How far along?

HI everyone, I'm new here and new to having a cat as well. Here's our situation: A month ago my teenage daughter found a small cat crying in the road. It became dark and several hours later she was still crying so my daughter brought her inside. It's really cold here and it snowed pretty hard the day after we took the cat in. She was so small and emaciated. She also had a collar around her neck but it was really loose. So we put up an ad for her asking if anyone lost a cat and only had 2 responses and both said their cat didn't have a collar. I have also been checking the lost cat listings and so far no match. So any who, we've been taking care of her and she's been staying in the kitchen almost exclusively. So we hardly ever see her but she loves it in there. She sleeps all the time as well, but part of me chalked it up to having been so starved and traumatized from being alone in the streets.

So now she's been here a month and we haven't found her owner so we thought we would keep her. We've named her Tofu lol. All she does is sleep and eat. She's put on weight but only in the middle. Her nipples are enlarged but not red, more pale pink to whitish and some have what looks like white at the tips and her skin around the nipples looks dry and cracked maybe? I saw her belly moving yesterday as well so I'm sure she's pregnant, but I don't know how far along, we took her in November 20th. And now that I think about it, I moved her once a few weeks ago from my chair and her stomach felt like something was protruding but I didn't want to harm her if something was wrong.

Does anyone know if she looks full term? We weren't expecting this so we aren't ready and have no idea how far along she could be. Thanks

She's clearly quite far along!
However, her size can be deceptive since it is also dependent on how many kittens are in there. The fact that her nipples are a little crusty is probably more indicative - hopefully you're looking at a matter of days (and four or five kittens) rather than a week or two if it's a particularly large litter. You could try gently palpating her abdomen if she allows that level of contact, depending on how they're lying, you might be able to feel how many there are.

Thank you so much for the quick response. I'm just so nervous that she's having babies and I don't want to be unprepared, even though I'm not prepared lol.

She's acting strangely tonight. Usually she spends all day sleeping and today she's been a little restless. Eating tons, but also checking out the bottom cupboards in the kitchen (I sealed them off), and trying to fit into the space between the fridge and the stove (she's too fat), and trying to get into the food pantry closet (the door doesn't close all the way and I taped it off as well cause it has too many things in there she can hurt herself on).

She keeps moving from place to place as well tonight...doesn't seem to be content to be in any one spot.

As for feeling for her babies, I'm not sure what I would be feeling and I don't want to hurt her so I'm just stroking her belly when she lets me.

I will be posting to this thread as her pregnancy goes along. Thank you for your response

You can lay your hand flat and low down on her side and tap it very lightly then wait. You should be able to feel kittens kick in protest.

Well I gave it a try...I followed what you said and put my hand gently on her stomach and tapped with the other hand and a kitten kicked back! I just wish I knew how long she has been pregnant before we found her. Today makes 32 days for sure since we found her...can't remember the exact date but I sent pictures to my friend on the 20th of November so it's been 32 days for sure.

So Kittens! It's so hard to tell. It could be a big litter a week or two way away or a small litter at the end of term. Very fustrating, I know. The safest thing to do would be to assume it could happen at any time and have everything ready to go.

I made Tofu a nesting box in the kitchen but she's not the least bit interested in it lol. And tomorrow I am going out to get some supplies like pee pads and some extra hand towels and kitten food for her. This is so nerve-wracking! I just want her babies to be okay in there...we barely know this little momma [emoji]10084[/emoji]

Your going to get to know her really well soon. Lol When your doing your trip pick up some kitten formula and bottle, a kitchen weight scale, gloves, and some infants gas relief (pure simethicone) as well.

When you say bottle, do you mean likeep a babies Bottle? Or is there an actual kitten Bottle? If a baby bottle is okay, I have a few unused bottles left over from my 2 year old son. Would those Work? I have a kitchen scale already, so gloves and gas relief have been added to the list. Thank you for your help [emoji]128522[/emoji]

It's a small kitten bottle.Walmart has them next to their Kitten formula. PetSmart carries them as well. You probably won't need it but it's nice to have on hand just in case.

Thanks for the info. I will have a look at Walmart. I live in Canada and I don't know that I've ever seen anything like a kitten bottle there before. We also have a large pet store a few blocks away, I will check for a kitten bottle there as well. Thank you

F famous

Cats begin to show their pregnancies in the 5th week. If you've had her for around 30 days, and she was not showing when you brought her in, she may be 7 or 8 weeks. Kitten movement is felt and seen the last 2-3 weeks before delivery. Average cat pregnancy is 65-68 days.

Have you set up a nest for her? She needs a diet of kitten chow and wet food while pregnant and lactating.

Here are some links you may find helpful:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-do-i-know-when-my-cat-will-give-birth

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/pregnant-cat-what-to-prepare-for-the-birth

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/help-my-cat-is-having-kittens

Thank you for bringing her inside and giving her a warm and loving home. Keep us posted! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

@sarthur2

She's been hanging around the kitchen since we found her, so I made her a cardboard box nest yesterday but she has zero interest in it. Just to give her variety, today I made her another nest from a 63 litre tote box with a lid. It's dark

@sarthur2

She's been hanging around the kitchen since we found her, so I made her a cardboard box nest yesterday but she has zero interest in it. Just to give her variety, today I made her another nest from a 63 litre tote box with a lid. It's darker in the tote and more secluded and she hopped in right away but didn't stay for long. The kitchen has a door so I can keep her secluded and my toddler away from her.

She's doing well, she was sleeping tons but yesterday she has been on the move. If I go in the kitchen she wants in, if I leave the kitchen she wants out. She seems uncomfortable and changes her location frequently. And she has been trying to break into the lower kitchen cupboards and the pantry closet but they are all sealed off and she scratches them like crazy until she needs another nap lol.

I've started giving her kitten chow but no wet food yet. I'm scared lol. She's been pretty stinky lately and so big that she hangs it over the litter box and goes on the floor ha ha. I don't want her getting diarrhea. How much wet food per day is Safe? Like one can Maybe?

This little momma cat has been a joy to have in our home. I'm glad we are able to help her in her time of need.

If she's scratching to get in a pantry to make her own nest, and moving around a lot, she may be in labor. Stage one can last up to 24 hours. Have you put old towels or blankets in the nests you made her? The dark one sounds great!

She needs wet food 3-4 times a day in addition to the dry food. Are you sure the litter pan is large enough? You can put disposable doggie pee pads around the pan to make cleanup easier. She also may need treating for worms or parasites if her poop is smelly.

Keep us posted!

@sarthur2

I put newspapers and old blankets down in both nesting boxes so Tofu can be warm and cozy when she delivers. As for her litter box, it's big enough, she just has bad aim right now lol. I put peed pads down under the box today so that should solve that problem. As for being stinky and needing to be treated for parasites, I will do it anyways as a precaution once it's safe. I called a vet and left a message regarding what products are safe to worm her now or when it's safe since I have no idea about that stuff.

The pantry closet she's trying to get into has some broken panels in the wall and is just a mess. It was like that when I moved in last year and I don't use it for my food because it gives me the willies. So I don't want her having her babies in there. So it's sealed up.

Today she hasn't left the kitchen at all. Every now and again it seems like she's sneezing or sighing and then she licks her belly while sitting up which I've never seen her do before. The one time that she did the sneeze/sigh she licked her belly and then there was a twitch down in her lower half and she went straight to the tote box and climbed in and started scratching around in there for a few minutes. Then she laid down for about 5 minutes.

I left her alone for an hour and when I came back in the kitchen she was rooting around under the kitchen table where I have some Christmas gifts stashed in an old suitcase. I've never seen her trying to get into it before and she looked really guilty and left once she saw me. Since then she's been making the rounds of the kitchen poking into everything lol. 

Take the suitcase out and line it as well. Cats are so peculiar about their nesting boxes. I've had a cat turn down three nesting boxes and give birth in my lap instead. She used to stuff the kittens in my hair while I slept. Your getting close though. When they start cleaning their belly and stimulating there mammory glands then it's only a few days off at most.

I'm thinking your gonna be having Christmas Kittens though.