New Here....waiting on delivery (Nemo's thread)

Hi There,

Last July we got our first cat. Here name is Nemo (my 4yr old named her). When we got her she was very tiny and we were told that she was only about 14 weeks old. I took her to my vet and got her the required shots and she became a very much loved member of the family. Turns out she was more like 6 months old. Money was tight so we didn't have a chance to get her fixed right away. 3 weeks before her appointment to get fixed she got out and lo and behold kittens are due any day now. She made the great escape December 22 and came home December 25. By everything that I read I can expect the kittens to arrive any day now. She is not very big so I think there may only be 2 or 3 in there.

I read on a website that a cats temp. should be between 101 and 102F and within 24 hours of giving birth her temp should drop to 100F. I took Nemo's temp. last night and it was 100.3. I took it again this morning and it was 99.9F. Does this mean for certain that she will have her kittens in the next day or so?

I know it was very irresponsible as a pet owner to not have her fixed right away but the $$$ situation was beyond our control. I already have good homes for 3 of the kittens (if there are that many).

Thanks for your advice.

You were lucky you got her temp. - most cats hate that and are NOT cooperative. Usually I'd check my queens and if I could get a few drops of milk from the nipples (back or middle ones) they would have the kittens within 48 hrs.

Sounds to me if the temp has dropped, she's due any time now

Thanks for your replies. Nemo is funny.....she has no problem with me sticking a something up her butt to take her temp but she won't let me near her nipples. I was wondering if maybe they are just sensitive (I know mine where when I was pg....lol). I don't really think there are any other signs....she hasn't been looking for anywhere to hide that I can tell but that could be because I have a box with blankets and towels set up for her in my spare room and have been putting her in it so she knows to have her kittens there.

What other signs should I be looking for?

Oh yeah, I also have a male cat (he's fixed) but he is a bit of a bully with her....should I be seperating them until the kittens are born. For the last week when we leave the house we have been putting Homer (the male) in the basement with his food and litter so that if Nemo delivers when we are not home he won't bug her. Should I also keep them seperate when we are home?

Thanks again!

I am adding Nemo to our Kitten Watch list: http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...122520&page=26

Keep us updated on her!

I just checked her temp again and it is 99.0 so it's down from this morning. I guess all I can do it wait and see. Do you know when Dill mated?

Originally Posted by DillPickles

I would keep them seprate, but wait for one of the others to be sure. I have only the one cat so, well more soon...hehe...apperently this rectal temp thing isnt very accurate, Dill was at 99 all day yesterday and up until i checked her again( 6 hour intervals) and now she is at 100.5 which is the low end of normal for Cats....IM CONFUSED now....DARN IT...lol...

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by cpdillon

I just checked her temp again and it is 99.0 so it's down from this morning. I guess all I can do it wait and see. Do you know when Dill mated?

Click to expand...

My first pregnant foster last year bounced around between 99.0 and 101 for three days before she finally gave birth!

Also she just let me check her nipples and when I squeeze them a clear fluid comes out.....I'm assuming this is like the colustrum (sp?) that comes first when we have babies?

I would keep the mom to be cats confined to one room with a kitten box. Don't let them be roaming around the house this close to delivery. They should have a quiet safe place - no other cats harassing them, etc.

And prepare two pillowcases for the box - one has newspaper in it for delivery. The other has towels for after all the kittens are born. Replace the newspaper one with the blood, etc. for the softer one for mom and the kittens.

And if you are lucky to be home when she has them, be sure to count the placentas (one for each kitten). A retained one can spell infection and a vet visit.

Thanks. I have the box all ready to go. I had it in the spare bathroom in my bedroom for her but early this a.m. I woke up to her pawing at the closet doors to try and get them open so I moved her box into the closet cause I think that is where she wants to be.

Her temp last night was 99.8. The babies are moving around like crazy.

I feel as anxsious as I did when I was waiting to go into labour with my kids. It's crazy. I was constantly up last night checking to make sure Nemo was okay.

Still no kittens from Nemo yet. She is sleeping lots and she doesn't walk around much. I've noticed that when she does get up and walk around she doesn't go very far without lying down. She is still eating. This morning I woke up to her trying to get into my closet. I moved the box into my closet cause that seems to be where she wants to go. Her temp is 99.7.

The waiting games continues......

The waiting is the hardest part!

We should start a club. We can call it the "watched cat never delivers club"

For healthy deliveries all around.

Originally Posted by Going Nova

We should start a club. We can call it the "watched cat never delivers club"

For healthy deliveries all around.

Click to expand...

I'll join!

Im in...Id join...seems to me that my cat is just WAITING for me to go to bed...

Still nothing yet from Nemo. I took her temp this morning and it was down to 98.7 (from 99.5 the last few days) so I don't know if this means anything. She is getting crankier by the minute.

Still no kittens from Nemo yet. I think she is getting closer though. The past two days she has been my shadow and if I am sitting down then she is on top of me. Last night I noticed she was restless when she was lying on me, getting up every couple of minutes to find a better position. I also noticed that she was meowing before everytime she moved. I put my hand on her belly and it got as hard as a rock, she let out a meow and switched positions. This happened quite a few times and even last night when we went to bed. I am guessing these were contractions and they were making her uncomfortable. Do cats have contractions for hours or even days before labour? Her temp this morning is 99.5. Poor thing is getting HUGE. We are on day 66....if she mated the day she got out. She was gone for 3 days so I guess that puts us anywhere between day 63-66.

Wow it sounds like labour to me! Good luck! xo