Expert: Marcia Owen - 4/12/2008

Question
Marcia
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
Your cat may well not be far off giving birth and if she doesn't start to do something in the next 24 hours I would pop her to a vet.  Even if she is not full term this sort of thing can happen because may be a kitten has detached and is causing the discharge, or it may be something else, but if she is not ready to have them, it may be possible that the vet will prescribe antibiotics for the rest of the pregnancy to avoid any infection and give any other kittens a chance to be born alive.

The fact that she is eating and content is a good sign.

Marcia.