The New Arrivals

What a busy weekend!  Not only did we have family visiting this weekend, but Callie gave birth to her kittens this weekend.  It has been a roller coaster of emotion for most of us.  I am rather drained now, making this a difficult post to write in so many ways.

About 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Callie gave birth to the first of her litter, and by 8:30 p.m. we had three cute, healthy kittens being welcomed to the world.  By the end of Saturday, both mama and kittens were settled in comfortably after a long journey.

Sunday arrived with everyone doing well, but in the early afternoon I noticed a sort of rattling sound in the breathing of kitten #2 (center of pic on right).  A gentle tap on the back seemed to help, but I am concerned and will be looking for advice at the vet tomorrow. 

I noticed that Callie was up and about a bit more than I would have guessed, but I was glad to see that she was strong enough to manage on her own.  I attributed her walks back and forth through the apartment to needing a little time to rest from the kittens and perhaps to stretch her muscles from all the strain.  She seemed rather spent earlier that day, and I helped by holding her food dish up so that she wouldn't have to stand or leave the kittens.  Later I noticed that something didn't seem quite right.

Callie seemed a little restless, so I was staying close to keep her comfortable.  Thinking that she might be sore from and would feel better with softer bedding, I changed out the newspaper and old clothing from the birthing box and put in a blanket wrapped in a sheet.  About 2:30 p.m., it looked like Callie was having contractions again.  I massaged her back gently while the kittens were nursing, and after a few moments, I noticed that she had leaked some kind of fluid.  Since she had diarrhea earlier that day, I wasn’t sure at first, but then it became evident that another kitten was on its way, only breech.

After washing my hands, I dried with a washcloth, grabbed a spare and headed back to the closet.  I could tell that Callie was having trouble from the sound of her calls, and I gently massaged a little while holding the kitten at the birth canal.  The kitten felt limp in my hand, and at that moment I knew there was little hope of a live birth.  Callie even seemed to realize the truth, as it was difficult to encourage her to keep pushing.  After what seemed like an eternity, the fourth kitten arrived, stillborn, around 2:55 p.m. 

Before I tell you what happened next, I want to tell you a little about myself.  I haven’t mentioned this in previous posts, but since I met Callie I have learned to speak feline just a little bit better.  In the past I’ve quipped a “Meow!” to say hello to cats when I’ve seen them.  I don’t know if I’ve become an animal lover from having grown up around a number of pets and seeing different animals give birth (mostly dogs), but I feel that they can communicate with us if we only listen.  That may sound sappy or silly, but that’s how I feel.

Where I’m going with all of this is that when the last kitten was finally out of the birth canal, and it was evident that it wasn’t going to make it, I noticed myself… wailing in cat.  I was choked with emotion and so connected to Callie at the moment that I couldn't seem to express myself in a normal human way.  

When I look back on the experience it all seems very surreal, and I probably wouldn’t admit this having happened to someone in person.  However, for the other animal lovers out there, I imagine that you can understand the experience, and I think it’s good for us to validate one another from time to time.

I will be taking Callie and the kittens (sounds like a name for a band) to the vet tomorrow for a wellness check.  I'm concerned that there may be another kitten that hasn't arrived yet, and I can use all the help I can get in that respect.  I also want to check #2 for signs of pneumonia. We haven’t named the kittens (and that includes the one that didn’t survive), but we have some names in mind.  Hopefully you’ll see some names when you read the next post.

Until next time,

Michelle

P.S.  I would love to read your comments!  Look for more photos here.