My beautiful pregnant stray - I'm confused!

About four weeks ago, I took in a stray little girl (together with her brother who was found with her), who the vet told me was about 10 months old at the time...and pregnant, he thought she was about 4 - 5 weeks gone. We developed a really strong bond together straight away and both she and her brother are incredibly loving and not shy at all. Now her belly is a football and she follows me everywhere, she even has to come into the toilet with me because otherwise she cries and scratches at the door, the only time she goes to her nest box, which we got ready for her is if I'm busy doing something and she doesn't get the attention she wants.
My confusion stems from the fact that even though she looks ready to have the kittens, she has colostrum in her nipples and her glands feel full, also I checked her temperature yesterday and this morning and it was below 99 f, also she wants nothing more than for me to stroke or lay my hands on her belly, and I can feel the kittens moving inside. The bottom of her abdomen near her vulva has gone saggy and I can feel a kind of a V shaped ridge there. She is restless and changes position alot, the thing is she hasn't stopped eating, she eats in little bits, and she does kind of moan when she purrs, she purrs alot! But this has been going on for at least one full day! I've never had a pregnant cat before so I don't know if I'm understanding things wrongly or if it's taking longer because she;s young. Please help because I cannot sleep or rest, I just want to be there when she has them!!

Don't panic all is going well. Are you still feeding kitten food? If not start to gradually add it to her food. It sounds as if she could deliver within 24-48 hours. You will be able to see the contractions so don't worry about missing the signs of labor.
Make sure to have washcloths handy and be ready to break the sack they are in and clean their little faces. Wipe their noses and mouth to clear away any fluid and hand them to mom to finish cleaning. It can take anywhere fron 2-12 hours to deliver all the kittens. Make sure to count the afterbirth to be sure that all are expelled. She may or maynot eat these. If she wants to eat them it is OK, it's thought to give the mother the energy she needs to continue to deliver.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks so much. I just thought I was going mad for a bit, over anxious about my baby I guess. I've been feeding her kitten food for a good 4 weeks now, today she is eating less, nibbling really. I guess I just don't want to miss it, but if I stay up any more nights then I may have to be committed!!!

She sleeps alot today, she's patient I guess her mummy could learn a thing or two from her eh?

Updates?? My kitties having kittens too so.. I am being impatient LOL I hope they come for you.. ( soon of course! LOL)

They don't all stop eating before labor, but most do. They will start pacing and become anxious, some become really loving, others want you as far away as you can get from them. Just to be safe, see if you can scare up a bulb syringe in case you have to clear noses and mouths, it is an easy way to do it. They are relatively inexpensive at drug stores. If you have to cut the cords (and most moms will chew the cord themselves- don't lift the baby up or pull the cord or you could injure the mom and the kitten (as the cord is still attached) Have a pair of sterilized scissors nearby and your vet's phone number (just in case)

Good luck!

Thanks everyone!! It's 9am here now and she woke me this morning crying, I picked her up and she was a bit wet. Ever since she's been very restless and she's panted a bit, following me everywhere bless her!!

She's disappeared now for a bit while I'm writing this and I have to literally restrain myself from going after her, give her some space, she'll call me when she wants me!!

I love her soooooooo much I want to burst!

Hopefully today may be the day!!!

Wish us luck

Check on her !! LOL I wanna know !! I think today is the day.. if shes wet and all and crying!! Ill be hoping for the best that she has a safe and fast delivery with healthy kittens!! Updates would be nice!

Thanks for posting !! I love hearing abouut new kittens!!

Please try to get a few pictures!! LOL

Ok Im going CRAZEY with suspense?? Is she having them LOL!!! ( stupid question I know... ) I have literally been up all week long for my kitty to have kittens... Unfortunately NOTHING.. LOL.. *crys* oh well what can I do...



Update soon LOL

Well, she hasn't started straining yet, she's giving herself a real good lick and she's followed me back, crouching on the sofa now really still, with her ears back, I have a feeling it'll be today sometime but I just CANNOT wait, if I could have them for her I would!!! She's giving me eye-love as I type, not panting but breathing real hard.

I'm like you, I haven't been able to sleep properly for the last few days, always half asleep just in case!

Oops she's gone off again, bless her restless little legs!

I am sooooooooo nervous!

By the way , I'll get some pictures when they're finally here! My boyfriend's left me his digital video camera so I can film her, he's at work so he wants to be able to see it himself too!

She's now following me and vocalising.

Whenever I stroke her, her bum goes right up in the air like as if she's on heat, what does that mean?

hopefully it will be today!! Snowwhite meowed nonstop for a day before she had her kittens. If she is meowing and pacing it sounds promising!!!

Well, she MAY be delaying, I don't know much about pregnant cats but I read somewhere that they delay if their nest is disturbed. I thought it was odd that she looked so ready, even her vulva is swollen and the skin/fur around it bunched up like it's ready for stretching, and yet she wasn't spending any time today in her nest box, she was yesterday. So anyway I go off checking on her and she's in the cat's room, lying on a chair while STEVIE is in her box!! So I've now changed the bedding and put her in and she spent some time in there now. I'm going to have to keep my eye on him all day.

I can't separate them forcefully because if I close her in their room, she's at the door wondering why and if I shut the door to whatever room he's in then he moans about it and she sits outside looking for him, they're too close to separate, he's been wonderful throughout her pregnancy, grooming her and keeping a general eye out. So what can I do??

I guess just keep an eye on him and once the birth starts then close the door to where she is? Think this will work?

I hope it starts soon because I'm going potty!!!!

well labor lasts 2-12 hours so... I'll be waiting for her and Princey to give it a go.. well Princeys water didnt break yet.. so I think your kitty is a little ahead! LOL Hmm.. do you think I should emphasize little? LOL

I'm going nuts, can't help it! Don't even know if her waters did break properly because there wasn't that much of it, I can see she's leaked a little bit since then but not loads, she's pretty swollen down there, but I'm beginning to doubt my own eyes, God it's like I'm expecting or something!!

No its actually worse because you dont know if shes havng her babies today, you dont know how long, only she knows.. only see can feel .. dontcha wish you were the cat?? LOL

Even the most docile male will attack kittens that are not his! I would keep them seperate as she may be delaying due to him interfering. If he is in her box this is a threat to her. She needs a quiet place away from everyone and everything else.
Each kitten is in their own bag of water so water breaking could be a bad sign. The mom is supposed to break the bag at birth. If a bag broke the kitten is open to infection. You may be seeing the mucous plug that keeps the kittens safe from infection by creating a barrier from the outside word.
Keep us posted!!

oh..then i hope that wasnt the bag..

it would be best if you could put her some where quite where she can be alone. When snowwhite was going into labor I sat with her and she didn't have the babies until I finally went to bed. So she might what to do this alone and be waiting until she feels safe.

I've just spoken to the vet and she said, that firstly the water could just have been a little bit of urine, which Misty couldn't hold when I picked her up, due to the baby-full belly (duh - I didn't even think of that at all!) and that I should now close the door to her room and separate her from Stevie.

I'm not sure she's going to like that, I've just done it and so far she's not crying so I can only hope it'll work.

I wish I could explain why I had to do that to them both, I hope they don't think they've done anything wrong. Stevie looked really perplexed.

Anyway I've put some food and water in there with her and was told to check on her about once every hour. God it's hard, I want to go in there about once a minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!