Adopted by a pregnant cat in the middle of a move

We were recently adopted by a sweet little girl who id seen rummaging around in my front yard for several days. She was getting thinner and more scraggly and no sign that she had a home anywhere, so eventually I brought her in and after a fruitless week of searching for an owner admitted defeat and welcomed her to the family.

Thing is, it's now clear she's definitely preggo, poor thing! Not sure when it happened, but her belly started to grow from the first day I had her. I put it down to regular weight gain at first because she was skin and bones at that point, but it's clear now that that belly is full of something other than food.

The vet guessed her age at around 10months. No idea if this is her first litter or not (will definitely be her last, as I'll have her spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned). She's been with us since feb 9. Her belly is quite large now, nipples are large and pink, and I can definitely feel the kittens having a dance party in there.

I was guessing her to be at about 7-8 weeks. But this morning I saw what I think must have been her mucous plug come out? It was an opaque goo, she scampered off before I could get a good look. Later I noticed when I could check that some of it had dried and stuck and it looked like what the plug is described as, though she's since cleaned it all away.

No odd behavior though, no nesting, no constant grooming, still has a good appetite, and so far as I can tell her milk hasn't come in.

Any ideas or thoughts on how far along she is? The main reason for my needing to know is that we are in the middle of a move from Texas to Mississippi. My hubby has already moved and I'll be following as soon as we close on the house which should be by the end of March, so I'm just trying to plan as best I can for how many cats I'll be transporting and how delicate they'll be at that stage.

Life is never simple, eh? Haha

I think she's probably close! I would set up some nest options. I think by the end of March you'll be able to move them all in a crate, but I would expect to have multiple cats by then!

Ah, we are lucky its the end of march, not the nearest days.  It shouldnt be no big trouble.   Have them transported in their nest...   Have momma on a leash, not to risk she may disappear during the transport...

The mucus plug is unreliable witness, it may fall off quite early. Still, she surely got thown out when the owners discovered she was high preg.

I mean, if you observed she got noticeably thinner while being around yourhouse, this means, she got dumped just before you saw her for the first time.

Here are some of my links.

Tx a lot for helping this little sis of ours!

Good luck!

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.thecatsite.com/a/pregnancy-and-delivery-in-cats

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

Goats milk is useful instead of kmr. Raw goat milk is best – fresh or frozen,  but bottled /cartooned or  powdered full fat is OK too.

Observe, if an orphan is much bloated, gas-filled, bloated, have colic, simethicone (google on it) may help.  1-2 drop in the bottle.

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

Thanks guys, wasn't expecting answers so quickly! Good to hear she may be pretty close - ideally the older they are for the big move the better, I figure.

Just sitting here with mama watching her belly move - it's crazy that you can see it like that! I've never been around a pregnant animal, all of ours growing up were always spayed/neutered, so this will be a steep learning curve. I have a good vet thankfully, and they're quite nearby, so that's good.

Thinking if she really is close its probably a small litter, her belly is quite round and taut but she's still an awfully petite little girl so I can't imagine she could have very many stuffed in there! Guess we'll have to wait and see though.

Oh and I did set her up a nest/box, I've got a heating pad and space heater on hand in the room if needed and it's all cozy in there with lots of blankets and old t shirts piled over some absorbent training pads. She seemed to like it and hangs out in the room a lot now but hasn't gone back into the nest area after first examining it, maybe she's waiting until it's time?

Just keeping an eye on her then I guess.

garnermeg said:

Oh and I did set her up a nest/box, I've got a heating pad and space heater on hand in the room if needed and it's all cozy in there with lots of blankets and old t shirts piled over some absorbent training pads. She seemed to like it and hangs out in the room a lot now but hasn't gone back into the nest area after first examining it, maybe she's waiting until it's time?

Just keeping an eye on her then I guess.

Click to expand...

Yes, in the nature they dont take their nest too early.  They dont want it to get smell or flea infested too early.

But she surely appreciates to KNOW there is a nice nest waiting.

It would be a good idea to take her to the vet and have her dewormed before the kittens are born.  The vet will also be familiar with her if you need advice or have to run her in at the last minute if problems arrise.

Handsome Kitty said:

It would be a good idea to take her to the vet and have her dewormed before the kittens are born.  The vet will also be familiar with her if you need advice or have to run her in at the last minute if problems arrise.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I did that! Took her to the vet straightaway when I first brought her inside, she was dewormed and vaccinated (we didn't know she was pregnant at the time but the vet said it shouldn't be a problem). She got a clean bill of health so she's in good shape.

I noticed her belly kindof... Rippling? Earlier. I thought it may be contractions but it seems to have stopped and there's nothing else out of the ordinary.

Come on, mama! I'm excited to meet the little ones and let them get a head start on growing before the move!

Wanted to post a few photos here but the upload doesn't seem to be working. Alas!

garnermeg said:

I noticed her belly kindof... Rippling? Earlier. I thought it may be contractions but it seems to have stopped and there's nothing else out of the ordinary.

Come on, mama! I'm excited to meet the little ones and let them get a head start on growing before the move!

Click to expand...

There may be different types of precontractions.   Its way of nature to train up the muscles.  Humans have it too, it has even a fancy name which I never remember.

Ah, Braxton hicks! So strange that the process is so similar to a human pregnancy, but I guess it's all basically the same idea, lol.

It's a bit ironic that she ended up with me of all people - I have no kids of my own and never intend to, never been around babies and generally avoid holding them or interacting with them, I'm just not a baby/birth person. The whole system just kinda grosses me out! (And before you assume I'm a teenager, I'm actually in my 30's - just didn't get the mama gene I guess!)

Anyway, life has a sense of humor I guess. Yuck! Good thing she's so cute.

garnermeg said:

Ah, Braxton hicks! So strange that the process is so similar to a human pregnancy, but I guess it's all basically the same idea, lol.

It's a bit ironic that she ended up with me of all people - I have no kids of my own and never intend to, never been around babies and generally avoid holding them or interacting with them, I'm just not a baby/birth person. The whole system just kinda grosses me out! (And before you assume I'm a teenager, I'm actually in my 30's - just didn't get the mama gene I guess!)

Anyway, life has a sense of humor I guess. Yuck! Good thing she's so cute.

Click to expand...

Perhaps a gift from God to you, so you too could have the joy and some of the sorrows, of being a mom.

Thanks so much for posting all those links, by the way! I've been going through the preparation ones and gathering what we will need. I have:

Absorbent pads
Old towels
Old Flannel blankets
Latex gloves for handling/cleaning newborns if needed
Blunt scissors
Dental floss
Heating pad and space heater
Kitten food for mama
Goat milk in case kittens need it
Eyedroppers for getting mucous out of noses/eyes and for milk feeding if needed

Am I missing anything?

Thank you all so much for your help here, it's hugely appreciated! I have a great vet and she talked me through the basics of what to expect but of course she's very busy so it's wonderful to have a resource like this for all the little questions.


Is there anything else I need or should have on hand? I don't have any kind of milk replacement or supplement but there is a

Oops ignore that last paragraph, I typed it before I remembered I have goats milk in the fridge, and forgot to delete it

The only thing I can see that you might need and don't have is a small, 1 - 2 ml needleless syringe.  Nursing kittens will not accept a bottle so if they need supplementing you will need use the syringe.

Handsome Kitty said:

The only thing I can see that you might need and don't have is a small, 1 - 2 ml needleless syringe.  Nursing kittens will not accept a bottle so if they need supplementing you will need use the syringe.

Click to expand...

Right. Will the eye droppers not work for that?

I had a hard time finding them but there is a Walgreens a few blocks away that probably would have them, so if I end up needing them I can run out and get them and it won't take but 10 minutes to get there and back.

I think Eye droppers work.  Yes you can get them from any pharmacy or even your vet.

garnermeg said:

Right. Will the eye droppers not work for that?

Click to expand...

Yes, they will, but its easier with a syringe.  Anyways, you can always begi with the dropper.

Also, good to have a scale, preferably an electronic measuring in grammes, or 1/3 OZ if you cant find a good cheap one in grammes.

The latex gloves - they arent nececessary for the kittens - moms teeth arent sterile, so clean hands are good enough.  But it may be easier for you, there are all sorts of fluids and grunks, most people may find some of them quite gross.