by True

Hello,

My 8 month old cat is not spayed and so, when she was in heat, she conceived on February 6, 2011. I saw it her mating with a tom cat. She has changed, like she hasn't gone into heat lately and her nipples did get pinker and larger. Also, more of them are like red. Is that ok?

When I feel her tummy, all I feel is like a vein that I obviously didn't feel before. Is it ok to feel a vein if she’s pregnant? Her tummy did get a bit bigger, but it didn't get too big. It’s just a bit bigger to me. She also started eating a bit more.

Should her tummy feel hard? Is she pregnant? She also wants my attention more, she purrs. Also, she licks her anus and butt. She would walk a little then lie on the floor and start licking her self. Please answer my question I want to be prepared. And if you think she is pregnant could you tell me when you think she'll give birth and when I’ll see her belly get bigger? And how many kittens do you think she'll have since she’s young?

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this. I just need to know. I love my cat Bella so much.


Dear True,

It does sound like your cat is pregnant with the larger belly and red, prominent nipples, but without a physical exam, I cannot say for certain. If she is pregnant, and did conceive on the date you said, she should be giving birth sometime between April 6, 2011 and April 12, 2011 because the gestation period for cats is approximately 62 days.

The general rule is that the younger the cat is, the fewer kittens she will have. However, this is not a steadfast rule. So, your cat may have just one or two kittens.

The best thing to do would be to leave her alone and give her a safe place to give birth. And, while you wait read through the many pages on this site about cat pregnancy for even more information. There are also numerous pages on this site regarding proper care of mother cats and their kittens.

All the best,
Dr. Neely