Very pregnant cat with diarrhea

[jonikat]

Hi all,
I have been reading through all the posts and finally just joined because I am not sure what to do.
About 5 weeks ago a stray cat showed up during terrible snowstorms and took up residence in a cat shelter under our sun porch. About 3 weeks ago we decided she was definitely pregnant (after wondering, her appetite and growing belly seemed proof enough) so I brought her inside because I didn't want her going off to have the kittens somewhere else.
She's in our guest room. A vet came to the house about 2 weeks ago and confirmed she's pregnant, didn't know how far along she was, gave her a dose of deworming meds (when they got back to the lab, the stool sample didn't show any worms).
Anyway, she's showing all the signs of getting ready to have the kittens...she's lost all the hair around her nipples, I see white flakes on them, the kittens have been really moving for about a week, she's been more affectionate, her appetite has gone down dramatically since yesterday. She's just sleeping mostly. Around midnight last night she had a small amount of fairly runny poop. Early this morning she had another bout, a little bit more. Then about an hour ago (early evening) I went to check on her and she'd eaten a little food, peed, and had a really watery/runny poop that got out of the box and dripped onto the carpet.
She's not in any distress, she purrs when I pet her & I can feel the kittens moving around.
I'm just not sure when I should start being concerned about the diarrhea...I have read on here that sometimes cats have diarrhea before giving birth. I had hoped last night would've been it for the runs, or even this morning, but now that she's had it again I'm not sure what to think. Another thing...it was so runny that I wonder if maybe her water broke while she was in the litter. ??
Our regular vet's office said they wouldn't be too concerned about the runny poops (that was earlier this afternoon). I really don't want to do an emergency vet visit.
Thoughts???

 

[jonikat]

Also of note...the diarrhea is not really smelly at all. Her poops have been fine up until yesterday.

 

[Sarthur2]

Many cats have diarrhea that cleans out their systems in the days preceding labor and delivery. It’s caused by hormonal changes in the system and is normal. It sounds like she’s close to the end. Just keep an eye on her, and make sure she has plenty of calcium from plain full-fat yogurt, cheese, or dishes of kitten formula.

 

[jonikat]

Many cats have diarrhea that cleans out their systems in the days preceding labor and delivery. It’s caused by hormonal changes in the system and is normal. It sounds like she’s close to the end. Just keep an eye on her, and make sure she has plenty of calcium from plain full-fat yogurt, cheese, or dishes of kitten formula.

Thank you for your reply! That's a relief to hear.
She did use the litter again and there was only some pee. She's eating little bits and drinking water. I have KMR and goats milk on hand...but didn't want to give her anything different to exacerbate the diarrhea right now. I've read to look for excessive panting or shaking and will definitely give her some during/after labor if she wants it.
I think I see a little mucus, so I think we're on our way! Also, she's suuper lovey right now. eeeeeeeee!!!! ))

 

[StefanZ]

Agree with above. Just want to add, when they have much diarrhea, they need some extra salts. The easiest is to sprinkle a little kitchen salt on their food. Or give a bottle of minerale water, let the gas out, and you have a good salt source. Or give some flavorless pedialyte if you have it.

Goats milk is mild, most cats manage it good.

 

[jonikat]

Thank you StefanZ. She's eating little bits of royal canin dry & wet food again today. I thought I saw a contraction this morning, but when I came back in, she had had a semi solid bm so maybe it was just her needing to go to the litterbox. So I'll keep monitoring her. She's grooming a lot today and has checked out her nest a couple times. Looks like her belly is lower/closer to her hind quarters today. I can still feel the kittens moving, but her belly feels more solid than before.

 

[jonikat]

Still waiting. She's eating (although not near as much as she had been) and drinking. I'm also putting a little water in her soft food to make sure she's getting enough hydration. She's still having soft poops, but not diarrhea. Today I'm picking up some canned pumpkin to help firm them up and unflavored pedialyte to make sure she's hydrated. How much pedialyte should I give her?
She's been checking out nesting places all morning. Otherwise, she's just lying on her side a lot. I can see her kittens moving still too...and I feel like I'm seeing movement down lower in her belly.
Can they go into labor even if the kittens are still moving? I've read that they stop moving before labor because they're in the birth canal. I started seeing movement last Friday...do you think she'll be giving birth soon? I'm so nervous & excited! This is my first time doing this!
Thanks to everyone on this forum...reading through these posts have been very enlightening & reassuring!

 

[Sarthur2]

Once you see movement, it’s usually about two weeks to delivery, so maybe another week? Hard to say for sure.

Be sure it’s pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix. It works to firm and to soften, so if she gets diarrhea again stop giving it. Use just a teaspoon at a time.

You can mix the unflavored pedialyte into her wet food instead of water. It can be frozen in an ice tray so you can thaw and use just a cube at a time and it stays fresh.

 

[jonikat]

Thanks Sarthur2
I'm so impatient!! lol
I did make sure to get pure pumpkin. Gave her a 1/2 tsp to make sure I didn't overdo it. Just want to give a little support.
How much pedialyte do you think is ok in one day? Should I just give a 1/2 tsp a couple times a day in her wet food? I'll probably wait until she has another bm to see how things are going before I introduce another thing to her diet. Don't want to overwhelm her gut...it's already going through a lot! good idea on the freezing in cube trays to keep it fresh, I'll probably do that!