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My cat had kittens yesterday, but still looks pregnant. Is this normal?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | unspayed

As said before she had kittens yesterday. Her belly still seems a bit larger than a normal cats. I feel like I feel at least one more kitten in her abdomen. How long can a cat go between births? I know with the way their uterus is shaped sometimes the other side of kittens may take a bit to be born. When should I be concerned in the timeline?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on July 18th, 2018

Cats are typically pretty predictable when it comes to delivering their babies, but when they decide to act outside the norm they become extremely unpredictable. Your average short haired house-cat will have a kitten every 10-60 minutes after the first one is delivered. However there are some cases where cats are known to intentionally stop giving birth (usually we aren't able to determine why with certainty), and will resume anywhere from a couple hours to upwards of 24-36 hours later. This tends to happens most often in animals that were interrupted physically during the birthing process. In cases where there is truly difficulty with delivery or failure to deliver all the young, veterinary intervention will be required. This is especially true if you feel Lily is not caring for the others babies, is acting unusual or sickly, or if she is actively straining but not producing any offspring. Hope this makes sense.

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on March 16th, 2017
Congrats on Habia's kittens! Cats can experience interrupted labor, where a significant amount of time passes before having additional kittens. That being said, however, because I can't see her, I can't say this is what she is experiencing. It would be best if she saw a vet now to be safe in case she does need assistance giving birth. Be sure to bring her kittens along with her.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jeffrey Milner
Veterinarian
Published on May 29th, 2017
Congrats on your new litter! In cats, usually the average time between kittens during birth is about 10-60 minutes with some variation in either direction. However, cats also can have something called interrupted labor. Basically what this means is that they will give birth to X kittens, nurse then and care for them perfectly, and then up to 24-36 hours later starting straining and birthing again. I am not saying this is what happened here, but it is definitely possible. If you are still concerned after this point that there are still babies inside, taking her to the vet would be the best plan. They would be able to perform some imaging to determine if there were still remaining kittens, if they were in the birth canal or elsewhere, and most important, if they are alive or dead. Hope this helps!
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My cat gave birth to one kitten, then stopped pushing. Is this normal?

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.

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