Cat only had 1 kitten 24 hours ago!

[AnonymousNinja]

So Shadow is a year old and we noticed yesterday she was showing signs of going into labour. We set her up away from our other two male cats in a nest and went out for a few hours. When we got back she had given birth to one very healthy looking kitten. That was virtually 24 hours ago! She still looks plump and when you go near her she starts purring and kneeding and just genreally showing signs that she is happy. When we got up this morning there was a large wet patch but no sign of another kitty.... Im not sure what is going on. She is happy will she only have the one? O ris she holding back having the rest.... Thank you in advance for your reply.

[nursegirl6572]

Me three!  What happened?

[CML2014]

I am with you Annie....would very much like to know how Mama is doing and if there have been anymore new additions.

Please let us know!

Thank you,
CML

[AnnieBrooke]

I've been wondering how it went.  Did Mama have more babies, did you take her to the vet, did she only have one?  :)

[AnnieBrooke]

The stuck-kitten scenario is possible, though it might be a bit unusual for the cat to look comfortable and happy in that case.  Cats are spontaneous ovulators, meaning that every time they have sex, they pop an egg out.  Maybe your kitty only had one sexual encounter.  But if she still looks plump (you should also be able to feel the kittens' heads if you gently touch her sides; they feel hard) she might have other kittens inside.  Again due to the spontaneous-ovulation aspect, it is even possible that kitty had sex one time and then again a couple of days later, in which case I guess it is possible that the second batch of kitties is not ready to come down yet.  

However, all said, I would take Mama (and kitten so she can get her groceries along the way and on the way back) to the vet, and see if he or she can either feel more babies (only ask the vet to do this if he has a lot of experience feeling embryos in utero; it can be damaging to the babies to probe with inexpert fingers) or, to just get an X-ray.  That's the best way to see what is going on.  They might suggest a shot of pitocin.

[nursegirl6572]

I agree with CML completely.  While I also don't know a whole lot about birthing kittens, I would think that having a litter with a single kitten isn't as common as having multiple kittens.  I agree that your cat needs to be seen, and urgently, to make sure that she isn't retaining more kittens.  If so, that could very well become a medical emergency very quickly.

Best to your cat, hope to see an update!

[CML2014]

Hi AN,

I have NO experience with the birthing of kittens !  I only know if it were me I would be calling my Vet and asking him this question. Every birthing is different, so what might have been the case with one cat may not be the case with yours. She may still have kittens left in her birth canal and is having difficulty expelling them.

This is serious, if it is the case. You need to speak to your vet and have him examine her. At least that would be my suggestion.

Congratulations on becoming a "cat" Grandma!!!  Please let us know how everything turns out, K?

Best Wishes,
CML