1st time mom/anxious owner.. Help! TLDR

talkingpeanut said:

It's her nesting and other instincts kicking in. Can you provide her some other nest options?

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I tried taking my laundry basket and lying it flat on the floor, and put towels in it and over it, she took to it better but she still does want out.

I can't let her out as the only rooms in my apartment that close off are the bedroom and bathroom, and I have three other kitties.

Do you think she will be alright with me moving her to her dog cage that I set up after she has given birth (if she doesn't choose there) or will I have to wait a while?  I plan on leaving the cage open for her and there is a large box in there for the nest itself, but I do need to be able to shut her and the babies in occasionally since I can't leave my other cats out of the bedroom for weeks on end, they are already unhappy about it.

It sounds like the kittens are dropping lower, so she's getting closer! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I have to leave the apartment for a few hours to do something with the social security office.

I know logically she isn't going to give birth while I'm gone. It'll be a few days I think, at least a day. But with my luck she'll pop! haha

You just never know! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Her wanting to escape the room, not eating much and meowing...it's close now.

I just got home and all is well! She won't stop rubbing on me, and her appetite seems to have made a 180 because now she's scarfing down the wet food mixed with kmr I have out for her! I'll update as soon as anything changes

She's very happy you're home. Labor shouldn't be too far off. Some cats take their time, some are ready for birth with little warning. Keeps you on your toes! [emoji]128516[/emoji]

Update for nighttime 5/5

No changes in her behavior, she's still very sweet. She's been very very hungry after not being hungry for a day or two.  She has taken to sleeping in the laundry basket with towels I set up for her (which I read about on another forum, a great idea because she loves it!) and she's spending a large chunk of her time in there. She actually is lying in the intended area I made for her right now which is a surprise!

She's calmer right now, not meowing much, just when I leave her side. Her stomach is very tight and a little lumpy in some spots. When I feel it, it feels like kitten lumps for sure. I'm not seeing any movement though. She is very large at the bottom, bowing out quite a bit. 

What does early contractions look like? I've heard they look like ripples, do all cats do that before birth or could she just randomly go into full blown labor without warning?

The waiting game continues

I didn't see anything that made me think labor was coming as far as her tummy. She just wasn't eating as much after eating like a horse for weeks. And she would follow me everywhere. Then she meowed constantly. After a few hours of being restless and meowing she cuddled in bed with me and wanted constant belly rubs. After about a half hour I noticed some discharge. Then I saw the contractions, she was still on her back. I picked her up gently and moved to her birthing box and she escaped and tried to go under the bed, then wanted out of the room. I scooped her up again and took her down to the spare bathroom where everything was set up. She stayed and literally 5 minutes later began giving birth. It was quick once labor actually started.

I did notice for a day or 2 before that her tummy felt tighter and you could feel kitten bumps.

Also, she didn't go completely off food. Just didn't eat much, she nibbled a few hours before. And her temp was normal. I was shocked it came so fast.

Thanks so much for the advice/knowledge! I'll be setting alarms tonight to check on her every once in a while just in case. Since her tummy has been getting tighter and there are kitten lumps, I'm guessing it'll be a few hours to a day  or two. I've been hoping for it to be a day or two for a few days now, but they come when they come!

I do hear gas rumbling in her stomach every once in a while if I'm very close, and I think I might have saw movement near her lower abdomen a few minutes ago, but it didn't look like the kitten movement I've become used to with her. Perhaps gas? I'll be watching her closely for sure. She's such a small cat I'm worried about her giving birth. She was 7lbs before getting pregnant.

Liz was 7 pounds and was 10 the day she had them. She's a petite thing too and had no issues. Each cat is different though. The waiting in the last few days feels like forever, but they will come. Can't wait to hear the good news! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

I weighed her on the kitchen scale and she is 10.7lbs now! So similar. How many kittens did Liz have?

Your mama cat sounds very healthy to me! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Update as of 8am. She has kept me up all night for the 3rd night in a row. I'm a very light sleeper and once I wake I stay awake. So every time she jumps on the bed to cuddle I wake up. I've gotten about 6 hours sleep the past few days combined, and there's still no sign of immediate labor, and she seems relaxed. All is well, I'm just grumpy and tired. I probably feel the same as her! Haha

You guys are right, the last few days creep by so slow

Try to get a nap today if you can!

newkitties said:

I weighed her on the kitchen scale and she is 10.7lbs now! So similar. How many kittens did Liz have?

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She had 4. They were on the small end but have already doubled their weight on day 6. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I'm so happy all of them are healthy

Update on mama, it's 3 in the morning of course.
There's no change. I keep thinking she's super close because every time I leave the room she meows and meows even when my boyfriend is with her. She was talkative before pregnancy but she wasn't particularly needy. She's keeping me on my toes! The only real change is now she wants belly rubs! She hasn't been letting me for about two weeks. I talked to the vet, and he thinks that she most likely mated towards the beginning of the week, and probably throughout the week she was able to. He said I should expect some big and tiny kittens in the case that she mated many days in a row. He also thinks if she hasn't gone into labor by the 14th, I need to bring her in for a checkup. He says he believes she'll give birth before then though so fingers crossed!

I know temp can't be a reliable, especially if I haven't taken it consistently for weeks, but I took her and my three other cats temp in the armpit (they didn't mind at all) and they all came out similar, little mama was the coolest but not by much. I added three degrees to each one and she's around 100.7F, even if it doesn't mean anything it's nice to know to ease my mind a bit. I'm SO ready for them to come it's killing me! I've got nothing else going on at all, my life revolves around my cats and a few strays outside haha

An x-ray or ultrasound at this point would tell you how many, and at what stage of development they are if you really want to know. Your vet is just guessing as to how many times she mated. More like telling you different "what if" scenarios. As long as she's not in distress, there are no worries! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

So there is more movement, but it doesn't look quite the same as what I've seen. She's very bi polar with me right now.

I'm going to try and edit and upload the video since its long, let me know if you think it's just kitten movements or something else.

Mamas tummy from Chauntel on Vimeo.

Sorry about the boyfriend snoring and the tv in the background!