My Girl Dee Dee is pregnant!!

Hello everyone!! I am new to this forum but i have been reading the threads for a few days and think this is a wonderful and informative site.

I am in need of some advice and really hope you can shed some light on my question?!

I think my girl Dee Dee is in her 6th week of pregnancy roughly about 41 days i think? I'm not sure of exact dates but i kinda guestamated from when i noticed her nipples were enlarged which was 19th January. I pronounced this as her week number 3 but of course she could've 'pinked up' before this date. I phoned the vet to book an 'anntenatal' appointment lol and took her in on 29th January. The vet examined her said she was very healthy and that she thought she was about 5 weeks gone. She tried to feel how many kittens were in there but couldnt tell because "they were to soft and kitten like" but said she could feel one. Since then she has expanded in the last week but i'm sure i can feel them moving around inside? She noses in all the cupboards and the wardrobe and rumages in boxes under my bed at night. I have set up 3 kittening boxes in different places lined with newspaper and old towels and she sleeps in all three alternately after she has ruffled them all up of course!! Do you think the dates sound about right? She is very happy in herself and is eating well and sleeping alot. At the moment she still has free rein to come and go as she pleases as we live in a very quiet coldisac. When should i keep her in completely?

Sorry for the long messages!!!

purrs and cuddles claire xxx

Since you aren't sure of the date of mating, I would suggest you keep her in as of now - it sounds as if she's already looking for nesting sites.

Is this her first pregnancy? If it is, then the kittens could come early.

BTW, Welcome to TCS!!!

Good luck and if you need any help at all, just send me a pm!

I would also suggest that if you're NOT a breeder, you make a spay appointment for her as soon as possible after her delivery. You don't want her to get pregnant again a month after delivery!

Hi, Yes this is her first pregnancy and she is a smaller cat so i thought if she was near she'd be bigger? From the pics i have seen on here of cats near kittening stage she is nowhere near as big. Her nipples are very prominent and swollen though. I have set up her litter box and food and water now and she seems quite content to be stretched out on my bed most of the time. I just want to arm myself with as much advice and info as i can possible take. claire xxx

Originally Posted by sparklepanties

Hi, Yes this is her first pregnancy and she is a smaller cat so i thought if she was near she'd be bigger? From the pics i have seen on here of cats near kittening stage she is nowhere near as big. Her nipples are very prominent and swollen though. I have set up her litter box and food and water now and she seems quite content to be stretched out on my bed most of the time. I just want to arm myself with as much advice and info as i can possible take. claire xxx

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Welcome to TCS Claire. I don't know if Dee Dee has been an indoor/outdoor cat..but she certainly must remain indoors now. With smaller cats we do want you to be cautious because there can be issues with delivering, so it's best to keep in touch with your vet should you see Dee Dee having issues during the delivery. Also, we certainly want this to be Dee Dee's first and last litter if this is not part of a registered breeding program as it is actually healthier for Dee Dee to be spayed once this litter is born. I would highly recommend that you read through this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80724

Which gives you advice on what to expect etc. I'm glad you have her set up with litterbox, food and water. We do advocate placing your girl in a room of her own with at least 2 doors between herself and the great outdoors. This will help in 2 ways....she will have a quiet space with all she needs close by. Once the kittens are old enough to start learning to eat solid food and use a litterbox, they will have seen mom do both in a close proximity which helps with their learning.

Katie

I've never had a pregnant cat so I can't give you any advice as far as that goes.
I just wanted to welcome you to TCS

Thanks for the warm welcome guys, well i kept her in last night as advised and it was awful. I set her up in her room with nestbox, litter tray, food water theres even a bed in there!. All i heard all night was her scratching and crying at the door. it was very stressfull for her and for me. My other cat Simba spent the whole night sat by her door instead of on my bed where he usually sleeps. I let her out eventually and just had the catflap shut. She is a bit subdued this morning. She still has 2 weeks to and im trying to make them as stress free as possible, im kinda hen pecking her a bit and i think she is getting a bit fed up with me! Any advice guys?

Claire xx

Originally Posted by sparklepanties

Thanks for the warm welcome guys, well i kept her in last night as advised and it was awful. I set her up in her room with nestbox, litter tray, food water theres even a bed in there!. All i heard all night was her scratching and crying at the door. it was very stressfull for her and for me. My other cat Simba spent the whole night sat by her door instead of on my bed where he usually sleeps. I let her out eventually and just had the catflap shut. She is a bit subdued this morning. She still has 2 weeks to and im trying to make them as stress free as possible, im kinda hen pecking her a bit and i think she is getting a bit fed up with me! Any advice guys?

Claire xx

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Claire...you are very fortunate if she has been able to be indoor/outdoor all that time, that she has not become pregnant before. Cats are induced ovulators and as long as there is an intact male and they are over the age of 4 months of age...they can become pregnant (even without being in heat). It is absolutely a must that she be contained inside for the duration of her pregnancy and until she is spayed...just because we don't want her to 1. get scared outdoors and have her kittens in an unsafe location or 2. after her kittens are born but before she is spayed have her get pregnant again. Something you can consider is getting a hold of a large dog crate and keeping her in the crate.

Katie