prengnant kitty

Question
my roomate has two femal cats both around the age of three. they have each had a previous litter one sucessful one not. the successful litter came from the cat who is now again pregnant. she had a litter five months ago. she had five in that litter and i was wondering how many shes likely to have this time? also, she has been pregnant for what seems like forever. and shes been relatively large for a few weeks now.
i can feel them moving around like crazy, and her apetite has decrease considerably in the past few days. what are some signs that shell have the babies soon?

Answer
Hi Ashley.  First, I'd like to put in a plug for spaying.  Aside from the pet overpopulation problem we have, having more than one litter a year is extremely detrimental to the mama's health, as well as to the kittens'.  Many states have assitance programs, and there are some private low-cost clinics, too.  You may be able to find one near you at www.spayusa.org.

In my experience, delivery usually happens about 10 days after I'm certain the kitty is going to burst!  If the breeding date isn't known, the best you can do is have an x-ray done to try to get within a week or so of the delivery date.  Aside from that, your best guess is going to come from her behavior.

A week or two before delivery, the mama will start nesting - seeking out little places to have her litter.  They'll often disappear for hours at a time into some secret hiding spot.  

And up to a couple days before delivery, the cat may begin to have some loss of appetite.  Some even vomit.  Many will also experience a slight drop in body temperature to 98-100 degrees (anything below 98 should be considered a medical emergency).  Many cats get restless at this point and will become clingy.

Beyond that, there is not too much you can look for until labor actually begins.

As far as how many she's likely to have, litters often increase in size by one kitten until the litter size reaches five or six, which is the average size litter for cats having their second or third or more litter.  I wouldn't be surprised if 6 were in this litter.  I WOULD be surprised if it was more than that!  If she does have more than 6, I strongly recommend to supplement the kittens with kitten formula, so that nursing doesn't end up malnourishing mama.