When will nay cat have her kittens?? Signs?

Question
Hello there, My cat wilma has been pregnant for some time now. Her abdomen has increasingly largened. And her nipples have grown in size and are very pink. The last couple of days she has been cleaning her hind area very often. My partner has noticed her belly moving, rippling. How long do you think she is until she gives birth? Are they any signs to look out for when she is close in having them? Many thanks for your help!!! Regards Steven  

Answer
Steven,

The only sure sign kittens are imminent is a drop in body temperature.  However, you need to be able to measure the body temperature in some manner <ggg>!!!!!

First gestation is 65-67 days with 63 days being a normal minimum and 69 days being a normal maximum.  We begin counting from the second day of witnessed breeding.

She may drop her milk up to a week before kittening or right at or after birth.

She may break her water a few hours before birth or at the onset of the first kitten.

Usually, a couple of days before birth the kittens will "drop" (be positioned lower and further to the rear of the abdomen) and become hard knots.

Normally, for a few days before birth she will engage in nesting behavior where she wants to have her kittens (which, hopefully, will coincide where you want her to have kittens).

She can have some discharge for a week before the kittens are born or nothing until the first kitten.

I will tell you, they do not make it easy, although, once a female has had kittens, she is likely to do it the same on subsequent litters.

We usually check on the queen a few times during the night and a few times during the day when we think it is pretty close.  Now the kicker is that some cats WILL NOT have their kittens when you are around and some WILL INSIST on having their kittens only when you are around.

In a nutshell, I cannot give you anything definitive. You just have to keep checking until she decides to give birth.

At first there will be some positioning contractions.  Usually it is an hour at the onset of true birthing contractions until the first kitten is out.  Approximately 50% of all kittens are breech.  She may have the rest of the kittens in whichever horn of the uterus the first kitten came from and then maybe wait a bit (an hour to a day) before emptying the other horn of the uterus.

I hope this helps.

Best regards... Norm.