Advice please! Is it time to induce?

teamcarp33

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I foster cats for my local shelter. I've fostered lots of mama cats and kittens, and have had several pregnant cats give birth here at my house with no complications. Almost 2 weeks ago (it will be 2 weeks tomorrow, on Friday) I brought home a new cat. When I went to pick her up, I thought she looked VERY pregnant and I expected her to deliver sometime that weekend. She is a very tiny cat, I would guess maybe 5 lbs non-pregnant. She seems young, I would guess a year or younger. I know cats rarely have problems with delivering, and maybe I'm being paranoid. However, two weeks have gone by and I am on pins and needles. She has had milk for at least 9 days now. Three days ago (almost exactly, its been about 72 hours), she had what I assumed to be "bloody show". She has some bloody mucusy discharge. It wasn't very much, didn't smell funny, and only lasted a few hours. I figured we'd have kittens very soon! Now three days have gone by with no further signs. She is all belly- it looks like she has a cantelope in there. She is still eating very well (1.5-2 cans of good quality wet food a day), and she doesn't seem restless or anxious at all. That being said, she is not active and seems somewhat uncomfortable. She mostly just lays in her nest and will purr and want belly rubs when I sit with her. The kittens are very active, I can feel them and see them move clearly. Should I be worried? Is this normal?
 

catsallaround

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Have you felt them moving the entire time you have had her? Milk often(always?) comes in sooner for cats who have had litters before.

What has vet said? Be sure to mention the discharge a few days ago. I would hold off long as the vet said was ok to wait as higher chance of having to bottle feed and a few days to young is so bad in kittens.
 

jbsmomto1

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I would wait and see what the vet says. She may not be as far along as you think she is. As long as you are feeling or can see significant movement, I wouldn't worry to much. If she was in distress you would know it, she would be vocal and you would see some obvious straining and signs of stress.
 

rosieposie

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That sounds so much like my dilema when i first joined this site.

My Rosie is a small cat and she was so huge during pregnancy that every night i thought oh this may be it. I did this for a month.

I exhausted myself waiting for the kittens to be born then one morning my gut instinct told me it would be the day she actually did deliver.

Our vet didnt want to see Rosie because he basically said cats do it on their own and putting her in a carrier box to come to the vets to have someone she doesnt know examine her belly would have put her under so much stress and pressure.

Apparently smaller cats look huge when pregnant.

Good luck
 
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teamcarp33

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Last night Tess finally delivered her kittens. She had 5, but 3 weren't alive. The two survivors are doing very well- active, nursing and full-sized! Very cute little tabbies with white feet. Tess herself seems to be doing very well, and quite relieved. I feel badly for the 3 that didn't make it, but I know this happens pretty frequently with young/tiny cats. At least now mama can move around more comfortably and get into the routine of taking care of kittens!
 
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