- Joined
- Jul 26, 2021
- Messages
- 13
- Purraise
- 13
Hi all,
I've been lurking for a little bit (love the site), and I am hoping you all can help me with my question.
My family has been a foster home for our local shelter for several years and this is our first time fostering a pregnant mama cat. The vet is guessing 4-5 kittens and her initial guess was delivery in 7 - 10 days. That was about 12 days ago. I've followed up with the vet and she is not concerned yet, though does want to see kittens this week. I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos about queens giving birth, and I have my little birthing kit assembled in case I should need to assist (though will be as hands off as I possibly can.)
As we only know mama cat as a pregnant cat, it is kind of hard to look for labor signs that aren't INCREDIBLY obvious. She seems to be meticulous about cleaning herself. She is SUPER friendly - lots of purrs, loves her belly to be gently rubbed. She kneads on the sofa when she sits next to someone. Still seeing kitten movement in the abdomen (which is just too cute for words). Her appetite is still good, water intake, too. Nipples are absolutely pronounced, but no discharge that I can see. (They're a pale pink rather than a deep pink, if that makes a difference.) No vaginal discharge that I can see (except some clear fluid when she is kneading). She is a chatty cat intermittently, but no howling. No pacing though she does alternate between wanting to be sitting right next to you to sitting just NEAR you. She's got three birthing boxes set up (wasn't sure what kind she'd like, so we've got options for her.) She has checked them out and lays in there occasionally, but nothing consistent. We're keeping the room as comfortable as possible - our other animals don't come in here, we turn the lights down at night (but keep a small light on the desk).
Anyways, thoughts? I've seen that some cats may eat right up to the moment of delivery, others stop eating 24h prior. Since she seems to be a tidy, affectionate, kind of chatty cat to begin with, I don't know how well those other signs will be for her. She was grooming herself a couple days ago for like 8 minutes straight, but no labor. While I understand that rectal temperature may be a great indicator, I'm nervous about trying that.
I've been lurking for a little bit (love the site), and I am hoping you all can help me with my question.
My family has been a foster home for our local shelter for several years and this is our first time fostering a pregnant mama cat. The vet is guessing 4-5 kittens and her initial guess was delivery in 7 - 10 days. That was about 12 days ago. I've followed up with the vet and she is not concerned yet, though does want to see kittens this week. I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos about queens giving birth, and I have my little birthing kit assembled in case I should need to assist (though will be as hands off as I possibly can.)
As we only know mama cat as a pregnant cat, it is kind of hard to look for labor signs that aren't INCREDIBLY obvious. She seems to be meticulous about cleaning herself. She is SUPER friendly - lots of purrs, loves her belly to be gently rubbed. She kneads on the sofa when she sits next to someone. Still seeing kitten movement in the abdomen (which is just too cute for words). Her appetite is still good, water intake, too. Nipples are absolutely pronounced, but no discharge that I can see. (They're a pale pink rather than a deep pink, if that makes a difference.) No vaginal discharge that I can see (except some clear fluid when she is kneading). She is a chatty cat intermittently, but no howling. No pacing though she does alternate between wanting to be sitting right next to you to sitting just NEAR you. She's got three birthing boxes set up (wasn't sure what kind she'd like, so we've got options for her.) She has checked them out and lays in there occasionally, but nothing consistent. We're keeping the room as comfortable as possible - our other animals don't come in here, we turn the lights down at night (but keep a small light on the desk).
Anyways, thoughts? I've seen that some cats may eat right up to the moment of delivery, others stop eating 24h prior. Since she seems to be a tidy, affectionate, kind of chatty cat to begin with, I don't know how well those other signs will be for her. She was grooming herself a couple days ago for like 8 minutes straight, but no labor. While I understand that rectal temperature may be a great indicator, I'm nervous about trying that.