What does yellow discharge in a pregnant cat mean?

A pregnant cat's discharge often appears right before giving birth. If secretions leak from the genitals 5-6 weeks before the kittens are born, you should seek help from a veterinarian, as this is a symptom of inflammation.

The secretion that appeared immediately before childbirth is completely safe and indicates the beginning of the mucous plug from the cervix. This phenomenon is observed approximately three days before the birth of babies.

Read about how to find out if your cat is pregnant here.

Why is discharge dangerous for a pregnant cat?

The average length of pregnancy in cats is 9 weeks. The following stages are distinguished:

The first and last stages are the most severe. With average, the animal remains energetic, the babies at this time are only gaining height and moving little by little. At this stage, the cat should not normally have any discharge. Although in some cases this is acceptable.

The problem is the pet’s excessive cleanliness. Since cats carefully wash themselves, the owner may not pay attention to the appearance of unwanted discharge.

In the early stages of pregnancy, a light pink discharge often appears. The eggs are immersed in the uterus and are fixed there, as a result of which a small amount of secretion is released.

At 4 weeks, the uterus closes and transparent and watery mucous formations form. It is very difficult to notice them, since they pass away along with the urine.

Subsequently, before the onset of 6 weeks, the presence of discharge indicates physiological disorders.

Small transparent or yellowish watery discharge may appear as the uterus fills with water, squeezing excess fluid out. If small clots are found that do not bother the pet, there is no need to panic and worry the cat in vain. But in other situations, it is necessary to seek help from a veterinarian, especially if discharge of purulent formations is noticed.

By the end of pregnancy, the appearance of discharge is normal. Rejection of the mucous membrane indicates the onset of labor. This means that the first baby has begun to move. As a rule, a pregnant woman develops lumps of a yellowish or greenish color.

Also read the article about how long a cat walks while pregnant.

Pathological discharge

Even non-specialists understand that bloody watery masses are the most obvious sign of problems with pregnancy. The most dangerous is the light red mucus, which appears every 10–15 minutes, and more than 2 tablespoons comes out at a time. This is already a sign of internal bleeding, which requires surgical intervention. After all, most often such bleeding occurs when the uterus ruptures, which can even be fatal.

Brown or yellow discharge interspersed with blood at the 2nd stage of pregnancy indicates placental abruption or the death of embryos. It is necessary to contact a veterinarian because there are many different options in this situation. For example, if the placenta detaches at a fairly late stage, then the pregnant cat is prescribed additional diagnostics. These are various tests and ultrasound. In the absence of serious problems, constant monitoring is recommended, but, most likely, the pregnancy will end naturally.

If fetal death occurs, there are 3 main treatment options:

1. causing premature birth,
2. drug therapy,
3. surgical intervention.

If a pregnant cat has yellow or green discharge with a strong and unpleasant odor, then one or more embryos have died. Mucus of this color appears when decomposition has already begun. In addition, yellow or green discharge may indicate intoxication in the animal’s internal organs and kidney failure. In these situations, urgent caesarean section or induction of labor is necessary. After this, the cat will have to go through a long period of rehabilitation.

The owner of the animal needs to be careful not to confuse diarrhea with yellow and brown discharge. But at the same time, you should not delay the treatment of such disorders of the digestive system, since in the future even the most minor diseases can affect the health of kittens.

Mr. Cat Explains: Safe Slime Formations

The appearance of pink discharge may be noted after mating, this is normal.

You should carefully observe the abundance of mucous formations; if a foreign odor develops or blood is separated, you need to seek help from a veterinary hospital.

Until the cervix closes completely, unfertilized eggs can be seen leaving the genitals in the form of a brown discharge. This is considered the norm, as it indicates the mummification of dead, decomposing embryos, which occurs with complete sterility in the womb. If an organ is infected, an inflammatory process begins.

Signs of heat in a cat

Before estrus, a preliminary period occurs - proestrus. The production of estrogen hormones begins, and the ovarian follicles increase in size. You can recognize this period by the following signs:

• decreased appetite;
• the cat rubs against its legs, scratches wallpaper and furniture;
• genitals become swollen;
• discharge without color appears;
• the animal requires attention.

Proestrus lasts several days (2-3). Next, a process occurs that indicates the onset of puberty of the pet. For a cat, this is the most suitable period for fertilization. Signs of estrus:

• meows loudly day and night;
• increased activity;
• change in gait (legs are bent and tail raised);
• changeable behavior - affectionate or aggressive;
• almost imperceptible change in the size of the genital organs;
• washes frequently;
• transparent discharge appeared;
• increased urination;
• doesn't eat.

The duration of estrus is 5-7 days. In rare cases, the number of days a cat walks increases to 20 days. The next period is metestrus. It gives way to aggression towards cats. If fertilization does not occur, a “false pregnancy” may occur. Its signs:

• weight gain;
• the cat prepares a “nest” for offspring;
• secretion of milk.

When everything passes, anestrus occurs. At this time, Murka is calm and balanced. The listed signs may not always appear. Sometimes there is a “erased heat” without pronounced symptoms.

Prevention

To ensure your cat’s pregnancy goes smoothly, prevention is important:

• Monitor the cat’s well-being, get vaccinations (to prevent infection), and monitor the correct diet. Regularly take the animal to the veterinary hospital for examination.
• With the onset of pregnancy, carefully monitor the cat’s behavior, mood and appearance.
• Follow medical recommendations.
• Protect the cat from hypothermia, excessive humidity and wind.

We also recommend an article about whether a cat can be sterilized during pregnancy.

Treatment

As you might guess, cats whose discharge has been found to be normal by a veterinarian do not require any treatment. In other cases, the animal requires urgent and high-quality veterinary care.

As a rule, specialists in practice resort to the following variants of therapeutic techniques:

• Surgical removal of an infected uterus, foreign body or tumor. We emphasize that even neoplasms of a benign nature are advised to be removed, since no one can guarantee the continued “harmlessness” of the tumor (it may well degenerate into cancer).
• If there are congenital/acquired defects of the urinary tract, bladder, or fistulas, the only way to correct the situation in a timely manner is a rather complex and expensive surgical operation.
• As a rule, the animal is prescribed a course of antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections, bacterial vaginitis, and other inflammatory pathologies of bacterial etiology. But! If the animal is feeding kittens at that time, they will have to be separated and fed with milk formula. It's all about the ability of antibiotics to come out along with milk - if they get into the baby's body, nothing good can be expected.
• If there are ruptures or other severe injuries to the genital membranes, immediate surgery is also recommended. Such damage is accompanied by bleeding.
• For oncology, chemical or radiotherapy may be prescribed.
• Please note that in some pathologies accompanied by exudate from the genitals (for example, chronic endometritis), the cat may well develop sexual heat and will seek the company of cats. But she must not be allowed to mate at this time! Firstly, this way you will contribute to the spread of infectious diseases among the entire cat population. Secondly, you shouldn’t expect healthy kittens.

Physiological reasons

Physiological are considered reasons that cause discharge due to the characteristics of the body. Before giving birth, the female will have a plug, which is also a hard clot of mucus that comes out before giving birth. It does not bode well: it is necessary to “remove” everything unnecessary from the surface of the labia and prevent the occurrence of infections as a result of the introduction of harmful bacteria during childbirth.

After your cat gives birth, she may continue to have mucus coming from her vaginal opening and anus for some time. Color – reddish or dark brown interspersed with greenish color. The norm is 3 weeks after birth. Due to the fact that during childbirth the discharge is red (the cat has bloody discharge), after the birth of the kittens the mucus will also have a reddish tint, which will gradually turn into a brown tint and disappear.

How to help your pet

Loving owners always strive to help their pet. Whatever the methods, they must first of all be safe. If a cat is in heat, you need to encourage her natural urges and find a cat to breed. If you really don’t want your pet to have offspring, then you can “bring her back to her senses” with the help of special medications. For example, a special ointment that is applied to the nose every day. The animal will quickly return to its usual behavior and stop meowing loudly and chasing its owners.

Reference! If the discharge is not associated with estrus, then the best thing the owner can do is take the cat to the veterinarian, or call him at home (but if the disease is serious, then transportation to the clinic will be required).

The above diseases, after reading, should lead to the conclusion that the discharge indicates serious and dangerous diseases. Therefore, it is almost impossible to help your pet at home. Loss of appetite, baldness, deterioration in general condition and other dangerous symptoms cannot be “removed” on your own.

Complications leading to bleeding after childbirth

Let's look at the symptom of what complication postpartum bleeding can be. Let's start with the reason mentioned above - incomplete expulsion of kittens or placenta.

Many inexperienced owners believe that the end of pushing indicates the completion of the birth process. However, if the cat was not examined by ultrasound during the last stage of pregnancy, the owner cannot know the exact number of kittens that were due to be born. In this case, there is a risk that a dead kitten or the placenta of the last born cub will remain in the uterine cavity.

With such complications, the first alarming symptoms appear within 24-72 hours after birth.

• The cat's appetite rapidly deteriorates, apathy appears, and as a result of painful sensations, the young mother abandons the kittens.

• Brown discharge with a small amount of coagulated blood appears from the cat's vagina.

• As complications develop, baseline body temperature constantly rises.

• When you palpate your cat's abdomen, you will find that the abdominal muscles are tense and she is reacting to pain.

If symptoms are detected in time and correctly interpreted, conservative treatment is used to resolve the situation. After stimulating additional pushing and cleaning the uterine cavity, the woman in labor is prescribed a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics to prevent the development of a bacterial infection. If more than a day has passed since the birth, the veterinarian will have to perform castration - remove the uterus.

The second common complication is metritis or inflammation of the uterus. The complication can develop within 3 days after the completion of labor. When metritis develops, the cat looks depressed and clearly sick. When measuring the temperature, it will be found that it is elevated. From the first day of the development of the malaise, the young mother refuses to eat, abandons the kittens and ignores drinking, which quickly leads to dehydration.

Note! With metritis, a cat may develop diarrhea and vomiting, against which severe dehydration is inevitable.

With metritis, bloody discharge from the genital tract has a characteristic unpleasant odor. Quite often there is pus in the blood. When you feel the belly of a young mother, you will feel that the abdominal wall is tense. Despite severe pain and muscle tone, an enlarged uterus is felt upon palpation.

Metritis develops against the background of rapid proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. The condition is alleviated by a course of antibiotics, but treatment may not be effective if the spectrum of the drug is chosen incorrectly. Positive dynamics should appear on the first day after the start of treatment. If no positive dynamics are observed after 24–48 hours, the only way to save the cat is through surgery followed by removal of the uterus.

A less common, but no less dangerous complication is uterine prolapse. Typically, such complications result from a difficult birth. In human terms, during childbirth, the cat literally pushes out or inverts the uterus, which leads to protrusion from the birth canal and severe bleeding.

With prolapse, the clinical picture develops very quickly, and the symptoms are very similar to rupture of the uterine walls. In both cases, severe bleeding is observed, which must be stopped as soon as possible. Further treatment is carried out with the help of surgery, as a result of which the uterus will be removed and its stump will be reduced.

The most dangerous complication after giving birth to a cat is perforation of the uterus or rupture of its walls. Such a violation does not occur without a reason; usually the cat has problems during pregnancy. Prolonged labor, when the cat is in contractions for more than 12 hours or pushing for more than 2 hours, can also cause rupture of the walls of the uterus.

Ruptures in the walls of the birth canal are often caused by manipulations performed by the owner or veterinarian when the kitten gets stuck during expulsion. To remove a stuck kitten from the birth canal, it is necessary to use lubricants, at least Vaseline oil. The kitten is pulled up only during pushing! Forced or abrupt removal of the kitten from the birth canal is guaranteed to lead to overstretching or rupture.

Uterine rupture can occur if the owner tries to pull the failed placenta by the umbilical cord. Such manipulations are strictly prohibited and are not carried out by veterinarians. Medications are used to stimulate expulsion of the placenta.

Note! Many inexperienced owners, who have received incomplete or unreliable information, consider stimulants to be very dangerous and unknowingly risk the life of their pet.

Labor stimulants can actually cause harm if used inappropriately or in the wrong dose. However, their use is safer than forcibly removing the placenta from the uterine cavity.

Preparing for childbirth, proper cat care

If a cat is pregnant, the owners must be fully prepared for the upcoming birth and obtain the necessary theoretical knowledge by reading the literature or consulting with a veterinarian.
In this case, you can avoid serious complications that pose a danger both to the cat itself and to the offspring. About a month before the planned mating, it is necessary to carry out preventive deworming and treat the coat against ectoparasites - fleas, ticks, lice-eaters. After a week, it is worth vaccinating your cat, which will avoid contracting dangerous infections and diseases. Revaccination is especially important if the cat roams freely outside.

It is very important to provide a balanced, complete, nutritious diet, adhere to a daily routine, and feed your pet at the same time. If your pet is kept on natural feeding, be sure to give the animal vitamin and mineral complexes.

Maintain hygiene, protect the pregnant cat from stress, avoid hypothermia, limit the cat from jumping from heights. A few days before giving birth, prepare a “maternity” room for your pet. Proper care of your cat during pregnancy will help avoid postpartum complications.