cats pregnancy

Question
hi i was wondering if i could get some advice about my pregnant cat she is a ragdoll and nine weeks pregnant today the first day of mating was on the 6th of january, however she is very large after having a check up at the vets all is well he said he heard plenty of heart beats, but my question is on the internet it says that cats loose their apertites before labour begins although belle has cut down shes still picking alot here and there i have noticed her drinking alot more then normal and when she sits to try and clean herself she looks slightly open down there and for two days now has occasionally been leaking a pinky fluid, but completely ignores her nest i made for her i have three places for her but none she seems to be going in, if this was the first stages of labour wouldnt she be in her nest right now

Answer
Hi Louise.  Surprisingly, many cats don't seem very interested in their nesting areas.  Many become very clingy with their owners while they are in labor and are happy to have their kittens right out in the open, on a bed or the living room floor.  They can become obnoxiously desperate for attention and may not eat or use the litter box unless their owner stays right by their side.  In fact, one of my Siamese was so clingy with me during her labor that when I went to get her some water during her delivery, she got up and followed me, with a kitten half-delivered!

It is common to see a loss of appetite, but a cat does not need to stop eating to signal that the babies are on the way.  In fact, there are quite a few cats who will take a short break between kittens to take a few nibbles of food.  Every cat's delivery is different.

With the pink-tinted discharge, delivery should be very near.  If your cat hasn't had her kittens in another day or two, I would urge you to bring her back to the vet and consider inducing labor.  Ragdolls as a breed have relatively short gestation periods, often 58-63 days.  If she was bred a full 63 days ago, she should be ready to have the kittens, and if she has had some discharge for a few days, you don't want to run the risk that something may be off with the delivery.  Kittens usually follow within 48 hours of any light discharge.

Good luck!

Jessica