Is she nearly there...?

emmorticia

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Hi all, my first post here!


Smokey is very pregnant...she's absolutely huge now! We're not sure of her due date, but there's a couple of things that have made me think she's ready to give birth fairly soon. Last night I noticed she had a mucus-like discharge, not sure whether I should be worried about this or not or whether it's a sign she's almost ready to give birth? Her belly also seems to have dropped in the last few days, and I can feel the kittens wriggling inside.

Any other signs I should be looking out for? And is the mucus thing ok, do you think?

Thanks!
 

janb

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Hi and welcome. I have been reading lots on the net about this as my cat is due very soon too. The mucus thing is the first sign that labour will begin shortly. She will go off food hunt around for a nesting place next. Then she will have her babies. Make sure she has a nice nesting box. Good luck. Is this the first time, it is for me, i am really excited, i cant wait for Snowy to have her kittens. If you are worried at all then there are loads of people on here that will help.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by emmorticia

Hi all, my first post here!


Smokey is very pregnant...she's absolutely huge now! We're not sure of her due date, but there's a couple of things that have made me think she's ready to give birth fairly soon. Last night I noticed she had a mucus-like discharge, not sure whether I should be worried about this or not or whether it's a sign she's almost ready to give birth? Her belly also seems to have dropped in the last few days, and I can feel the kittens wriggling inside.

Any other signs I should be looking out for? And is the mucus thing ok, do you think?

Thanks!
Welcome to TCS...the thread that Jan provided will give you very good information. Just remember, now is a critical time to keep your cat strictly indoors only. She will need to remain indoors until she has fully weaned her kittens and can be spayed. Keep us posted on the situaiton.

Katie
 
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emmorticia

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Yup, we've kept her inside for the last 2 weeks, as we aren't sure when her due date is. She's really not happy with us, she loves being outside! (and it means we need to start cleaning her litter tray again!)

She's not given birth yet, but she's being a lot more docile, and you can see the kittens moving around inside her belly when she's lying down. I heard that cats are supposed to lose their appetite just before, though, and she still seems to be eating as much as ever. I was hoping it would be this weekend, as I don't want to be at work when it happens - she doesn't seem to want to leave my side at the moment!
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by emmorticia

Yup, we've kept her inside for the last 2 weeks, as we aren't sure when her due date is. She's really not happy with us, she loves being outside! (and it means we need to start cleaning her litter tray again!)

She's not given birth yet, but she's being a lot more docile, and you can see the kittens moving around inside her belly when she's lying down. I heard that cats are supposed to lose their appetite just before, though, and she still seems to be eating as much as ever. I was hoping it would be this weekend, as I don't want to be at work when it happens - she doesn't seem to want to leave my side at the moment!
If you do not know her exact date of mating...it will be more difficult to determine her due date (although it does sound like she is close). Once she gives birth...I would really recommend confining her and her kittens to a room. We've had individuals on this site that have had cats slip back outside even when watched...so it's best not to risk another pregnancy by confining her until she is spayed.

Katie
 

ilovesiamese

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Hi there, is this her first litter???

i found that an extra large dog kennel was really helpful and still is with Mittens and her kittens because she doesn't really like to be confined to one room and we also have another mamma and another litter, so that is the way it has to be. Plus if you keep her in the kennel with the kitten and let her out for a while here and there, then there is less chances of her getting out again, espcially if she's used to being an outdoor cat.

Another queen I had gave birth to her litter and then a short while after, she went into heat again and clawed through a window screen and I haven't been able to find her since despite much searching, so I always just mention to everyone to be extra careful.


Goodluck with your litter.
 
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emmorticia

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Thanks all, this is really useful! She's still not given birth yet...thought she might while we were at work today, but she's holding off! We reckon she's somewhere around 62 days or so now. It's her first litter, and we're assuming she'll be able to cope on her own, but still want to be there! Funny thing is, she can still be quite active (came home about 10 mins ago and she ran pretty fast into the kitchen to be fed!) so not really sure when it's going to happen!

We've put a cardboard box in the bedroom lined with towels, and it's been there for a few weeks, so hopefully she'll decide to give birth there - she's been getting into it voluntarily quite a lot. The sides are quite high, so she has no trouble jumping in but the kittens shouldn't be able to get out. There's no risk of her getting outside - we have both an internal and an external front door, and we've kept all the windows bolted shut for the last couple of weeks!

Here's hoping it'll happen soon...
 
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emmorticia

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Not as yet...she's still not given birth! Got home from work about half an hour ago, and she's being fairly vocal, especially when using her litter tray. Am hoping tonight is going to be the night, but who knows!!
 
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emmorticia

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Oops, also meant to ask...what does it look like when a queen is having contractions? Have tried looking it up on the Internet but can't find anything!!!
 

ilovesiamese

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I know with Mittens, her contractions were really that visable, but I could tell because she'd start to pant and get this weird look on her face (her first litter)
 

tortiebaby

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When the cat goes into labor her stomach will push up toward her ribs in a big, hard ball. That's the best way to describe it. Don't worry, when the time comes, you'll know. If your cat is anything like mine, she will make SURE you know! Right before my cat went into labor she jumped up onto the couch and layed down next to me(a white couch mind you). I was petting her and had my hand on her tummy so I could feel the babies when suddenly it knotted up and got really hard. I thought one of the babies had REALLY moved and then as I watched I noticed her stomach relax and do it all over again. I knew she was in labor so I just picker her up(remember, WHITE couch) and placed her into her birthing box.

It was scary at first, but she instinctively knew what to do.
 

tortiebaby

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Oh yeah, keep your eye on her if you notice her going into the litter box alot. First time mother cats sometimes confuse labor with having to go to the bathroom and may give birth to a kitten in the litter box. I read somewhere that someone actually replaced the liter in the litter box with torn newspaper just incase a kitten WAS born in there. Just though I would mention that. Good luck!
 
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emmorticia

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Well, still no kittens! She's become a lot more lethargic though, seems to spend most of her time lying stretched out on the bed and she looks so uncomfortable! Poor baby keeps making sighing noises, I bet she can't wait till they're out! Kittens are still moving inside, so I'm not too worried yet...
 

deni

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Expect a yowl, she will let you know. Cats are fiercely protective when giving birth. All you can do is watch from a distance. Has she been eating or drinking? leave a bowl of water near her, she won't want to go too far. Keep us all informed
 

tortiebaby

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Neither of my females were protective while giving birth. I actually had to stay next to the birthing box the entire time when my second female gave birth. If I tried to walk away she would follow me, IN THE MIDDLE OF LABOR! She must have known she would need me because, sure enough, with the first 2 kittens she couldn't reach them after they were born and so I have to remove the sacs and clean them off for her otherwise they would have died.

I guess every cat is different.
 
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emmorticia

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She's being quite protective...am getting the occasional bite from her! Leaving her well alone now, when she'll let me. She's still following me around a bit. Yes, she's eating, but not a huge amount - nowhere near as much as normal!
 
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