Is Socks the Cat Pregnant?

Since Socks first became a "legal resident" of our home several weeks ago -- meaning that her remaining with us has been approved and sanctioned by our kind-hearted landlord -- we have had a great time together, and our language interpreters have been working overtime. There are some complexities involved in these human-cat / cat-human translation devices, but we are getting there.

Aside from all of our playtime together -- cheap homemade toys like empty cardboard towel rolls, shoestrings and cords, and taped-together yogurt containers that roll on the floor are just as much fun as purchased toys -- and the on-demand "rubby dubby" head-scratching sessions which her royal highness demands whenever she pleases -- no, I never get paid for such services after rendering them, not even with a thank-you of a purr -- there is some other interesting news to share.

While I am still not one hundred per cent certain of this -- I have been flip-flopping over the possibility for weeks now -- I have begun to suspect that Socks may be pregnant. In fact, she may be as much as seven or eight weeks pregnant. Considering that feline gestation only lasts for nine weeks, I suppose that we don't have much longer to find out one way or the other.

Allow me to present the symptoms to you. It has been about eighteen years since I last owned a cat, and had to deal with a pregnant cat -- I was breeding Persians for a short time -- so I am a bit rusty when it comes to the details concerning feline pregnancy.

When Socks first arrived in our home, she had a nasty, bloody gash about an inch long on the back of her neck, as well as a number of other smaller marks and scars in other areas of her head and neck. Over the past two months, the gash has healed for the most part, with only a bit of hardened scab remaining in the area, and her fur has begun to grow back as well.

Although no one actually witnessed the event, my daughter and her friends -- where Socks was staying at the time -- assumed that the nasty gash was a result of their dog playing too rough with Socks. At the time, I accepted that as a plausible explanation, as I had no reason to consider any other possibility.

However, then other telltale signs began to appear which raised my suspicion. First there was a slow but steady weight gain in her girth. Initially, I assumed that the weight gain was simply due to Socks eating better, having sufficient water, and generally living in a more peaceful, secure environment where she doesn't feel threatened by anything or anyone. But, she has continued to acquire a rather plump belly, although at this point in time it is difficult for me to determine whether or not it is still growing in size.

When the occasional vomiting began, that is when things began clicking in my head, and the pieces began to fall in place. I again questioned my daughter regarding how Socks obtained the nasty wound on the back of her neck. She wasn't able to provide me with any additional details, but I began to doubt the whole dog scenario.

For those of you who aren't familiar with such matters, when cats copulate, the male cat will grab the female by the back of her neck with his teeth in order to hold her down. Cat copulation is not all fun . . . at least not for the female. Theoretically-speaking, considering her young age -- I have speculated that she is six to nine months old -- if this is indeed what actually happened to Socks, and if in her frightened state she struggled during copulation in an attempt to escape, this could explain how she acquired the nasty wound on her neck. Whatever bit her, took a good chunk out of her flesh.

Besides the wound on the back of her neck, the growing size of her belly, and the occasional vomiting which has grown more frequent during the past week or so -- which I suspect is actually feline morning sickness -- Socks has also been sleeping a lot, eating a lot, been very affectionate, and has demanded affection from me -- her "rubby dubby" time. She has also been calling out a lot for inexplicable reasons while alone in different rooms of the house.

But that is not all. Socks has been grooming a lot -- including her vaginal area -- and her nipples are quite pink, although they don't appear to have grown that much in size yet in preparation for what may possibly lie ahead in a week or two. Finally, there is her fascination with cubby holes of every sort in every part of the house. Most recently, that has included taking short naps in the dark under the blankets on my bed. Oh gosh . . . the last thing that I need is a bloody birthing mess on my bed! I mean, it would be an honor, Socks, but . . .

I think that any experienced cat keeper would agree that all of these various symptoms seem to point to a pregnant cat . . . yet I am still not absolutely certain, in spite of her obviously widening girth. On the other hand, I am reasonably certain that she is not sick in any way, and that her bloated stomach is not due to gas or any such thing. She is a very healthy, spunky cat . . . but one who appears to be an expectant mother.

Well, as I said earlier, we will know soon enough. By the end of August, I suspect that Socks will be so huge that I will no longer have any doubts, or maybe her kittens will have already been born by then.

On the other hand, if there is nothing by the middle of September, this dear cat is going on a more restricted diet.

So what do you think? Please leave your comments below and let me know. Thanks!