I wasn't planning on kittens!

Because of our neighbours, we ended up with mice in the house. So, after realizing the traps weren't catching them fast enough, we got a cat. Lilith is a young female. My mother-in-law found her and her sibling in the ditch out by their farm and took them in. Given that they're on a farm, she didn't get any of the cats fixed. 

Well...we've had Lilith (Lilly) since January 9th. I was told that she was in heat days before we brought her home, but since bringing her home, she hasn't gone back into heat...take a guess why....

If she was in heat days before you brought her home on January 9th, she's only  about 4 weeks pregnant, and cat pregnancies last about 9 weeks, so if she really was in heat in the first week of January, she is nowhere near delivering yet.  However, if you can already feel the babies moving, then she's a lot further along than that.   She doesn't look much more than 5 weeks pregnant at the most.

Hi, and thank you for replying.

I have no way of being sure of the timing my mother-in-law gave me. Her sense of timing is sometimes off. 

I know Lilly was rescued within the last year. She hasn't had a litter before now, although she's been around the other farm cats the whole time. To be perfectly honest, I suck at palpating her abdomen, so I don't. But I know I felt movement tonight while I was holding her. That is unmistakable. :-)
 

I do wish I could have a more accurate knowledge of her heat cycle..I get the distinct feeling that she isn't far off of giving birth. Up until the last few days, she has been very reserved in coming to us for attention. Aside from the first week here, she doesn't normally call for us, either. But now she will be upstairs and 'yell' for someone to come to her for no discernible reason.

Just give her some choices of a nursery.  It sounds like she is looking for one.  A large box in a dark closet with some sheets in it is usually attractive.  Or even just a closet with no box.  Mine like the box for the first week or so, then they want the box gone and just the sheets there. Which of course you change every day or two.  You don't need to know when she is having the kittens, but when she is, she is very likely to want you to come sit by her box.  All night.   Be sure to read all the things you need to know for helping her if she needs help.  Having a couple of clean washcloths can help in pulling a kitten if one gets stuck, and gives you something to swaddle them in if she has a couple of them close together, so yu can be rubbing one dry while she is licking the next one dry.

Red Top gave accurate comments, just to agree.

Dont hesitate to report and or come with further questions!

I hope too this beauty is a good mouser.   

Some links on birthing:

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

and on spaying:

cheap  spaying:
If you are in the U.S. ,  the ASPCA has an online database.  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/spayneuter

 Or here is a hotline number that will find you a low cost clinic in your area  1-800-248-7729   

www.spayusa.org

Good luck!

Thank you for the links. I live in Canada and the clinic I deal with for my dog is going to cost me around $150. Worth every penny, too. They are very good.

As a mouser, she is incredible. The only funny thing with her is that she'll catch them live and try to gift them to one of my kids. I guess she figures that they're good mousers, too!! lol

*nods* She has a few different spots in the bedroom as well as in other spots in the house. All of them are easy for me to get to. I just hope she chooses the bedroom because it's simply the easiest. I haven't midwifed a cat in almost 20 years. That was a stray I took in. But I remember enough of it that I'm comfortable now that I've refreshed my memory on a few things. We don't have a vet close by..that's a 2-3 hour drive away, depending on the weather. I'm hoping she won't need that sort of intervention, because I don't think we'd make it in time. 

As for having her spayed. lol I wanted to already have that done. I don't agree with indiscriminate breeding. She'll be brought in for that once she's done nursing the kittens. I had considered having it done regardless of the pregnancy, but I wasn't sure if there could be extra complications. Given the distance to the vet, I felt it better/safer to let her have the kittens.

nyghthawk said:

 
Thank you for the links. I live in Canada and the clinic I deal with for my dog is going to cost me around $150. Worth every penny, too. They are very good.

As a mouser, she is incredible. The only funny thing with her is that she'll catch them live and try to gift them to one of my kids. I guess she figures that they're good mousers, too!! lol

Click to expand...

Canadian vets tend to be more costly than the USA vets, as I understand it. And its more difficult to find cheap places.  So 150 canadian dollars isnt that murderous, after all... and as it seems to be a very good vet, it is even fairly cheap, considering.

  Using your usual vet has the big advantage its probably easier and not so awkward to phone and asks for free advices on telephone, being his paying patient.  There are quite many situations you ought to phone and ask,  as rushing in everytime is to overdo.

Giving the still alive mices as gifts to your kids means, either she wants to give them possibility to train, like she would do with her own kittens, or it is giving gifts and food, ie actively supporting your kids.

If it is she does likes them very much, or sees them as kids needing extra support, or it is some sort of being nice and grateful  to you on distance via your children - I dont know the exact nuance.  But I can say for 100% sure it IS a nice gesture of her, she seeing you and your family as her nearest compatriots, so to speak.

Good luck!

Hello again, Stefanz. 

I've dealt with this clinic for over a decade for both cats and dogs. Their prices are fair and they do good work. So yes, I'll stick with them. They also give consideration to the distance I have to drive, which is why I was guided through stitch removal when my dog was spayed after I adopted her. Fairly simple process...I'm guessing her being a large dog helped with that. lol And yes, they do tend to be more expensive. On the other hand, if it keeps her happy and healthy, it's worth every penny. It will be a bit more because she'll have had a litter, but even so it shouldn't be more than $200.

Lilly isn't an overly affectionate cat. She seldom comes to anyone for attention and since bringing her home, I've heard her purr exactly 3 times. But she's calm with everyone, including the dog. We usually find her sleeping on the dogs blanket with her at night..the dog sleeps on the floor on my side of the bed. Cat goes under the bed and curls up beside the dog. lol She doesn't do that during the day, though.

I don't know if she's trying to train the kids or just give them gifts, but I find it hilarious to find out they were woken to the sight of a mouse hanging over their head! When I was a child, I had a cat that would leave dead mice on my pillow, so I understand that fright it can give. 

Will she be allowed outside after the kittens are born? I ask because cats can get pregnant again pretty much immediately after giving birth, and the tomcats will likely be waiting around for the chance. It would be best to keep her inside until after she's spayed, if at all possible.

No. We have bears, foxes, wolves, loose dogs and loose cats around here. I have train tracks not far from the house.
She'll be fixed ASAP and aside from having a run built for her, she will be an indoor cat.