Can you tell how pregnant a cat is if you've just met her?

splishsplash

Hi everyone,
A lovely tortoiseshell girl cat just walked in our front door last night and settled in as if she always lived here.

We have fliers up today and have knocked at all the neighbours' doors but so far we've had no luck.

Her tummy is very bloated, I thought initially it was worms, but we have since felt and seen what appears to be wriggling/movement of limbs in her tummy so we now think she's quite pregnant. I've never had to deal with a pregnant cat before, so I have no clue how far along she is.

I'm worried on two counts - one is that she was turfed out because she was pregnant, so therefore may not be claimed, and two, what if she's about to go into labour at any second?

Can anyone please advise me how to tell at what stage of pregnancy she might be at? Her tummy appears big, but not massive, and the babies seem to be at the kicking/moving stage, whatever that stage is in cats. She's extremely happy to snuggle up on anyone's lap, but doesn't seem pushed about finding a private spot, if that's any help?
Here's a pic:) You can't see her tummy but you can see what I mean about settling in like she lives here!

djp64

Hi
I foster neglected / abandoned pregnant female cats (just like the one that's adopted you :-) ).

Without actually seeing her it's hard to say but if the kittens are moving significantly then this is a reasonable sign that birth is just a few days away as the kittens move a lot when they're getting ready to be born. The first kitten has to move into the birth canal so the wriggling / movement is very noticeable.

The kittens are fairly quiet / still for the first 5 or 6 weeks.

Within a day or so of the kittens being ready for birth mum will start to produce milk. You can gently squeeze her teats and see if any milk comes out.

For the 24 hours or so before birth she will usually become quite restless and may stop eating.

If you have one handy it would be good to put some old sheets / towels in a cardboard box and cover the box to make a darkish nest. If you're going to use towels then please cover them with a smooth sheet as the newborn kittens claws will get caught in the loops of a towel.

I use the non scented puppy training pads to line the kittening box - they're good at absorbing any fluid.

Please ask if you have any more questions.

Debbie

splishsplash

Thank you so much... a few days, gulp:eek:... oh lordy. OK, will go trawling for old things and make up a nice bed. The good news is she's eating and drinking plenty, so hopefully her owners come to get her before anything happens.

rising_from_the_ashes

Ohhhhh mmmmyyyy, she does look comfy though!

You could also try ringing around local vets etc tomorrow and leaving word there.

I do hope the owner can be found as they'll be very worried (unless they have turfed her out which doesn't bear thinking about).

4nnabella

No constructive advice to give that djp64 hasn't already given, but I just wanted to say that that is one beautiful cat! If someone has had the audacity to throw her out just because she's pregnant then they don't deserve a cat at all!

I hope she's just wandered off to find a safe place to have her kittens and that you are able to find her owners after the event, if she stays with you. And if she has any kittens as pretty as her then let me know! I'm sure my two would love a new friend!

meritaten

you may well have been chosen as a foster mother for her kittens. I knew of a cat that did this. as birth was imminent she would then adopt a new family, have her kittens and bu99er off after six weeks leaving the new family to find homes for the kits! as she got older and the dog she lived with died, she just used to stay put then when the kittens were about six or seven weeks would dump them on a nieghbour! This cat lived about fifteen houses up - and she always chose a newly moved in family! amazing how many of them actually took her in and when she went would knock on doors and put fliers up - she was sooooooo pretty and gentle and the perfectly mannered house cat! lol She actually belonged to a very ill-tempered old lady and her drunken sot of a son! so me and the rest of the street didnt blame the cat really. It was quite amusing, and amazing that the cat thought she was doing her best for the kittens!

Sequeena

If she's started pulling fur from her nipples too you know there's not long to go. This is how my girl looked about a week before she gave birth;

mirrorimage0

sounds like she is due pretty soon, she is gorgeous, we have recently lost one our cats, she just hasnt come home for a couple so theres a space here for one more lol. x

good luck with it all, but do ring round vets or take her to one to see if she is micro chipped

Misstress

Have you not taken her to a vet to get her scanned to see if she is chipped? They will not charge you to check.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

How lovely!

But don't tell Gettingready!!!! :rotfl:

Think she might very well be finding a home for the birth, so seems like you've been adopted whether you like it or not. Take it as a compliment.

Make sure your wardrobe doors are all closed firmly at all times, and there is as little stuff under your beds as possible. The additional cleaning if you don't isn't something I would want.

There is likely to be someone very worried where their sweet little cat has got to - so put flyers out anyway, and contact the local vet in case they have tried there.


It's kitten season, so this will be happening to quite a few people now - please keep us updated!

rising_from_the_ashes

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

But don't tell Gettingready!!!! :rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl:I think her house is about full:rotfl::rotfl:

Squeena she's a beautiful girl.