A couple questions

I posted a couple weeks ago about the stray cat that I found that I thought might be pregnant. I took her to the vet and he confirmed it. Due to personal reasons, I decided not to spay/abort, and the vet was supportive of that decision.
I just had a couple questions. He estimated that she's due in about 3 weeks or so. Nipples are pinkish but not larger at all... I assume that's something that'll come later? I've only had one pregnant foster, and she had her babies only 3 days after I found her, so I'm not used to having a pregnant cat.
This cat is extremely affectionate, almost a bit too much.... she insists on being petted at every second of the day. I sit down and she's in my lap, I walk across the room and she's underneath my feet. Is that a normal thing with pregnant kitties?
And my last question is, about how much weight gain should I be expecting, on average? I weighed her last week, on the 7th I believe and she was 4.4 pounds. I weighed her again today and she's 4.9 pounds. I've been allowing her to eat as much as she wants.

The nipples will pink up and enlarge more as she gets closer to delivery. She may even start lactating a day or two before delivery, or she may not. My cat did not and needed some oxytocin injections to get the contractions to start and milk to start flowing.

And yes, cats can either become more affectionate or less affectionate than usual while pregnant. I think it's a good thing.

She sounds really tiny to me... did the vet say anything about her size? I had a small cat that had kittens as well, and the vet wanted to do an x-ray a day or so before the expected delivery to make sure the kittens could fit through the pelvic canal. My cat was 4.5 lbs non-pregnant, at at her last visit, she weighed just over 6 lbs... she had six kittens. Maybe that will give you a rough idea.

Do you have her birthing room set up? Is she on kitten food?

If you have any questions, feel free to ask all the wonderful people here. There is a pinned thread at the beginning of the kittens and pregnancy subforum about what to do and expect for cat pregnancies... it was very helpful to me!

Of course, we'd love to see pics... good luck with everything! It's very kind-hearted of you to take her and her kittens into your home.

Just thought of another question... this one might sound kind of odd. Are pregnant cats known to be extra gassy? I've never known a cat to be this gassy! Her stools are normal... she's just really gassy, especially when she's sitting in my lap, lol.

Yes, it could also be what you are feeding her. You should be free feeding her high quality kitten food.

I have heard that cats that have had litters before pink up sooner or always show a little bit(my former stray misty showed up to late to spay/abort and had very prominent nipples. nursed them for 12 weeks and when she went to be spayed vet was concerned she was pregnant again due to pink nipples and her figure looked very hard/pregnant belly. I know shes was about 2 1/2 so guessing this very well could have been her 3 or 4th litter. my girl got from 7-almost 9 lbs in 3 weeks and had a very easy delivery. I would be sure to have emergency numbers just in case she has issues(even if only to call and have a vet give advice) about the gassiness misty had it until her kits were walking. She also had tapeworm but wasnt treated till after the kits finished nursing and I treated all my cats

I don't know if it is normal, the food I fed her, the fact she might be constipated (being pregnant and all) or what, but Sneakers was quite gassy the couple weeks before and after giving birth!

Thanks everyone! I've got her on kitten food, and she gets to eat as much as she wants... I usually see her eat 5 or 6 times a day. I've got a large wire dog crate that I have ready for when she's a lot closer. I already have the vet's emergency number and he knows I might be calling him.

I am expecting kittens in the next 3 weeks or so with my pregnant foster cat, so I will keep you updated on anything I learn/figure out! Just make sure your cat is eating kitten food WITHOUT by-products (Friskies, Meow Mix, etc. are garbage...they contain by-products, meaning spinal cord, brain, hooves, tumors, etc.), and lots of it. I recommend EVO kitten (that's what my cat is eating for the most part).

A good quality food is ok. You don't want her the gain too fast tho - but she has to have enough to maintain her health and to feed the kittens.

Start giving her kitten food (higher calories) about a week before due (as best as you can guess) and during nursing. Keep her confined to a room and have a box with some soft towels in it in a secluded spot (dimly lit). Its best to have some towels in a pillowcase in the box and another pillowcase with newspaper in side to absorb the blood when delivering. After the kittens are born you can remove the pillowcase with newspaper and give them the soft towels in the pillowcase.

The affectionate part is DEFINITELY normal for a pregnant cat...and I know what you mean, it canbe annoying because they are so demanding of attention, LOL.

I am not sure about the weight gain because my pregnant stray came to us at the end of her pregnancy and she was very boney except for her belly. (it was sad that someone left her out to fend for herself. Makes me really mad)

Well, now a year 1/2 later, she is a fat cat...so it all ended well, LOL.

4 pounds sounds like a very small cat, so I would definitely free feed her the best quality kitten food you can afford from now until she weans the kittens. She needs all of the nutrition she can get. It's not so much about her gaining tons, but receiving the nutrients she needs for herself and those growing kittens. It takes alot out of them.

Good luck with her and please keep us updated...pictures would be great too, LOL