Mere days after being rescued, old cat goes into labor.
It was too soon, she still had one to two weeks to go. The vet staff did the best to save her babies. Almost blind and heavily pregnant, the vet staff at Tabby’s Place, Ringoes, New Jersey found Ida to be a very sweet cat.
She would go up to everyone at the cat sanctuary to say hello, loving all the attention she had missed living as a stray. She had been rescued a few days earlier. Cat was heavily pregnant. Staff estimated she still had one week minimum to go until delivery.
Just a few days after her arrival, Ida went into labor. It was way too soon and staff knew they would have to do everything they could to keep the premature kittens alive. The tiny babies only weighed 55 grams, despite doing their best they could only save three kittens.
Tabby’s place staff immediately swung into action with an experienced caregiver who began tube-feeding the premature kittens every few hours. It was touch and go whether the little souls would make it through the first night, let alone survive. But staff wanted to at least give them a fighting chance.
“The babies are finally able to suckle on momma. They are being weighed a few times a day, to make sure they are gaining weight and getting enough milk,” they said.
Within two days they were finally gaining weight, and better still, nursing from their Mom. The most important thing is now they were finally gaining weight, reaching the 4-ounce mark by the end of the week. That’s a big jump from their 1.95-ounce birth weight.
Ida was doing a great job of looking after her newborns. Making sure they have enough to drink and giving them lots of cuddle time. They were given the names Artur, Marysia, and Agata! As the kittens grew Ida found she had more time to herself and we seek out any available lap to sit on for a cuddle.
Ida was really too old to have another litter, which may be one of the reasons why she went into a stress-induced labor in the first place. At least now she will never have to go through that again. Now she can look forward to a life with a loving family.
“In the next few weeks her babies will be going to their own forever homes. Ida will be waiting for that special someone to love her forever,” Tabby’s Place said.
“Ida’s babies are getting ready to leave the nest. On Friday Agata and Artur will be heading to their forever home together, and on Saturday Marysia will be heading to her forever home.”
The only hope is that after her babies are in their own homes Ida’s forever home is just around the corner. Due to Ida’s love, care, and constant devotion she prepared her babies well for their next age in life. With a little help from Tabby’s Place, they flourished, grew big and strong.
