Pregnant cat questions..?

Heavy breathing can be a sign of labor,the episodes make it sound even more likely that she is in labor,labor comes and goes until the episodes become closer together each time,

their eyes will be showing some reaction so am not surprised to hear about that,it does to me sound like the cat is in labor and soon expect some panting too along with her breathing episodes she will even become vocal,this is fine if she is full term but being large and fast sounds like she is,so yes cat is in labor.

Without physically seeing her, it is hard for me to tell you how far along she is. I hope that your friend is keeping this cat indoors where she can have her kittens safely...being outdoors is terribly dangerous for baby kittens. Hawks, racoons, other male un-neutered cats will kill those kittens... please....make sure she has this cat inside and prepares a nesting box for her. Just a box with some towels in it but cut out and entrance for the momma cat to come/go into the box comfortably.

I hope she is not in distress or having a tough pregnancy. Your friend should really call her vets and describe what is going on....she actually may be starting to go into labour, or, it could be nothing at all. As I said, it's very hard to tell without me seeing this cat personally. Just make sure she is indoors... I cannot stress that enough.

This link will tell you the signs that your cat is in labor, the stages of labor, what to do to assist a normal delivery, and signs that something is wrong.

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