How To Tell If Cat Still Has Kittens Inside? (Explained)

When it comes to a pregnant cat, you will want to ensure everything is done to keep her comfortable. This includes understanding the birthing process, what it entails, and how to tell if cat still has kittens inside! It is this information that is going to make life easier for the cat as you help it give birth.

The best way to tell if a cat still has kitten inside is to touch the perineal area under the tail. If this area is ballooned and/or bulging, this is a sign there is a kitten inside.

It’s important to take your time with this process and be as gentle as possible. This will ensure the cat isn’t disturbed and the kitten is born correctly (if inside).

Key factors include:

Hardness of the Womb
Cat’s Behavior

When learning how to tell if cat still has kittens inside, you have to be patient. You have to realize this is going to take time and you have to be as delicate as possible.

Any sudden movements might startle the cat because she won’t know what’s happening. Take your time and make sure to go to that perineal area near the tail. This is the only way to feel around and make sure you know whether there is a kitten inside the womb or not.

This article will showcase how to tell if cat still has kittens inside and why it’s important to do this the right way.

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Signs Cat Still Has Kitten Inside

1. Bulging Spot Near Perineal Area

When learning how to tell if cat still has kittens inside, it’s important to use touch.

This means gently taking your hand and targeting the area under the tail. This will be right near the womb and is going to allow you to feel whether or not there is a kitten inside.

Please remember, this is a delicate part of the cat’s body when she’s giving birth and aggressive touching won’t be necessary or appreciated. Just a simple touch is going to let you know what’s going on inside and whether or not the birthing process is still going on.

In some cases, you may even see a part of the kitten start to stick out as soon as you touch this part of the cat. This means the birth is imminent.

2. Continuous Licking

When finding out how to tell if cat still has kittens inside, you will want to pay attention to the cat’s behavior.

The pregnant cat will give away clear-cut signs of her still giving birth to a kitten. This includes soothing herself repeatedly by licking her paws.

The idea is to make sure she is comforting herself as much as possible. The cat is going to be stressed during this phase of the birthing process and it doesn’t have many ways to relax. As a result, the licking and/or pawing will be a way it does soothe itself.

Female cats that are giving birth will often soothe themselves by licking their paws and this will continue with a kitten inside.

This is something you should keep an eye out for as you learn how to tell if cat still has kittens inside.

A lot of time when this happens, you will want to continue to wait for the cat because the birth might be happening soon.

3. Nesting Behavior

This is something to pay attention to.

You will notice the cat won’t walk away from the nesting area. She will remain there because that is where she wants to give birth. She won’t move a lot and there is going to be a sense of stillness with her during this process.

When this happens, she likely still has a kitten inside.

It’s common for nesting to continue when giving birth and this will be a sign she is still giving birth to a kitten.

You will want to focus on this as you learn how to tell if cat still has kittens inside.

Don’t rush the cat and just visually inspect her to see what’s going on.

Final Thoughts

These are the main tips on how to tell if cat still has kittens inside.

It’s important to speak to the vet if you believe the female cat is dealing with a deformed kitten inside. This is rare but it can happen.

Here’s more on cats – dangers of cats eating poisoned rats, cats that don’t eat after giving birth, the right number of water bowls for cats, and helping a cat afraid of everything.