Our cat is pregnant!

Guys can anyone help ? Right so we were given this cat for free off a friend she was six months when we got her now she is eight months when we got her she was tiny now her belly is like a balloon she has always been an indoor cat but the home she lived in before she lived with her brother so the kittens will be his. She keeps acting strange she is breathing heavily the kittens are kicking in her stomach and she has had milk for almost a week she is nesting I think so we are shutting her in so she doesn't have them outside she has been showing these signs for five days but no kittens what should I do?

kittykitty2004 said:

Guys can anyone help ? Right so we were given this cat for free off a friend she was six months when we got her now she is eight months when we got her she was tiny now her belly is like a balloon she has always been an indoor cat but the home she lived in before she lived with her brother so the kittens will be his. She keeps acting strange she is breathing heavily the kittens are kicking in her stomach and she has had milk for almost a week she is nesting I think so we are shutting her in so she doesn't have them outside she has been showing these signs for five days but no kittens what should I do?

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Its apparently nearing...  They can have some precontractions before.  This is in fact common, a way of Mother Nature to train up their muscles for the real labor to come...

Cats usually manage a little too long pregnancy better than humans.  Its a too short pregnancy which is the big danger - kittens dont manage well to be premature.

The exact situation depends in much on exaclty HOW she feels.  If she is in apparent distress but not in usual labor, you should contact your vet.  The vet knows what follow up question to give...

But most often, in 99% of cases, its just to prepare as well you can, and wait...

But when she get in visibly active labor, and the active labor isnt resulting for many hours - you must contact your vet - the labor of cats is typically shorter than this of humans...

Please do report how its developing, and come with further questions.

Good luck!

Many 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.thecatsite.com/a/kitten-development-stages-illustrated-guide

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.thecatsite.com/a/hand-rearing-kittens

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/
http://www.kittenrescue.org/index.php/cat-care/kitten-care-handbook/
http://www.hdw-inc.com/glop.htm

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