Pregnant Queen

Question
I took in a pregnant cat about a week and a half ago that was a stray in my neighborhood. We decided to keep her here long enough for her to have her kittens and send them off to good homes when they are old enough. Of course we have since fallen in love with the mama cat who we have named Sairee and decided to keep her. My question is really regarding her pregnancy, since she is a stray I don't know the exact date she got pregnant and don't know how far along she is. I would have to guess based off what I have read she is probably in her 9th week. She eats a massive amount of food, and I can feel her babies moving (less so now than last week which makes me think the 9th week since i know they run out of room and there-for don't wiggle as much) so I really just feel the occasional nudge of a head or paw. Today I went in the bedroom to check on her and see how she was doing and I noticed a few dots of blood near her vagina. Only two dots though which seemed to be quick thick, I don't know if she has lost her mucus plug or not and probably won't know sine she seems to clean herself an awful lot and I assume she would clean it up long before I ever saw it. I am just wondering if this spotting is normal near the end of pregnancy in cats or if this is an early sign of labor. I haven't noticed a loss of appetite besides the fact that yesterday she left some wet food in her bowl when she normally licks it clean. If this tiny bit of blood is an early sign of labor how long might it be before the little ones arrive? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and I apologize if this emessage is a bit scatter brained but, I am trying to type it while also keeping an eye on her.

Answer
Peyton,


OK, I am going to give you a bit of an information dump on what to expect during the very later stages of pregnancy.  I suspect you know most of this, but there may be some things that may help you:

Cat gestation is normally 65-67 days with 63 days being a normal minimum and 68 days being a normal maximum.  Anything over 68 days would mean a visit to the vet!  You should be able to see and feel the kittens moving in the last week and a half to 2 weeks of pregnancy.

Here is the problem.  Every queen seems to want to do it a little differently, so the best I can do is give you some guidelines.

Anywhere from a week before birth up until the onset of birth or anywhere in between, she will get her milk in.  In this time frame she may also have a mucous/bloody discharge. (Although these events may start at different times during this time frame).

Anywhere from a few days before birth up until the onset of birth or anywhere in between, she may exhibit nesting behavior and restlessness.  Also, in this time frame her kittens will form hard knots and begin to move backward and downward in her abdomen.  This is really the very early stages of labor. (Although these events may start at different times during this time frame).

Anywhere from a few hours before birth up until the onset of birth or anywhere in between, her water may break and she will have what are called positioning contractions where she begins to get the kittens in line for birth.

You will know hard labor when you see it.  Once she starts her birthing contractions, it is usually about an hour before the first kitten is all the way out.  About 50% of the kittens are breech, so although it is a bit tougher, it is normal for the first kitten to be breech.

A couple of things you want to have handy are a roll of paper towels, a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, scissors (in case you have to cut the cords), and a soft face cloth to clean the kitten's face if mama does not do it immediately.

I like to use a "jumbo" cardboard storage chest (10" X 16" X 26") as a birthing box.  Put some old sheeting or toweling in side.  Put it somewhere you can easily get to, in a warm spot away from drafts, and away from young children and other pets.  You can half cover it with a towel, so it seems more den like.

Make sure your vet knows what is going on, so, in case she has trouble, you have arrangements about what you must do.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Best regards... Norm.