My pregnant cat had one kitten. Why aren't more coming after so long?

Hello. This is always a bit of a mystery as to why this happens, but I personally have seen a queen have one kitten & deliver 4 more a full week later. Most often, a single birth is a premature kitten, but 2 kittens really confounds even this issue. If you can afford to have Lily seen by your veterinarian, an x-ray can show how many kittens are still present & an ultrasound can evaluate heartbeats. If the fetal heartbeats are around 180 - 200 beats per minute, then all is well. If the heartbeats are 170 or less, these kittens are stressed & need to come out. As long as Lily continues to act completely normal & there are no obvious vaginal discharges, then you can probably wait another day or so, but after that, I begin to get nervous. At this point, I would consider a C-section. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

18hours is not normal, if there are more kittens inside her this is now a medical emergency and is at high risk of infection, threatening the life of both mother and kittens. Please arrange an urgent vet check for her

Blood is not normally seen in the birthing process and usually indicates that there is a complication. While it's possible that she only has one kitten, it's also possible that she has more inside. I recommend taking her to the vet for an evaluation as soon as possible. They can keep things from getting worse and check for any other kittens. I hope that helps and all is well with Baby.

Since she has been having contractions for a few hours now and has not produced a kitten, it is now time for an intervention by a veterinarian. Please take her to a vet or petER now. The vet will be able to determine whether there is another kitten or more than one, and whether there is a kitten blocking the birth canal. Your cat may need a cesarian section in case the kitten (if there is one) is too big to be born naturally. Please take her to a vet now.

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.

A vet visit is always recommended in these cases so that is my suggestion - get her to a vet for an exam. If you don't want to take her to the vet just yet then monitor her closely for any signs of illness (not eating/drinking, lethargy, vomiting, hiding, etc). If you notice anything abnormal, then get her to the vet ASAP. She may have only had one kitten - there may not be any others. Please consider having her spayed as soon as you can. If they have stillborns they will usually continue to do so.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Birdie!! Cats can get very easily stressed when in labor and can delay the birth of subsequent kittens up to 24 hours. If she is actively contracting for greater than 2 hours without the birth of a kitten she needs to go to an emergency hospital. I would confine her to a quiet place with the kitten. Only one person should check on her every 1-2 hours. Keep the room dim and do not allow a lot of stress. I hope this helps and I wish Birdie the best!