Question

My cat is pregnant, for sure. She hasn't been in heat since she got out over one month ago, and I noticed two big lumps in the bottom part of her stomace. Well today, I went to feel the lumps and see if they were any bigger, and there was only one lump instead of two, and it was considerably smaller than it was before. I know nothing about pregnant cats, my boyfriend is the one with all the experience and he doesn't know why it feels like only one kitten inside her now, and a smaller one at that. I didn't find any new kittens anywhere around the house and my cat is acting completely normal. Anyone have any ideas about this?

If she only got out a month ago, any resulting kittens would not be ready to be born yet. It is sometimes difficult for experienced hands to palpate kittens in utero, especially only 4 weeks in, so what you are feeling may not at all be what is really there.

The only way to know with any degree of accuracy is to have your vet do an exam with either an x-ray or less accurately with an ultrasound.

Originally Posted by gayef

If she only got out a month ago, any resulting kittens would not be ready to be born yet. It is sometimes difficult for experienced hands to palpate kittens in utero, especially only 4 weeks in, so what you are feeling may not at all be what is really there.

The only way to know with any degree of accuracy is to have your vet do an exam with either an x-ray or less accurately with an ultrasound.

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It was AT LEAST a month ago. I didn't keep track of what the day was because it's not unusual for her to find some clever way to get outside. After a couple of weeks of her not being in heat, I noticed her nipples were enlarged. A couple of days later, I felt down near the bottom of her stomach and their were two lumps there. If those weren't her kittens, what could they have been and why is there only one there now, smaller than it has been for the last two weeks?

I know she didn't give birth yet, but for all I know, she could be pretty darn close. Either way, the lumps were there and now they're not. Should I be worried?

I am not saying what you felt wasn't her kittens ... but with the information you gave in your first post, I didn't interpret "over a month ago" as long enough for the gestation period to have elapsed. Unless it has been closer to 8 and a half or even 9 weeks since she got out, the kittens aren't finished developing enough to be born yet and are smaller as well as planted deeper than a lot of long-time breeders and vets can feel accurately.

A cat's uterus has two sides, or horns as they are called. The right horn and the left horn. The kittens begin to develop as individuals in either side. With my own girl's last litter, at the end-stage of her pregnancy, it was quite obvious that she had two kittens on either horn. But it is not until very late in the pregnancy that the two horns actually move closer together to accommodate the growing kittens and the belly appears to "drop" a bit. If you were able to clearly feel two kittens, then it may be that one kitten has moved further up in the horn so as not to be felt easily ... there could have been a problem that caused the kitten to die in utero and be reabsorbed, it could be a lot of things, but as I said in my first reply, the only way to know for certain if there are kittens in there and how many there are is to have your vet examine her and offer his suggestions.

I just want to add that unless your little Mommy-girl isn't acting normally ... eating, playing, using the litter ... then I don't think there is anything to worry about at this point. Kittens move around a lot and if there are only a couple in there, they can roll and move to a position where it isn't as easy to feel them.

It was AT LEAST a month ago. I didn't keep track of what the day was because it's not unusual for her to find some clever way to get outside.

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Ashley...it will be VERY important if your cat is indeed pregnant for you to keep her in a room with absolutely no access outdoors. First, you do not want her to have her kittens outdoors and second, cats can get pregnant again about a week after giving birth. She will need to remain indoors only until she is spayed.

Some people who know their cats are escape artists have used a large dog crate to keep their pregnant mom. A large dog crate is usually large enough for food, litter and a nesting box.

Katie

Originally Posted by gayef

Unless it has been closer to 8 and a half or even 9 weeks since she got out, the kittens aren't finished developing enough to be born yet and are smaller as well as planted deeper than a lot of long-time breeders and vets can feel accurately.

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I totally agree with this! I have volunteered for a spay and neuter clinic for feral cats, and we often have pregnant kitties brought in. We have had several where a vet and 2 or 3 vet techs try to feel to see if the kittens are too big to spay the kitty, and decide it is early in the pregnancy. And upon doing the spay they discover kittens that are almost fully developed, with fur and everything. Then it is a struggle to try to keep the kittens alive, and someone has to bottle feed them.

It is very difficult to feel for the size and number of kittens, because of the layers of skin, and muscle between the babies and the outside world!