Pregnant stray - possibly overdue??

I recently took in a stray cat. When we took her in to the vet for a check up, we found out that she was pregnant. She's healthy, young (this is probably her first litter) and the vet could only feel one kitten. The vet told us she should be giving birth within 5 days, if not sooner. This was five days ago.

The cat is definitely very pregnant...her nipples are are large but she isn't lactating yet. Yesterday her stomach was very hard, but today it's softer - but still kind of lumpy? She's eating a lot and pooping a lot. We've set up a lot of nests for her around the apartment, and she's pretty indifferent to all of them. She's very friendly and clingy, sleeps a lot, and as the days have gone on she has only gotten more playful. She doesn't seem anxious or uncomfortable at all.

I guess I'm looking for advice in general. I know it's a waiting game, but how long is too long? Any advice for first time moms to a single kitten?
- is it normal that her tummy has softened?
-should I be concerned that I haven't felt or seen the kitten move?
-how normal is it for a heavily pregnant cat to be so playful? Running across the apartment for toys etc

Here's a picture for reference, I don't know if that's helpful?? I can take more of need be.

Welcome to TCS!  She's so cute.

The vet can only guess when she might have them so don't worry that she ignored his schedule.  Each cat is a little different.  She does sound like she's getting close.

Some things to be aware of:

Young cats/kittens do not make the best parents.  Expect to sit with her while she delivers and as much as possible the first 24 -48 hours.  It takes time for the hormones to settle down and for her to settle in to her roll as mom.  Give her lots of praise and pets.  Be sure she continues to have as much kitten food as she wants, both wet and dry.  Nursing moms burn calories.

She is not going to go into her nest until she is in labor.  In the wild cats do not want the nest dirty or smelly and attracting predators.  It's instinct.

Do you have everything you need in case there is a problem?  Problems always arise after the stores have closed.

 [article="31379"]Pregnant Cat What To Prepare For The Birth​[/article]  

Here are a few more articles you may find useful.

 [article="29720"]Pregnancy And Delivery In Cats​[/article]  

 [article="31496"]How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth​[/article]   Ignore the part about taking the cats temperature.  It is not reliable.

 [article="31414"]Help My Cat Is Having Kittens​[/article]  

 [article="33289"]Weighing Newborn Kittens And How This Could Save Their Lives​[/article]  

Keep using this thread for any questions or concerns you may have.

It sounds like her kittens may have dropped down closer to the birth canal in preparation for labor and delivery. Dropping can precede labor by a few days. You won't see much movement after they drop. Tummies go hard and soft during labor.

It's normal for her to run around due to her hormones and her youth.

How is she today? [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Thanks guys! We've been feeding her kitten food since we got her and bought KMR in case she doesn't nurse, and I think we're going to buy a scale today.

She's acting same today, but I'll check in on her during my lunch break. I read that a sign of impending labor is waxy nipples - the queen starts lactating. How long before labor does this usually happen? We're moving this weekend..it's not a long distance but we'd really like her to give birth ASAP! or at least KNOW so we can better plan when to transport her.

Also, I guess it makes sense that we wouldn't feel the baby move now that she's so close, but shouldn't we have been able to feel it a couple of days ago when we first got her? On one hand I guess it may be normal because she's only having one kitten (or two, tops, according to the vet), and we didn't feel around besides place our hands on her tummy, but on the other hand I'm worried that the kitten will be stillborn - we have NO idea what the mom's diet or life was like before we found her 6 days ago.

Cats can begin lactating days before birthing, or not until after. Every cat is different.

Whether she's had the baby(ies) or not, just move her in a pet carrier and put her in a safe room, such as a bathroom, so she cannot escape on either end until the move is finished.

It's not ideal, but most cats weather a move just fine. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

So, still pregnant! She seems comfortable, is still eating a good amount, and has gotten used to the new apartment. But here is the latest development that I'm worried about: her nipple seem less full than they were before. They're still prominent, but aren't quite so plump, and seem a little wrinkly as a result. I haven't found anything about this online. What's up with it? Is her milk somehow going away?

Her stomach isn drooping quite a bit now, and hasn't gotten hard again.

If it helps, I picked up a pregnant cat to foster and was told she had 7-10 days. I believe she delivered over 2 weeks later. Another foster parent was told a week or 2. Hers gave birth almost 4 weeks later!
Are you talking about the nipple itself or the mammary gland area? As the milk starts coming in, that area will begin to sag down if that makes sense. They will stretch down and not be as tight and close to her belly.
She is beautiful by the way!! I am a bit surprised the vet estimates one. My foster was only a little larger and had 5! Here are some pics for reference. However, if there's one thing certain, it's that size can be deceiving! Some will look big and only have one and some may look smaller and end up having quite a few!

Thanks! The vet palpated(??) her and said she felt only one, but who knows at this point, haha.

That's the thing, her mammary glands used to be very swollen and now have receded. It's weird - it's like she was closer to labor a week ago than she is now.


That picture is dark but it's the best I could do, she's a moving target. And here is her stomach, it really doesn't look like your pregnant kitty which I think is weird but idk if it's a cause for concern. If I didn't know better I wouldn't even think she was pregnant:

Are the mammary glands pretty hard? Or at least harder than they were?

I'm glad she's adjusted well to the new place. I guess it's just wait and see on the kitten, unless you want to take her to the vet for an x-ray.

fostersrule said:

Are the mammary glands pretty hard? Or at least harder than they were?

Click to expand...

Not particularly. The mamary glands are all flat except for one of the back ones, and even that one has gotten smaller.
It's true though, there's really nothing for me to do for now unless she starts acting ill.

I agree. Keep us posted!

It's good you are keeping an eye on things. If she does have a kitten you MAY need to bottle feed if she doesn't produce milk. I had a momma cat with 3 one day old kittens come to me to foster and less than a week after they were born her milk completely dried up and all three were bottle babies. The back ones lasted the longest and were the last to go. Luckily all I had to do was feed them and she took care of the rest. Her motherly instincts were intact. What's interesting is that her nipples went back to being tiny like she'd never been pregnant. Looking at her tummy now (a couple years later) you'd never know.

If her milk does not come in (and sometimes it comes in fully a day or two after delivery), the vet can give her a shot of oxytocin to stimulate milk production.

Have a can of powdered KMR and a small, 1-2 mL syringe ready just in case you need to supplement.

So, I have an interesting update on this...

I ended up calling a new vet about two weeks ago and told her the whole story, because as time went on Penelope continued to look and act less pregnant. This vet said it sounded like a phantom pregnancy, and she Penelope actually went into heat this weekend. So that's that.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. I work at a university and today is freshman move in day. A student found a lone kitten in a gutter by a residential hall. Our theory is that the mom cat was panicked by everything going on, but didn't or couldn't remove this kitten before evacuating the area. We don't think she was abandoned for more than a few hours. So...the kitten ended up in my care.

Stopped by the vet, who estimated that the kitten is between one and two weeks old. Her eyes aren't open yet and her ears are still folded down. Just weighed her, and she's 5 ounces.
We have all the stuff for a kitten because we thought Penelope would give birth. We fed her once a few hours ago, and are about to do so again (KMR). She peed BEFORE we last fed her, but hasn't peed or pooped since then.

We brought the kitten home and Penelope took to her IMMEDIATELY. She hopped right in the box and has been snuggling with her and grooming her (including her butt area). The kitten has also latched onto Penelope's nipples, but obviously there's no milk there. She's a little rough sometimes but I've heard that's normal. Penny is totally fine with us being around her and the baby and handling it, but she does hover. The kitten very much does not want KMR and the more she complains, the more agitated penny gets.

So, wow. Questions now:
-how rough is too rough for penny to be with the kitten?
-as soon as we get her food in her we're going to stimulate her, but I wouldn't be surprised if she's dehydrated and maybe won't poop. How should we handle this?
-how much wait should she be gaining a day?
-any strategies for getting her to take the milk from the bottle? She is SO squirmy. We're currently using a nipple but do have a needless syringe

W worriedmom

She needs to be fed KMR with a needleless syringe every 2 hours AROUND THE CLOCK since she is less than 2 weeks old. She will not take a bottle because she is used to having a mom.

Kittens are fed tummy down, head up. The formula is given drop by drop in the side of the mouth. Let her swallow, breathe, and go again.

The kitten needs 40 mLs in a 24- hour period. This means a minimum of 3.5 mLs per feeding every 2 hours.

If your cat is willing to stimulate the kitten, let her. Otherwise, gently stimulate with a warm, damp cotton ball after each feeding.

She needs to gain 6-10 grams per day. You can wrap her in a burrito to feed her so she's less squirmy. Feed her away from your cat if necessary.

In what way is your cat being rough with the kitten?

Are you able to take the kitten to work with you? It MUST be fed every 2 hours.

Is it definitely every two hours? The vet told us every three.
It was a struggle to get her to nurse but we did eventually do it - I think she actually had drank about a tablespoon of KMR.
We've been stimulating her since then but no poop or pee so far. How concerning is that and is there a strategy? I was thinking I would try again in about 45 minutes.

How often should we weigh her?

If she's not crying for food you can go 3 hours. My rule of thumb is an hour for every week old for the first 4 weeks.

It's great if you got her to nurse from the bottle!

She will pee and poop once she's digested enough formula to do so. She is probably dehydrated. You can mix the KMR with clear pedialyte instead of water to help with dehydration. It won't hurt if she does not poop for a day.

She needs to be weighed every single day at the same time to ensure she is gaining.

In what way is your cat being rough with the kitten? If its not too rough it's fine for the kitten to be with her.

If not, the kitten needs a heat source such as a heating pad on low under a blanket, or a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel.

You need to have your cat spayed now since she is not pregnant.

Sometimes she'll grab the kitten and pull it closer to her, which I don't really mind. There have been a couple of times where she's started to kick at the kitten with her back legs, which thoroughly freaks me out and I make her stop right away. I don't know if she doesn't know how to be gentle because she's still young herself, or if she's under stimulated, or what? The kitten has never cried out when she's doing this