You've waited for weeks, your cat has become rounder and rounder, you're excited about the forthcoming birth of her kittens - but how can you tell when the time has arrived? Suddenly it seems that your cat starts to act differnetly and you need to know if this is really It.

Are her kittens about to be born?

How can you be certain?

Are there labor signs you can look for?

Every cat owner wants to make sure that their pets are well cared for. But we can begin to feel very anxious and out of our depth when they fall ill - or in this case, are about to deliver kittens - and we realise that we don't know how best to help.

After all, we're cat owners, not vets! You need to know what to expect and you need to know what to do.

Your cat's pregnancy will have lasted around 64 days but it is very unlikely that you will able to be that accurate. Instead, you will need to be able to recognise the different stages of pregnancy and be alert to the signs which will indicate that your cat's labor is about to begin.

Firstly, you are likely to have noticed that your cat's appetite will have almost doubled in the past weeks or so and you will be able to see her kittens moving around in her abdomen quite clearly.

It is natural, too, for your cat to seek out a warm, safe and secure place where she can give birth and she will display 'nesting' behavior as she searches around. If you are properly prepared, you will have already supplied a 'nesting box' for her to use - that way you can control the place in which she chooses to deliver her kittens and avoid her selecting an inappropriate place, such as your bed!

Then, quite suddenly, your cat's appetite will fall off noticeably and it may disappear altogether. This indicates that the start of her labor is very near.

Sign number three is that of 'clingy' behavior. Your cat will want to be with you all the time, looking for affection. As time brings her closer to the actual birth, she may start pacing around and seem particularly nervous or even excitable.

Another, unmistakable sign of impending labor, is 'calling'. If you have never heard your cat make this sound before, don't worry, you won't be able to mistake it!

As the birth draws near, your cat will start cleaning her rear end as she feels her body changing in preparation for the delivery of her kittens.

Finally, as your mother cat begins to feel the onset of her contractions, she is likely to appear anxious and uneasy. She will repeatedly enter her nesting box and 'tread' the nesting material as she seeks to arrange it to her liking.

When you see this last behaviour, you can be quite sure that your lovely cat is entering the first stage of the birth process - your cat's labor has begun!

But the hard work doesn't stop there - for you or your cat. To give your cat the very best care, you will need to learn just what you need to know to help her through the actual birth process and how you can best care for your cute, newborn kittens. So if you make sure that you have prepared for every situation, you will be able to be in control at all times and on hand with immediate and appropriate help, should your cat need it.

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Be certain that you are 100% equipped to help your pregnant cat deliver to her kittens. discover all you need to know about cat labor signs and subscribe to Jane Tompsett's free Cat Owners Confidential newsletter by following these links.