My First Pregnant Cat Foster

For my first time fostering a pregnant cat, I expected to stay up late to deal with a long, messy, and loud labor. Well, I was wrong.

I spent two weeks waiting and preparing for my foster cat Esmeralda to give birth. I set up towels in every part of the room I could so she would have three different nesting areas to choose from. I knew all the signs to look for and in the last three days of her pregnancy I was a ball of anxiety waiting for the birth.

I woke up on a Friday morning to find her on my bed in between my legs. Suddenly, her water broke! Instead of choosing a nest before having her babies, she decided to give birth to them where I was!

I laid a towel on the ground and sat with her for six hours while each of her five kittens came out. She did absolutely everything – there was no yowling or cries of pain. It turned out to be a surprisingly easy and heartwarming experience!

I’ve learned that some mother cats will want you by their side while others will want space. I spent two weeks with Esmeralda bonding with her and keeping her as stress-free as possible.

Now her kittens are five weeks old and all I’ve had to do was feed mom, clean a litterbox, and play with kittens!

They are definitely more rambunctious and wild, but not to a level that isn’t manageable. I play with and socialize them every day to make sure they are amazing for their adopters.

It will be hard to see them go but I’m so grateful I could help these kittens grow and find five new loving homes.