Our stray (who we named Daisy) has settled into her shelter in our garden and now we are just waiting on the kittens. Is there any way to tell how far along she is without having an ultrasound done? The vet didn't really have a good guess except that we were likely at least 2 weeks out, maybe more - and that was a week ago. She is getting bigger around with bulging out to her sides and she is looking healthy now instead of half-starved. Her coat and eyes look brighter and shinier - it is quite heartening to see how much better she looks than when she found us a week and a half ago. The only thing that concerns me is that her nipples which were prominent before seem to have actually decreased in size and I thought they were supposed to get bigger as the pregnancy proceeds. Reading too much as I tend to do, I've been questioning if she is indeed pregnant or if it is something bad like FIP, but we were reassured by our vet that she is very likely pregnant and to just wait a couple of weeks before bringing her back in to be reevaluted if we want. An ultrasound plus office visit will run me almost $200 which I really can't afford right now - especially since I need to save up for kitten shots and a spay and more shots for Daisy (who we will likely keep). I'd like to have some idea when to expect the babies, but her nipples haven't turned pink yet and I can't feel any kittens moving around when I gently feel around on her tummy. She is still eating normally and shows no signs of discomfort or distress or even change in personality except she seems content and happy. Are there any other telltale signs about how close we are to the end? I'm dying to see what her babies will look like. If she is local area rather than dumped from afar, our neighboring barn toms are all orange tabbies - so I almost expect some orange ones. My kids are already bugging me to keep a kitten - I'm sure my other cats (not to mention my husband) would be thrilled with the permanent addition of Daisy AND a kitten
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