I thought my cat was pregnant but...

by Erin Burk
(Burlington,NC)

My cat Shadow is acting pregnant and looks pregnant, but it has been more than 67 days and she has no milk to express from her nipples. Should I be worried about my cat? Should I take her to the veterinarian? Do you know what may be wrong with her?


Dear Erin,

Do you know exactly when your cat mated? Could you be off slightly with your calculations of when your cat should give birth? Is she otherwise eating and acting normally? While you should be able to express milk from your cat’s nipples in the days before she gives birth, if you have never done it before, it can be very difficult to express milk from a pregnant cat’s nipples.

If you know of a veterinarian who can perform an ultrasound, it is always wise to seek veterinary attention. If an ultrasound is not available from a veterinarian in your area, at such a late stage of pregnancy, even an xray would be safe for both mom cat and the kittens, so could be considered as a secondary option.

If you are still concerned, and especially if you are certain of the date your cat mated, and have calculated appropriately how far along she may be, I would recommend bringing her to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Best wishes,
Dr. Neely