Advice on the cat's normal birth process - and recognising when there are difficulties - when should the vet be contacted?

As we discussed in the conversation, your cat is XX, in the process of/at the beginning of the normal birth process - below is a brief outline of the normal birth process for cats and important info about which signs/symptoms should immediately result in contact with your local vet:

The normal birth process

The unblocking stage(first stage): The stage usually lasts 2-12 hours. The cat often becomes restless, meows, and breathes a little faster. At the end of the stage, she often lies down quietly and purrs. She may also have sporadic contractions and some clear liquid/mucus may come from the vulva. For cats having their first litter, this first stage of labor can last up to 36 hours.

Expulsion stage(second stage): The cat will often lie on its side with regular contractions at first. When the contractions get stronger, she often prefers to sit. The first kitten usually comes after 5-60 min. The entire birth usually takes 2-12 hours, but can be extended up to 24 hours in case of disturbance in the cat's environment, without it being considered abnormal.

The afterbirth stage(third stage): The afterbirth usually comes after each kitten, but sometimes several kittens are born without afterbirth, only to come later. As an owner, it is good to have an overview that the number of afterbirths corresponds to the number of kittens. It is not uncommon for the mother cat to eat the afterbirth. The mother cat may have discharge from the vagina 1-3 weeks after birth, as a completely normal. First bloody and then more clear. The discharge should not be smelly.

Your local veterinarian must be contacted immediately in the following cases

- No signs of birth 69-70 days after mating

- Strong contractions for over 1-2 hours without birth.

- Strong contractions that then subside and become weak

- In case of bloody and/or foul-smelling discharge from the vagina.

- Green discharge form the vagina not immediately followed by the birth of a kitten.