Siamese Cat Pregnant

Question
Hello, I have a 9 month old Siamese cat called Esme that is pregnant.  If I calculate her date as of today she is between 62 to 64 days pregnant.  I have taken her temperature yesterday which was 98.5 and today it is 99.5, I have not noticed anything different about her, she sleeps a lot which I know is normal, her teets are huge and red with white tips, the kittens are really hard in her tummy now and are constantly moving.  Esme is still eating a lot and drinking, she did go into a cupboard yesterday but she always goes in that closet to investigate and she only stayed a few seconds.  The thing is I am going on vacation on Sunday for three weeks and my husband who is staying wants these kittens born before I leave as he works days.  I played with Esme and some string to give her exercise to see if I could stimulate the birthing process and also gently stimulated her tummy but nothing.  Is there anything you can advise, I do not want her to be harmed in anyway that is why I do not want x-rays.  I love my Esme so much but I really need to have these kittens born before I leave - could you please pretty please help me
thanks Jennie

Answer
Jennifer,

Siamese and other oriental breeds of cats often mature more slowly than other breeds so 9 months of age is extremely young for your queen to be pregnant. There's a chance just due to her age that it will be necessary to help momma raise the kittens, if she rejects them you may have to bottle feed them every 1 1/2 - 2 hours 24/7 for roughly 4 weeks which is a big commitment for most pet parents.

Unfortunately as far as stimulating Esme's labor the reality is that the kittens will only come when they're ready. I strongly recommend against making any attempts to manipulate unborn kittens in utero because there's a very real possibility that you could potentially hurt or even kill the kittens. Another important caution about manipulating unborn kittens is that many laypeople don't know precisely what to feel for and may interpret any hard structure in momma's abdomen as a kitten which can cause serious harm which can result in harm to momma's internal organs or the kittens ~ this stuff is best left to the veterinarian and/or clinic staff who know what they're feeling for and how much pressure it's safe to add.

Although it's considered very dangerous for human mothers to be to receive x-rays this is actually considered quite safe for a momma cat and her kittens late in pregnancy within the veterinary profession. The vet may be able to tell you how many kittens to expect and whether your momma kitten is likely going to have any birthing difficulties which can happen if kittens are too big to fit through the pelvis. My recommendation at this point would be to have your vet examine Esme to determine whether she's had any cervical change suggestive of imminent labor/delivery of her kittens and have an x-ray or ultrasound done to confirm the gestational age of the kittens so that you have a general idea of when the babies are likely to be born. If your math is right it's quite possible that Esme's got a bit more time left in her pregnancy compared to your average mixed breed momma because oriental breeds tend to deliver their kittens towards the later end of what's considered a normal pregnancy for cats (the normal range is between 60-69 days with an average of 62 days).

If the vet sees that Esme may have difficulty delivering one or more of her kittens vaginally then my recommendation would be to speak with your vet about admitting Esme to the hospital just in case she needs a caesarian or other assistance with the delivery. My recommendation for you with regards to Esme if she requires a caesarian would be to allow the vet to spay her at the time of delivering her babies so that she doesn't become pregnant again and isn't exposed to further invasive surgeries to deliver future litters of kittens. With an arrangement like this with your vet, once the kittens are born then the vet can call your husband to pick Esme and her newborn babies up if everyone seems fit and Esme's being a model mommy to her babies which will help remove some worry from his shoulders. Kittens are often born late at night so I'd recommend that your husband set Esme up with a birthing box (a large cardboard box lined with towels or blankets is perfect, just remind your hubby to change the bedding if it's wet or soiled at any point) and place Esme in an easy to clean room (bathroom is a great choice) every night before he goes to bed (make sure he checks around to be sure that Esme hasn't had babies during the day when he's at work before scooting Esme into the bathroom with a birthing box for the night if you decide to keep momma at home throughout this whole process).

If you're interested in learning about the developmental stages of kittens, providing momma and her babies with the best possible nutrition, humane disciplinary techniques and when you can expect the babies to be ready to go to their forever homes please don't be afraid to contact me again. I'll be more than happy to help you out to the best of my ability. If you have any further cat related questions or concerns please feel free to contact me again. I wish you, your husband, Esme and her kittens the best.