Pregnant cat, first litter for me and her

Anorissa said:

 
I haven't noticed her using it today though, but I did change her litter to a different kind.

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Guess I should mention that she probably did use the box today, but I was away for most of the day. Didn't change the litter until around 5pm est, so she probably had gone to the bathroom by then lol.

I'm going to suggest that you let her free-roam in your room only for now, not the rest of the house, with access to her litter box and food and water. The crate is too confining, and she needs to acclimate. Sounds like she's done great with the litter box so far. You'll have a much happier cat outside the crate in the long run.

sarthur2 said:

I'm going to suggest that you let her free-roam in your room only for now, not the rest of the hiuse, with access to her litter box and food and water. The crate is too confining, and she needs to acclimate. Sounds like she's done great with the litter box so far. You'll have a much happier cat outside the crate in the long run.

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I agree.   Going to a crate after being outside is going to be hard on her.  She needs to move around.

If I let her free roam in my room and the adjoining bedroom (there is no door separating them, to get to my room I have to go through the other room but nobody sleeps in there), is there a way I can stop her from going under the bed and dressers, and to stop her from jumping up on all the higher surfaces? I normally wouldn't mind a cat wandering where-ever it wants to, but I don't want her to nest under the bed or somewhere else where I don't have easy access to her, and I don't know if her jumping around would harm the kittens. I also have a small, steep staircase in my room, which is unused (its creepy, and dangerous cause its so steep). Is there a way I could keep her from exploring that too? With the way the staircase is set up, I couldn't put a baby gate across it.

Pregnant cats jump around. Pregnant cats often have kittens under couches, tables, bureaus, in closets (in fact, they like small, dark, private places that predators do not get into), and they do fine.

Your cat will explore. That is the purpose of letting her roam. She needs to exercise her legs and her natural curiosity and learn her environment and its scents.

She may just as easily give birth where you put her nest. The point is, she will be within the confines of these two rooms and she will not be lost. You are her person for food and love and she will not hide from you for long!

I let her out yesterday to roam, and she is being very good with it. She explored a little at first (going under beds, and down the stairs, and sniffing everything) and now she just lays near wherever I am and follows me around when I move. She handled the fireworks last night amazingly well too. I thought she would have been freaking out, but she was as calm as can be.

I was sitting with her last night, watching tv (she watches it with me, I think she's amazed or confused by it lol) and I do think her belly has gotten bigger since bringing her inside. Though, that could be because she's been eating more since being in here.

I am so glad that you are letting her roam in your area of the house and just be a cat. She will appreciate it and be happier! Sounds like she is doing well, and is bonding to you already. Just leave the crate door open for her. She will get bigger from both her advancing pregnancy and the better diet, which is good for her and her kittens. You're doing a great job with her!

I found a bigger box in my house so I made her another nesting box and put it in my closet.



Seeing as I had to lure her out of there with a treat just so I could finish laying the bedding down (which is just newspaper and old curtains), I have a feeling she'll use this one, if she doesn't decide that its gonna be her bed lol

I love the curtains.  It's perfect.

I think I would choose that box too! Especially since it's in your closet and so colorful! Your cat has good taste in home furnishings.

Ok, just a little bit ago she was laying down and batting at a toy, and she got up and laid down somewhere else. When she moved, I noticed that where she had been laying there was this: (picture with and without flash)



There was also a little bit of blood in her stool (she had used the litter box a little bit before, so I checked it after I saw the blood on the newspaper), and her stool looked to be a bit soft. Its formed, but a little soft looking. 

I cant tell if the blood came from her butt or her vulva, cause she won't let me get a good look at her back end. Every time I try, or move her tail to look, she moves and then sits like she's gonna try to groom back there but she can't reach it.

This is the first time I've seen blood in her stool. All the other times they looked normal, and she doesn't seem to be acting differently. The only change that I made recently was that yesterday I changed her litter to a new kind (I changed from a pine litter to a non-clumping clay because the pine didn't block the odor very well) but she doesn't seem to mind the new litter. 

She's not acting any differently, and doesn't seem to be in distress. She was playing well, and she's been eating and drinking good. Her nipples haven't changed (except one near her front leg seems to be a teeny bit pinker than the rest, I can't get a good look at the ones near her back legs). She's explored a little today (she managed to squeeze in this small space under my desk, but didn't stay there long), but other than that she's just be laying around like normal. She hasn't been more vocal and the shape of her stomach hasn't changed (though, earlier, when she was letting me pet it gently, I swear I could feel a lump).

Is this normal for pregnant cats, or should I be worried?

I think you need to see a vet.

The only normal discharge would be water breaking or the mucus plug and neither s/b bloody.

Eh, they can have discharge, but it's not usually bright red. I imagine the blood in her stool was from her vulva. She may be heading towards labor and delivery - just like your vet said!

It's not overly alarming. Keep an eye on her and post updates.

You might want to call and ask your vet if this bit of bloody discharge is worrisome and email the picture. Let us know what he says.

I called my vet and explained, and the lady on the phone just said to keep an eye on her. She didn't say if this was normal or not, just to watch her. If I see blood on her stool tomorrow, or more bloody discharge on the newspaper I'll call again (and if they tell me the same thing, I'll call the other local vet and see what they think. I'm lucky in that I live in an area that has two good veterinary hospitals close by)

Just in case that was her mucus plug, I'm having my mom pick up some powdered KMR after she gets off work today, and I'll give it to Naira. Her nipples don't  look ready for kittens lol and i figure maybe the kmr will help prepare her more.

I also took another picture of Naira, so you good get a better judge of how big she is (both in belly and size)


The cage she is laying next to is 42 inches (106.6 cm) long and 30 inches (76.2 cm) high. Picture is at an angle, I couldn't fit it all in with it level to the ground or straight on.

Regarding the "lady on the phone", was this an assistant or the vet herself?

I also have trouble with "the lady on the phone" since she thinks she's a vet by association and wants to give me crappy, and arrogant nonetheless, advice. Which is why I always ask to speak to the vet himself and if she says he's busy and do this and that, I ask when I can call back.

Glad you called the vet. It gives peace of mind. I figured it was a watch and see. Her body is preparing for labor. The KMR will give her extra vitamins and minerals.

She seems like a very nice cat!

The lady on the phone was probably one of the assistants. There is a regular receptionist lady, but it didn't sound like her and she's normally very nice (they've had the same receptionist for as long as I can remember). Tomorrow, if I have to call back, I'll ask for the vet himself. Hopefully though, I won't have to call back. Hopefully shes either preparing for labor or she was just a little constipated earlier (read online that soft stool with a bit of blood might occur if she was constipated and her system worked on it)

Or the blood could be from what was discharging from her vulva. Hopefully you won't need to call back. They do get discharge when their time is near.

Ooooooh! I think I just saw one of the kittens move in her belly! She was just laying down, and I was watching her, and I saw this movement in her belly that was out of rhythm with her breathing. I've never seen the kittens move around before, but, I never have really sat down and just stared at her stomach for a while either lol