pregnant cat swollen stomach

Question
My 10 mth old petite cat is about 5 weeks pregnant.  Everything has been progressing normally.  For the past few days on her right side there is a swelling that I believe, from looking at anatomy photos, is her stomach.  It does not seem to be painful and she seems in good health otherwise.  My question is, is it normal for a cat to have uneven swelling on her sides during pregnancy, especially in a small cat with not much room to expand except out?  She has been eating extra, and I wonder if constipation is contributing to this similar to in a pregnant woman?  Thankyou!

Answer
Hi Tara, Thank you for the question. Is this a hard swelling that does not change? Are you sure it isn't just a kitten? Mom cats will swell oddly if they have an odd number of kittens. For example if a mom is going to have 3 kittens one side with the two kittens will be larger than the other side with only one kitten. But, usually you do not notice this at 5 weeks and it is usually only noticeable looking at her from the top. However, you mentioned she is a small cat so she may be showing more than the average cat?
Cats can get constipated but not as often as humans just because they are built in a different fashion that allows things to pass through a little easier than they do for us when we are pregnant.


++++++ Follow up +++++++
Hi Tara, well that sounds like a mammary tumor. I would suggest getting her checked. It is seldom very serious in young cats but I would certainly think this warrants a trip to the vet ! She may have had it for a while and now you are noticing it because the growing kittens are pushing it out so it is more visible.
Teresa