Kitty Kitty is 66 days pregnant - how can I tell if she's dropped?

Kitty Kitty is a stray that I took in a couple of weeks ago. She was pregnant - in fact huge! Vet said she was 56 days on March 3rd, and that kittens were not ready yet. He took x-rays. I called yesterday and vet said to let her go through the weekend if labor hasn't started. He gave me the emergency number if labor starts and she encounters problems. Kitty Kitty is eating, sleeping and chilling like normal. Her nipples are prominent, and she licks them frequently. I have nest areas set up that she has checked out. But no labor or discharge yet. She's a very affectionate cat (I plan to spay her and keep her after the kittens are weaned. Should be 4 or 5, vet said. Two are spoken for already), and has been more so the last 2 days. I will upload pictures, but she looks like she swallowed a basketball. My question is, how do I know when she's dropped?

How could the vet known EXACTLY  its the day 56??   He couldnt unless he knows exactly when she mated, or knows exactly when the nipples got rosy.

Knowing when they kittens begin to be felt their moves, gives also a decent count, but not as exact - it can vary  almost a week, from almost 3 weeks before, to 2 weeks before, which is the most common.

To your question:  you usually see when they drop, they suddenly seems to be a little smaller.   Also, you usually dont feel the kittens move as clearly, and now they are somewhat further down, so now you feel them further down.

Also,  cats usually manage a little too long pregnancy better than humans, while kittens manage being premature much worse than human babies.  Which means in practice; if in doubt, with a human mom you let the doc make a cesarean.  While with cats, its usually better to wait and see, unless she is clearly in clear and serious distress.   Not because you dont bother or dont want to put your money on a cat, but simply - kittens manage premature deliveries badly.   If you miscounted, moms life will be saved all right, but the kittens willbe  put put in the most grave danger.

I send over our usual links, if you didnt got them yet.  You are welcome with further questions and reports.

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.

As Stefan already answered your question, I just want to say: She is HUGE. I wouldn't be surpriced if there are more than 4/5 really. She must be really close to the end. Good luck to you, I hope everything will go well. Don't be shy to ask us anything if you are unsure about something else!

I agree, she is huge, and likely having quite a few, more than 4 or 5 for sure!! More like 7.

I also agree there is no way he can nail her days that accurately, it's just not doable.

Leave her be, she will pop them out as soon as she is ready, and with a large litter, they will have some small ones too, so each day more is best!

Thank you for your comments. I am very nervous because I have not had kittens before, though I have had many cats over the years. I took her to the vet to see what was what, because I was worried. She is doing fine, and I will let her go as long as necessary as long as she is not in distress. I have a good vet. He is telling me to leave her be also. I read about "dropping" and was curious. It's obvious she's getting close. She is barely a year old, and this is clearly her first litter. I've been feeding her kitten chow. I was hoping she would deliver this weekend while I am here and not at work, but that remains to be seen. 7 or 8 sounds like a lot, but I will deal with however many she has. I have read many links, and bought everything I could possibly need for kitten care, so now I'm just waiting. I'll keep everyone posted as to progress and any questions!

Also, she has six nipples. If she has 7 or 8 kittens , will she be able to nurse them all ok?

Depending on litter size and what weights are for the kittens, you may need to rotate the kittens when they nurse and you may also have to supplement. But, don't get ahead of yourself. =)

Make sure you have a scale (one that measures in grams and/or has 0.1 ounce increments) to weigh the kittens daily and also have a few bottles and some KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) on hand just in case. It seems as if the powdered KMR brand replacer is the easiest for kittens to digest, but, you can also water down the canned version for similar results (the premixed canned is often too rich and can cause diarrhea/constipation.)

Just as a note...
2 of my kitties are from a litter of 9 (all solid black) and all grew up to very healthy.

Exactly my advice, rotation.

Otherwise you will surely have the smallest ones struggling to nurse, and soon they fall behind, then go downhill. The real reason why many runts don't survive, not because they aren't developed fully, but because they are the underdogs.

But if you have a rotation set up, this will ensure they all get as much as they need.

If you don't end up doing this and choose to supplement, you will need syringes rather than bottles, because nursing kittens will never adapt to a bottle when mom is still there.

We're here for you through this, hoping you are there during birth.

Three kittens so far! When I awoke early this morning I found Kityy Kitty in her nesting basket in the closet in the other, unused second bedroom with one kitten! She has now had 2 more, and more to come! So far, all I've done is change the bedding & set up the heating pad on low under the blankets. Kitty Kitty has been very quiet about the whole thing, in fact, slept in bed with me most of the night. I could tell she was restless, uncomfortable, and dilating all day yesterday. So glad I'm off today to be here for her. I'll keep you posted, and will take pics when she's all done.

She has bit off the cords & eaten the membranes. Do I still need to tie the cords or clean them? One of the cords is really long & there's still a little blood too. Not sure if it's from the cords or from Kitty Kitty. Four kittens now, by the way!

sarthur2 said:

She has bit off the cords & eaten the membranes. Do I still need to tie the cords or clean them? One of the cords is really long & there's still a little blood too. Not sure if it's from the cords or from Kitty Kitty. Four kittens now, by the way!

Click to expand...

She doesnt not need to eat more placentas, just be sure they come out.

Im not sure what you mean about the cord, but normally you dont need to do anything with them.  Unless you clearly see something is wrong.

Thank you! If she has more I will take away the placentas. Kittens seem to be fine and are nursing well. I changed the bedding as it was all wet & smelly & bloody. Still just 4 kittens for now. I'll get a better picture soon.

Congratulations! as Stefan said, you don't need to do anything, mom will take care of everything. If something is wrong, then naturally you can interfere, but leave it to her as much as you can. And yes, around 3-4 placentas is enough, otherwise you risk the mom getting diarrhea. 

Also, I would not change the bedding again until she's completely done and settled. Interferance can put the mom off and she might stop her labor in the middle. You do not want that. The cat herself is not bothered with the smell or blood stains, so leave her for as long as you can. Specially if this is her first litter, because then you risk a little more than moms that know the drill.

Good luck, keep us updated!

Kitty Kitty seems to be done giving birth. Just 4 kittens after all! She had the last one around 10:30am. All 4 have little round tummies & seem to be nursing & sleeping well. They are all strong, climbing and mewing to get to the nipples. Kitty Kitty has not left the box, so I brought her some kitten milk in bed, which she lapped voraciously! Her tummy is soft now, so I think that's it. Vet said he saw 4 in the x-rays. It's a lovely spring day here in Florida, and all is well. I'll post pics of the kittens when they get bigger! Thanks everyone for the support!

This is great news! All went smoothly, and so much better to have 4 rather than more and fighting for nipples!

I did not know/read that she was x-rayed and vet saw 4 kittens. She must have had alot of water, just as some humanes do when prego.

They look good, nice sizes too.

Mom will go through a ton of water now that she is producing milk. You can also offer her diluted kmr once a day if you have some.

Canned food daily is also great and she will appreciate that!

Those are 4 good looking kittens there! I can't wait to see them again when they are a little bigger It's always amazing to see how these little kittens grow out to bigger kittens and eventually adult cats <3

She must have carried lots of water like catwoman707 said! Her belly was really huge haha! I hope you get to enjoy the little ones and that everything will go as it should go ^^

Thanks so much. I've put water, kitten chow & wet food down, but so far Kitty Kitty hasn't left her nest even to use the litter pan. But I gave her some formula, which she drank thirstily. I guess she'll get up when she's ready. Such a good mom. The kittens are beautiful & already strong. I'm enjoying every minute of this!

Kitty Kitty had 4 kittens on Sunday morning. The kittens are almost 3 days old and doing great! My question is how long does it take for her bottom to heal? She licks her vaginal area constantly when she's not nursing, and I just now found a long pink streak on the carpet near her nesting area that looks like she dragged her bottom across it. She doesn't seem to have fever or any unusual discharge, but she seems slightly uncomfortable. Is this normal behavior after having kittens? Also, last evening during one of her little 5-minute breaks from nursing, she kept lifting her rump and moving around in an odd way. Is she just sore?

Kitty Kitty's kittens are two weeks old today, and are doing beautifully! She is a great mom and there have been no problems at all. I can tell that soon the 4 little ones will be very active.

They are growing really well, great to see! They will indeed soon be very active, make sure you are ready for it haha