Can a pregnant cat run?

How about a very pregnant cat?--like a day or two before giving birth?

If yes, how would her speed compare with normal?

Thank you,
Archae0pteryx

Tryx,

Thanx for accepting my feline anecdote as your answer! It was an odd
occurrence, but I doubt that it was unique. The cat in question
belonged to a neighbor lady. Her name was Whitey (the cat, not the
lady). Whitey frisked around like a house afire in the hours before
giving birth. If she hadn't been so bulgy, you'd never have known that
she was stuffed full of little kitties!

Best,
Pink

Thanks, Pink, exactly what I wanted.  Personal testimonial is all the
authority I needed for this question, and I had no luck trying to find
such a thing by searching.  Saved again by Ms. Renaissance Woman!

Tryx

I don't know about running... but this might be of interest:

At least two weeks before she is due to have the kittens, a nesting
box should be set up so she can become accustomed to it. A laundry
basket with clean towels often works very well. If you wait too long,
she may have the kittens in the closet, on your bed, or in the
basement. Do not allow her outside as her due date arrives, or she may
have the kittens outside.
http://petcaretips.net/pregnant_cat.html

Thanks, tl.  Your message reminds me of when our cat had kittens
inside my closet when I was a little girl.  I thought that was great!

What I am after here, though, is specifically whether a nearly-due
female cat could thump down the stairs or thunder down the hall the
way an unencumbered one will do.  I haven't lived with an expectant
cat for so long that I forget.  Our last few have been male.  And this
question, though you might not have suspected so, has a fictional
purpose behind it.

Archae0pteryx

Hi archae0pteryx,

LOL... I have no clue.  My females were spayed.  I suppose if she felt
threatened in anyway, she might not have the energy to stay and fight
it out and decide to forward herself away from danger as fast as she
could.

TL

The following mentions nothing about a pregnant cat's running
abilities, however you might be able to weave it into your story.

http://www.2ndchance.info/felinelabor.htm

Before Labor Begins:

"If your are intent at being present when the queen delivers begin to
take your cat?s temperature two weeks before it?s due date. Do it at
the same time every day You can lubricate the thermometer with
margarine or KY jelly and insert it about a half inch up the rectum.
Leave it in place for three minutes. Your cat?s temperature should be
between 101 and 102. Fahrenheit. When the pet?s temperature drops
below 100F (98-95F) she should deliver her kittens in less than
twenty-four hours.

Labor And Birth:
Twenty-four to forty-eight hours before the onset of labor your cat
will seem more anxious and restless. It will often poke its head about
looking for a place to nest and have the litter. But be advised that
in some cases nesting behavior can occur as early as three days before
delivery. At this point confine her to the room you want her to birth
in. This should be a darkened room with an impervious floor in a quiet
area of the house. Place food and water in the room.

Cats that are about to go into labor will usually lick their abdomen
and vagina persistently. There is often a discharge that precedes
birthing but the mother will lick it away as rapidly as it appears.
Her cervix will be dilating but no outward signs accompany this. She
will loose all interest in food and become serious and attentive to
only her licking. If you are perceptive you may notice an increase in
her breathing rate. It is quite common for the mother to sit with her
mouth open and yowl loudly or pace the room. As her labor progresses
and uterine contractions begin pregnant cats will lay on their sides
and intermittently squat and press downward to expel the kittens. Do
not interrupt or disturb the mother during these periods ? just watch
from a door left ajar."

========

Best regards,
tlspiegel

Pregnant cats can run about as well as a similarly pregnant human can.

I once saw our neighbor's pregnant cat dash across the yard and run up
a tree for no obvious reason. I presume she was just having fun. This
was several hours before she gave birth to eight kittens! Cats are
mighty tough critters.

Thank you, tl.  I might indeed have a use for it--some of it, at
least.  Very helpful, thanks, even if not exactly my answer.

By the way, I have made very good fictional use of all the information
you provided in your answer to my question about confession.  You
furnished everything I needed, and I went back to it many times.

Tryx

Pink, you've told me what I need to know.  If your neighbor's cat
could do it, so can another.  That's not to say that *any* cat
could--but that *some* cats could.  That's all I need for it to be
plausible that a cat could do a thunderpaws number down the stairs two
days before bearing kittens.  Please post as an answer.

Tryx

Mark, I think I saw somewhere that you are a veterinarian, so I give
extra weight to your answer, and thanks for your comment.  But with
all due respect to your profession, I think there is a huge amount of
difference among pregnant women and their capabilities, with variance
for age and physical condition and how they are carrying the baby.  No
woman can run like a cat, though, even under ideal or controlled
conditions, so the comparison does not help me very much.  Those extra
two legs do seem to make a difference.

Archae0pteryx

Hi archae0pteryx,

Thank you for your comment about the confession material. :)

Best regards,
tlspiegel

p.s.  I'm contacting pink to let her know you liked her comment and
wish her to post the answer.

Adding testimony to my dear colleague Pinkfreud-ga's answer, at home
we've had several cat pregnancies, and I can witness that kitties'
moms keep most of their mobility almost until the very moment of
giving birth.

Archae0pteryx, what I meant by my comment is as there are differences
in the way "big with seed" gals move, so there are with cats. I
certainly didn't mean to pit them against each other as the cat would
undoubtedly tend to win!

Except my cat. She'd never get beyond the first shiny object, bit of
string, leaf, or stray air current...

"Saved again by Ms. Renaissance Woman!"  (Tryx)
"Renaissance", a doubly appropriate word in this context!
I hope Pinky's many present and erstwhile neighbors and pets get
recognition for their many contributions to GA.  ;)

Tryx, 

Many thanks for the five stars and the generous tip. And a special
thank-you for calling me "Ms. Renaissance Woman." That made me smile
(one of those Mona Lisa smiles, you know), and I need all the smiles I
can get!

~Pink