when will my cat have her kittens

Question
i got 3 stray cats from my uncle 2 males 1 female and one of the males was a kitten i have an appt to have them fixed on the 14 of feb but i have to do it some other time for the female. i heard the male and female fighting a lot and i guess they wernt fighting they were mating and this went on for a few days untiil i relized what was going on so im not positive of her due date. I seen then doing there thing like dec 22 or so and that puts her due date around feb 23 but my question is how do i know for sure how many days she is my vet is all booked up until about the first week in march unless there is an emergency of course but this isnt so i need help i like to plan stuff i have a spot ready for her. she is huge and the fur around her nipples is spread out and i can feel milk in her boobs but cant squeeze any out what are some for sure signs of labor and some for sure ways to try to tell how many days she has left thank for your time and i hope you get back to me soon

Answer
Nikki,

Gestation for cats is usually 65-67 days with a lower bound being 63 days and an upper bound being 69 days.

She may have milk, but it is often not easy to express it.

Anyway, when the kittens are a couple of days from being born, she will exhibit nesting behavior in your "spot"  I like to give them a "jumbo" cardboard storage box (10" X 16" X 26") as a birthing box lined with old sheeting or toweling.  Make sure the spot is warm and free of drafts.  Also, it should be somewhere where other pets and small children could not bother her.  Sometimes half covering the box with a towel makes it feel more like a den to the queen, so that she will be more prone to use what you have provided.

Not that it will do you any good, but the body temperature drops just before they are ready to have kittens.  We just kind of check on the female every couple of hours when it looks as if she may be ready to go.  She will be very restless, there may be some discharge from the vagina area, she may go in and out of the litter pan.  If you are there when labor starts, you will know.  Birthing contractions are pretty strong and obvious.  It usually takes about an hour from serious contractions to the birth of the first kitten. Often the next kittens come pretty quickly.

You may want to see if there are any books on the subject in your local library and make sure you and your vet have a plan in case she runs into trouble outside of normal vet hours.

Best regards... Norm.