My Tilly is very heavily pregnant.
I had her booked in to be spayed, but only a few days beforehand I noticed her looking/acting differently. Turned out she was already 5-6 weeks gone! Based on the fact that I could see the foetuses moving (during the last-minute scan I arranged), my moral instinct told me not to go through with the spay there and then.
*****(For all US bloggers: UK vets don't like to spay/neuter younger than 6 months old unless they really have to. My vet said it is do with ensuring the cat is big/strong enough to survive the operation)*****
I am well aware this must make me seem totally irresponsible. Let me assure you all, though, that I am riddled with guilt at what has happened - it was NEVER part of the plan! I've had cats all my life and this is the first time pregnancy has been a feature. My only consolation is that, while still technically a baby, herself, she's not as young as she might have been - she will be 1yr at the end of June. As soon as the litter is weaned she WILL be getting done!
Up to the point of pregnancy, she was a house cat (until after eventual spaying)...or so I thought. My only guess is that she must have jumped from an upstairs window and down on to something, and...well, I'm sure I don't need to give anyone a biology lesson here! Life has been busy and I hope I will be forgiven for saying that - since she lived indoors - I thought I could get away with not getting her "fixed" just yet. Mark me now, LESSON WELL AND TRULY LEARNT! As soon as the litter is weaned she WILL be getting done!
In any case, she's now so pregnant she's about to burst! My concern is that on Thursday evening (12th May) she started acting peculiarly - rolling around on the floor and trying to get into the silliest of tight spots, and/or digging under things. This was a new development for her - she has shown no interest in nesting up 'til now. She then completely planked out on the floor and closed her eyes, as if deep in concentration. A massive ripple went across her body and I was convinced that meant things were progressing.
Yesterday (13th May), she spent much of the day prowling around the house, in search of more dark, quiet corners. Intermittently, she would go and lie down on the cool, hard floor of the bathrooms and kitchen, where she would start - what I think were - small contractions. Each time, she had the same, closed-eye expression, would tremble and more ripples went through her. She ate nothing between 9am and 6pm, but then her appetite seemed to come back a little. Toileting was not an issue at any point.
I felt the kittens move inside her around two weeks ago. They went a little quiet this past week, until Thurs, when they really ramped it up - full summersaults and everything! Friday was pretty much the same.
Today, however, they're a little quieter. Tills has been pacing and searching again, and doing a lot of what she did yesterday. She doesn't seem to have settled on anywhere in particular, though. Her appetite has also waned a bit.
Her last bowel movement was at c.3pm andwas very runny (like diarrhoea???). The "contractions"(???) seem to cause her upper legs and rear end to twitch and tense. Bless her, her sighing tells me she's not entirely comfortable...!
My question is, how long is this pre-labour stuff supposed to last? Or is she in actual labour??? She's not visibly distressed or producing any fluids from her back end, that I can tell. But then am not sure what to expect from hereon in.
Any advice would be great! Please don't drag me over the coals...
I had her booked in to be spayed, but only a few days beforehand I noticed her looking/acting differently. Turned out she was already 5-6 weeks gone! Based on the fact that I could see the foetuses moving (during the last-minute scan I arranged), my moral instinct told me not to go through with the spay there and then.
*****(For all US bloggers: UK vets don't like to spay/neuter younger than 6 months old unless they really have to. My vet said it is do with ensuring the cat is big/strong enough to survive the operation)*****
I am well aware this must make me seem totally irresponsible. Let me assure you all, though, that I am riddled with guilt at what has happened - it was NEVER part of the plan! I've had cats all my life and this is the first time pregnancy has been a feature. My only consolation is that, while still technically a baby, herself, she's not as young as she might have been - she will be 1yr at the end of June. As soon as the litter is weaned she WILL be getting done!
Up to the point of pregnancy, she was a house cat (until after eventual spaying)...or so I thought. My only guess is that she must have jumped from an upstairs window and down on to something, and...well, I'm sure I don't need to give anyone a biology lesson here! Life has been busy and I hope I will be forgiven for saying that - since she lived indoors - I thought I could get away with not getting her "fixed" just yet. Mark me now, LESSON WELL AND TRULY LEARNT! As soon as the litter is weaned she WILL be getting done!
In any case, she's now so pregnant she's about to burst! My concern is that on Thursday evening (12th May) she started acting peculiarly - rolling around on the floor and trying to get into the silliest of tight spots, and/or digging under things. This was a new development for her - she has shown no interest in nesting up 'til now. She then completely planked out on the floor and closed her eyes, as if deep in concentration. A massive ripple went across her body and I was convinced that meant things were progressing.
Yesterday (13th May), she spent much of the day prowling around the house, in search of more dark, quiet corners. Intermittently, she would go and lie down on the cool, hard floor of the bathrooms and kitchen, where she would start - what I think were - small contractions. Each time, she had the same, closed-eye expression, would tremble and more ripples went through her. She ate nothing between 9am and 6pm, but then her appetite seemed to come back a little. Toileting was not an issue at any point.
I felt the kittens move inside her around two weeks ago. They went a little quiet this past week, until Thurs, when they really ramped it up - full summersaults and everything! Friday was pretty much the same.
Today, however, they're a little quieter. Tills has been pacing and searching again, and doing a lot of what she did yesterday. She doesn't seem to have settled on anywhere in particular, though. Her appetite has also waned a bit.
Her last bowel movement was at c.3pm andwas very runny (like diarrhoea???). The "contractions"(???) seem to cause her upper legs and rear end to twitch and tense. Bless her, her sighing tells me she's not entirely comfortable...!
My question is, how long is this pre-labour stuff supposed to last? Or is she in actual labour??? She's not visibly distressed or producing any fluids from her back end, that I can tell. But then am not sure what to expect from hereon in.
Any advice would be great! Please don't drag me over the coals...