Pregnant cat

[ofwarren]

A few weeks back a cat came to our house and didn't want to leave. We tried all the tricks to find an owner but nobody claimed her so we kept her. Little did we know, she was pregnant and is due in a week or maybe 2 according to the vet.
I forgot to ask about her going outside after the kittens are born. She's in full time at the moment as I don't want her giving birth outside. It's only been for the last week and she is already crying at the door to go out.

Obviously she isn't spayed so is it best to keep her in until the kittens are weaned?

Any other advice to newbies surrounding the whole birth and kittens thing?

I've been reading as much as possible but it's nice to hear from others who have actually experienced it.

I bet! She’s going to be even more surprised when 3 kittens come out of her.

Do animals even know their pg?.

I don't know. I think their behaviour is generally all instinct so possibly not.
I've been looking at the size of new kittens and they are quite big. I feel bad for her because it's going to hurt.

Their probably mostly cartilage though. It must be ouchy though.

Overuse of the word though there.

Yeah, your right. Their bodies are much more pliable and bendy than humans. I just hope it's over quick.

I've watched kittens being born. They came out in their sac and then (this was pretty alarming at first) the mother cat ate the sac. Afterwards she cleaned up the kitten and sorted it out before carrying on with having the next. She seemed pretty calm and took it all in her stride. I hope yours has a similarly smooth birth.

Shamelessly place marking, waiting for the kitten pictures

Aaaah how lucky you are that she chose you! Can’t wait to see the kittens and hope she copes ok with birth. There should be plenty of info on the internet to help you help her if needed.

Do their waters break? If they are in individual sacs I'm assuming they have a few "breaks"? I'm nervous as I've never seen any animal give birth in real life.
I will obviously help if she needs it but I am hoping it goes smoothly. I read that if she doesnt eat the sac then I have to remove it and rub the kitten with a towel.

I watched my cat being born.

The sac comes out first and looks like a bubble of jelly. Then they eat the “bubble of jelly” the kitten gets a big clean up and wash, then it’s time for the next kitten to arrive. When I watched a cat give birth, i was amazed how clean and tidy it was. Lots of grim bits, but clever mummy cat eats it all.

I was fascinated watching my kittens be born. It’s beautiful.

Yes individual sacs for each kitten. Strange looking things, but they appear to slide out without causing too much distress to mama cat. Blink your eyes and the sac has disappeared and she is busy cleaning up the kitten.

I watched some videos earlier and the owner snipped the umbilical cord on all the kittens. Is that necessary?
In 2 of the videos the owners wore surgical gloves. Do you think I should get some?

I'm not going to let them name the kittens 😁

Oh please do!

We named ours as children. Some hilarious car names. I’ve let my Dc name our pets. I won’t share them as it will out me but they still make me smile every time I have to call them.

B&M sell gloves but you shouldn’t need to handle them if it goes well.

You’d think the mom would cut the cord though, no scissors in the wild.

I think a lot depends on the cat. I see a lot of horses foal and we have one that will pop a foal out in between checks with no warning, by the time you get these she will have delivered the placenta, washed the foal, have it up and feeding and all "what? You're a bit slow human"
She's the most predictable in that you know she won't foal while you're watching the others sometimes need help

As long as shes got places to nest in to have her kittens she should be fine. We trapped a feral cat that was kept in my daughters bedroom. One night we heard her calling, we 'd only had her two days at this point, and being feral hadnt put her through the stress of a vet check. When we went in the room she'd given birth to kittens in all different places, and was calling them to her, she was totally clueless and not much more than a kitten herself. We put all the kittens in a cardboard box with comfy blankets and left her to it and the next time we checked she was busy nursing them all. Be prepared for personality changes when she has her kittens though, she may become defensive, but will revert to her affectionate self when the kittens are older.

I agree with the kids naming them, it can be hilarious! Ive known a goat my son named Dave and Norman the female guinea pig

She's gorgeous. Definitely push for spaying at 4 months. My vet told me six months and she was pregnant at five . Despite being very young herself, she delivered 6 babies whilst we were asleep in bed and we came down to find all kittens clean and being nursed. Good luck it's a very exciting time

Other species must think us awful slow with our kids, takes us ages to get them independent.

She's really moody today. She is not really overly cuddly at the best of times but today she jumped on my knee and was purring. I stroked her for a few minutes and then she bit me really hard then jumped down!
She didnt break the skin.
It's not unheard of her to bite, she bites if you touch her back legs every time. I'm wondering if maybe she felt a kick off the kittens and thought I did it! She is still being a bit off with me.

Pregnant cat chose me once. What an honour. What a whirlwind.
Set up an quiet corner box/blanket for her somewhere. Mince waters break be around but very quiet and unobtrusive. Ours had 5. Two births were complicated. One breach (we think he had some lack of oxygen - he was not the brightest but was a special boy and the most loving gentle lovely. One was born not breathing and before I knew it I was having to intervene rubbing it gently in a face cloth clearing it nose and mouth until it breathed. That one we kept also and was a truly special boy.
Kittens swarm and ransack things. I can date all books from that era by the razor puncture holes of kitten teeth everywhere.
What an honour. Sorry for lack of practical advice - was some time ago.

Now she has totally changed mood. She is lay down on the bed with me (she never does that) and is purring. Pregnancy hormones 😁

Shamelessly place marking!

I'm sure my firstcat broke her waters. Afterall, it was in my pillow on my bed at about 6 in the morning. I had wondered why she'd shown no interest in my carefully prepared birthing box! She refused to budge from my bed and gave birth to five kittens there. The first was the most difficult - definitely painful - and she never really liked him. She initially rejected him and I had to clean him up and rub him dry / warm with the bed sheet. I was only 8 but had seen 101 Dalmatians! I also persevered in getting him to latch and she eventually accepted him. She was a great mother and cat. I still miss her now!

Is she still pg?.