Hi, a few questions (Pregnant cat)

Hi, this is my first post here(I came mainly to ask this though I may post around, I dunno ) Anyway;

My cat is pregnant, and she's pretty close I think. I was wondering if anyone knew if once you could start feeling the kittens move within her, how long after that does it usually take for them to give birth?

I can feel individual kittens moving, and I can tell how long some are. Seems to be around the 4 inch vicinity(thats me without a ruler calculating).

Any help would be nice. She had a litter on May 5th last year, and I felt them inside of her, but I don't remember how long after that it was until she had them.

Also, what are some other signs to look for that will tell me she is close?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Graycat-

I moved your post, but really the best way to answer your question is to have your vet see her and he will be able to determine how far along she is and answer your other questions. Also, this is a cat welfare board, and we are strong advocates to spay and neuter house pets unless you are a registered breeder. Spaying your cat will prolong her life in the long run and I would just suggest that after this second litter is weaned you should get her spayed.

I know about spaying and neutering. I would get her spayed if I had the kind of money to spend. We only take her to the vet for shots(like when she was a kitten), because we have a tight budget.

She doesn't go outside a lot, so this last time we didn't know she had gotten pregnant.

I just want to know some telltale signs without having to go to the vet.

I don't know anything about kittens, since I've never had a pregnant cat. Just wanted to ask if you have checked into low cost spaying? There are a lot of good resources out there for people on limited incomes. Since you don't list your location, here's a place with a lot of resources for the US and Internationally. http://www.savesamoa.org/html/spay_neuter.html

Hopefully someone with experience with pregnant cats will see this soon and be able to help with your question.

It certainly is less costly in the long run, to spay your female then it is to deal with the demands of hungry kittens or to face the real possibility that something might go wrong during the birthing and you are faced with having to go to the vet to save either the mother cat or the kittens. Plus you will increase the life of your cat by spaying her as well.

At any rate, some of the signs that your cat is getting close is changes in the nipples, they become enlarged and very dark pink in color. She will begin to show a large interest in food, and become a voracious eater. She will pace and nest, tear up paper, make digging motions on blankets and other items that she finds. Some cats stop eating altogether prior to labor starting, they may become very vocal right before the kittens arrive. Don't allow her outside now, as she still can and probably will get mated with again. Keep her inside the house and quiet and provide her a nice nesting box to give birth in somewhere away from the traffic in the home in a dark and quiet area.

Originally posted by hissy
It certainly is less costly in the long run, to spay your female then it is to deal with the demands of hungry kittens or to face the real possibility that something might go wrong during the birthing and you are faced with having to go to the vet to save either the mother cat or the kittens. Plus you will increase the life of your cat by spaying her as well.

At any rate, some of the signs that your cat is getting close is changes in the nipples, they become enlarged and very dark pink in color. She will begin to show a large interest in food, and become a voracious eater. She will pace and nest, tear up paper, make digging motions on blankets and other items that she finds. Some cats stop eating altogether prior to labor starting, they may become very vocal right before the kittens arrive. Don't allow her outside now, as she still can and probably will get mated with again. Keep her inside the house and quiet and provide her a nice nesting box to give birth in somewhere away from the traffic in the home in a dark and quiet area..

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Okay, thank you. She has all of those signs really except the tearing up part. Well, there is a box in our utility room that has another box hidden in it that she goes in and scratches, but no where else. And I already have a box for her to have them in. It is much larger than the one she scratched up. She is usually VERY vocal anyway, though. I will probably get her fixed in the next few weeks after she has them. But I will have to take that up with my father first.

Thanks for all of your help.

tell us about the kittens when they're born! I must know lol

When you talk to your dad about spaying her, just be sure the kittens have been weaned first. In a few weeks, they won't be off her milk, and you should wait for them to be on solid food before spaying her.

Also if you go to Spay USA website and fill out the form, they will find a low-cost spay and neuter clinic near you and send you a certificate for the low-cost spay.

http://www.spayusa.org/

Good luck with the upcoming litter. Momcat will probably have them in your sock drawer.

Originally posted by hissy
When you talk to your dad about spaying her, just be sure the kittens have been weaned first. In a few weeks, they won't be off her milk, and you should wait for them to be on solid food before spaying her.

Also if you go to Spay USA website and fill out the form, they will find a low-cost spay and neuter clinic near you and send you a certificate for the low-cost spay.

http://www.spayusa.org/

Good luck with the upcoming litter. Momcat will probably have them in your sock drawer.

Click to expand...

SPAY U.S.A. is good( I think)! I had both of my girls spayed this way and I don't know how I would have made it on a fixed income if not for them! They ask you what vet you wish to use and if that vet is agreeable, you get it done there at a price you think you can safely pay. They also ask the vet to give 1 rabies shot which is included in the deal. Might just be worth checking into.
Whatever you decide, Good luck and I hope the kittens are all
healthy!

hi gray cat and everyone else,
i actually have four cats.. and none are fixed... we plan when we get our tax money to get them fixed because they love to be outdoor cats and right now are all in because i suspect only one is not pregnant.. we had two tom cats hanging around and we know one got one and we know the other one possibly could be a culprit too .. i think one of my cats has all the signs you all mentioned. she is always nested . so that's hard to determine but she's always looking for food lately and wont poop in the litter box anymore we have keep her a seperate one in her area we have for her. . we have her kenneled right now along with the other one we think could be pregnant, i too have felt the kitties move around i just wonder what are some more apparent signs of labor and gray dont worry i cant afford to get them fixed either that's why they are all inside cats now .. if ya want email me and maybe we can help eachother.. [email protected] i'd love to hear from you,
Traci
mom to smokee and mollie the pregnant ones and possibly patches too..

Traci: Since you aren't sure if they are pregnant or not, I assume that you haven't taken them to a vet? If you can't afford to spay the cats, how can you afford to raise perhaps up to 18 kittens at once? How will you provide the right nutrition for the moms who, once they begin to nurse, will need to eat up to 5 times a day? What happens if there are problems with any one (or more) of the births and the cat needs to go to the vet? If you can't afford to get them spayed, how can you afford an emergency trip to the vet to save mom and kittens? Do you have enough room to keep the moms and kittens separate? New mothers get very protective of their young and they can't co-mingle for a while after the births. And how will you go about finding homes for up to 18 cats, and if you can't find homes for them - what happens to them? Will you let them out un-spayed so there will inevitably be more and more and more kittens?

Honestly, if you aren't sure the best thing would be to spay at least 2 or 3 of them (pregnant or not), and let one at most have the kittens if you are really set on having kittens in the house. There are a lot of low cost spay options, but they don't just fall in your lap. You have to look for them. In order to help this along, we've given a couple of links already in this thread so you don't have to start from scratch. For the sake of the health and wellbeing of your cats, please get them spayed as soon as possible.

This post may sound harsh, but this is a cat welfare board and we are very pro-spay/neuter and very concerned with overpopulation issues that some here face on a daily basis, and I would be remiss to to let this pass without comment and education.

heidi,
hi, i appreciate your feedback actually,, first of all i said in my post that we plan on after the kittens are born taking them to a low cost neuter place and having them spayed.. second of all. just so you know i think i may have even put in my post none of my cats have been outside since and third, i also put that yes they are being kenneled so our dog and kids dont bother them .we kennel trained the dog when he was a puppy so we had 2. .one for the van and one for the house so they are both kept in there. the third i know will find a low key area where only i will know and she wont let anyone near them so her i am not worried about.. i appreciate your concern and i understand it. but i have had kittens before and they are all good sizes and in good homes because how much they were loved and taken care of i am a very big cat fan just one who doesn't totally agree with all the hype of spaying right away etc. if you take care of your cats and dondt let them stray which mine never did. they always hung around the yard and were always in at night . they will be fine.. i am a proud cat owner and not ignorant at all to the car of them . we know a guy locally who sells farm food including cat and dog stuff and we get our cat and dog food from him for low cost and it lasts us the month. and my kittens all got kitten food and evaporated milk when they were born . i know the proper nutrition i just dont remember the more obvious signs of labor.. last one came and got me and wanted me to sit there with her during her labor these ones are more independant so i just want to know or make sure so that we're home incase they need us. .

i dont find you harsh at all, i understand . also just to let you know why i am low income . I have a disabled son who is terminally ill and loves his cats so i would never part with them and think it would be great for him to have the joy of seeing kitties be born.. he has a severe immune deficiency which keeps him home alot and has two heart defects on top of reflux disease so as you see i am a very good mom i care very much for any one and any thing that comes to my path..
our dog came from a s helter because i dont believe in letting animals stay in those places any longer than they have too. .and we have let the shelter keep in touch with how he's doing .. we've had him since he was 12 weeks old. .anyway .. i understand where your coming from . we're taking him this month to get neutered and it is giong to only cost 30 if we take him there. also i have a women that i know that wants the kittens beause she runs a cat s helter. so yes i have it all thought out.. i forgot to mention that part to you..
thanks ,
Traci

Hi Traci and welcome,

I'm Anne and I'm the owner of this website.

First let me say how sorry I am that your son is ill. I'm a mom myself and I know how hard this must be for you. I can certainly understand that you want to do everything to keep your boy happy and I'm glad he enjoys the company of his cats so much.

Still, I would like to urge you to have all of your cats spayed now, before it's time for them to deliver. Literally millions of cats are being put to sleep every year in the US alone because there simply aren't enough homes to go around. That's the simple and harsh truth. No matter how you look on that, bringing more kittens to this world only adds to the problem. Even if all of your kittens go to good homes, they are bound to take the place of others who will be put to sleep. I'm sorry, but there's no way around this. The only solution to the problem is for all cat and dog owners to spay and neuter their pets and prevent any more kittens and puppies from coming into the world. (The only exception I'm willing to make is with professional ethical breeders who wish to preserve certain special breeds and know how to do that.)

With all my sympathy that I feel to you for your son's situation, I think bringing so many new kittens into the world is not a good idea. If you have the means, why not visit the shelter with your son and perhaps give a home to a new kitten come kitten season? You will be giving him not only the pleasure of watching a kitten grow up, but also the right message concerning responsible pet ownership.

Thank you for understanding these posts made here by me and the moderators. This is first and foremost a cat welfare board and we are all very committed to the subject of spay and neuter - always and in any circumstance.

More about spaying and neutering on this site

HI ANNE,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COMMENTS AND UNDERSTANDING .. AND AS FAR AS MY SON GOES PLEASE DONT GIVE ME THE SORRY STUFF EVERYONE DOES AND IT'S NOONE'S FAULT .. HE WAS BORN THAT WAY AND WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT..

i DO THINK I'VE SAID A FEW TIMES THAT I HAVE A HOME FOR THE KITTENS ALREADY I MET A WONDERFUL WOMEN THE LAST TIME MY SON WAS AT CHILDREN'S WHO IS A PART TIME VET AND SPECIALIZES IN CATS AND LOVES TO HAVE KITTENS. . SHE MAKES SURE THEY GET SPAYED AND NEUTERED AND THE PEOPLE GET A DISCOUNT FOR A GREEING TO IT. .SO I REALLY ONLY HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF MINE WHICH I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP WITH THE SITES BECAUSE I WILL LOOK AT THEM PERHAPS EVEN FOR MY DOG B ECAUSE HE IS DUE THIS MONTH AND WE HAVE TO BRING HIM HALF WAY ACROSS MASS TO SAVE MONEY WHICH REALLY WOULDN'T BE SAVING MONEY ..

i DO WANT YOU TO ALL KNOW I APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERN. I HAVE HOMES FOR THE KITTENS THOUGH AND I'VE SENT PIC OF MY CATS SO THE LADY HAS AN IDEA OF WHAT THE KITTIES MIGHT LOOK LIKE I KNOW KITTENS COME OUT TOTALLY DIFFERENT BUT WHO KNOWS. MY SON IS MY MIRACLE BABY AND HE SO ADORES HIS CATS. .AND I DO TOO.. MY BABY IS ONE OF THE ONES PREGNANT SO I AM DEFINETLY EXCITED AND THINK SHE WILL MAKE A VERY GOOD MOTHER.. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND NO PROBLEM ABOUT UNDERSTANDING ,, I KNOW THIS IS A CAT SITE AND YOU GUYS ARE ALL JUST DOING YOUR JOB AND I AM TOO..I ALREADY HAVE HOMES AND I ALREADY AM P,LANNING AFTER THE PREGNANCIES TO SPAY THEM.. THANK YOU AGAIN ..
TRACI FROM MASS
MOMMIE TO SMOKEE MOLLIE TIGGER AND PATCHES
AND OF COURSE MY SON PRINCE ANDREW

kay everyone i think my cat is in labor i am not sure but she's sort of been sleeping all day and not even wanting her food and she doused herself at one point to clean her self.. is this a sign of nesting ? when you say nesting what exactly does nesting mean? i will keep you all informed ,
Traci

I believe nesting is when she starts trying to make a bed for herself, make a personal home. If she's lying in a box with newspapers (her "birthing area"), then she'll start tearing up the newspapers, till she's satisfied that the box is good enough for her babies, the next generation of kitties who will take over the Earth.

Hi again.

My cat had a kitten about an hour ago. She hasn't shown any signs of having another since then, I don't know if that is normal or not, because her first litter were all born within 2 hours...4 babies.

I'm kinda worried though, I don't know if she is producing milk, I squeezed on the teats, but nothing came out, and I don't know if the kitten got any either. I don't want the little one to die, she's just starting out.

And I have no way of getting to Walmart to get some milk, or to the 24 hour vet.

I'm going to stay up with her for another hour. I hope that there is nothing wrong, that she hasn't had another kitten yet. Is it normal for them to be spaced out a long time(hours)?

hi there gray,
i am not sure if that's a good sign or not.. i would say no because my cat had six the first time and she had them all together. .but that was her first litter too i am not sure if it's normal for them to bespaced out.. anyway. .no kitties here yet.. however the one we talked about yestarday is spending alot of time in her box which was supposed to be al itter box for her so you tell me.. good luck and let us know what's going on.. i added you to my buddy list..
Traci from mass

Gray-

It would be a good idea for you to call a vet and tell them when the last kitten was and how much time has elapsed. You really should make a concentrated effort to get mom and the kitten to the vet for a check-up at least, just to be safe. Cats if they get stressed out during delivery can shut down for a few hours then start up again, but there is always a danger of a retained kitten inside of mom.

You can squeeze her nipples as hard as you want (But I don't personally recommend it) and you won't get any milk, but once the kitten starts suckling, the kitten should get milk right away. But again, if no other kitten or kittens have appeared- a vet visit is the safest call.

Thanks guys.

She had 2 more, they're all fine right now. I guess the spaced out births just worried me. They were all over 45 minutes apart. She is being a great mother to them.

Thanks for all of your help!