How long till my pregnant cat gives birth, and is there anything I should be concerned about?

Question

i got my cat last Thursday. I recieved her pregnant, full of fleas, has tapeworms, and is skinny. She is very large, and I am anxious to know when she will give birth. I can see always see babies moving, her nipples are big and have fur loss, She sleep and eats alot, she seems to be somewhat active at night, and she was panting a day ago. My concerns with the kittens, is that she has tapeworms and fleas. As the vet said, we had applied flea medicine two days ago( Frontline) and tapeworm medicine today. I heard this could cause harm to the babies, is there major concerns I should be worried about? Almost all of her fleas are gone now. And last night, she was laying on the couch in a unusual postition, and she wouldnt let anyone touch her. Can anyone help? Her pic is my avatar, and by that you can see how big she is. If you go to the link below, you can see how much her belly is moving.

http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l308/DarkAngel21306/?action=view¤t=0806071340.flv

by belly moving, I ment seeing the kittens in her belly move.

well as far as a nest box goes, I have a med-large dog kennel, that is about 2 1/2 ft wide and ft tall. She has her food, water, blankets, and towels in there. She seems to have become accustomed to it, but I am not sure if she will sue that or not as a nest box.

also, she is always laying in the same spot. But she hasnt made any kind of a nest there. Its near the a/c and I think thats why she likes it, and it is a quiet area. Should I put some kind of nest material there for her? Or should I just go with the crate?

How much is the average ultrasound scan? I am interested in getting her one first thing in the morning, if she doesnt have her kittens tonight.

Answer 1

My only advice is that if you have kids, don't let them see the birth. I have had many child whose parents think they are doing them a favor by allowing them to watch the birth, they come to school mortified and scaring the other children. I would say the birth will be soon watch for her to "disappear."

Answer 2

Frontline won't harm the kittens, it only has action on the skin, it does not affect the animal internally. Your vet wouldn't have prescribed it if it was dangerous for a pregnant animal!!

Didn't the vet give you advice about the pregnancy and birth? You need some from a vet. Do you know how far gone she is? Cats are pregnant for 63 days, if they get overdue you need to take action i.e get her to a vet. It's not like with a human where you can be overdue without worrying.

Personally I would take her to the vet to be checked over now to see if she's in labour, especially if you don't know the conception date. Cat's temperatures rise when they're preparing to give birth, a vet can examine the cat, take her temperature and give you good advice. She will need a nest box someone quiet and private, and just look her over occasionally to see how she's progressing. Do you know how many kittens to expect? Helpful to know so you know when she's finished giving birth!

Mother cat needs to be fed kitten food until the kittens are weaned. Very important. Kittens need to be wormed at 2,4,8 and 12 weeks of age. In the meantime if you have ANY concerns for the cat and her kittens, don't hesitate to pick up the phone to a vet.

Chalice

Answer 3

Thanks for sharing that video, it is not too often a person gets to see something so awesome! Whenever it happens, it will be soon by the looks of her, she will go off to a private undisturbed area to have the babies...if you don't have her adjusted to a cat bed, expect to find her one day when you come home wherever she likes to be, on your bed in the closet, someplace quiet. They give you no notice sometimes you will hear her having the babies other times they are quiet and endure, then you will find her with her new babies and you realize you missed it. After she has the babies, try not and handle them right away, let them get adjusted for a couple days and then go for it, as long as she is agreeable. Don't be shocked the babies when they are born look like weird little creatures. You may want to keep the mother in an enclosed area, bedroom or common area until the babies come so you won't have to send out the search party. Oh yeah and don't ever let her out again, looks like she found you for a reason!! Good luck and Enjoy!!

Answer 4

HaHaHa! That's great watching her belly move.
I think if the vet used droncit or drontal for the tapeworms the kittens should be fine.
She's definitely going to have those kittens "any minute"!
If she has too long a labor I'd be concerned...those babies need to come out.
I'd call the vet & ask. Sounds like she's been in labor a couple of days, which is too long.

Answer 5

Not another pregnant cat. Not another litter to be dealt with. Do you know 80 percent of cats turned into shelters are put down because of irresponsible people like YOU! Your cat doesn't have a choice. It's your cat, do the responsible thing and get her spayed for crying out loud.

Answer 6

She really does look ready to go, has she started making nests anywhere?

Panting doesn't mean they are in labour, my cat panted when we took her to the vet for a check up and we thought she was in labour but she was just hot, human women get hot easily when pregant, my gf is currently pregnant and roasting most of the time. Cats, like dogs, sweat out of their tongues and that is why they pant.

You don't have to worry, just let her get on with it, my cat is very loving and had her kittens in my office so I was there but normally they don't like being disturbed, when she makes her nest and goes off just leave her till she's ready to show herself to you again, if she trusts you she will allow you to see the kittens when they are born, just remember not to pick them up or handle them for a few weeks otherwise she may abandon them, especially if she hasn't been with you very long.

She really is a beautiful cat, post the kitten pictures up.. good luck!

Answer 7

i also have done the same thing i got a female cat about a week ago who is pregnant and had fleas and worms and really underweight,pregnancy i was told is 65 days gestation from the vet.Mine is a pedigree burmese not sure if that makes any difference in gestation times.

Answer 8

Wow! she looks like she is ready to pop! Since the babies are so active I can't see that you have need to worry. They'll be fine. You've wormed her and gotten rid of most of the fleas. Mom will be fine, babies will be fine. Hope you can find good homes for them all. Lucky kitty to find someone who will care for her properly.

Answer 9

As long as the babies are moving around she will be ok... Just follow what the vet tells you. He wouldn't do anything to hurt the babies or the mom

Answer 10

ask a vet what to do. just dont stress her out cats are just like humans and need to relax when pregnant or they can injure the babies.