Question
It's been 48 hours since my cat, a first-time mother, gave birth to 2 kittens. She breathes normally much of the time, but quite often I notice she begins to breathe rapidly. This occurs while nursing.
I looked this up, and there are more than five Google results with people all asking about this exact situation. However, surprisingly, I haven't seen a single answer that is any way conclusive or explanatory or expert, or from experience after seeing an expert.
I'm planning on taking the cat to the vet on Monday, don't worry, but considering the considerable volume of people asking about this specific situation (a new mother breathing fast), I assume it's a specific, non-isolated problem, which probably has a single common cause.
Does anyone have experience with this? If no one does, I suppose I'll self-answer tomorrow after a visit to the vet.
Answer
Well, not your specific case, but since you asked about common causes...
A very common cause is postpartum low blood calcium, otherwise known as milk fever. Signs of this include rapid breathing, amongst many others, and while it is rare for felines, they are at higher risk for it during their first litter. In such cases, medical attention is very likely needed, especially if they show signs of stiffness, ignoring the kittens, and other behavior changes that are really out of character. It is very treatable if dealt with quickly.
Answered By - Joanne C