Chloe se swangerskap | Chloe's pregnancy

Verlede jaar het ek 'n kat, met die naam Chloe, gehad. Sy was klein en baie liefdevol. Sy het oulike spin geluide gemaak. Sy was ook baie stout en gulsig. Sy het sommer ons kos vanaf ons borde gesteel of as ons vir Fluffy of Sheila 'n stukkie kaas sou gee, het sy vinnig aangehardloop gekom en dit voor hulle weggeraap. Eendag, terwyl my pa besig was om 'n mielie te eet, het Chloe naby gesit en hom dopgehou. Skielik spring sy op en gryp die mielie uit my pa se hand uit. Hy was baie kwaad en dit was die laaste strooi. 'n Week later, toe gee my ouers haar vir 'n kollega wat saam met my pa werk, wat op 'n plaas bly.

Ons wou haar laat steriliseer, maar voordat ons kon, het sy verwagtend geraak. Ons was eers nie seker nie, maar haar maag het groter en groter geraak. Soos die dae verbygegaan het, het sy elke dag na my kamer gekom en op my skoot kom lê, dan het ek haar maag gevryf en vir haar aandag gegee. Later, tydens haar swangerskap, toe haar maag nou al baie groot was, het ek weer haar maag gevryf en ek het gevoel hoe die klein katjies beweeg en teen my hand skop. Dit was 'n ongelooflike ervaring.

Soos die tyd nader gekom het vir haar om geboorte te gee, het sy begin nes skop en onder my komberse gelê. Dit het gelyk asof sy my bed en my kamer gekies het om haar kleintjies in te kry. Eendag toe kom lê sy weer op my skoot en sy het aaneen gespin. Terwyl ek haar maag gevryf het, toe voel ek iets nat. Haar water het gebreek. Ek was rêrig senuweeagtig, want ek was alleen by die huis, maar ek het baie opgelees oor katte wat geboorte gee en hoe om haar te help, so ek was in 'n mate voorbereid.

Die eerste katjie het begin kom en dit was baie pynlik vir haar, want dit was haar eerste keer dat sy geboorte gegee het. Dit het 'n halfuur tussen elke katjie geneem en sy het geboorte aan vier katjies gegee. Ons was altwee uitgeput na alles verby was. Sy het presies geweet wat om vir elke katjie te doen. Sy het die plasenta afgebyt en opgeëet en sy het hulle pels drooggelek.

Dit was nie die eerste keer dat ek gesien het hoe katjies gebore word nie, maar dit was die eerste keer dat ek stoksielalleen met die mammakat was wat geboorte gegee het. Dit was 'n wonderlike ervaring en ek dink nog soms daaraan.

Last year I had a cat called Chloe. She was small and very affectionate. She would make cute purring noises. She was also very naughty and greedy; she would steal our food from our plates or if we gave Fluffy and Sheila a piece of cheese then she would come running to steal it away from them. One day my father was eating a "mielie" and Chloe was sitting nearby watching him, all of a sudden she jumped the "mielie" out of his hand. My father was very angry and that was the last straw. A week later they gave her to my father's work colleague who lives on a farm.

We wanted to spay Chloe, but before we could she fell pregnant. At first we didn't realise that she was pregnant, but as the days went by she got bigger and bigger. She would come to my room every day and lay on my lap and I would rub her tummy and give her attention. One day when she was very big I was rubbing her stomach and I felt the kittens moving and kicking at my hand, it was an amazing experience.

As it got closer to her time to give birth she started nesting and laying underneath my blankets. It seems as though she had chosen my room and bed to give birth. One day she came to lay on my lap and she was purring a lot. I was rubbing her stomach when I felt something wet. Her water had broken. I was really nervous because I was alone at home. but I had read a lot of articles of cats giving birth and what to do or how to help them.

The first kitten started coming, it hurt a lot for Chloe because it was the first kitten and her first birth. It was about half an hour between each kitten. She gave birth to four kittens. We were both exhausted afterwards. She knew exactly what to do for each kitten, she bit the placenta off and ate it and she licked their fur dry.

It wasn't the first time I had seen the birth of kittens, but it was the first time I was alone when they were being born. It was an amazing experience and I still sometimes think about it.

Chloe giving birth.

The four kittens

3 weeks old.

Written by Shanlan Wyngaard