Pleaaaase let Aaru have her kittens safely and SOON...

She's crying to go out because that is what she knows. But give her time, she'll settle down. And I hope once the kittens arrive that she'll not insist on going out so much. She really must stay indoors until these kittens are 8 weeks old. It's for their health and safety too. She may  cry, but in the long run you are doing what is best for her and her kittens.

           

I agree that it would be safest for her to stay in. I wish I had a sunroom, but we live in a little cabin in the woods with only a few rooms. I actually audibly laughed at the sunroom question . When she goes out now, I watch her like a hawk and she usually stays on the porch or hunts in the garden. When she starts to head away from the house, I snatch her up and bring her in. I see the wisdom in keeping her in even while weaning. I borrowed a large crate from a friend that I might leave on the porch for her to have some outdoor time in. My main concern is that if I keep her captive, she will run away when I eventually do let her out, and I won't be able to get her to come back. It won't be safe for her to be a barn cat either, which is what she will do if she runs away. Arrgh. I most definitely agree with the risk of an additional pregnancy, which is not an option. I don't want her to spend her life as a kitten factory with one litter after another. For that reason at least, she may need to just stay in.

If you're the one feeding her she'll most likely not disappear by choice. In late pregnacy nearly all cats have this desire to run outside and escape. Even cats who spent their entire life inside. So your mom cat may just sit on the porch now, but may dart off and attempt to find a "safe" place to have her kittens. And then you'll have quite the situation on your hands. So even though she seems sad right now it is really important that she does remain indoors.

I hear ya. We may try a harness walk tomorrow, but she's never used one before and I didn't have good luck with it when my previous kitty friend tried it. She's been driving me nuts tonight. She actually broke one of the screens loose from the window! Now that she knows they aren't very substantial, I'm afraid she'll test each window.

I've been shaking her can of pennies, and giving her time-outs in the bathroom for trying to rattle them loose. Argh. What a kitty I have on my hands . Thank you guys for all the support.

I wouldn't try a harness walk with a heavily pregnant mama. You don't want to risk an escape or a very stressful experience. In any case, you want to work up to actually going outside on the harness over a few weeks. It's a process.

I also wouldn't advise trying to punish her. She's a bit frantic due to hormones and a trying to nest outside. Try to distract her and to provide her with options inside. I know it's annoying!

Poor kitty! I know this is hard for both of you.

She could sit outside in a crate. That's about it though for safety's sake.

I agree a harness walk is not a good idea now though.

Got it. No harness. Yeah, I was only going to try it if she seemed comfortable in it and didn't seem stressed, but I've never seen a cat who wasn't stressed their first time in one, so you guys are probably right. I just have to clean and sanitize the crate, because it was given to me. She really wanted to go out last night, but fortunately is only moderately interested in it today. She's more focused on the toys scattered about the living room.

Aaru is still acting completely normal... like she's not even pregnant. She's just raging at me for keeping her inside. She tore the screens out of  windows and broke a curtain rod trying to see if she could climb to the top of the window and have better luck than she did at the bottom. No signs of labor or nesting. I'm starting to think the kittens will never come out! I don't know whether to be concerned because I don't know what the conception date was. Maybe she got pregnant more recently than I realized. Who knows how long this will go on. Poor little Ru.

Questions:

1. Do cats always get huge when they're pregnant? Ru is definitely way bigger than normal and looks like she's got a belly full of lemons, but she isn't grotesque or anything.

2. Does lactation always begin prior to birth? Some folks say they see milk on the nipples before labor begins, but do all cats do this?

3. If the pregnancy goes on too long, say beyond 70 days and she needs medical attention, does the cat show outward signs of distress?

Thanks everyone, for your help and advice.

1. Pregnant cats are all different sizes, like pregnant human women. It depends on litter size and how much they eat. But they do tend to get biggest at the end.

2. Milk can come in before labor and delivery, or after.

3. Cats will usually begin to show some signs of distress if the pregnancy goes too long.

She sounds normal right now. Getting her x-rayed would show where the kittens are in their development, and ease your mind.

I took in a pregnant stray last year and had her x-rayed so I would know. Vet saw 4 kittens, and said 7-10 more days. She had 4 kittens 12 days later. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

@sarthur2 Thank you for your response . She's certainly acting fine. I will definitely take her to the vet if I need to, but I'd really rather not X-ray her unless it's medically necessary for some reason because of the radiation exposure (especially to the babes). I wonder if ultrasound is comparable in cost.  I sure wish kitties were covered under my insurance. They really should be considered dependents. I figure I'll wait a couple more days, and if she needs to go to the vet, we will. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

Fleeing the scene of the curtain rod crime...


Taking an afternoon nap <3

Love the curtain rod crime scene picture! [emoji]128514[/emoji]

Aaru has tiny bits of dried milk on her little nips!!! She is also breathing rapidly and is very pissy, preferring not to be touched, with her tail whacking all around. Labor may be on it's way!!! Or... she may be just faking me out again, as she has done every few days for the last 2 weeks. We shall see. *Fingers crossed the kittens are coming and that all goes smoothly*

Keep us posted!

OMG FINALLY!!!! Ru's water broke!!!! I'm shaking!

Is mom having contractions yet?

It could still take 24 hours, or go quickly. It's hard to say.

I don't believe she's having contractions. I think it might take awhile because she's still acting pretty normal, other than being restless and irritable.

What if it wasn't her water breaking? What does it look like when their water breaks? This is mostly clear, but somewhat brownish. No odor at all. There were some whitish tiny chunks in a couple spots she left on the floor. Is it ok that it's got the slightest hint of brown to it? God, I hope she's alright.

Yes, it's pre-labor discharge. The brownish color is from blood. It's normal.