She started going into labour this morning, and as feline pregnancies go, there was blood to be expected. But the first kitten came out halfway in a breech position - legs first - and after that she failed to pass out the kitten, while continuing to haemorrhage. Kittens do get born in a breech position sometimes, but it should still be a smooth delivery, and she should not be straining for more than half an hour to deliver the first kitten.
So we knew Bree needed emergency veterinary attention immediately. It was a huge logistics operation to get her into the carrier to get ready to go to the vet.
We rushed her to Mount Pleasant Stevens Road which is open on Sundays, and there the doctor injected her with oxytocin to induce labour so that she could pass out the kittens. If that were to fail to work, a Caesarean surgery would be required to cut her open to get the kittens out if they were still alive.
After the oxytocin was administered, Bree finally passed out the first kitten that was stuck in her uterus since morning. Over the next few hours, she delivered 2 more kittens. By then she was slightly less feral and the vet could take an x-ray to see if there were any more kittens inside. Usually foeteses can be felt by external examination but Bree refused to be touched. Amazingly, she finally consented to being handled for an x-ray.
Thankfully, no more kittens remained inside her womb, so surgery wasn't necessary, and all the kittens are alive.
Bree is now back with us and inside her pen with her kittens. Transferring her back to her pen was no easy feat because she refused to come out of the carrier and was still very feral.
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| Bree and her kittens inside the carrier |
