Is this labour? Is she too skinny?

Hi everyone,

I'm fostering a pretty little grey tabby named Lexi who is a rescue from a hoarding situation. She seems pregnant, and more than that, seems to have gone into early labour, but I'm such a worry wart. She's restless as anything, calling and trilling at me, acting like she's in heat. Sometimes she gets quiet and lies down with what looks like very small contractions. She takes breaks to lick herself, and last night I saw clear fluid inside of her vulva. She's very relaxed and friendly though, and doesn't seem to be in pain.

She was slender when she arrived a month ago, not undernourished, but slender. She had the beginnings of her baby bumps, but she still isn't all that big. her belly used to stick out sideways but it has dropped lower now. Lying on her side, she doesn't look pregnant, just a little overweight maybe. Is this a small litter? Is it normal or is there something wrong? Sometimes I thought I could feel kittens moving, but it's really hard because she's small. She's a long cat though... maybe they're just hiding? False pregnancy doesn't cause labour, does it?

Thanks for your help.

Layla50 said:

but she still isn't all that big. her belly used to stick out sideways but it has dropped lower now. Lying on her side, she doesn't look pregnant, just a little overweight maybe. Is this a small litter?

Click to expand...

It it dropping lower at the end of pregnancy. Like human moms too. Probably she has a small litter, and good muscles, so the tummy isnt big.

If she has now some premature contractions (quite common), or the labor started for real, isnt easy to know.  The only you can do is to be prepared as well as you can.

Keep us reported!

Welcome, and

Good luck!   *vibes*

Thanks so much! Still no kittens, but she seems to be having a little bit bigger contractions. Sometimes she still walks around like normal... actually, sort of like she's in heat.

Has she been checked by a vet and confirmed as pregnant?  Is she looking to "nest" at all?  The clear fluid could be from being in heat and not neccessarily her "water breaking" or whatever.  It could be false pregnancy and she could be in heat again, as well.  I would have her checked and confirmed by a vet as pregnant and if not, then make an appointment to have her spayed. 

I believe she was confirmed as pregnant after being rescued from the house. She was certainly to the vet. She's been acting like she's in heat since what we guess is about week 6. I was worried about false pregnancy for a while, but I am pretty sure I feel babies sometimes. Little hard lumps that stand out from her belly. Apparently some cats have heats while pregnant... or what really looks like them. She will definitely be spayed. This litter is her last ever. Her contractions are stronger today, so I suppose in a day or two I'll be able to confirm she's really pregnant!

Layla50 said:

 Apparently some cats have heats while pregnant...

Click to expand...

As they can have two different fullborne litters several weaks apart, so there must happen they got in heat also during pregnancy.  And some tom mating too of course.  

Not often, but not unique either.

Wow, so that reallly does happen? Two different litters at the same time? That's wild. How do they give birth to only one litter at a time? I'm happy to have someone who knows about pregnant cats having heats. Some people didn't believe me. I mean, I'm no expert. All of mine are spayed and neutered. Most rescues that I foster come in that way too, unless they're nursing. She's only my second pregnant foster, and it's so different from the first one. She's licking herself like crazy now. Her chest as well as her vulva. She closes her eyes during contractions now. I think they hurt her more now. POor Lexi.

Layla50 said:

Wow, so that reallly does happen? Two different litters at the same time? That's wild. How do they give birth to only one litter at a time? .......... She's licking herself like crazy now. Her chest as well as her vulva.

Click to expand...

 good question, but they do it in a similiar way as they can deliver kittens several hours apart. Even a couple of days.  The delivery of one doesnt by itself force the delivery of the next.

The licking is I think, very much they are taking away hairs from the teats and vulva, also doing some massage, this way preparing them for what is to come soon.

Good luck!   *vibes*
 

Thanks for the info! That's very interesting!

Lexi has continued to have what I'm calling baby contractions... not the big pushing ones, for about 4 days now. They're getting stronger, but if I leave her, or if I go to sleep even, it seems to stop. She's calm and happy most of the time, except when she wants to be let out of the room. Should I be concerned about how slow things are going? Or is this normal? I am not sure how many days she's pregnant, since she came to me from a rescue. Sometimes I do wonder if this is false pregnancy, but I definitely feel lumps, I sometimes think I can feel them move. She's got her milk... I don't know. The suspense is hard, but worry over her health is worse. I don't want to put her through a trip to the vet unless it's definitely needed. When one other rescue was pregnant, I panicked and brought her into the emergency clinic and she sucked a baby back in. (two hours later, she delivered 4 healthy kittens. This just isn't going the same way though, which worries me.

Layla50 said:

. Should I be concerned about how slow things are going? Or is this normal? I am not sure how many days she's pregnant, since she came to me from a rescue.

Click to expand...

Better somewhat late than too early.  Kittens manage premature delivery worse than human babies.

If you look at the contemporary treads, they almost all had or have this "waiting game".

It helps some if you know exactly the mating/conception, but without knowing its very common the mom to be seems to be just on the verge of immediate delivery, but it takes yet a week more...

In one tread here it seems to be two weeks now...  (temp dropped by Lilkim)   

ps. these premature early, small contractions, which are fairly common.  My theory is this is also natures way to preparing the muscles for the great labor to come.

You are so kind! I really appreciate it. I want you to know I just called the emergency vet. I'm not someone who only pokes around the internet for help and won't take them into  the vet for medical help. The vet said just what you did, that these things can take a long time, and that as long as she's not distressed, everything should be okay. If she starts pushing with no kitten, then I need to bring her in. I really appreciate you taking the time to reassure me. I asked her if it could be pseudopregnancy, and she asked if Lexi seemed bigger in the belly, which she does, even if she's not huge (she's a long bodied cat, so maybe that hides it a little) and then I said she had pink nipples and her milk, so the vet said it probably wasn't that.

I'm gonna try to figure out how to link to videos so I can show what she looks like.

http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr296/LeylaKP/?action=view&current=120405-214908.mp4

Let's see if this works...

Pictures: (From a few weeks ago from before her belly dropped and back then she looked bigger)









When she's not contracting, she's doing this:

http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr296/LeylaKP/?action=view&current=120404-182031.mp4

Well, I thought I would update you with the latest news. Lexi went in to the vet yesterday morning, and the vet discovered she was not pregnant and never had been. She had a stomach infection that was causing her pregnancy signs, oddly enough, and so she was spayed the same day. She's now recovered. I'm happy there are a few less kittens to be born into the world, but a little disappointed for my own sake. I believe I will look into fostering a mother and babies once Lexi has been adopted into a new home. At least she's healthy now, and will never have to go through this again.

Aww, so sorry that she was poorly but glad that it's all sorted now and she has been spayed.x