Miracle Mamma And Babies

by Jacquelyn
(Iowa)

It all started when China went in heat. At night she would go into everyone's room and cry to be let out. It drove my mother nuts! She couldn't stand her. So after my dad left for work in the morning (she didn't want him to know) she let her out the back door. When I woke up, I was confused right away. China was ALWAYS there on my top bunk when I woke up in the morning. I asked Mom if she had seen her and she told me what she did. It made me very angry, but I wouldn't dare talk back to my mother. Lol!

Anyways, I waited until around one o'clock, and then I couldn't wait any longer. I threw on my coat and went outside to look for her. I walked around town, calling her name. She didn't come at all.

When I got home, I was almost in tears. I was angry at my mom for letting her out. But when I was walking past the garages, I saw her under my dad's van. I looked under there and saw her laying down next to a stray cat that I was going to take in before I found China. Right away, I expected that she was pregnant. I didn't say anything until that night. She wasn't in heat anymore. I told mom, but she just sighed and then we never thought anything of it again.

We spent one whole month not knowing about the pregnancy. Then one day I blurted out, "China hasn't been in heat in a while." My mom gasped. "Oh great!" I remember her saying.

Everyone kept on telling me that I shouldn't get too excited because it had happened with one of my bunnies before. Mom just didn't want me to get disappointed again.

That all changed the day I saw the babies moving inside of her. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life. We were all excited. I had had pregnant cats when I lived on the farm, but I was only six years old then. I didn't remember much. But now, I was impatient.

Finally, my mom called the vet and asked how long it took. We found out that her last due date would be March 22. That was VERY SOON. On March 20th, 2008 on a Thursday I came home from church with my family. I had a feeling that it was the day, I zoomed into the house and looked for China. I looked under the chair where she was most of the time. Nothing. She came out and meowed at me until I went into my room.

She had walked to my closet and layed down on a blanket I had layed out for her in there. I was shocked. I went into the living room and told Mom what she had done. I walked back to my room, but she was standing at the door waiting for me. I walked to the closet and she layed down on the blanket again. I lifted her off of it and layed it on the floor in front of my mattress (my "bed" at the time). I sat down on it and she layed down. She started pushing and I screamed. "She's pushing, Mamma!" She came into my room and stood in the doorway. "Want me to call, Amanda?" I had asked. It was Mom's best friend. "Hold on. We have to be sure," she answered. Then China pushed again and again. Mom's face turned white. It was happening. "Do you want me to call her NOW?" I asked. "Yeah," she said grabbing the phone for me. I called her and said, "Amanda." It was like, ten-fifteen by then. "Yes," she said. "Get your butt over here! She's in labor!" I squealed. "Really?" she had asked. "Yes!" I said. "I'm coming over," she said, hanging up.

I sat and watched China push and push. Amanda ran into the house and plopped down on my bed. When she pushed Amanda almost screamed because she was so excited.

It was one-forty-six in the morning when the first kitten was born. An orange fat kitten like its father. China cleaned him up and wrapped her upper paws around him, like a hug. It was the CUTEST thing in the WORLD! We were so happy. There was only one thing wrong though. He wasn't latching on the nipples. I tried to help him, but he just couldn't get it.

China still hadn't had a kitten by noon that day. I was up all night. Exhausted. Trying to get her to push. Mom called the vet, and they kept on saying that it was not normal at all and that we needed to get to the vet right away. We would have, but we didn't have the money, and they wouldn't even bill us. I was scared and crying, afraid I would lose my daughter. Amanda went to the store to buy some kitten formula. Scamp (the first kitten) still wasn't latching on. We fed him right when she got back. Well, after we warmed it up and everything.

He was a hungry little boy. I would have been too. He was so cute. My baby. China took care of the rest of the things for him while I just fed him. He was perfectly fine that day.

The next morning, I woke up at eight o'clock in the morning. I was panicking. I forgot to get up and feed Scamp. I looked over at him. My heart stopped. Tears came to my eyes. I shook him, but he was stiff. I cried, "Mom!" she wasn't listening. She was on the phone. "MOM!!!!" I shreiked. "What? What?!" she came running to the room. "He's gone!" I cried.

Horrible sobs came from inside me. I held the little thing in my arms and screamed. My heart seemed to be broken. China meowed at me to give him back. I layed him down next to her. She started to clean my scent off of him. And then she wrapped her arms around him. She thought he was still alive. I cried harder and harder.

I made China push some more. I was mad and sad. I wasn't going to let China go too. No. Not her. Amanda came later that night, at four o'clock with her dog and her neighbors dog so that each of us could walk one. She figured I needed some fresh air. I went with her and took Cash from her. That one was her dog. We didn't talk much, just walked.

When I got home, China was pushing on her own when I walked into my room. I lifted her butt to see if anything was coming. There was a black ball that I thought was just a bubble. I was wrong. It took me a minute to realize that it was the crown of a kittens head. I called mom in there and pulled the head out. Obviously it wasn't alive, but at least I got it. I didn't want to pull the rest out, I heard something crack when I tried. I made my mom do it. She was so grossed out that it was funny. She got two plastic bags and I put both of the dead kittens in them.

The dead one I got out (well, the head) was black and white. The head was misshaped and I almost thought it was part dog.

China kept pushing. I closed my curtain (a.k.a: my door) and let her do her stuff. I walked back in there a while later and she was laying on my bed. "Mom! I think China's trying to give birth on my bed!" I called. I didn't expect anything. I put her back on her blanket and lifted her butt. There it was! The kittens nose mouth and closed eyes! I screamed for mom to hurry up. I figured it was dead, but at least another one was coming out. Then the toung moved. I laughed with joy. I pulled out the head, and then hesitantly pulled it out gently to the shoulders every time China pushed. The I pulled it out by myself. The kitten was alive! And it was FATTER than the first one.

China got her cleaned up and I named her Scamp like her brother. She looked just like him. But fatter. It was the breed. Her dad was fat too.

We had to leave for church soon. I felt China's stomach and thought I felt another kitten. "What is this, Dad?" I had asked him. He got home a little bit after the birth. "It's a muscle," he had answered.

I told mom after church that night that I thought another one was in there. I didn't believe Dad one bit. She told me she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to go through it again.

I told Dad what I thought while he was done visiting with some friends. "I think so too. I just didn't want you to get excited. It might be nothing," he had said. I smiled. I knew it was something. I was stupid.

I was excited to get home. When we got there my sister and I ran into my bedroom. "Oh my goodness! There's another one there!" I had screamed. And there was. A little black and white one. Thinner than Scamp. Probably like his dad or China. China is a calico. We all celebrated and called Amanda over. (AGAIN!)

The kittens are a month and five days old now. They're the cutest! Snickers (the black and white one) likes to follow me around. He's a cuddly little boy! And Scamp, she's just a girl. She absolutely HATES it when we hold her. Like China. But they're the best.

The reason they're ALL miracles is because it is supposedly impossible for a cat to wait over twenty-four hours to give birth to the other kittens. China waited over fory-eight hours. They were supposed to be dead. All of them. I would not be telling you this story if it had a horrible ending. Yes, there were sad parts in them. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. I saved my daughter and my grand children. For a twelve year old girl, that's pretty big. My whole family is grateful for what I did. If I hadn't pulled that dead thing out, none of them would be here today. Thank you all for listening. I really appreciate it.