Overdue pregnancy

Question
I was just wondering how long a cat can be overdue for. I have 3 cats and they are all indoor cats. 1 got out for 2 days in August - I think the second last week but it could have been the last week that she got out. She came home, pregnant. It is now Nov.5 and she is enormously huge!! I can feel her babies moving but lately it is getting more confined. She is eating, sleeping (alot) and using the litter. She walks around although not for any length of time, and she tries to play but just isn't able to because of her size. According to the calender she would be roughly 11 to 12 weeks pregnant now but doesn't seem to be in any distress. I cannot afford to go to a vet as I also have children and we are struggling as it is and I have been told the vets would not take her in without me paying at that point - no billing option. I don't know what to do with her and I am not sure if the other cats are bothering her and that is why she hasn't had them yet or if it is something else. Is there any I can do to help her? She doesn't like it when I put her in a room herself or in a cage so the other cats won't bother her. I just don't know and I do not want to lose her or the kittens. I could really use any advice or ideas you have!! Thanks alot!!

Answer
Trina,

If your dates are correct, then she is way, way overdue.  9-10 weeks is a relatively normal gestation with 65-67 days from the date of breeding being the norm.

If she was, indeed, bred in August, it depends on when in August she may have been bred, beginning, middle, or end.  If you do the Math, from the end of August till now would be OK.  Minimum gestation should be 63 days or a day or two over 2 months.  So, she may or may not be in trouble.

If you are certain she had to be bred in the beginning or even the middle of August, then you almost have to see a vet.  If there are going to be complications, or they are already happening, there is no choice in the matter, otherwise, you could lose the cat!

A real possibility is that it is a false pregnancy and nothing is really going to happen.  Again, a visit to the vet would verify what is really going on with her!

What we do for kittening is to provide a cardboard birthing box (we like the "jumbo" storage chests which are 10" X 16" X 26").  We put old toweling or old sheeting in the bottom and put it in a room in a warm place away from drafts.  We keep other pets and small children away from the pregnant queen.  We also visit her frequently, to see how she is getting on.  If she is still a bit nervous, sometimes covering the box halfway with a towel gives he the impression that it is a den.

However, at this stage, I would be prone for a vet visit for the sake of mama and the kittens!!!!!  

Please let me know how it goes.

Best regards... Norm.