Hey Pandas, My Pregnant Young Cat Disappeared — Should I Keep Waiting For Her? (Closed)

So... a little baby cat came to us — starving, malnourished, and silently begging for food with her sad little eyes. We started feeding her, and she slowly grew stronger and friendlier. Then she got pneumonia, and I personally syringe-fed her liquid food, antibiotics, and everything she needed. She recovered and became even stronger.

She started to grow, chase lizards, meow loudly at the door when she wanted food, and weave between our legs when we walked outside. Things were great. I knew she was going to make it. My cautious affection had quietly turned into love.

Then, all of a sudden, she went into heat — much sooner than I expected. Maybe it was due to her small stature from earlier deprivation, but either way, it was happening. I planned to take her to the vet. Surely she couldn’t get pregnant that quickly after her first yowl... could she?

But she did. And in the three flipping weeks we had to wait for the appointment I’d scheduled, her belly began to swell. So, I figured: F* it. We’ll have some babies, find them loving homes, and then do the snip.

But on Wednesday of last week, with her belly fully swollen, she disappeared. :(She ate well in the morning, then chased some friendly neighborhood kittens around for fun... and we haven’t seen her since.

At first, I assumed she had found a hiding place to have her babies and would return when she was hungry. But it’s been nearly five days now. We’re on nearly an acre of land, so searching hasn’t led anywhere. I keep dreaming that I see her, but she’s never there in the morning.

At this point, is it likely that she passed away... or should I still keep hoping she’ll come back?