Pregnant foster no longer looks pregnant and stopped eating.

Hi all!

I haven't been around here in awhile as I am always insanely busy, but I have a situation I am hoping to get some insight into.

As many of you know I have been fostering for years. We brought in a cat last week who was outside, left abandoned when her previous owners moved, and the new property owners contacted us. 3 different people on the property told us she was very pregnant and I absolutely agreed, as she had the prominent pregnancy belly on both sides, although was very thin and sleek otherwise. When she would lay down, I could easily see lumps, and what I thought were obvious outlines of the kittens.

Now, within the past 48 hours, the belly has basically disappeared. She not only doesn't look pregnant at all, but she has eaten next to nothing except a few licks of wet food. She is in no obvious distress, not acting strange at all, there is no discharge, absolutely nothing. I am at a loss. My boyfriend, Dana, mentioned maybe the belly has dropped and she'll be going into labor, but there doesn't even appear to be a "dropped" belly.

The organization I am fostering for will not pay for a vet visit unless the cat is suffering or in obvious distress due to lack of resources, so I am keeping a close eye on her, but does anyone have any thoughts or theories?!? I'm not naive, I know what pregnant cats look like, but I have never seen them just lose their belly and stop eating with no other signs.

The kittens dropping and almost appearing not pregnant, along with not eating are classic pre-labour signs.

missymotus said:

The kittens dropping and almost appearing not pregnant, along with not eating are classic pre-labour signs.

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Thank you, I was hoping so. I've just never had a pregnant foster appear SO not pregnant I guess. They've always still had quite a belly and have at least eaten some.

I DO believe you are right however. I noticed she ate some today when I got home from work but she was in her nesting crate I have done up for her, and I had yet to see her in it. I was petting her and she kept wanting to get into the cubbyhole in my bedroom nightstand. I guess I just needed some reassurance, so thanks!

I am having a similar situation here!! My cats belly is gone and I'm not sure how much longer it will be but I'm hoping it's soon! did yours have the kittens yet? Was it a small litter?

Kailie said:

missymotus said:

The kittens dropping and almost appearing not pregnant, along with not eating are classic pre-labour signs.

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Thank you, I was hoping so.

I've just never had a pregnant foster appear SO not pregnant I guess. They've always still had quite a belly and have at least eaten some.



I DO believe you are right however. I noticed she ate some today when I got home from work but she was in her nesting crate I have done up for her, and I had yet to see her in it. I was petting her and she kept wanting to get into the cubbyhole in my bedroom nightstand. I guess I just needed some reassurance, so thanks!

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Could be a smaller litter, or they're packed in tightly

Sounds like it won't be much longer with her nesting now

I can't wait to hear about your new kittens. Wishing you and the lucky mama you saved a safe delivery.

Thank you all!! I will keep you posted!! The suspense is killing me!!!!

Kittens yet?

Nothing yet. Talk about nerve racking! She did start going into the box I set up for her on Saturday which she had not done beforel Her nipples are like short rice grains and there is some fur missing around them. I have fallen in love with her and have decided to keep her. She is the first foster I've kept but can not let her go. She is too sweet. She is also more attached and wanting to lay on my chest. There is movement in there and I pray its kittens and not a disease of some kind. Does anyone know if a vet can detect pregnancy as early as a week or ten days? I do not know what to think.

Lissi2u said:

Does anyone know if a vet can detect pregnancy as early as a week or ten days? I do not know what to think.

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Nipples turn pink at around 17-21 days indicating pregnancy, kittens can be counted at 28 days. There are no signs at 7-10 days, aside from coming off heat after being mated. 

Wow then I am not sure what to think. We rescued her on 9/6/12 and her intake sheet stated pregnant. The vet had examined her yet there are still no kittens. She is not in heat so I do not know what happened or is going on. My friend said to wait another month and if still nothing then we'll get her fixed. I just do not know what to think.

Lissi2u said:

Wow then I am not sure what to think. We rescued her on 9/6/12 and her intake sheet stated pregnant. The vet had examined her yet there are still no kittens. She is not in heat so I do not know what happened or is going on. My friend said to wait another month and if still nothing then we'll get her fixed. I just do not know what to think.

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She could have miscarried early in her pregnancy and reabsorbed the kittens. I had a foster once who the vet had examined and told me she was pregnant, but it was early. She got slightly rounder after that and then nothing more after that. After weeks of waiting I took her back and she was not pregnant anymore. I had her spayed and she is now happy in her forever home. If you are worried, you can always take her to the vet to be checked again.

Thank you I think I will do that.

If you rescued her on 9/6 and they said she was pregnant, then she should have had them by now.

Did they tell you how the determined she was pregnant? My vet felt my palpation that she was pregnant, and generally they can't palpate till about 25 days. But I am also not a vet, so I am not sure if a vet could feel them earlier in the pregnancy, but from what I have read and heard, generally 25days they can be felt. I wonder if they can xray in early pregnancy and tell before 25 days when palpation will work.

But that brings me to my next question, if she is pregnant, then you should be feeling movement, do you feel anything? I started feeling Sophia's babies move about 2 weeks or alittle before 2 weeks start to move, and then as she got closer to having them, you could actual watch her stomach move. 

Hopefully everything goes good, and wishing you and her the best of luck! 

klsylvester said:

 I wonder if they can xray in early pregnancy

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Pregnant cats, or those possibly pregnant should never be x-rayed  The US seems to be the only country that routinely does this, other counties will never xray and use ultrasound, same as with a pregnant human wouldn't be x-rayed. 

I know, at least where I live, they x-ray, due to the cost of ultrasound being more expensive, and how often would a vet use an ultrasound machine vs an xray machine. 

Yes I know that pregnant humans are not supposed to have an x-ray, but there are cases where they need to be, what they are concerned about with xray's and pregnancy is a long exposure to radiation, the same radiation that a microwave puts of other common household devices. 

Sophia had an x-ray and is perfectly fine, as well as the kitten that was inside of her is fine. It wasn't like she laid on the xray machine for an hour, it was a 2 second process..I understand that it's not recommended to do xrays, but if a vet wants to do an xray I am going to trust his judgement because they are the professionals not me. 

If she was mated on 6th September her due date would be 10th November - a weeks time.  But for them to say she was pregnant then she would have been at least 3 weeks pregnant so should have had her kittens a couple of weeks ago.

I agree that she has either miscarried or reabsorbed the kittens and also agree a return vet vist is called for.

About the cost of ultrasound...  Traditional wet X-Ray plates are expensive and time-comsuming to process.  My own vets got a state of the art x-ray machine that processes to computer last year and I gather it was both expensive but paid for itself in 6 months in the savings on processing, plus the computer can manipulate the images to help get the most from them.  I believe that machine cost several tens of thousands of pounds.  I suspect a portable ultrasound machine (which is what my vet uses) is well under £10,000 - probably well under £5,000.