Stray cat in labor?!? HELP

So I have been feeding this stray cat because I felt sorry for her and I'm a sucker. I've been checking with the neighbors and have posted pictures trying to find her owners because you can tell that she belongs to someone. She is not nervous around humans like wild cats are. We live in a very rural area. Usually she only shows up at night but I looked on the back deck this morning and she is laying thee panting like you would expect a dog to. She is laying around and keeps moving like she is trying to get comply. I did not think that she was pregnant but I have never owned a cat. What should I expect from a cat that is in labor? I put a box out there with a towel but she was not interested. I can't bring her indoors.

If you cant bring her inside, it will be as it will be.  Proceed as you did, give her some sort of nest, food water...  and hope for the best.   continue with supplying her with food (kitten food type) and water.  changing the bedding if possible, now and then.

Is she protected against, say, loose dogs in there? Mean kids?

CAN you try and have her somewhere else, say, a cellar, a garage? possibly in a dog cage giving some protection?

Good luck!

There are no mean kids we are out in the country. There are a few stray dogs from time to time but she is up on the deck and I can put some kind of barricade to block the entrance to it. How can I tell if it is indeed labor? How long does it take? Thanks, any advice is appreciated.

ah, you mean, if she is hopefully in labor, but if not in labor so she is in distress, perhaps even dying...   do you have possibility to phone a vet and ask for opinion?  the vet will  usually know what follow up questions to give.    event take her to a vet if need be?

If she is visibly pregnant it is almost surely labor.  If she isnt visibly pregnant she is almost surely sick... In that case a vet assistance is doubly important if you want to increase her chances.

cat labor is usually shorter than your average human labor.  the first kitten labors longers, the next coming  usually quicker, often in minutes (like human twins sometimes do).

If you cant get vet help, your only practical choice is the same: give her a safe haven on this your deck, protection agains weather and enemies, water food, and with some luck she may make it, if God so wills.

I understand she accepts you are near. do she accepts you are handling her, helping her?  Cats in distress often accept way more help than otherwise.  Even delivering shy semiferales had been known to accept help from a human they sense is friendly.

Good luck!   *vibes!*

Right she is NOT visibly pregnant. But I've read on a few websites that young cats may not show if it is their first pregnancy and they are carrying a small liter. She is the absolute friendliest car that I've ever been around. She just wants me to pet and love on her. I checked her out while petting her just to make sure she did not have any cuts or bite marks an she seems fine. She is purring and carrying on. The vets in the closest town are closed on the weekend so our only option would be a 45 minute drive to the emergency clinic and they are outrageously over priced. Hopefully this is labor and she will progress quickly! Thanks for your help!!

She did finally get in the box that I put out for her. Fingers crossed. Although I don't know what I'll do with kittens!

some links about delivery I did got from my collegues:

 One from this site:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/pregnancy-and-delivery-in-cats

http://www.icatcare.org/advice/my-cat-having-kittens    ( This is a link to a group of articles on cat pregnancy, birth and kittens.   Read the ones on normal cat birth and on " when to wait and when to worry"  )  

http://www.cat-world.com.au/parturition-birth-in-cats

http://www.icatcare.org/advice-centre/cat-care/normal-cat-birth

I see.   so if she is so, friendly, you can help her some if the need would arise.  It happens sometimes it is helping to be near and ready.

some links about delivery I did got from my collegues:

 One from this site:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/pregnancy-and-delivery-in-cats

http://www.icatcare.org/advice/my-cat-having-kittens    ( This is a link to a group of articles on cat pregnancy, birth and kittens.   Read the ones on normal cat birth and on " when to wait and when to worry"  )  

http://www.cat-world.com.au/parturition-birth-in-cats

http://www.icatcare.org/advice-centre/cat-care/normal-cat-birth

I see.   so if she is so, friendly, you can help her some if the need would arise.  It happens sometimes it is helping to be near and ready.

ps.  It is not uncommon they do have some precontractions.   Its quite natural, a way of mother nature to give some exercise to these muscles.

fully possible it was such precontracions.

Good luck!

It's very unlikely she is full-term and doesn't look at all pregnant.  What do her nipples look like?  Tiny flat white things?  Or large and pink?  Personally I doubt she's pregnant - if she was a cat that belonged to someone she might be spayed.

It's a full day since you posted, I take it no kittens?  Can you take her to the normal vet, not the emergency one?  If they don't think she is pregnant she should be spayed.  Now they might find she is already spayed, but in my view that's better than yet another litter of kittens trying to find good homes.

No kittens!! I'm not sure what was wrong with her but she is fine. I wish that I could post a video so you could see how she was behaving. I did find out that she belongs to a neighbor and she is spayed. They are just irresponsible pet owners and she slipped out. They have no interest in coming over and getting her so we are currently looking for a new safe home for her. She is hanging out on the deck which seems to suit her fine. The weather has been very mild lately. My oldest son has terrible allergies so we can't keep her. I've never had a cat so I can't really compare but she is absolutely precious.

Oh, I'm disgusted by her owners, what is wrong with them. This poor kitty, I wish I could take her in. You don't have a vet office around you could drop her off at? 

Panting can definitely be an indicator something is seriously wrong with this kitty, even if it went away. If possible, try to get her seen.