My cat is giving birth, kitten stuck tail first. Is it okay?

It is more rare for a cat to have a difficult time delivering kittens, however there is a possibility a kitten can become stuck. The whole litter is usually born within 6 hours with kittens every 30 to 60 minutes. If the cat is stressed or distracted she is able to stop her labor and restart the next day. However, if the female has been having strong contractions for greater than 60 minutes, she needs assistance in passing the kitten. Bring her and any kittens delivered to the vet’s office right away. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

If she is not straining to push at this time, then yes give her more time to birth the rest of the kittens at her own pace. This process, known as[ queening](https://www.petcoach.co/article/queening-giving-birth-in-cats/), can take up to 48 hrs to complete. Please try not to worry or [stress](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-surprising-ways-stress-can-impact-your-pet) her during her labor process as this can stall and prolong her labor. If no kitten is delivered after 30 minutes of active straining/pushing, then you should have her examined by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER.

Wash your hands well, lubricate your finger with vaseline and very gently put it into her vagina and check where the kitten's head and other leg is. You may have to GENTLY find the leg put your finger underneath it and pull it straight forward towards you. Check where the head is. If it is facing sideways or backwards you need to , again very gently, put it into the right position with the snout facing you. Once the leg and head are facing you, you can gently start pulling the kitten. If you feel the tail, it is coming backwards, so you can just gently pull the leg. Do not try to rectify the position of the kitten for more than 10 minutes. (You may also have to push it in a little if you cannot get at the leg.) This will be difficult. If the birth does not happen, you will need to take her to a vet for a cesarian section.

She may be taking a break due to strain. By now she should have resumed contractions and have delivered her kitten. If she stopped altogether having contractions, you can very GENTLY try to pull the kitten on both feet. If it does not move, or seem stuck, you will need to take your cat and the kittens to a vet for him to develop that stuck kitten.

Unfortunately you cannot safely"pull" the kitten without risking trauma to the mother. I would keep the cat as quiet and confined as possible and have a veterinarian see her first thing if an emergency veterinarian isn't available tonight. The other kittens should still be ok to nurse.

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Molly. It sounds like there may be a kitten stuck in the birth canal, and I would consider this a medical emergency. She needs to see a vet now to get this kitten removed and to have help giving birth to her other kittens. Leaving her like this will cause the death of this kitten and any other kittens left to be born. Please take Molly and her first kitten into a vet immediately. You can take her to an ER vet or find a vet on call in your area to see her if your regular vet is closed. The information to find a vet on call is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

Kittens can come out head or butt first, it shouldn't make any difference. I would not recommend pulling on the placenta because you can tear the uterus. I would simply give Dusty time to pass it. If there are any more kittens, the placenta may pass with the next kitten. If she exhibits signs of illness (lethargy, not nursing the kittens, not eating, etc) then she needs to see a vet about the possibly retained placenta.