Expert: W - 10/7/2008

Question
About 4-5 days ago i was on here and asked a question referring to a
pregnant cat that we had rescued. She was being mistreated and her owners
had let her have 3 previous litters of kittens and not gotten her spayed. in her
previous litters she had 1 kitten. 4 kittens, and 6 kittens.
We have had her 10 days now. She was already showing SIGNIFICANTLY when
we got her. They had no idea when she was due and said she had over a
month left. I dont think they had any idea how long cat gestation is AT ALL.
For the first day we had her she did really well and was friendly and ate a
bnch. Then the following 3 days she basically stopped eating and was super
cranky. We though for sure she was going to be having kittens then.
The kittens were moving very well. We could see and feel them moving. alas,
no kittens. She has since been eating very well again. The kittens are moving
very well still and she is off and on in her attitude. She is very sweet and
cuddly until you pet her belly too much. She mostly gets upset when the
babies are kicking. I think she might believe that i am the one hurting her.
There is no sign of any discharge still but her temperature is a bit lower.
We have been taking it every day since she got here 10 days ago. It has
ranged anywhere from 100.4-101. It never got higher or lower than that
until last night. Last night is was 100.0 and this morning is was 99.9.
How significant of a drop should I expect to see in temperature when she
nears labor? I dont know that she has showed any particular 'nesting' signs,
but since we've had her she sleeps behind our bookcase. She is always there
unless we are in the room. It is her safe place.
I still really dont know what to expect here. We want to be able to be here for
the birth especially since she is such a small cat (we want to be able to take
her to the vet if there are any complications.) She weighs only 6.5 pounds and
most of that is her belly I am certain. She is a very small cat and is only 1.5-2
years old and is on her 4th litter. They never spayed her or at leastlet her gain
weight back between pregnancies. Also they were feeding her Meow mix crap
instead of a premium kitten food.
We have since switched her to Purina One by gradually mixing 1/2 of each
food so her tummy didnt get upset. Since she has been eating the last few
days she has also eaten quite a few cans of fancy feast.
So from what I hear cats start showing in their 5th week of pregnancy? But
she was super skinny so she would probably have shown sooner than that.
her belly was already enormous 10 days ago. I just have no idea what to
expect and when to expect it.
I am guessing she is AT LEAST 7 weeks along. When we got her they said they
had already felt the babies kicking for a couple of weeks. From what everyone
has told me this typically happens in the 6-7th week of pregnancy? But
again.. She is very small so it might be easier to feel since she has no extra
meat on her bones.
Oh also- It feels as if her back mammary glands have gotten a little larger. I
dont think they felt very enlarged at all when we got her and now they are
quite a bit larger (but just the back two) But maybe I'm wrong.
I guess my main question was how much of a temperature drop should I
expect to see and are there any other ways I can find out how far along she is
without and xray?
Sorry for the rambling, Thanks for your help in advance, I hope you can help
me.

Answer
Hi Jessica
You will also receive a reply from Marcia and I really just want to agree with Marcia. The temperature should drop about 1-2 degrees just prior to birth. She is below average weight for a moggie but some cats like Singapura only weigh 6 pounds when fully grown, so don't let her light weight put you off.
Make sure the food you are feeding her is part of a complete balanced diet. Scrutinise the contents with a super keen eye making sure it is balanced in minerals proteins and vitamins.
Gestation can take anything from 61 to 70 days in many breeds, with the average being 65 days so you may have to pace yourself.
Her abdomen being sore is slightly concerning but not to the point of being serious. Her glands expanding may just be sign of the start of lactation so if you can gently squeeze them and see if milk is produced.
Anyway good luck on the new arrivals.