, which will later help her give birth quicker and safer. Unfortunately, forcing the cat to play isn’t always easy because pregnant felines tend to become sleepy.

Present your cat with a selection of toys and note which she likes the most. Don’t worry about hurting your cat while playing – she will know when to stop playing.

However, try not to let your pregnant feline jump three feet in the air because the landing may not be safe. Keep the wand toy or laser pointer low to the ground.

Adjust Her Diet

A female cat’s nutritional needs change during pregnancy, just like those of human women or any other species. Adjust your cat’s diet to induce timely labor when she reaches the third trimester of pregnancy or roughly 42 days from conception.

If you aren’t familiar with cat pregnancy stages and don’t know how to determine how long a cat has been pregnant, wait until your cat’s belly is visibly swollen.

Your cat will need to consume more calories and fats at the end of pregnancy. However, don’t simply give her more food because the enlarged uterus leaves less space for the stomach. Some cats even refuse to eat in the last trimester.

Instead, switch your feline to kitten food richer in nutrients and calories. The higher fat and calorie content will stimulate your cat’s hormones and ensure lactation starts on time. Organ meat also helps to stimulate lactation.

You can give your cat slightly less food than usual, but note that serving guidelines on the pack are for kittens, so don’t follow them blindly.

Wet cat food typically has a lower calorie and nutrient content than dry food. If your cat is used to eating wet food, incorporate dry food and natural treats such as boiled chicken or tuna into her diet.

You may try to switch her to dry food entirely, but wet food has a stronger smell, and many cats find dry food tasteless after it. In this case, you cat warm up the dry food a bit to make the odor more appealing.

Remember not to change a pregnant cat’s diet rapidly because it may cause digestion problems or allergies. Add the new food into her diet gradually throughout a week or two.

Avoid giving your pregnant cat calcium supplements unless prescribed by a vet. Some owners mistakenly think that calcium is essential for cats during pregnancy to maintain bone and teeth health, but excessive calcium can cause eclampsia in cats.

Set Up a Safe Place For Labor

Everyone familiar with a cat’s labor process knows that felines strive to find a safe and cozy space beforehand. A cat won’t give birth before she finds a suitable place, so setting up a nest on time is crucial.

To prevent your female feline from giving birth in your wardrobe or on the couch, you should know how to set up a nest for a pregnant cat correctly.

If you fail to set up an appealing nest, your cat will choose where to give birth herself. Sometimes, cats are unable to find a safe place and go into labor late.

Start by finding a large cardboard box, at least 15 by 24 inches, to ensure it fits the cat in a laying position and several kittens.

Cut out a piece large enough for your cat to fit through it in the middle of one box’s side. Without the cut-out, your cat will have to jump into the box and may accidentally harm the newborn kittens.

Layer the nest’s bottom with soft towels, old bedsheets, or newspaper. Use something you don’t need anymore because washing out blood and other bodily fluids may be challenging.

Then, find a quiet area in your home away from cold wind and drafts. Avoid sunny rooms – cats prefer to give birth in partial darkness. Introduce your pregnant feline to the box and encourage her to sleep in it by giving her treats.

Place your cat’s food and water bowls close to the nest and litterbox about two feet away. Don’t place the litterbox too close to reduce the chances of diseases. Avoid placing the nest close to anything smelly.

Natural Remedies

If your cat doesn’t go into labor after 65 days of pregnancy, you can try to induce labor at home by giving her a capsule or red raspberry leaf. It’s one of the most effective yet safe natural remedies for stimulating cat labor.

Catnip is also known to induce labor, so veterinarians generally don’t recommend giving catnip to pregnant female felines. However, the remedy is suitable for cats that don’t give birth on time.

Know The Signs of Labor

To understand whether your labor-stimulating efforts were successful, you should know the signs of labor in cats. A day or two before labor, a female feline’s body temperature decreases from 102 degrees Fahrenheit to around 99 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most cats also stop eating about a day before giving birth, so a sudden lack of appetite is a happy rather than worrying sign. Often, the cat follows the owner around the house, meowing to draw their attention.

If the owner has set up a birthing nest, the cat will most likely start sleeping in it a few days before going into labor.

However, if the cat chooses a different spot, the owner should support her decision to prevent stressing out the feline and disrupting labor.

Shortly before the delivery, a cat begins to have contractions. Owners often miss the start of contractions because they’re subtle. The cat may be straining and breathing heavily.

Once the contractions begin, the kittens should be born within four hours. The first kitten should appear after no longer than an hour if everything goes right.

When To Take The Cat To a Vet

Prolonged pregnancy and difficulty giving birth, known as dystocia, shouldn’t be taken lightly. The owner should know precisely how a normal cat pregnancy goes and seek veterinary help in the case of any deviation from the norm.

If your cat doesn’t go into labor on the 68-70th day since the beginning of pregnancy, don’t try to stimulate the labor yourself – bring your pet to a vet. You should also constantly monitor your cat’s body temperature in the last week of pregnancy.

If the body temperature drops but the cat doesn’t go into labor in 24-36 hours, seek veterinary help. The first stage of labor should progress to the second stage, contractions, within 24 hours, and the first kitten should be born within an hour.

The next kitten should be born within two hours unless there was only one. Consider making an X-ray on the late stages of pregnancy to find out how many kittens to expect. The cat should have no purulent or hemorrhagic vaginal discharge.

Sources