Pregnant Kitty Advice!?!?!?

We took in a stray pregnant kitty a few weeks ago and took her to the vet where it was confirmed she was definitely pregnant and healthy. They told us it would only be a few more weeks then she would have them. That was 4 weeks ago and still no kittens!! I thought she had some signs she was getting ready for labor but still nothing. The last 3 days she has been acting like she is in heat meowing, rolling all over, trying to get outside, and butt in the air. And now today her tummy looks smaller than it was and I don't feel the kittens move anymore. Please can anyone give advice!?!?

kpescatore18 said:

We took in a stray pregnant kitty a few weeks ago and took her to the vet where it was confirmed she was definitely pregnant and healthy. They told us it would only be a few more weeks then she would have them. That was 4 weeks ago and still no kittens!! I thought she had some signs she was getting ready for labor but still nothing. The last 3 days she has been acting like she is in heat meowing, rolling all over, trying to get outside, and butt in the air. And now today her tummy looks smaller than it was and I don't feel the kittens move anymore. Please can anyone give advice!?!?

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My guess is she has "dropped" now, ie the kittens are now in the birthing canal.   And when they are there they dont move as much, and IF you feel them, they are somewhat lower down / back then before.

HAD you felt the kittens move?  You can usually feel and see the kittens move about two weeks before delivery, sometime a little longer if you are used to examining the tummy - and do it every day.  You hint you felt the kittens?  As you write you dont feel them anymore.

And yeah, heat alike behavior isnt uncommon in these days.  Possibly because of sheer pressure on the hormon glands inside the body.

The other possibility is they were spontan aborted without you noticing - rare but happens.  Or even - they were "intaken" back into her body - forgive my bad english. Its very rare so late in the pregnancy, but happens too.

So my main guess is she is just about to deliver, and the kittens are in the starting postions, ready to come out any hour now.

Be sure she is unstressed and has a calm corner.   Some cats wants company of their beloved Ma, others prefer to be alone - and they can somewhat themselves steer when they will give birth...

I will paste in our usual links.

Good luck!

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"  )  

Fleece or flannel good to use in the bedding for kittens.

Thank you so much for responding!
She has her own room, bedroom, and bathroom with a nesting area in each room. She seems to have chosen the bathtub bed I made for her, she's napping in it like all day.


I'm pretty sure I felt them move last weekend. It felt like "fluttering" and a couple stronger movements here and there. Now i don't feel anything. Her tummy is still hard and big just not as big as it was.
Her nipples are still large and pink but I don't feel milk in there and there isn't any colostrum coming out.
I've never been so confused with a cat my whole life!!
She seems to want me with her all the time but I tried letting her do it alone so my presence wasn't preventing her from going into labor.

Is there a way of telling if she has lost her kittens or if they are fine but not ready to come out yet?
She's also eating and drinking and going to the bathroom fine if that was a concern.
Thank you!!!

I have no idea how far along she is. I started feeding her in November and when I pet her i felt her nipples were starting to get large and her tummy was hard.
We brought her to the vet on Dec. 13th and the vet confirmed she was pregnant but coul

Couldn't really tell how far along she was. they did feel at least one kitten in her tummy.
After her appointment we brought her inside and introduced her to her own room and warm bed.

Maybe she isn't far enough along yet? I don't know. I'm just afraid if something is wrong and i don't know then it could potentially kill her.

How can i tell how far along she is? Rough estimate at least

Honestly it's hard to tell how far along a cat is. Best is if you know the approximate date she was mated; second best tends to be a skilled vet's opinion.   For your reference a 'normal' cat pregnancy lasts around 9 weeks.

Generally if you can feel or see the kittens moving, she will AT A MINIMUM be 6 weeks along, but that is a conservative estimate- usually more like 7. From what you've said, though, it's hard to say. Are her nipples producing any milk yet?

I don't think there is any milk yet. Nothing is coming out anyway.

kpescatore18 said:

I don't think there is any milk yet. Nothing is coming out anyway.

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Its quite common milk comes first at the birth or shortly after.   Milk dont coming not at all is very scarce, if the kittens had done their full time.   But a wise owner / caretaker has some kmr or goat milk at home.  Or at least knows where to get it even if in hurry.

Good luck!

This is an example video of how it looks like when kittens move inside of their mom. This cat had 5 kittens and gave birth 1,5 weeks after this video was made. Have you seen anything simular to this? Of course, if she is only carrying one kitten, it won't be this obvious, but maybe this will help you to know whether you really felt/saw them move or not.

You said you got your cat in November, and noticed her nipples changing at that time. This usually happens around 3 weeks into the pregnancy. I'm not sure when you had her, but if this was around half november, she should have given birth already. If it was the end of november, she should be due at any moment now.

Also, you mentioned the vet could only feel one kitten, that the movements have stopped and that she has been acting differently for the past few days. It is possible the kitten(s) has moved down and she will go into labor soon. This will mean you won't feel the movement because of the place the kitten is in. Specially if it's just one, this is not abnormal. The change in behavior does indicate she can go into labor any moment too. They usually get really restless, lick their back side a lot, look for a good spot (and dig in it a lot) and some even stop eating in the final 24 hours. 

However, if you think she is not giving birth the way she should, and if it's only just one kitten, there is a chance that if it stays in too long it'll get too big for her to push out on her own. If you see she is having any contractions, lost blood/liquid, call your vet because she is in need of help.

It's also possible she gave birth to the kitten already and that it passed away. But in this case, you should at least find some blood.

We started feeding her and noticed she was pregnant in mid November. When we took her to the vet on December 13th the vet confirmed she was pregnant. So she shouldve had the kittens by now I think.

She still hasn't given birth and I'm starting to get worried.
I was hoping she would this past weekend but no kittens and no signs of labor.
This morning I noticed she looked a little smaller again. She acts normal and continues to eat and drink just fine as well as go to the bathroom.

I was wondering if maybe it was possible for her to be pregnant with 2 litters at the same time and the first litter has passed away inside of her and the second litter is still there?
Or possibly her uterus has "absorbed" them like I have been reading.

Is there any way that I can tell?
Should I wait or should I be worried?

kpescatore18 said:

We started feeding her and noticed she was pregnant in mid November. When we took her to the vet on December 13th the vet confirmed she was pregnant. So she shouldve had the kittens by now I think.

She still hasn't given birth and I'm starting to get worried.
I was hoping she would this past weekend but no kittens and no signs of labor.
This morning I noticed she looked a little smaller again. She acts normal and continues to eat and drink just fine as well as go to the bathroom.

I was wondering if maybe it was possible for her to be pregnant with 2 litters at the same time and the first litter has passed away inside of her and the second litter is still there?
Or possibly her uterus has "absorbed" them like I have been reading.

Is there any way that I can tell?
Should I wait or should I be worried?

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Its entirely possible to have two different litters, Not so common but not unique either.  Breeders do seldom see this, because they have good control on matings and where their stud is, and so. But among free mating moggies its not unique.

So I suppose its fully possible to happen as you say.  

Tx, it was the word ABSORBED I sought after earlier...

I suppose the only way to get more sure knowledge is to visit a good vet, who can make an ultrasound and or palpitate and hear on, like any human midwife would do.   I dont recommend X-ray.  They do cost a lot, dont really show if the kittens move, and may be harmful.

If there are alive kittens, to wait or to try and force things, is the difficult question.    It may also depend on how experienced is your vet as obstetrician.... Many vets dont works at all much with high pregs and small kittens.

As rule of thumbs, cats manage a little too long pregnancy better than humans, while kittens manage a too early delivery much worse than humans.

So, my recommendation is, as long as mom is fine, no fever, no pains, no viisble problems and distress, to wait.

So, if you do have access to a good vet, you can ask for advice and exam.   If you trust he is knowleable and reliable, rely on his advices.

If you dont  trust his knowledge,  sorry, you must take a deep breath and play the tune by ear. taking your own decision..

You being there are the one who must decide.

*vibes!*

Thank you so much.
I'm going to wait and see as of right now. Since she acts normal and is eating and drinking fine. If anything changes I will take her to the vet immediately.