False pregnancy in adopted cat

[JuliaNSteve]

Hi,
Julia (Jewel) is 11.5 months old and I got her off Craigslist on March 22. I noticed the next day while trying to handle her that her belly was a bit bulgy and she had pink nips. To our knowledge she has never had a litter. She is supposed to be a barn cat. But I’ve kept her indoors past the “imprint” period of 3-4 weeks because I thought she would be having kittens soon. Ive read articles online that say they start to show in the 5th week. So if I got her 5 weeks ago, I would assumed she would of had them by now. She is not very big. Not like all the photos of heavily pregnant cats that look like they are miserable and about to explode. After a week or two with us she was acting in heat (offering us her butt) but no vocalizations. She is very affectionate and follows me around, very very friendly. But I have nothing to compare it to. Her belly has gotten bigger/fatter, and her pink nips have increased in size. But I still wonder if this is a false pregnancy. I thought I saw and felt movement last week. But I haven’t since. She is a long/medium length haired cat so it’s hard to tell. When I gently squeeze her sides it feels like she has one big water balloon in there.... not individual lumps.
Is there a way to determine if it’s just a false pregnancy? Or the real deal? Thanks!

 

[lutece]

Cats typically "pink up" around day 21 of pregnancy. If you have had her for 5 weeks and she had already pinked up when you got her, if she is indeed pregnant you would expect kittens any time in the next two weeks.

If you want to know for sure, you can take her to the vet for an ultrasound. At this point, it should also be late enough in pregnancy that you could see the kittens on an x-ray if that's more convenient.

 

[Sarthur2]

Get her vet checked, but an unspayed barn cat is most likely pregnant. Prepare for kittens!

 

[JuliaNSteve]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[JuliaNSteve]

We live 90 min from town, out in the middle of no where. I don’t want to stress her out for no reason. I’ll wait another 2 weeks and see if she has any.

 

[Willowy]

I wouldn't let her outside unspayed unless you do want a ton of kittens. Tomcats will travel long distances to find a female in heat, and they often show up when no humans are around so you may never see them, until one day, surprise!

 

[JuliaNSteve]

Just an update bc I appreciate you all for the info. Today is 7 weeks since I suspected Julia was pregnant, 7 weeks 2 days since my husband picked her up from the lady. It makes me feel better thinking the lady probably genuinely didn’t know she was pregnant and didn’t purposefully withhold that information. She has gotten really big. She appears to have dropped the last few days. Instead of looking like she swallowed a football, she looks like she’s smuggling a bag of rocks under her. I think her milk is in, as she has sticky nipples. Her nipples went from being pink and prominent to looking like traffic cones about 10 days ago maybe. She’s been clingy to me. And a lot less energy. She walks a few steps and then sits down in that pregnant lounge, where she kicks her legs out from under her. She’s been scouting out my cupboards and closets. But at this point ... we’ve been expecting them any day... for a month. I really wish I knew when she mated so I wouldn’t be on pins and needles, and over analyzing her every move. Thanks for the help. I’ll update you all if anything changes. For now we are on “crotch watch” and I’m just letting her do her thing.

 

[Sarthur2]

She’s really close now - anytime now since she’s dropped and her milk is in.

Have you made a proper nest for her in a quiet, private place and shown it to her?

 

[JuliaNSteve]

I took our extra large dog crate and zip tied the door open, covered it with a blanket and put a cardboard rim around it so little babies can’t escape. Then inside I put more blankets and a cat carrier. She seemed more interested last night. But my bets are she will have them on my bed. We’ve gotten super close in the last 7 weeks. Which is weird bc I was NOT a cat person. She’s my little love. And I spoil her. She follows me around the house. Watches at the tub edge as I bathe the baby. Sleeps under my legs as I nurse my baby. She’s the best cat I’ve ever met! So sweet and so patient.

 

[JuliaNSteve]

Our rule on the farm is “no pets, everyone has a job” and her first time outside she alerted me to a snake right up by the house where the kids play. So she’s def doing her “job”.

 

[JuliaNSteve]

Still pregnant. It’s making me crazy because I have no way of knowing how far along she is. Today is 8 weeks since she was rehomed with us. Her belly is so big and overloaded it’s almost dragging on the ground. Mammary glands are enlarged. She is acting pretty much the same. Except tonight she is sticking very close by, seems very cautious going in and out of rooms (slow and sniffing around like it’s new), and very quiet (no meowing), and her purr sounds deeper... more gutteral. I’ve read the stress of rehoming can slow down the development of kittens, not sure if that is true. Over all she seems happy and content to be pregnant for the rest of her life!

 

[Sarthur2]

She’s due anytime now. Her deep purring may indicate that she’s in early labor. She must feel miserable. Keep us posted.

 

[JuliaNSteve]

Does anyone have an expert guess on how far along the cat is when the nipples go from pinked up to funnel shaped? She’s still pregnant. Still acting normal - eating, playing, affectionate. But I’m grasping at straws to try to pin down a due date to see if I need to take her in to the vet and dig up money for a csection. Or just give her more time. I’m not feeling any movement.

 

[Sarthur2]

I just re-read your whole thread to try to get a grip on what’s going on here. I really think she is due sometime in the next week and nothing seems wrong at all from your posts.

Your cat appears from your description to be in the late stages of pregnancy, but not quite there yet. It does not sound like she has “dropped,” which is when kittens move down into the birth canal and your cat suddenly appears smaller or less pregnant.

Cats generally have discharge and their vulva is enlarged prior to labor, They typically become very clingy and will purr non-stop through labor.

You would not need to take her for a C-section unless she was in protracted labor and pushing with no results for a couple of hours. This is rare! Most cats do manage quite well, especially when younger. She is not in labor or any distress yet, so just keep waiting.

I think your dates were all wrong, for whatever reason, but she does now really sound close.

The pregnant stray I took in several years ago put me in the same realm of questioning. She was huge, and I did not know when she mated. I was so worried I finally took her to the vet. The scans revealed 4 kittens, and the vet said they would come in 7-10 days. Well, 12 days later she birthed 4 healthy kittens. She had discharge for 2-3 days, and labored for a full day or so, then suddenly ran to her birthing box from my bed to begin birthing.

She’s 7 years old now, and her 4 kittens were 6 years old in March. I kept them all, and still dearly love this little cat family. All are spayed and neutered. Anyway, here’s my cat the day before she delivered:

J JuliaNSteve

 

[Sarthur2]

Does your cat look anything like this? My only concern is that you said you have not detected movement. That is highly unusual in late stage pregnancy. This raises the possibility that your cat, if not pregnant, Is either having a false pregnancy, is just fat, or has pyometra, which is a very serious uterine infection which needs emergency care.

So, in the absence of illness or distress, I suggest you wait. But if you are truly concerned, get an x-ray done at the vet to see where she stands. You’ll know instantly and can act accordingly.

Please keep us posted! All the best meanwhile!
J JuliaNSteve

 

[JuliaNSteve]

I just re-read your whole thread to try to get a grip on what’s going on here. I really think she is due sometime in the next week and nothing seems wrong at all from your posts.

Your cat appears from your description to be in the late stages of pregnancy, but not quite there yet. It does not sound like she has “dropped,” which is when kittens move down into the birth canal and your cat suddenly appears smaller or less pregnant.

Cats generally have discharge and their vulva is enlarged prior to labor, They typically become very clingy and will purr non-stop through labor.

You would not need to take her for a C-section unless she was in protracted labor and pushing with no results for a couple of hours. This is rare! Most cats do manage quite well, especially when younger. She is not in labor or any distress yet, so just keep waiting.

I think your dates were all wrong, for whatever reason, but she does now really sound close.

The pregnant stray I took in several years ago put me in the same realm of questioning. She was huge, and I did not know when she mated. I was so worried I finally took her to the vet. The scans revealed 4 kittens, and the vet said they would come in 7-10 days. Well, 12 days later she birthed 4 healthy kittens. She had discharge for 2-3 days, and labored for a full day or so, then suddenly ran to her birthing box from my bed to begin birthing.

She’s 7 years old now, and her 4 kittens were 6 years old in March. I kept them all, and still dearly love this little cat family. All are spayed and neutered. Anyway, here’s my cat the day before she delivered:
View attachment 381158
J JuliaNSteve

You have no idea how much this has helped me! Thank you for the detailed response and hand holding. Seriously! And that is exactly what she looks like! Now I feel like I can rest and let her be. And Now I don’t have to feel like it’s an emergency situation with each passing day. I think she was prob just coming out of heat when I got her. Last June I carried my fourth child to 42 weeks and I was much calmer about that than I am about this cat! Lol
Last night I searched through a lot of old cat site posts ... and I found two people in similar situations as me (adopting a seemingly already pregnant cat) And they both had kittens 12 days after they were able to squeeze milk from the teet. So we have time!