Timing of breast development

We have a young foster (9 to 12 months old) who has been with us for 3 weeks. Se has had a small belly showing for a week and a half. We can't feel any actual movement yet, just bubbles popping in her abdomen.

Her nipples are still small and only slightly pink, but we can feel a disc of swollen mammary tissue beneath each nipple.

Is there a particular stage of pregnancy when mammary tissue starts to enlarge in a first-time pregnant cat?

Breast tissue develops throughout the pregnancy differently in each cat. Some have huge mammary glands and are leaking milk prior to delivery, while others remain small until milk comes in after delivery. Try not to worry!

She sounds like she's 5-6 weeks along, and the popping is kitten movement. Once you can see and feel kitten movement, there are usually 2-3 weeks left in the pregnancy.

Thank you for fostering her! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Thank you, that's reassuring. Our last foster cat pregnancy didn't end well (one stillborn kitten eaten by the mother) so I'm rather anxious about this one.

I understand. It's rare for a mother cat to eat her kittens though. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Last night I found her digging enthusiastically in one of the nest boxes I've set up for her. She got so carried away that she started biting pieces out of the cardboard box. Is that normal? She's one of those "no middle gears" cats and she's been having huge mood swings over the last couple of days.

It's normal[emoji]128522[/emoji]

Thanks for your help sarthur2. Sorry, another question!

Her belly isn't very big. It's been 16 days since I started feeling the popping in her belly, but it's only on one side of her, in one fairly well defined area. The movement is more definite now but it feels sort of muffled, like there's a lot of cat between me and the kitten. It's possible that she only has one kitten in there. If there's only one will she still behave like a cat with a large litter, sleeping a lot and looking uncomfortable?

The only real change in her behaviour (other than crazy mood swings and digging in the box) has been that she doesn't lie on her belly like a frog any more. In between naps she's still bouncing around like the kitten she is. Oh, and she's eating a bit differently - she's asking for food constantly but not eating much of it.

All the online advice about what to look for seems to assume that the queen is carrying a few kittens that are weighing her down and putting pressure on her internal organs; I haven't really found anything about whether it looks different with a singleton.

Her nipples are still small but are looking darker - but as she sucks on them herself I don't know if that signifies much.  Her vulva is moist and swollen, and her temperature has been fluctuating today after a few days of being completely stable and predictable.

It's hard to say. All cats behave differently in pregnancy. You'll find near full-term moms jumping up on counters, and others who are sprawled on the floor. All pregnant moms have increased hormones though. Try not to worry too much! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

She seems to be very close - a clear jelly-like discharge a few hours ago and treading like she's calling. She totally freaked out a few minutes ago, running around low to the ground like she was looking for somewhere to hide but not being able to get away from what was frightening her. I think she was trying to run away from pre-contractions. Does this not bode well for labour? Is there anything I can do to make it less frightening for her?

You can try to get her to settle and allow you to rub her belly. Talk softly and soothingly. Lower the lights. It does sound as though she may be experiencing some pains.