Expert: W - 4/13/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hello Ray,
Our cat is pregnant but we don't know how far along.(She "found us" the first week in March and has not been outside since. We discovered her "delicate condition" about 2 weeks ago.) Her abdomen is very tight and her nipples are obvious but I would not call them swollen. She is not producing any fluid from her nipples at this time. Today I notices a small amount of dark colored discharge near her vagina. It is not foul smelling but does have a faintly unpleasant odor. She is active, eating well and seems content. I have not taken her temp but I can if it would be helpful to you.

ANSWER: Hi Terri

If your cat is definitely pregnant and she has a discharge she may be due any time, it is impossible to determine form this brief account.

However there are some medical conditions that can cause these symptoms to appear as well, so if you can afford it and she trusts you enough, I would have her scanned as soon as possible to determine the cause of the abdominal swelling.

The scan will also indicate how far advanced the kittens are if they in fact are there

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ray, Thanks for the response. We are pretty certain of her condition. I have a good friend who is a vet and she did a "palpation" and said "Yep, kittens in there." Sometimes I can even feel little flutterings with my untrained hands so I do think she's preggers and due really soon. My main concern was the presence of the dark discharge. I just didn't know if that was "normal." It was a pretty small amount and more gooey than runny. I am not really seeing any new discharge today but am not sure if she's just keeping cleaner of if it has stopped altogther.
I also have heard various answers to the question of how low her temp might get in early labor and just how far away the arrival of kittens might be from the onset of a lowered body temperature. What has been your experience?

Answer
Slight discharge in late pregnancy does cause me some concern and of course the temp going down to around 99f is a good sign. Any rise in temperature or increase in discharge and whip her round to the vet immediately
I do hope things progress and you soon here the tiny meows echoing through the house

Ray