Kitten Diary - Birth of Three Scottish Fold Kittens

Dottie is an experienced mother (in purebred circles, called the "dam"), having had 2 litters before this one. So there was none of the first-litter tension that many new moms (and the breeders) experience. It was just a matter of time and comfort level of Dottie. Ev is the top midwife at Kinross Cattery, with first assistant her husband, Bruce, or good friend, Dorothy McPherson Goddard (known as Heather to most of us), after whom Dottie is named.

Each mom has their own "warning" signals of impending birth. It is up to the breeder to recognize these signs and act accordingly. It is thought that momcats know exactly what to do with a newly born litter. Not so in the domesticated world of breeding. We want to be there to watch for any nuance of difficulty, timing the warning signals and contractions, watching that mom doesn't get too tired out, being sure that all placentas (afterbirths) are expelled, watching to make sure that mom cleans the membrane sac that surrounds each individual kitten and gets the baby's airway cleared immediately, and monitoring the eating of placentas and chewing of umbilical cords. The reason it is so important to know if the placentas are expelled is if one is retained in the uterus, it can make mom not do her job, as she feels ill and uncomfortable. It can also lead to severe infection if the afterbirth is allowed to remain unborn. It can become gangreneous, possibly leading to the necessity of spaying her to save her life.

Dottie became somewhat agitated during the morning hours of Saturday, June 22, which was her 66th day of gestation. Everytime that Ev would sit down with her (Dottie was confined to a special kittening enclosure a few days ago), Dottie would relax and purr up a storm, loving the belly rubs and nose nuzzles. Finally about 12:30 p.m. Ev felt the first contraction. The purring increased. This a momcat's way of relaxing herself and the kittens, as the frequency of the sound is at a healing frequency.

However, it wasn't until about 2:15 p.m. that Dottie was finally ready to deliver. First, a bubble appeared in the birth canal. This is completely normal, even desired. However, within a few minutes it became it evident that this was not going to be a completely normal birth. A wiggling tail was spotted inside the bubble. Not a good thing. (continued next page)