Expert: Marcia Owen - 1/27/2008

Question
Hi,  We have a female cat about 1 year old. She's just an average mixed breed. Recently her nipples have become very extended to 3/8 an inch. This happened in the past 2 weeks. Is this a clear indication she is pregnant? She has been outdoors frequently. Can there be other reasons for her nipples to show so much? Her abdomen feels more firm than it did.
  What signs would indicate births are soon to come?
  We also have another female cat (spayed) who is 10. The 2 females do NOT get along at all. Is there a danger the older female will harm the kittens?
  We have a 3 year old Siberian Husky too but she should be fine with them.  

Answer
Hi Wayne

Indeed it would appear that your girl is expecting.  The nipples do enlarge at around the 3 weeks pregnant oint so I would say that from the time you noticed them, she probably has another 6 weeks to go.  I can't think of any other reason why nipples in a cat of her age would increase in size.

You will see the kittens moving around at around the 6/7 week mark and she may at the time of birth start getting restless and looking for somewhere to nest, though this can start from a week before birth.  She will get damp down her back end when the birth is imminent.

It is possible that your older cat will just not want to be in the same place as the kittens so hopefully you will have no problems but it wouldn't be a bad thing to make sure that the new Mum gets some quiet and privacy in the first 7-10 days and that should include from the dog as well.

Regards

Marcia