[TrevorNSara]

I just rescued a cat from the woods. It was on a very busy road where she could easily get hit and killed and we're having weather in the mid 20's. She seemed very hungry and came right up to me and followed me to my car. When I got her home I noticed that her breasts were swollen, but no milk came out and she is pretty skinny. Some people said they thought they saw her about a month ago or so feeding a litter, but there is more than one cat there to know for a fact that it was her they saw. She is extremely affectionate and is a very mouthy thing, she's always meowing and loving on me since I've saved her. Is it possible she could be pregnant? Or is it possible she just finished nursing kittens and her breasts are still swollen? Or maybe even that her litter of kittens passed away and her breasts are still swollen? These are all just theories I have so I would love to hear someone else's opinion on the matter. I'm just trying to decide if I should prepare myself or not for a litter. I've had cats in the past that were pregnant and she's not filled out like they were by any means and she is loving on my other cat which is also a female. Please help!

[Akoue]

This may not help as much as either of us would like--though I'm sure someone will be along soon to give you some useful advice. I have taken in a couple of stray females, and one of them turned out to have had a litter (though, sadly, all the little ones had already died). She was very thin, extraordinarily affectionate, and it took a little while before milk was evident. If she has recently nursed, then there may not be any milk until she's been away from her litter for a little while (how long, I don't know). If she does have a litter, I would expect her to be frantic to get back to them, though (mine was). I'm thinking, odds are, if she's happy to be inside and isn't desperate to get to her babies, they've probably either been weened or... you know, the other, God-awful possibility.

Good luck... and fatten her up a bit, no matter what.