Also waiting (Ms Friskers)

zoethor2

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Hi all --

I'm brand new here, but I hope it's ok to introduce myself and my pregnant kitty in the same thread. I'm a 23 year old graduate student, and obviously, a cat lover, and have inherited my mom's tendency to want to help every stray kitty that crosses my path. My roomie and I took in two kittens several months ago, but when one of the friendliest strays living behind our apartment turned up obviously pregnant two weeks ago, I had to take her in. Thankfully, she and the kitties are warming up to each other remarkably well given the circumstances.

Trouble is, of course, we don't really know with any certainty when she was in heat, or when she mated. So we have a mystery due date. She was definitely at or past 5 weeks when we took her in a week and a half ago, but as I'm sure we're all familiar, between then and actually giving birth, things are pretty fuzzy. So here I am, having created a few lovely birthing boxes for her to choose from, spoiling her rotten with attention and tasty food, wondering if she'll give birth tomorrow or in two weeks, and going crazy.

Thank god, I seem to have found some people to keep me company. I think my mom is sick of hearing about it.


Oh, and my boyfriend nicknamed her Mr Friskers back in September when we thought she was a boy, and I now I can't bring myself to change the name, though it is not quite one I would have chosen myself. So, just the title... we think Mrs is probably a bit overly optimistic about her romantic situation.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you, and hopefully getting to see all your kitten births will help me wait more patiently for mine.

(Hurry up Ms Friskers!)

--Zoë
 

catwoman_2669

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Welcome!!!


its a nice thing you did taking in a pregnant stray cat.
my cat just gave birth a week ago, but i found a pregnant stray in my barn some days ago. i also have no clue when shes due. let the waiting game begin.

lots of for your kitty.
 

marianjela

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Welcome Zoe and Ms Friskers! It's awesome that you took Friskers in and are giving her a warm haven!

I joined this list 3 years ago when we adopted a cat from the Humane Society for my daughter's birthday only to find out shortly after that she was pregnant. SURPRISE!

We waited for what seemed like FOREVER until she had her kits. Shortly after that my son was diagnosed with cancer and I kind of fell off the face of the board. But because of this list, last year we started fostering pregnant cats and kittens from The A.N.N.A. Shelter (our local no-kill). I find it very rewarding. In fact, we now are in the presence of a calico expecting anyday now.

From my limited experience, every cat is different. I've seen cats have discharge for days, and others not have any until the moment they deliver. Some of the queens stop eating and I had one foster that was eating while she was delivering- litterally- my daughter was feeding them in the kitchen and noticed a "funny bubble" on the momma cat. Turned out to be a kitten. She was walking around with a half born kitten. Too weird. Anyway... I guess I went on enough. I tend to do that.

Welcome to the board - look forward to reading Zoe's "tails" and seeing her kits!

~Marian
 
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zoethor2

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Thank you!

I'm really a sucker for cats. In February, I don't think I could've lived with myself knowing she was outside, knowing I could've brought her in and given her a home, particularly since she was already totally sociable. When I brought her in, she just jumped out of the cat carrier, looked around for a moment, and settled down on the floor and went to sleep like she had lived here for years. Never seen anything like it.
 

gaylemg

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Welcome! I adopted a pregnant stray 3 weeks ago and she hasn't birthed yet. She looks big as a house, so I keep thinking it's soon.
 
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zoethor2

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Actually, I just realized now that I have this massive resource, which is awesome, since my mom has stopped responding to my emails (she's a punk).

So, I *think* Friskers darling is at about 7-8 weeks right now, give or take a few days. My only concern is that I haven't seen the kittens move at all so far, and it seems like maybe I should have by now? Should I be starting to prepare myself for the worst, or does it sometimes happen that they don't move until towards the very end of the pregnancy?

I keep wanting to hope she's at 8 weeks, so she'll have them sooner, but then it worries me even more that there's been no movement... I'm making myself nutty this way. So anyway, with so many people here, I'm betting I can get a rough idea when the earliest/latest kitten movement generally happens is and hopefully feel better about things. (And maybe get a better idea where she is.)

As far as other stuff: she's massive. Bulging out on the sides a lot, so she waddles a bit when she walks (which is hilarious). No nesting behavior though -- she's ignoring the boxes I made for her. Eating like a horse. Spends the whole day napping for an hour, getting up, moving to a new spot, napping for an hour, repeat all day. Barely territorial at all towards the kittens, but does NOT want them to approach her and will smack them if they get close enough to touch her. Oh, and HATES have her stomach touched, whereas when I first brought her in, she LOVED tummy rubs. And she follows me around, when I'm home. And spent a good bit of time yesterday crawling underneath stuff and napping under things like end tables and dressers. Closest to nesting behavior that I've seen.
 

marianjela

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Originally Posted by Zoethor2

So, I *think* Friskers darling is at about 7-8 weeks right now, give or take a few days. My only concern is that I haven't seen the kittens move at all so far, and it seems like maybe I should have by now?
From what I believe, you can start to feel movement around 7 weeks, maybe sooner if your are experienced at what you are feeling. The beginning movements could easily be mistaken for stomach gurgles. They are very tiny movements in the beginning. I explain it to my children as this: take your index finger and gently trace the palm of your other hand. It's kind of like that.

About a week later the movement get much stronger and can begin to see them move. Within the last week their mammary glands will fill with milk, I notice it much better when they are standing and gravity helps feel (as opposed to sitting down when they squish exery thing together) :smilie: Also you might notice dried blood on their "woo hoo" lol

I foster kittens and pregnant cats from our local shelter, so I've seen impending signs vary, but it gives you a general idea.

What makes you estimate she's at 7-8 weeks now? Unless you know when she mated, or know the pinking date, from my experience it's pretty hard to guess with any accuracy how far along they are before you feel movement. Size alone might be an indicator, but I've seen HUGE bellies only have 4 kits and smaller bellies deliver 8!

Good luck! And I hope you feel movement soon - that's always my favorite part!!
 

marianjela

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Originally Posted by Marianjela

What makes you estimate she's at 7-8 weeks now?
I went back and re-read your first post. I see you have had Ms. Whiskers in your care for about 2 weeks now... since it was evident she was pregnant when you took her in, she probably was around 5 weeks then.

Assuming she is 7 weeks now you should begin to feel movement soon. Try feeling for the movement on the SIDES of her belly (along her horns) In the beginning the kits are carried higher up (kind of like saddle bags) and dont move into her stomach (nipple area) until the end. And remember, the beginning movements dont feel so much like kicks, but little gurgles :-)

Imagine how small they are when they are born, then try to imagine them 2 weeks smaller than that. Their little kicking muscles in the 7th week are not so prominent.

Again - good luck - hope you feel them soon!!!
 

gaylemg

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I haven't felt any movement from Rags's belly and I am anxiously awaiting some sign that she is close. I also find this forum a great resource. I knew nothing about pregnant cats before I came here.
 

sakura

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Hi and welcome! This website is a great resource.

I am so happy to hear that you took in this pregnant stray
Do you plan on keeping her and/or any of the kittens after she has her babies? Re-homing?

I have never been in that position before but from reading this board I know it's important that she be eating kitten dry food, not adult dry food. Judging by how friendly she is, she must have been someone's abandoned/neglected pet
 
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zoethor2

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Originally Posted by Marianjela

What makes you estimate she's at 7-8 weeks now? Unless you know when she mated, or know the pinking date, from my experience it's pretty hard to guess with any accuracy how far along they are before you feel movement. Size alone might be an indicator, but I've seen HUGE bellies only have 4 kits and smaller bellies deliver 8!

Good luck! And I hope you feel movement soon - that's always my favorite part!!
Thanks SO much --

I know she was pinked up on the 20th of February; I had noticed the weight gain earlier that week when I fed her (yeah, I'm one of the suckers feeding the feral kitty colony -- hoping to start trap-neuter-return soon), and sat down next to her and felt her tummy on the 20th and confirmed my suspicions of her pregnancy with her pinked up nipples, then talked it over with my roommate and caught her. So figuring that was at least week 5, that makes this at least week 7. But given I had already noticed the weight gain, I'm hedging it a little towards maybe further in? But that's just guesswork, obviously.
 
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zoethor2

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Originally Posted by Marianjela

Assuming she is 7 weeks now you should begin to feel movement soon. Try feeling for the movement on the SIDES of her belly (along her horns) In the beginning the kits are carried higher up (kind of like saddle bags) and dont move into her stomach (nipple area) until the end. And remember, the beginning movements dont feel so much like kicks, but little gurgles :-)

Imagine how small they are when they are born, then try to imagine them 2 weeks smaller than that. Their little kicking muscles in the 7th week are not so prominent.

Again - good luck - hope you feel them soon!!!
Oops -- didn't realize it was you who had written this one too! I have felt some little gurgles -- lol -- I figured it was just gas! Especially at first, because Friskers dearest was a bit constipated when we first brought her in (whether from pregnancy or she was holding it because she was uncomfortable being somewhere new). But now it makes a lot more sense that those gurgles might be little kittens movements! Yay!
 
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zoethor2

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Originally Posted by Sakura

Hi and welcome! This website is a great resource.

I am so happy to hear that you took in this pregnant stray
Do you plan on keeping her and/or any of the kittens after she has her babies? Re-homing?

I have never been in that position before but from reading this board I know it's important that she be eating kitten dry food, not adult dry food. Judging by how friendly she is, she must have been someone's abandoned/neglected pet
Thank you! It feels nice to hear that people appreciate what I'm doing, but like I said above, I honestly don't think I could live with myself knowing that I could help her and not doing it. She's an animal -- it's not her fault she drew the short straw and ended up outside.


I'm going to be keeping her -- I've been wanting her since I first noticed her in September, but the first attempt at catching her went poorly and we thought she was just too feral to be socialized. Turned out we were just inept at catching cats.
She'll be getting spayed ASAP, and get a vet trip for all the usual stray checks -- luckily our other cats have been VERY thoroughly vaccinated so there's little worry in that sense.

We've got friends and family interested in up to 6 kittens, with the people at the end of the list aware that they may or may not get one depending on how many come out! And a few other people who probably would want one but we haven't bothered asking since I've never seen a litter bigger than 6, though I know they happen. Luckily I have an extensive network of friends who are all cat people, so getting kittens into homes is NOT hard, and I don't have to charge to make sure to weed out riff raff, because it's all people that I already know. Vets are expensive enough without paying for the kitten!

She's getting kitten chow and also a can of wet food with a Tbsp of olive oil each morning (olive oil because she has TERRIBLE dandruff poor thing -- I can tell it itches her like mad -- I'm also running a humidifier, which has helped my skin too!). The wet food has helped a lot, she wasn't getting enough food outside, and she looks much more full and healthy now, like a real pregnant kitty, not a scrawny pregnant kitty.

And yeah, she definitely used to be someone's pet. No feral cat would have come into the house and just gone to sleep like that. She didn't hide under furniture or yowl or act the slightest bit scared or unhappy. Can't imagine who would leave such a beautiful cat behind! She's so lovely -- all black, with a gorgeous thick soft coat...
Maybe she took off on her own, but I find it hard to imagine.
 

marianjela

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How goes the belly rubs???? I love feeling the little babies move around. Too bad most the finicky moms I've had dont like their bellies touched!

The one we're fostering now, would let us feel her belly, but only as you distract her with ear scratches


She did go through a real BRIEF stage last week of flopping over and letting us rub it, but she is back to clawing/biting at us if we try it now.

Oh well... currently she is lying beside my bed in between two of the nesting spots I've made for her. <sigh>
 
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zoethor2

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Originally Posted by Marianjela

How goes the belly rubs???? I love feeling the little babies move around. Too bad most the finicky moms I've had dont like their bellies touched!

The one we're fostering now, would let us feel her belly, but only as you distract her with ear scratches


She did go through a real BRIEF stage last week of flopping over and letting us rub it, but she is back to clawing/biting at us if we try it now.

Oh well... currently she is lying beside my bed in between two of the nesting spots I've made for her. <sigh>
Tee hee -- Ms Friskers also only lets me touch her tummy while I distract her with ear scratches! My roomie can't get away with it at all, and has a hand full of scratches to attest to that. I actually just scratched her ears a whole bunch and just laid my hand on her tummy and I FELT THE KITTENS MOVING ALL OVER THE PLACE! First time I really for sure felt them move. And now I've been watching her tummy and can see them bouncing around... ooo! I'm hoping it might be soon. She turned down her morning can of cat food today, which she has NEVER done before. *fingers crossed*

And also *fingers crossed* that she chooses one of the two boxes I made NOT the middle of my bed!
 
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