Hi all.


Desperate for some advice or just to talk to someone in my, or who has been situation. My beloved cat is very heavily pregnant and I think she may be going into labour. For the past few days she has been in and out of the house but always returning to my room, were i have set up her nesting box, she usually goes out for hours but it's only for 10 minutes at the most now. Giz is still eating loads, she is affectionate but normally is with me. When i go to bed at night she does this like pawing motion by my pillow or under the quilt by my back. Giz has been cleaning her 'bits' but no more than I normal 'see' her doing it. I'm just all confused about these being definate signals of impending labour. I want to give her 100% when the time is right and I just need to know that I'm doing the right thing for her.

We were given Giz 6 months back by friends of friends who told us she was spayed, as we know now she is not!!!! I'm just really nervous because our last cat disappered and despite our searching and appeals we never found her!!

Now for the questions, lol. Are these signs of labour? Is sleeping in her nesting box a sign she likes it for the birth? Or will my bed do? How do I keep her in when she refuses to use her litter tray?


Thank you in advance for any advice or tips, they will be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes.

I'm afraid it's just a waiting game. As for the litter tray, she will use it if she gets desperate enough! It won't hurt to let her out though, in this weather (I'm assuming you are in the UK) she will come back in very quickly indeed. Just make sure you don't leave her out for any length of time at all - ten minutes maximum and you open the door and call her. Unless she has another home she goes to, ther eis no way she will settle to give birth outside in thsi weather. Summer would be a very different matter. But she will use the tray eventually if she has no other option.

Liz

Yikes, you really need to keep her in. I suppose you could try some litter attract Precious Cat Litters - Quality Cat Litter.

She does sound like she is near and its a good sign she is using her box, much better than the bed. Surley if she not given the option of going out she will pee in her tray ? Or not ?

I have an outdoor cat who I keep in at night and she uses one during the night, even though she detests it and would rather hold it in at times.

Best of luck with her. I would love some kittens just now.

Me too!

Liz

I have no chance of kittens or any signs of kittens for months with Poppy (if she is fertile )

It is -8 at night here and not a lot warmer during the day. At least she will be a good age when she does start calling. Also have lots of ft or inches of snow and have had for weeks!!

I wonder if any Scottish cats are in season at the moment.

(Random asside re: cold and snow) Lily's been out in her enclosure almost constantly, playing in the snow. Shame Jasper won't go out and play with her, the big sissy wuss

__________________
Lily - silver Egyptian Mau
Jasper - Burmese X moggy - missing!
Electra - silver Egyptian Mau
(Truffles - chocolate tortie syrian hammy - bye little one, I miss you)
And 6 little balls of silver spotty fluff! OMG KITTENZ etc

Hello.

Thanks for the advice. Still on paranoid mode with her, lol.

Best wishes.

Yes it's funny, my Mau seems totally unfazed by the cold too, she can't bear the thought of me actually shutting her in her house even at night (and the silly clot STILL hasn't worked out how to use the cat flap to let herself in and out). She just refuses to stay in the house part if she thinks I am going to shut the door, so she has the door open all night and seems quite happy to do so - unlike my Burmese who don't want to be outside for more than about 10 minutes at a time. Perhaps it's cold in Egypt at night or something?!

As for the Tiffanies, they just want to go outside and roll around in the snow! I am wondering how they will cope with the heat in the summer. If nothing else, this extended cold spell has been very interesting in terms of observing the way cats with different coat types react to the cold. I have some thick coated Asian shorthairs (no they shouldn't be thick coated but they are) who seem to be almost as hardy as the Tiffanies.

Liz

One of mine called for a few hours last time we had a nice day, she went straight off again as soon as it got cold. I think we're going to have a long wait - last year one of my girls called at the end of December, no-one else obliged until March!

Liz

Our girls just had her first call at 14months but i reckon its warmer at the moment than it is in the summer with the central heating set at 20 bearing in mind no heating on during the summer months and the type of summers we've had recently in Scotland