My cat is in labor, a kitten's tail is showing, and vets are closed.

Hello. If the placenta is still attached, the birth process can normally take 10-15 minutes per kitten. If there is enough of the kitten sticking on, you can take a cloth or paper towel & assist the birth by using a firm but gentle pull. Hopefully, her deliveries will continue well. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Lucy seems comfortable, is caring well for the kittens, & you do not see her pushing or having active contractions, then you can let her rest. You may be feeling a contracted uterine horn, or it may be another kitten, but if she is content then you can probably wait until the morning to have her checked out. Since it is already late, you would have to take her in to the emergency clinic anyway, but I would not recommend it, yet. If she becomes restless, vocal, & you see her pushjng for more than 30 minutes without producing a kitten, then take her in. Hopefully, this will not be necessary. Take care.

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.

Most cats are close enough in size that it shouldn't be an issue and you should not have to do anything to assist in a normal pregnancy. I would NOT recommend trying to cut open your cat as you will likely injure her and endanger both her and the kittens and this is considered animal cruelty. If she is showing signs of dystocia (difficult birth) and goes into labor for several hours without producing a kitten, seeking emergency care from your vet is needed.

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.

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.

Keep watching her, but do not disturb her. If she does not produce another kitten in about an hour and the red bubble is still there and looks thick, like fleshy tissue, you need to take her and her babies to the vet as she may have a uterine prolapse, which can cause her to die, if it is not reduced.