I am also expecting..

Please don't look down on me for this, I feel so bad and like I am a horrible kitty mom.

Does anyone remember my post about a cat following me home when it was really cold? I named her Precious, and decided to keep her, as I fell in love with her and so did my boyfriend. Well, she is expecting kittens now.

I had a woman who I knew, and she gave me a check for $50 to help towards the cost of Precious' spay. Unfortunately, before I could get her in to be spayed, I lost my job. The day I lost my job, I needed to get food and litter for the cats. I was dead broke and I had no other choice but to use that money to buy them food. And, because I was out of a job, I was unable to get Precious spayed when I wanted to.

Some of you may also remember a thread I started back in November about my boyfriends' cousin had let Monster out of the house.. For those of you who don't, here is the link to that thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=207197

Precious stays upstairs, away from my other cats and out of my boyfriends' parents way (they didn't want me to keep her). They both know she is still here, they don't care so much anymore, my boyfriend talked to them and told them how much he loves her and how he didn't want to get rid of her. And, well, lets just say, the cousin is still here, and he was once again idiotic and careless. He sleeps in his sisters room, which is right next to the bedroom I share with my boyfriend. The window in that room doesnt have a screen. But he was hot and opened the window. But, instead of using his head and only opening it enough so Precious couldn't get out, he opened it all the way. She got out one night. And she was in heat at the time. My boyfriend and I spent all night that night trying to get her back. My boyfriend even sat out until 3-4 am with food next to him to entice her back. She came back several times to eat the food, but she was with other cats and he was never able to catch her. The next day while he was at work, he sent me a text saying, "Please do whatever you can to get my cat back. I love her too much to lose her." Fortunately, I didn't even have to try to get her back. She was in the backyard crying, so I went out and got her. She was still in heat for about 2 days after the escape, and I didn't know cats stayed in heat after breeding. But at the same time, I also figured it was nearly impossible for her to be out all night with other cats and NOT get pregnant. She never went back into heat, which is how I know she is preggo.

Even now, at 3 weeks and 1 day gestation, I can tell she is pregnant. She was soooo skinny even after a few months of regular feeding. Most who don't know her would never think just by looking at her that she is pregnant. She isn't showing much as of now, but I can tell because I know her. Her nipples are more prominant and pinker, I can feel them as I rub her belly, which I couldn't feel them before. Her tummy is hard and getting larger, I expect the pregnancy to start showing more (to where others would be able to look at her and tell she is expecting) within the next week or two. I expect her to deliver by July 10th, if I calculated right.

I have been reading up on caring for a pregnant cat, because I have never had a pregnant cat before. I know she needs to be eating kitten food. I have to buy some. I also want to get some KMR to give her maybe once or twice a day for some extra nutrition. When I get the KMR, how often should I give it to her, and how much? I know as she gets closer to delivery I need to set up some nests for her to chose. I just plan on getting some larger cardboard boxes and filling them with newspapers or old shirts and stuff that I can throw away after the births. I am going to get some soft blankets that will not catch on the babies' claws once I can clean out the stuff for after the birth.

Before I found out she was pregnant, I had been feeding her the same as my other cats, I keep some dry out for them to nibble on and they all get a wet food meal when I wake up and then another later on at night (I always gave her a little more than my other two because she was/is TOO skinny). I don't have any kitten food ATM. I have been giving her an extra meal of wet food in between the normal meal times. I'm still giving her a little bit more than Mittens and Monster because she is expecting kittens. Once I get the kitten food, I will continue to leave out dry for her all day, but should I still give her an extra meal or will the fact that it is kitten food make a difference? Especially since she will be getting extra calories and nutrition from the kitten food and the KMR? How much and how often should I give her KMR?

I know I am missing something. Is there anything else I can do? I always spend a lot of time with her loving on her and everything, and I have been giving her extra lovin's lately. What else can I do for her nutritionally when it comes to vitamins? Is it better to just give her kitten food and KMR? Do I even need to worry about extra vitamins or will the kitten food take care of that? I can use all the advice I can get.. So please let me know what else I need to do/give her so that these kittens can be as healthy as possible.

And don't worry, as soon as the kittens are weaned the first thing I am doing is getting her spayed, I don't want this to happen again. I feel like such an idiot for allowing this to happen

First thing, don't beat yourself up over it. It is what it is and you know what to do when the babies are born and weaned.

I'm sorry you're dealing with all of this. Don't be yourself up much, we have an accidental litter on the way. I had already scheduled Rosalie's spay and ended up having a nasty car accident and between having to buy a new car, surgery and everything else, it ended up not happening (along with a ton of other things) and my DH let her out when he let the dogs out (after I TOLD him not to!) and, low and behold, I should be having kittens in about a week. SIGH! I hope all goes well with precious and the kittens.

What worries me about her being so thin is that she probably has worms and you need to get her wormed before the pregnancy progresses much further. The pregnancy itself is going to take a lot from her body and then the nursing so if she's got worms that's an added strain to her body. I never gave Carly KMR as a supplement. The stuff is expensive and I personally don't think it's necessary. Get her on a good kitten food and allow her to eat as much as she wants because they will eat a ton of food while they are pregnant and nursing. As for the rest, you have a lot of time to get stuff ready since you know when she got pregnant. They really don't start nesting much until about a week or so before they are ready to have kittens. I had a box and a dog crate out weeks ahead of time because I didn't know when my cat got pregnant. I had taken her in pregnant. See if you can get her to the vet for an appointment so they can check her over and make sure everything is okay. Good luck!

Thanks for the replies guys. Fortunately, I did have her at the vet a couple of weeks before she got out. I had taken a fecal sample and took it with me, they tested it and she doesn't have worms. She has gained a few pounds since I took her in, but to me she still seems skinny, because Mittens and Monster are bigger than she is so it seems she is skinnier than I think she should be. I think she just has a high motabolism, and when I do get her spayed I'm sure it will slow down and she will get fatter. I was going to schedule her spay the day I took her to the vet but I didn't have enough money for the deposit they wanted.

Anyone else with more advice for me please reply, as I said I will take anything. I've been reading up on caring for pregnant cats, but I would still like advice from people here. I know you all will give me the best advice I can get.

And, while I am upset because this could have been prevented, I am excited to have this experience.

Keep the advice coming please!

At this moment I have 4 female cats, 3 male, and 3 4 week old kittens (2 female and 1 male). Out of all of them 2 of my females are 5 lb. cats (full grown). They are just petite cats. One has been fixed for years and still weighs the same so don't count on that to put weight on her. Lol.

Anyway, the 3 four week old kittens are my accidental litter as well. Their mama is my other 5 lb female cat. I tried to feed her kitten food (dry and wet) but she wouldn't eat it. So I fed her what I have always fed the cats and just made sure she got LOTS of extra wet food. Since she has had her babies I have added a "kitten glop" to her diet (It's supposed to be really good for them). If I had thought of it I would have fed her that during her pregnancy. Either way the kittens are very healthy. Hers was the first cat pregnancy for me. You need to take her to the vet for a pregnancy check up and then you need to take her back for another the week before delivery. The second time you take her have them check to make sure the kittens are not too big for her to deliver. I didn't do it and I should have. Baby Girl did deliver her kittens but it was a very hard delivery. If I had taken her to the vet right before the delivery I would have known everything was ok, instead I thought that 1st kitten was to big and was killing her. She was screaming, took off running, and flipping across the floor. On the third flip she shot that baby right out (thank God). Lol. It was her only little boy and he is a mama's boy.The 2nd she pushed for about 5 minutes and flipped to get her out. The 3rd she had on her own because I had an x-ray done and it showed just 2 kittens so we wasn't expecting another one and she didn't come until 4-9 hours later (we were all sleeping, I found her the next morning) but we sure do love her too.

Thanks for the kitten glop idea.. I never even thought about the price of KMR until someone here brought it up.. So I'm going to look up a recipe right now and probably get the ingredients tomorrow and start giving it to her.

Ok.. So I went out tonight with my BF. The cats needed food. So I got regular food for my other 2 and got dry kitten food for Precious. They didn't really have much of a selection of wet kitten food.. Only FF, and only in two flavors. I didn't want to get the FF, That is what Monster used to eat, and it took forever for me to find something else he liked. But, I got it anyway, because I want her to get as much nutrition she can, kitten food-wise. I did ask where the KMR would be, but they were out of it. And I had completely forgotten about the kiten glop idea too and I spent all of my money on their food tonite anyway LOL. I am going to start feeding her the wet food tonight and also start transitioning her to the dry food tonight as well.

So, Precious is about 4 weeks along now. She is starting to show now. My BF is in denial, he thinks she is getting fatter because I give her an extra meal of wet food.. Lol. But anyway, she was laying on her side and I was rubbing her tummy. She rolled over on her back and I was still rubbing. Then I moved my hand onto the side and was trying to see if I'd be able to feel any kittens. I swear I felt one! It was tiny.. But I honestly think I did feel a kitten. Is it too early for that? Was I just imagining feeling a kitten?

The kittens at this point are about 2.8 cm long (roughly about 1 1/8 inch). The uterine swellings are around 4-5 cm (roughly 1 5/8 inch-2 inches). I would think that if she was in the right position it would be possible to feel them but I can't say for sure. I never "tried" to feel the babies until she was 7 weeks and I was trying to feel them moving. I know it was easy to feel them at that point. Baby Girl didn't want us touching her belly until she was farther along so that kind of helped keep us from feeling her belly.

Even though nobody is really responding in this thread, I will continue to post small updates in here..

Precious is a little over a month pregnant. She is definitely showing more and more every day.. She is constantly hungry, which is understandable, especially since she was always hungry before her pregnancy. I leave out dry kitten food for her all the time, although she doesn't eat much of it. She does nibble on it throughout the day, but she would much rather have the wet food. She gets a 1/2 of a 3 oz can of wet kitten food in the morning, another 1/2 in the evening, and then another 1/2 later before I go to bed. I also bought some kitten treats for her, and she gets a few of those in between the evening and night time meal.

She is still very, very loving, but as her pregnancy progresses, she spends less time lying with me.. She used to lay with me ALL day, and would only move if I had to get up, then she would come right back when I layed back down. Now, if she decides to lay with me, she only stays for a few minutes before she will get down. She still always likes to be around me though, and will lay next to the bed on the floor. She used to love belly rubs. Now, she will only allow belly rubs for a couple of minutes before she starts bunny kicking, lol.

I most definitly felt a kitten that I mentioned in an earlier post.. I've felt this kitten several times. I can't wait until they are born, I am so excited to watch her give birth and see what a good mother she will be. I am a little worried though, as I am sure this is her first litter, I hope her instincts will tell her what to do. If she doesn't, I have raised a bottle baby before so if I have to, I will step in and help. I do hope she only has a couple.. I am already trying to find people who want kittens, no success so far. But I am hoping she only has a couple, so that it will be easier to find homes for 2 kittens compared to 4 or 5 ya know?

ETA: I just got a couple of nice sized, brand new boxes from my step father to set up some nests for her as well. I know she isn't nesting right now, but I figured it can't hurt to get them ready now. I only have 2 right now. One I put a fitted sheet in, and the other I put 2 old (clean) sweatshirts in.. I have both in my room, as that's where she spends most of her time, so I'm pretty sure she will decide to have them in my room anyway..

Baby Girl loved attention at this stage in her pregnancy but started laying away from us instead of with us. I think she was hot. Don't be suprised if she picks a favorite spot and spends lots of time sleeping there. She also stopped liking her belly rubbed until around 7 1/2- 8 weeks she wanted them again.

The entire pregnancy, delivery, and kittens is very exciting. The waiting was awful.

Yeah, I was thinking that maybe she's hot too, but I keep the air on in my room so she can lay in there to get away from the heat. But like I said, she spends most of her time in my room anyway, that's where she is 99% of the time. I also figured maybe she just isn't comfortable. Her favorite spot to lay now (usually her fav. spot is on me) is on the small area rug right next to my bed. There is another spot she likes to lay too. We have a glass top table in our room, the base is a black panther that's lying down, and she likes to lay right where the panthersmiddle section is, if that makes any sense lol.

I usually feed all of them when I wake up, and I woke up a little later than normal today, and she was lying next to me in bed. When I got up so did she, and she ran right to where her food is and sat there.. When I went downstairs Mikes younger cousin told me she had fed them all already. Precious has been following me around ever since I woke up. Her dry food was getting low so I filled it back up and she meowed at me until I put it back in its spot. She's quite the little porker, lol. All she wants to do is eat! I don't want to over feed her tho, so I'm going to stick to the 3 meals of wet like I've been doing. She always has dry food available, so its not like she's starving to death. But with the way she scarfs down her wet food (and treats when I give them to her) she sure thinks I'm starving her lol.

OMG, Precious was lying down on the floor, and I was petting her.. There was a lump on the side of her belly, of course it was a kitten. It was the coolest thing! I can't even explain, it was amazing.. I just had to come on and write about it.. I am sooo excited!

Hi Kittylove,

I have taken care of orphan kittens a few times, but only once did I took in a pregnant cat, so I don't have much of an experience, but I will tell you everything I did.

First of all, settle the nest (where you want her to deliver) and get her used to it. Even if she doesn't go in it at all, when the time comes she will probably use it. Also, have everything you need for the delivery all at the same place (in a bag or another box) two weeks ahead of time. You never know and you want to be sure it's ready! Here is what you will need:

1-Another tiny box with soft linen in it to put the kittens when mommy is giving births because she will be agitated and pushing and you don't want them to be squished under her. Make sure they stay warm (use socks filled with rice that you put in the microwave. you want them to be warm, no hot!) and put a blanket on top of the box to keep warmth. Allow them to nurse in between births if the mother wants to.

2- Blunt end scissors and something to sterilize them. This was tricky for me, because actually doing it is harder than the theory! The mother will usually cut the cords herself, but if she doesn't and goes into labor again without having expelled the placenta, the kitten will be stuck with her when she moves around. Just use dental floss and tie a knot on the cord about an inch from the kitten's body. Then use the scissors to cut the cord just past tha knot. Make sure it's properly cut and there is no blood (with the dental floss there shouldn't be). Don't wait until she goes into labor again, it is harder if she is moving.

3- A notepad. Write EVERYTHING! Number of kittens, their distinctive color (you can mark them on the ear with different colors using a non toxic permanent marker if they look too much alike), their weight, the number of placenta. You want to keep track of the placentas. (you can miss them, they are solid and dark red.).

4- Have an emergency vet number and your regular vet number at hand and call if anything goes wrong.

5- Stay with her even when you think she is done giving birth to make sure there is not another kitten on the way that just takes longer to come

6-Be calm and loving. Reassure her as she will be scared and in pain.

7-Make sure the kittens are breathing properly (wipe their faces with a soft wet clothe if the mother doesn't do it right away) and start drying them and rubbing them. It should stimulate the breathing. If a kitten is not breathing, you can try to swing him between your legs, but read on it before and practice with an object, you don't want the kitten end up fying in the room.

I think that's about it! If I come to think of other things I will post them!
God luck!! It is very stressful the first time, but also very rewarding when everything goes well.
Until then, yes, lots of love and kitten food!

Thanks a lot for that post.. I knew I needed all that stuff but I just didn't think about it.. So when I get a chance I will get together all that stuff so its ready when I need it. I also didn't even think about the seperate box to put the kittens in while she's giving birth! Thanks so much!

You are very welcome.
I was so prepared when my foster pregnant cat gave birth and I was still worried and nervous like you can't imagine! That's why it is so important to be prepared, because when the time comes, you will be so nervous, if you don't have everything at hand you will find yourself running all over the house searching for everything and worrying because you are not with the mommy!
I also forgot: surgical gloves (for when you cut the cord) and make sure your hands are always clean before handling the kittens.

Weight them everyday and make sure they gain weight everyday (the first day being the exception) as a kitten can go downhill quite fast. Always have kitten milk replacement in case one needs extra feeding (there is sometime as smaller one that gets pushed away from the nipples by his stronger sibblings). If it happens at night and the stores are closed until the morning you will feel bad you did not have it at home. Keep them in a dark place until their eyes are fully opened and mature. Slowly start socializing them at week 2. That's about everything that comes to mind for the moment! There are good chances you will only be there to give love and socialize them if the mother does what she has to do, just keep an eye on them without interfering to much the first 2 weeks.

Promise me you will tell us everything when the time comes!

Oh, I will definitely be on here the minute she starts labor telling everyone everything that happens.. I promise

I wouldn't know half of what I know about cats if it wasn't for this place. I wish I would express just how grateful I am of TCS, especially at a time like this. Mittens and Monster are fixed, and I have never had a cat of my own before Monster came into the picture, so I have never had a pregnant cat. Therefore I started this thread so anyone who knows about this stuff can give me advice and tell me what I need to know. I have been reading up on caring for prenant cats, but every site I go on says the same stuff over and over, and I know there is more that I need to know.

I do plan on getting KMR and having it on hand. This is Precious' first (and ONLY) litter, so I am not sure how she will handle things when the time comes. I don't know if she is gunna know what to do, I don't know if she will abandon them or what, so I want to have all the things I would need if I had an orphan, so I can step in and be the caretaker if she doesn't know how to care for them, or if she just refuses to care for them. Also, I don't know how many she will have, so there's a possibility she will need my help depending on how many she has.

I FELT MOVEMENT!!!!!

Today is the first time I've felt kittens moving. But they could have been moving for a while now. Usually when I try to touch her stomach she gets up and moves. Today though, she let me hold my hand on her tummy for like 1/2 hour, and the whole time my hand was there, they were moving! Its like they're all tumbling around in there!

How far along is she?