pregnant cat!! how can you tell when they are close to giving birth?+ any advice?

Question

how can you tell when they are close to giving birth?

my cat is a believe in her 8th week now ( was told by my vet she was in her 7th weeks last friday!) she is huge!!!( as expected) and she is a very petite cat! her nipples are huge!! very swollen and her stomach is larger towards her bum!!

shes not giving milk yet .... but is very shy and sits at the top of the stairs where as normally shes all over me!
this is her first litter and my first experience of newborn kittens

done some research but would love your opinion!! also any advice u wish to give!!!

Cheers x

Answer 1

Sounds like your cat is close, keep an eye on her. Her teats will be enlarged aned pink, and she will feel "lumpy" on her underside. Her activity level will decrease and she will be less playful. She will seek out a quiet, secure and dark place to give birth to her kittens. If places like closets, cabinets, drawers, and areas under sofas and beds are available, she may choose these areas. If you don't want her to give birth in these areas, seal these places off. Get a large, clean box, and place clean rags or old T-shirts (clean) in the box, so she will be reassured and comforted by your scent. If there are other cats/pets in the house, be sure they are not allowed in with your cat while in labor.
When she is about to give birth, she may be extremely affectionate, purring excessively, and you may notice a small, wet spot underneath her. That means her water broke, and she is about to give birth. She may begin to meow as her contractions begin. This is normal.
Kittens are normally born headfirst, and an afterbirth (placenta), will come after each kitten. She will begin to lick the kitten both to remove the membrane on the kitten's nose and mouth, and to stimulate breathing. She will bite off the umbilical cord and eat the placenta, and the kitten will wander to a warm teat and begin nursing. Newborn kittens are born blind and deaf, and will barely be able amble clumsily to the mother cat's teat. This will improve as they grow and develop.
Good luck, and kittens can keep me entertained for days on end! :) I have given you a little more information about what to expect when the kittens come, so you won't be so intimidated as I once was! Based on my knowlege and what you describe, it sounds like she is ready to go into labor anytime now, so get ready!

Answer 2

Well, your cat seems about to have babies...
A cat pregnancy takes about 3 months, and if she is very small you can even see the movements of the tiny kitties. Carefully you can touch her belly and guess how many are they going to be ( bigger bones means heads )
Now, the moment has no many warning signs. When the cat knows she is ready, nobody can take out of her head the idea of searching for a darker and cozy place, sometimes a bit isolated if possible. Do not worry, they know very well what to do, and they do it naturally.
I've been so crazy about cats as to bring in an intercontinental flight the cat father - in cargo for animals - and the pregnant kitty - with me in the cabin hidden in a box - and she was so sweat that she waited ( my imagination, I guess ) till we had a hotel, searched for a place in the closet, and had one by one her beautiful five kitties, without getting out for the next 2 days. I was present and even though I have seen human deliveries, I felt so close to nature besides her, just a little cat knowing exactly what to do without any help, that I gave her some water pretty close to her laying place and she drunk, accepting no food.
It is a beautiful moment, just enjoy it. Nature makes us wise, we are only getting away from her.

Answer 3

well i've seen a cat give birth more than 8 times. i cant even count. for starters find a grocery box and place a old rag that you dont use anymore, make sure its pretty clean. no one can really tell when a cats going to give birth, but usually she'll be breathing heavy /panting (thats when the box will come in use) mabey a few minutes later her water will break. if you want to help her, rub her stomach and make sure she stays in the box. for some reason at all if the kitten isnt moving or taking milk from the mother i suggest you carefully take it and rub it with a dry cloth to get its blood running.

Answer 4

Cats gestate for about 9 weeks. Watch her to see if she's making a nest somewhere. Be sure to close off anywhere you don't want her to have the kittens. Just let nature take it's course unless you hear her yowling or otherwise showing distress. Cats are very good at being pregnant and giving birth. Congrats.

Answer 5

If you give her a box in a closet or somewhere quiet and she stays in it, she's ready! Most cats are good mothers and do not need any help but some get afraid. Try to be there to comfort her and make sure she cleans them real well, because they can smother if she refuses. Kittens are fun, but mothers can get pregnant again within a few months so be careful.

Answer 6

go to the vet to get a ultra sound, or just see if she is eating alot keep track the more she eats the closer she is to giving birth. u could also set up an area usually in a corner of a room or in closet with a towel, a food and water bowl and give her space cats are very protective over her kittens. PICK ME!!!!!!!

Answer 7

She will start to find a quiet dark warm place and start making a nest. The best thing you can do is give her alot of soft absorbant towls in a box in some quiet place in the house. She will make it how she wants it and than when she gets close she will spend very little time out and that meens you have little ones on the way.

Answer 8

When cat's are a few days away from giving birth they will keep to themselves. They will also be looking for a place to give birth so keep your eye on her she will try to hide to have her kittens. You don't want to be searching for the cat and the kittens.

Answer 9

a bunch of gooey clear stuff will start coming out of her coutch in gloops. then she will soon give birth.