I found a cat wandering the parking lot of my apartment building and took her in, I've only had her about a month but, it turns out she's pregnant I've been feeling the kittens move for the last two weeks or so. I've never had to deal with a pregnant cat and my vet has been no help. How do I know how much longer she has to go and if she's going to give birth soon or if there's anything wrong? Please help, any and all information and help is welcome!

Cat pregnancies last about 60 days. Don't allow her to go outside, or you won't know when and where she has the kittens. Here is one of several good sites --

Cat Pregnancy and Birth of Kittens

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Originally Posted by Wondergirl

Cat pregnancies last about 60 days. Don't allow her to go outside, or you won't know when and where she has the kittens. Here is one of several good sites --

Cat Pregnancy and Birth of Kittens

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Thank you Wondergirl, and she is a completely indoor cat, has been since I found her. Same with my other two cats (both fixed males).

It's really hard to tell how far along a cat is, at least until the week or so before birth, because their size depends on how many kittens there are. About a week before giving birth, she'll lose all the hair around her nipples.

Anywhere from a few hours to several days before giving birth, she'll start looking for a place to nest. Dark, quiet places underneath or behind things are a favorite. Fill a good sized cardboard box (one big enough for her to stretch out in all directions) with newspaper and put it somewhere you notice her frequenting. Newspaper is better than blankets because you can just throw it away afterward, and it lets her shred it and pile it however she wants. About a day or so before she gives birth, she'll probably stop eating and start pacing the house, and possibly crying.

Now, taking care of her while she's pregnant is pretty easy. Feed her kitten food, wet if possible, as long as she's pregnant or nursing. Her body will be passing on most of the nutrients to the babies, so she needs the extra for herself. If she seems distressed (crying loudly like she's in pain, showing signs of illness or injury, extreme loss of apatite, extreme lethargy, etc), then take her to a vet. However, nearly all feline pregnancies happen without complication.

Once she goes into labor, which will probably happen in the middle of the night, just leave her alone unless she seeks you out. You can check on her from time to time, but most cats don't like anyone nearby when they're giving birth. If she feels unsafe or threatened in any way, she can actually stop her labor for up to a full day, so don't panic if she stops before she's delivered them all. Make sure she has food, water, and a litter box near wherever she gives birth, since most mommy cats will not go more than a few feet from their babies, in the beginning. Cats eat the afterbirths, so don't get worried if you see it happening. Doing so actually releases hormones that trigger the next round of labor, so it's a necessary step. She may also eat any kittens that are stillborn, because it provides nutrients she can use for the rest of her babies, and it prevents other predators from coming to look for the smell.

Once the kittens are born, you should leave them alone. Most mommy cats will move their babies if they feel the spot has been compromised. Some don't care, but it's usually better to be a bit overly cautious. If she lets you, you can check on them once a day, just to make sure they're growing and not showing any signs of illness.

The kittens will start exploring at about three weeks, going in ever wider areas. You'll need to make sure you can either confine them to a single room/area, or kitten-proof your house. That means blocking off the bottom of furniture and appliances they may crawl underneath and either get hurt or stuck, making sure there is nothing dangerous on the floor (string they can eat, plastic, food, chemicals, etc), and getting anything you don't want little teeth and claws destroying out of their reach (like curtains). It's like baby-proofing, for a really small babies that can climb.

The kittens will need a small litter box they can walk into without climbing (I used a disposable aluminum baking pan), at about 3-4 weeks, filled with just enough litter to cover the bottom. Put it next to their mom's litter box, so they can learn by watching her. They WILL eat some of the litter, like toddlers putting everything in their mouth, so don't let that worry you. Most people/sites recommend using non-clumping litter for that reason. You'll need to clean out that litter box every time you notice it's been used, so they'll keep using it, and so they don't eat dirty litter.

Around the same age, you should start putting food and water out for them. The dishes will need to be low enough they can reach, so saucers work well. Since they'll still be nursing, they'll probably just play in it for a bit, which is OK. They won't be able to eat dry food, at first, so you'll need to either give them wet food, or put enough water on dry food to soften it. Again, put it next to their mom's dishes, so they can learn by example. Most recommend feeding kitten food until they turn one, but switching over to adult food at about five months is fine.

I hope that's helpful. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Thank goodness you showed up, hheath, with a perfect response! My prayers have been answered. *pats to your feline gang*