First time litter, questions!

This is my first post on here, so sorry if it drags on, or whatever! 

So... the other day we found a young cat, maybe around 6/7 months (?). She was very hungry, and quite a distance from the closest houses (she was up near my horse's field which is how we found her). We took her in the car, and asked around a load of houses nearby, but nobody recognised her. We then took her home, and have been advertising to try find who she belongs to, but nobody has gotten back to us.

Later in the evening, I realised she is actually pregnant! It sort of builds more of a story of why nobody wants her, as she is so affectionate, and lovely, as well as being litter trained already, so it must have been because of her babies on the way. Such a shame!

Anyway, her tummy is a fair size, and her teats are quite big, and she is producing a little milk. I've researched, and this suggests, if I am right, she may birth within a few days? 

She didn't eat her food this morning, so I changed it as I thought it might be the flavour, be she's still off it. Is this normal? Does it mean anything? I've read they usually nest, we have a box in the room specially, which she's been in a lot, but isn't digging around or anything. Do all cats nest? We got her on friday, and since then she's been very friendly and vocal, but today she's been extremely tired, and spent most of it sleeping, except when using the tray, having a nosey at her food. I heard they are usually restless, but she seems to be the opposite. Is THIS normal?

Could she be coming up to labour time? There's been no discharge that I've seen.

Sorry for all the questions! First time litter, so I'm a bit nervous! Thanks in advance! x

If not eating and very tired, after at first being hungry and lively, I would suspect she has something in her. A virus infection perhaps?  Hopefully nothing serious.

Another explanation may be, she was lively at first, as her instincts told her she must please herself in, to have a chance for her babies.

Now is she accepted, so now she dont need to pretend any more, and thus - admits to herself she is tired, and must rest some.  It is quite common newly adopted stray do sleep a lot, almost like here.

Anyway, I would recommend you to contact your  vet. Im sure your horse vet do also manages cats?

They do often help with stable cats, if nothing else.

If not, try to get a vet who is experienced with cats.  Your horse vet can surely recommend you one.

A vet check up, including deworming and deparasiting, etc, is ALWAYS recommended by us with a newly adopted stray, so you dont lose anything by it.  Even if here it is more hurry.

About the signs, how much time is left... It is really a guess game if you dont know exactly when they mated. Be prepared, but it may take even two weeks more...  Do you feel the kittens moving? If she is that friendly, she will surely let you feel after, as long you are careful.  They can usually be felt from about 2 weeks before. (edit.  With them be felt I mean here, the MOVEMENTS be felt. A knowleable person can FELT them kittens long before]

Do you have own residents? If yes, I hope you think about some sort of quarantine. HOW stricts quarantine depend on, but the main rule IS quarantine.

Tx a lot for caring!

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice and suggestions! For an update, her milk glands have bulged quite a bit this evening, and she seems much fuller around that area. She did liven up again, and isn't so sleepy, and was hanging around the room quite a bit, looking for attention, but has now settled back down at the back of her box, and is more attentive than before, and will meow when you go in the room.

We do have our own cats, and for this reason she's being kept separate, in her own room. 

Everything I've read said to expect kittens within about 5 days after producing milk, and she's producing more today.. Should we expect them soon, is there a chance it could be much longer?

You can feel around where the kittens would be, but I'm not certain of what I'm feeling for.. :/

I'm hoping she'll have a safe delivery, as she is just young, so I think there'd be more chance of complications. 

Thank-you for the help though! I'm excited, and hope I can witness the birth x

You can feel around where the kittens would be, but I'm not certain of what I'm feeling for.. :/

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So it seems you dont feell them move as yet.  Otherwise you wouldnt hesitate. 

Not 100% but my guess would be you shall have to wait perhaps even a couple of weeks.

Welcome to the waiting game!

Good luck!

You can see the kittens move, and they are easily felt. However if she is due in the next day the kittens do quiet down as they line up for birth.  The sitting in her box is a sign, not all girls will dig at their birthing box. 

Here's the kittens moving in one of my girls 2 days before birth

http://s1136.photobucket.com/albums/n498/zayenahocicats/?action=view&current=Malika-2.mp4

Thank you for taking this little girl in and for giving her and her babies a chance!

So far it sounds like you are doing everything right by having her in her own room and having a kittening box prepared. Make sure she also has access to as much dry kitten food and water as she wants and time feed her wet kitten food if possible. She needs all the extra calories she can get.

Also remember that even with the kittening box there is no guarantee she will use it so try to make it look like the most appealing place in the room to increase those odds. As far as how far along she is- without knowing when she got pregnant it can be hard to tell. Some of the signs you are describing (a decreased appetite) can be signs of labor coming soon but it can also be as Stefan mentioned just her settling in or signs of an illness/infection. Not all Mom's nest before going into labor, nor are they all restless, so you really just have to keep checking on her as often as you can and try to be there for the birth to help in case of complications. 

As far as feeling the babies, if you put your hands on the sides of her belly and can feel little kicks she is probably less than 2 weeks away. If you aren't feeling anything yet, you may have a little more time than that. I emphasize the 'may' because, as I'm sure your realizing, with pregnant cats nothing is by the book! If possible, I would try to get her into the vet just for a general check up and to make sure she doesnt have anything like worms or fleas. If she does, it's better to treat for these before the kittens are born or else they will get them from Mom, and to make sure she doesn't have anything she can pass onto your resident cats. 

The most basic items you need for the birth are extra towels/blankets a small scale that weighs in grams (like a kitchen or postal scale), and a notebook. When each kitten is born you can note the time and identifying markings so you can later tell them apart. It's also important to weigh them at the same time everyday. The first sign there is a problem with a kitten is weight loss, and this ensures you catch any problems early. On the front of the Notebook I always write the number of the closest 24 hour animal hospital. If there are any problems during delivery you can call and most places will at least let you talk to a nurse on the phone for a couple of minutes. In most instances you don't need to intervene and she will do what needs to be done but there are those few instances where your help is the difference between life and death. The only time I have had to intervene was with a young Mom (about 6 months). Since yours is around that age I think you should try and take as many precautions as you can and be as prepared as you can. 

In an effort to do that there are a few links that I think might be helpful to you:

First, I posted a few weeks ago when my foster had her babies (the young one I had to intervene on). I'm not recommending because I want you to read what I wrote, but rather because I like the comments section as people talked about what is in their "birthing kits." It may give you an idea of what to have on hand. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247353/aras-babies-a-story-about-preparedness#post_3236795

Next, I really liked this post- people really covered a lot of the basics about what you should be doing during the pregnancy. Also, this poster contacted some local shelters and was able to find one who was willing to cover the costs of vet care and adopt out the babies and Mom so long as she kept them as fosters. This may or may not be something you are interested in but it can be worth looking into. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247449/two-pregnant-mommas-i-have-questions#post_3239869

Finally, I really like this article on the stages of delivery. I also think it does a good job of explaining how to cut the cord if you need to and other methods of kitten revival. http://www.fabcats.org/breeders/infosheets/breeding_from_your_cat/felineparturition.html

I hope some of this helps. Ask more questions if you need and keep us posted. Thank you again for what you are doing and welcome to TCS! 

Thanks everyone! I've been reading so much on cat pregnancies, but feel I'm still not prepared enough! The cat in question is still a little off her food, but is nibbling at it now and then, so is getting something. She has livened up a bit, but then she'll go straight in her box and lie down again.

She's got food, water and litter near her at all times. Her tummy seems a kinda smaller now, but feels firmer - is that right? I read online about some people who have had cats that have gone through the whole pregnancy and they haven't felt a thing, but have had healthy litters. Her mammory glands have swollen to a fair size now. She has become a little more protective over her tummy just now, and when you stroke it for longer than she wants, or at all she will give a little nip towards you to say back off a bit. Safe to say I'm a nervous wreck about the whole thing! She's that young, I worry about complications, and maybe still borns? 

Thanks again for everyone's help, will keep this post updated as much as I can, and should any kittens arrive, I'll let yous know! Fx

pink-possum said:

 Her tummy seems a kinda smaller now, but feels firmer - is that right?

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 This use to happen shortly before the delivery. a day or so. Like with humans.

So although you dont feel the movements, you seems to be nearing now.  Although we still dont exactly know when.

Good luck!

We are seeing the vets tomorrow afternoon to see what is going on.

Bit of a complication in what is happening today - was up at my horse and saw a kitten, found him again and he looks quite a bit like this cat we have. Couldn't catch him as he was on the other side of the fence, and having been searching in vein for the last two hours. I'm now thinking, seeing as her tummy is smaller now, and I can't feel movements from anything, perhaps it's a case of she's already HAD the kitten(s). I still believe she was abandoned, but I'm wondering if perhaps that kitten was also? Was no sign of him when we took the older one, and she wasn't distrested at leaving, but this would perhaps explain why she has milk. I believe this may be the case and she is in fact not pregnant, like we thought...

Saying this though, her tummy was quite large when we first got her, but has seemed to shrink in the past few days. Could it be possible that the kitten is hers, as well as being pregnant now? I'd place the kitten at maybe, 5 weeks ish (wouldn't say any younger, but may be older!), he's been left for 4 days, so I he can fend for himself. Could this happen? And in that case, perhaps pregers mother and kitten were abandoned? I'm up there everyday, and haven't seen anything of either before friday, and she was very pleased to see us in the begining, so I don't think she could have been out long enough to give birth to that kitten, and for him to get this old.

What do you think? Plausible? Do you think we should take mummy cat up, to see if we can lure the kitten out and we can catch it?

Anyway, like I said, vets tomorrow for the truth! So confused now! D: Thank-you  

Difficult to say. You will know more after the vet visit tomorrow.

Good you do it.  If she is empty and healthy, the visit was not in wain: a check up is always recommended with newly adopted strays.

She may also perhaps had miscarriage?  If they have miscarriage, they often eats up the fosters, so you dont always notice it.

They can get pregnant quite soon after delivery. So she can easily be pregnant anew now, but she wouldnt be high preg.

There is another possibility. Sometimes, not often but not unique, they can have two entirely different litters simulaneously. Deliver both healthy and sound several weeks apart.  This could give us a good explanation here.

But this is not that common, so I wouldnt put my money on this.

Anyway, this kitten althoug still alive, is of course in great danger.  Any predator will take him. And will have difficult to find food.  Unless he HAS still his mom or protecting dad around, showing how and where..

So if it is feasible for you, it would be very good if you can capture him. Use a trap if necessary.

If you can come near him, you can perhaps take him into a towel, wrap up as a burrito.

Such a young should be easy to foster, and find a good home for.

So this is proper to do even if you think he has some adult protecting him, mom or dad.  (yes, it happens they do live in small family groups, with the male also protecting the kittens - not often but quite a few forumites could observe this during the years)

Good luck!

The kitten could be 9+ weeks old and from a previous litter, if she had a round tummy when you brought her in and now looks slimmer it's likely the kittens have dropped. Girls can look almost not pregnant as the babies line up and get in position to be born.