Juno had KITTENS...on my lap....almost

So, Juno, Hannah's cat, has been preggers since about mid-April. She got out one day while she was in heat and came back not in heat....three weeks later at the vet, Dr. Bone (yes, that is really the vet's name) verified that Juno was indeed a whore-cat..and was PREGNANT! So, in order for Juno to have a nice comfy and stress-free pregnancy, I took her to come live with me at my apartment (Hannah's in Idaho so she couldn't take care of her).
Juno was INSTANTLY a much happier cat. She no longer peed on any furniture whatsoever. The only places she peed were on the rugs in the downstairs bathroom (right outside her litter box) and the kitchen (right by her food) and I blame those on her pregnancy, b/c she hasn't peed on the rugs upstairs. Also, Juno seems to respect that downstairs is her area, and upstairs is my bedroom and she can only enter while I'm awake.

So as the days went by, Juno progressively got bigger (as seen in the image to the right). So, I put together a cute little next spot under the stairs with her food and litter box and a box for her to have the kittens in. She was totally not interested. This non-interest was emphasized when I found her sleeping in a basket of blankets that I keep next to the fireplace...I grew a little concerned because there was no way she was having kittens on the blanket my Nanny knit for me. So, I'd been keeping a much closer eye on her.

Turns out, the extra watch was completely unnecessary. Yesterday morning (6/8/10), Juno woke me up around 6:20 by jumping onto my bed and meowing in my face. When I got up she was meowing constantly and led me to the back of my closet where she had apparently been pulling up carpet to make a bed for her babies...she hadn't gotten very far. So, I put a box there so she could have her kittens there if she wanted. She just sat in it and stared at the corner trying to figure out how to get rid of the box. Later that morning, she led Brent down to the corner behind my desk, so we put a box there.

I think Juno had no intention of using either of those boxes. Around 7:00pm, while I was watching the last episode of season two of Avatar: The Last Airbender (because its awesome), Juno came into the room meowing and staring at me wide-eyed. She jumped on the couch and proceeded to climb into my lap and cuddle with me. About 10 minutes after she jumped up, her stomach started convulsing and I thought "OMG SHE'S HAVING CONTRACTIONS!!!" So I carried her to the closest box, the one behind my desk in the next room and at 7:39 she had kitten number 1, an all white kitten except for a black head, a black spot on its shoulder, and a mostly black tail. I'm not going to lie; watching her give birth to that kitten was AMAZING! I had a hard core adrenaline rush!! I was so nervous cause after the baby was halfway out, Juno started spinning trying to see what was coming out of her. Then she pushed some more and it came out almost all the way, hanging by a back paw, and Juno kept spinning trying to figure out what it was! Finally, she caught up with the kitten and did her motherly duties perfectly! Unfortunately, I could not see what she was doing and heard a crunching sound and panicked, thinking she was eating the baby, but really it was her chewing off the umbilical cord like a good mommy cat. I was, and still am, sooo proud of Juno!! I did get kinda worried, because all of these websites that I've been reading say that before a cat gives birth, she will start secreting small amounts of milk...well Juno did not do that..at all. In fact only two of her ten teets were even swollen at all. So about an hour after this kitten's birth I called my mom, who is somewhat of an expert on baby animals cause she used to breed Newfoundland dogs. After being reassured that everything was fine and normal I went back to watching. After another 30 minutes I went to the other room to wait...and watch Juno for signs of the next kitten via webcam :-) (Thanks Brent!!)

Well I saw her start having contractions again, so I went over there only to find that she'd already had the second kitten (9:30pm)! With this one, she needed a tiny bit of help because she quit licking it clean to pay attention to the other one. This kitten is a smart one though!! He ripped off the sac around his face on his own and started squeaking for momma. Juno was busy with the other kitten and was blatantly ignoring this new one (which is all black btw). So, using a soft clean rag, I picked up kitten number two and set it in front of Juno and she immediately set to work cleaning it off. Good Juno! Kitten number two didn't really want to be cleaned off though...not two minutes after Juno started, it was off to find something to suck on and found it!! WAY before it's older sibling too! Shortly after kitten 1 found a teet to suck on too though, so its all good. As you can see from the picture, kitten 2 was still wet from being born when it latched on, while kitten 2 is all clean and fluffy :) .

This time I sat around near Juno, petting her and telling her what a good job she's doing; all the while she's purring loudly. Around 10:50 she started having contractions again and like a pro, 10 minutes later had her third kitten, a very spotted black and white kitten. She immediately set to cleaning it off with a vigor and didn't stop until it was almost all clean. Unfortunately this kitten was a lot smaller than the other two and unlike the other two did not squeak at all after being cleaned off. Juno got tired of bending in half and started cleaning the other two kittens, again ignoring the one she had just given birth to. Once again, I moved the kitten closer to Juno's head and she again started licking vigorously. This kitten scared me to death, because it looked as though its back legs weren't going to work. The other two kittens had immediately started kicking all their legs, even before Juno started working on them, but this one did not. Also, the way the kitten had adjusted itself made it look as though it was missing its front left leg. Thankfully that was not true and after about an hour and a half it started moving its hind legs.

Around 1:00 I finally went to bed, confident that Juno was finished having kittens and that she would be able to keep them warm and alive through the night. Upon waking this morning around 7, I found that I was correct. All three kittens are alive and well. Even the little itty bitty runt is still squirming around squeaking trying to find something to eat. Sometimes it goes the other direction and Juno is stuck with the other two, so I have been allowed to move the kitten back to where it needs to be. Juno is also eating, I can't tell if she has had anything to drink yet, but she is definitely eating again, which is good!! I can't wait for the next 7-8 weeks!!!