Concerned my cat may not be pregnant anymore?

Hi,

We have a 1 yr. old cat that got pregnant approximately 57-60 days ago and this is our first experience with a cat pregnancy.  4 days ago she started spotting.  It wasn't a ton but enough for me to have to wash things she slept on and clean up spots here and there on the floor. Her 2nd day of this she spent about 15 minutes meowing and panting in her box that we prepared for her to have her kittens in, and she spotted some more and then that was it, everything stopped including the spotting and she started acting normal again.  The next day (yesterday) she was normal again but was trying so hard to get outside and finally escaped in the afternoon when one my the kids opened the door.  She disappeared for a couple of hours, and then came back.  After that, she was like her old self.  It was really odd.  Today she doesn't seem to look pregnant now and is playing and feisty like her old self.  She was a petite cat to begin with and only those close to her could tell she was pregnant.  

We are really confused.  Could she have possibly left the house to give birth?  And that would have only been about 55-57 days gestation so wouldn't that have been too early?  We are so concerned she delivered kittens and we had no idea and now they would not be alive.  There is a wooded area behind our house and there would be no way to find them.

Could it be possible that this happened in just a couple of hours?  She didn't even look like she had given birth.  I checked her out and she looked fine.  We have not taken her to the vet yet but I'm just curious what others' experience has been?  Thank you.

There are different possibilities for what might be going on . I would definitely get her to the vet to find out what is going on so you can make the best choice for the health of your cat and any kittens in her still alive, if there are any.

It certainly sounds like she was going into labor a couple days ago but then for some reason stopped for that day. Then perhaps she got some idea in her head that outside was a better place. ( not a wish that should be indulged! but she escaped, and she may have given birth outside to kittens who were stillborn or died shortly after birth. Or if she abandoned live newborns, you are right that it's not likely they would survive long especially since they would have been born pretty early -- just about borderline for viability. In kittens, the difference between 8 and 9 weeks gestation is huge.

But --- I've heard other people say their pregnant cat "didn't look pregnant anymore" when she really still was , because at the end of the pregnancy when viewed from above, the cat can look less wide than she did a few days before! That's because the fetuses "drop" , meaning they're no longer carried out to the sides as much but below and to the center . they are basically getting into position to be born.
Of course she still has a pregnant belly , it is just that they're carried lower. In some cats this drop is more noticeable than in others.

The big concern is that if she had one or more kittens die and did NOT come out, or some fetal or placental tissue is still in her, that could cause a bad infection; if any kittens are still alive , it can kill them . and it can make the mother very ill and even kill her as well.
So I would get her to the vet to see what is going on.

Pay particular attention to whether there is a bad odor from her like something rotten, and to her temperature. ( You can take her rectal temperature if you are able and she does not get too upset. Normal temp for a cat is 100.5-102.5 F. (about 38 - 39 C.)

Thank you!  We will get her to the vet on Monday.  I just didn't realize they could leave for just a couple hours, come back, and it seem like nothing happened (if that is actually what happened).  I thought I'd see blood, or something, rather than my normal, playful kitty.  She was completely clean. We were all so excited for the arrival of her kittens.  I sure hope she is still pregnant.  Thanks so much for your help.l

I was curious what happened with this cat. Our cat has done the same today and yesterday. Acted like labor may be soon and saw something pink sticking out. But never went into labor. Her milk came in a couple days ago. She’s been inside, and now she doesn’t look pregnant and it jumping around playing with the other cat.

jtmcan said:

Hi,

We have a 1 yr. old cat that got pregnant approximately 57-60 days ago and this is our first experience with a cat pregnancy. 4 days ago she started spotting. It wasn't a ton but enough for me to have to wash things she slept on and clean up spots here and there on the floor. Her 2nd day of this she spent about 15 minutes meowing and panting in her box that we prepared for her to have her kittens in, and she spotted some more and then that was it, everything stopped including the spotting and she started acting normal again. The next day (yesterday) she was normal again but was trying so hard to get outside and finally escaped in the afternoon when one my the kids opened the door. She disappeared for a couple of hours, and then came back. After that, she was like her old self. It was really odd. Today she doesn't seem to look pregnant now and is playing and feisty like her old self. She was a petite cat to begin with and only those close to her could tell she was pregnant.

We are really confused. Could she have possibly left the house to give birth? And that would have only been about 55-57 days gestation so wouldn't that have been too early? We are so concerned she delivered kittens and we had no idea and now they would not be alive. There is a wooded area behind our house and there would be no way to find them.

Could it be possible that this happened in just a couple of hours? She didn't even look like she had given birth. I checked her out and she looked fine. We have not taken her to the vet yet but I'm just curious what others' experience has been? Thank you.

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K Krista00421

I know you are looking for answers, but unfortunately this poster has not been active since the day of her last post in 2013. This is why we appreciate updates from our members.