Cat 14 months pregnant or not?

Question
My little girl had her first heat cycle in September and managed to escape,she went missing for awhile but thankfully returned. We had her checked over by the vet who said she was 98% sure she was not pregnant.
I have noticed though that she is slightly more plumper,sleeps alot,very affectionate, has had no more heat cycles but no real pinking of the nipples.
Could you advise please if she is not pregnant what is happening as Im trying to avoid any surprises!!

Answer
Hi Sarah,

It's often very difficult to determine whether cats are pregnant without a solid test. This time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, cats often will not go into heat, they put on a little winter weight (and thicker winter coat) and do spend a lot of time nestled up. However, there is also a window around four to five weeks along when it's extremely difficult to detect a pregnancy by palpation. And some vets are better at it than others.

So to be sure one way or another, you really need to have a blood test or x-ray done to determine whether she's pregnant. Both diagnostics can be run close to the same time. A blood test can be run one month into the pregnancy if your vet carries these. Results in about 15 minutes. X-rays can pick up the skeletons of the fetuses, but you need to wait 5-6 weeks into the pregnancy for this. I believe you are past this point with your girl, at any rate. I prefer the x-ray method, personally, because then you know how many kittens to expect, and then if she does not deliver them all, you can consult a vet promptly.

Other than this, it truly is a surprise!

Good luck!

Jessica