Very pregnant - is it soon?

crazy cat man

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
11
Purraise
1
Hi everyone, I was wondering if I could get some advice myself.

My cat's 9 months old and very pregnant, it has been confirmed with the vet last Wednesday, and I was told due to the crusty milk substance on her nipples it would only be a couple of days. Since then I have been nervous as all hell waiting and watching. I'm 20 years old and have never dealt with anything like this before. She's always been an affectionate cat, her nipples have grown a bit and the area around them is a bit swollen. She's never been a good groomer but over the last few days has started grooming herself a lot more. Her belly's finally dropped down and she's been hiding in dark corners since last Wednesday. She is still eating quite a bit, she's never really been able to meow... I know that sounds weird but since she was little it's sounded like her voice box was broken or something, so I'm scared to leave her alone at night in the nesting room as she is very attached to me and I don't want her to be alone when she gives birth. One other thing, she's kind of going from then window sill, to the bed, to the floor the back again. Can anyone give me any full proof indicators I can watch out for that will give me an aprox time on when she's going to shoot out some babies? Her name's Luna by the way, and she's got big beautiful brown eyes [emoji]9786[/emoji]️
 

StefanZ

Advisor
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Sep 18, 2005
Messages
25,999
Purraise
10,648
Location
Sweden
Difficult to pinpoint any exact time, signs or not...  Just to prepare as well as you can, and wait patiently.   :)

Like the swedish self-ironic proverb tells "there is nothing alike as the time of waiting!"

Here you have some links to read on while you sit there anxiously biting on your nails and lips:

Good luck!    @Crazy Cat Man

Most of these links have been readied by our forumist  Red Top Rescue:

We have a good collection of articles in the Cat Health section which you can access by scrolling up to the brown bar, clicking on Articles,and then choosing the Cat Health section and scrolling through the choices.  To make this super easy for you, I am copying the links regarding birth, delivery and newborns for you here.  After reading this information, let us know if you have any more questions.  And good luck with your approaching new arrivals.

Birth, Delivery and Newborns

How to Tell if My Cat is Pregnant?

Cat Pregnancy

How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth?

Pregnant Cat? What to Prepare For the Birth

Help! My Cat is Having Kittens!

Premature Kittens

Post-Birth Complications in Cats

And also:

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"  )  
 
Last edited:

ryan glenn

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jul 19, 2014
Messages
328
Purraise
24
Location
USA
There isn't really any signs to pinpoint exactly. All cats are different. My cat ate and drank up till the morning she gave birth. If your cat is really attached to you then there is a chance she will find you to give birth. My cat gave birth on my bed next to me. She birthed the first kitten and then woke me up. She didn't finish until I was awake and with her.You can make a nest for her. If you put it somewhere that you are then there is a chance she will give birth by you. Also try not to stress to much. When the time comes she will know what to do. Just read up on the links that StefanZ gave you. Make sure you know what to do if she has a breech baby too. Good Luck! 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

crazy cat man

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
11
Purraise
1
Thanks a lot for that guys. Is there any info you can give me on how big her nipples should be right before birth? I'm a bit worried as she's had milky crust for a week but when I look there's no new milk coming out. I just really want to be here when it happens, don't want her to be all alone :
(
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

crazy cat man

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
11
Purraise
1
I've already made a thread about my Queen Luna so sorry for doing a new one. I was told last Wednesday by a vet she would give birth by Friday. It's now Tuesday night here in Australia and not much has changed. Her nipples are a bit bigger and have had a milky crust for the last week. Her belly has gotten lower and harder (is that a sign?). When she stands her back legs look inwards indicating some discomfort when she stands or walks (again is this a sign?). She's still eating but has slowed down from 4 meals a day to about 1 or 2. She is always super affectionate, but never meows... Ever... But today she was rubbing on my legs then went under the bed and meowed, I thought that meant labour was imminent but I guess I was wrong. I have not seen the kittens move but when the vet did the ultrasound they were very well formed and moving. Any advice my lovely cat gang :)
 

ryan glenn

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jul 19, 2014
Messages
328
Purraise
24
Location
USA
I don't know the exact size. They will just be pinker then normal and a bit bigger. As for the milk, it is normal for her to have dried milk. It is also normal for her to not be leaking milk. My queen didn't start lactating until she had one kitten and it started nursing. Of course I might be wrong but if that is true then someone on here will correct me. Does she seem anxious? Or upset? If so take her to the vet. If not then don't worry. When the time comes she will know what to do. If she is alone she will most likely be fine. I was VERY worried that my queen would have them when I wasn't around but she had them on my bed and even woke me to have them. Good luck! 
 
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

crazy cat man

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
11
Purraise
1
Thanks a lot man, I'll let you know how it goes x

I don't know the exact size. They will just be pinker then normal and a bit bigger. As for the milk, it is normal for her to have dried milk. It is also normal for her to not be leaking milk. My queen didn't start lactating until she had one kitten and it started nursing. Of course I might be wrong but if that is true then someone on here will correct me. Does she seem anxious? Or upset? If so take her to the vet. If not then don't worry. When the time comes she will know what to do. If she is alone she will most likely be fine. I was VERY worried that my queen would have them when I wasn't around but she had them on my bed and even woke me to have them. Good luck! :vibes:
 

gmm80

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 2, 2014
Messages
162
Purraise
126
Location
Spokane, WA, United States
Hello,

I am fostering a cat for the Humane Society that I got on 7/25 that was pregnant until just a couple days ago. She was an owner surrender and they didn't know how pregnant she was. The HS vet checked her out a few days after I had her, because she developed an upper respiratory infection, and he guessed she would give birth around 9/5. She ended up giving birth on 8/31 and I had been feeling the kittens move for 2 1/2 weeks prior to that. I did a lot of research and was watching her carefully for any of the signs, e.g., nesting, pacing, vocalizing, milk production, and there was none of that. The first indication of anything happening came around 10:30 pm on Saturday evening. She had been laying on pillowcase I had put on the shower floor, because she had started napping in there the day before. She got up and I saw some brownish spots on the pillowcase. I continued to see discharge here and there and no other signs. I confined her to the room I had set up for her and sat down to read a book preparing for a long wait. Maybe an hour or so before she gave birth, she wanted to climb on me or be right next to me, which is uncharacteristic for her. Then without any indication, out popped a baby right there on the couch. After she delivered the placenta, she cleaned off the kitten, but did not bite through the umbilical cord, so I ended up tying it off for her. I moved the baby to the nesting box I had set up and she followed him into it, which was the first time she had stepped foot in it. The first kitten arrived around 3:30 am, the subsequent ones arrived at different intervals, none more than 45 minutes apart, and the last one arrived at 6:00 am. She only expelled the placenta with the first kitten, so I ended having to remove the others after each kitten and tie off the cords. She had a total of five kittens, the total time from the first to the last was only 2 1/2 hours, which I thought was surprisingly fast. So finally, to answer your question, my cat had no signs up until she started labor. That's probably not too helpful, but just be warned it's possible you won't have much advance warning. 

Some other things I might suggest, have a lot of towels on hand because it's a lot messier than you might think, and the best thing I've found to line the nesting box and to rest the kittens on is old sheets and pillowcases. I had a stack of blankets and towels ready, but they really aren't the best choice because the kittens tiny claws can get hooked in to the fabric really easily. You'll probably want to change her bedding at least once a day, because though the mother will assist the kittens in their toilet functions, it can also be stimulated when they crawl around, so the bedding will get soiled, and the mother will most likely be spotting blood for a few days.

I hope some of this will be helpful to you!
 

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
@Crazy Cat Man -- "Her nipples are a bit bigger and have had a milky crust for the last week. Her belly has gotten lower and harder (is that a sign? She's still eating but has slowed down from 4 meals a day to about 1 or 2. But today she was rubbing on my legs then went under the bed and meowed, I thought that meant labour was imminent but I guess I was wrong."

these are all signs that your momma cat could be very close to giving birth! what did you do when she went under the bed and meowed? it could be that she wanted you to stay close to her there. many expecting queens prefer to have someone they know/trust stay close to them while they're giving birth.

i've heard other members say that it's good to rub the queens belly/tummy -- it feels good to them, and can actually help them when they're very close to giving birth.

you should see the mucus plug discharged, then labor should start in 24 - 48 hours -- usually within 24 hours.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

crazy cat man

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
11
Purraise
1
Still nothing, she really wants to cook them good ;)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

crazy cat man

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
11
Purraise
1
Hi all, sorry I haven't been in touch, was on a cruise! My cat waited till we got home from our 8 day cruise to go into labour, I knew straight away what was happening thanks to all the help you've all given me. She popped one out while I wasn't with her, then another when I came back. I thought that was it all done and dusted, but I went to say goodnight and there's a third! How many hours in between can she wait before giving birth again?! I'll post a pic tomorrow :)
 

ryan glenn

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jul 19, 2014
Messages
328
Purraise
24
Location
USA
Hi all, sorry I haven't been in touch, was on a cruise! My cat waited till we got home from our 8 day cruise to go into labour, I knew straight away what was happening thanks to all the help you've all given me. She popped one out while I wasn't with her, then another when I came back. I thought that was it all done and dusted, but I went to say goodnight and there's a third! How many hours in between can she wait before giving birth again?! I'll post a pic tomorrow
A cruise to where? I am glad that everything went okay. My cat had her kittens starting at nine in the morning and had three by noon. then took a twelve hour break and had the last one at 12:45 that morning. 
 

gmm80

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 2, 2014
Messages
162
Purraise
126
Location
Spokane, WA, United States
Just wondering how the kittens are doing? Are you going to share some pictures with us? My foster kittens are now 4 1/2 weeks old, they all have teeth and are just starting to learn to eat and use the litterbox, and running around like little maniacs. Amazing how fast they progress!
 
Top