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Young cat pregnant, need advice
- Thread starter bellamia
- Start Date
She is young to have kittens, and I assume the pregnancy was accidental? This site is by definition pro-spay and neuter, although of course we give all the support and help we can to those whose cats get pregnant, including encouraging them to spay the cat as soon as possible after delivery. In this case, however, because the cat is very young and she is not far along in pregnancy, I would seriously consider a spay-and-abort procedure. Most vets will do it, and in a young cat the risk of the operation is probably less than the risk of giving birth and the possible health problems afterward for both her and her kittens. I can understand why some people will not do this for moral reasons but I do think it would be best. Talk to your vet about it, as soon as possible, and read up about early pregnancy, and I am sure you will come to the right decision for you.
Let us know what you decide to do, and whatever that is, be sure that we are here to guide you through the process.
Let us know what you decide to do, and whatever that is, be sure that we are here to guide you through the process.
The pregnancy is no longer early, but the advice above is still something to think about. spaying now by a good vet surgeon is less risky then delivery by such a young mom.
It is not as unpleasant as it sounds. Kittens dont manage well premature birth, unlike human babies.
So if you and your vet can imagine spaying / abortion now, its a fully possible choice. But its hurry.
If you, like most others, choose to held your breath and go on with delivery etc, we will support you too in this.
A little later during the day I will send in some links.
Good luck!
It is not as unpleasant as it sounds. Kittens dont manage well premature birth, unlike human babies.
So if you and your vet can imagine spaying / abortion now, its a fully possible choice. But its hurry.
If you, like most others, choose to held your breath and go on with delivery etc, we will support you too in this.
A little later during the day I will send in some links.
Good luck!
While she IS very young, it certainly isn't unheard of for kittens even younger than she is to have kittens and do okay with it. If you let her have them, you should be prepared to help if necessary, and the knowledgeable people here can help you do that.
Agree, she is very young but not extremely so. With any luck she should manage, at least the biological delivery. The kick in of motherly instincts may come late, but again, it should kick in after some time. So you must be prepared to step in the first day... @bellamia
Some links:
We have a good collection of articles in the Cat Health section which you can access by scrolling up to the brown bar, clicking on Articles,and then choosing the Cat Health section and scrolling through the choices. To make this super easy for you, I am copying the links regarding birth, delivery and newborns for you here. After reading this information, let us know if you have any more questions. And good luck with your approaching new arrivals.
Birth, Delivery and Newborns
How to Tell if My Cat is Pregnant?
Cat Pregnancy
How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth?
Pregnant Cat? What to Prepare For the Birth
Help! My Cat is Having Kittens!
Premature Kittens
Post-Birth Complications in Cats
and also:
http://www.icatcare.org/advice/my-cat-having-kittens ( This is a link to a group of articles on cat pregnancy, birth and kittens. Read the ones on normal cat birth and on " when to wait and when to worry" )
Good luck!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
I can't begin to thank all of you who gave me such great advice and wisdom! I will take her to my vet immediately.! I rescue and rehab dogs and when I found this 2 week old kitten in the middle of a very busy store parking lot, I could not nor would not leave her. My 3 dogs took to her and "mothered" her and over time, she took on some canine behavior. I called my vet at once when she was brought home and I was told they do not advise spaying her until 8 months, or until after the first litter. I think is time for a new vet! Thank you all again! Bella Mia's "mom".
Yikes - that is just terrible advice from a "vet". Good grief.
on that vet. Yes - may be time to find a vet concerned about the dilemma of the cat overpopulation and one that is for spay/neuter WAY before six months at least. You can even spay/neuter kittens once they are over two pounds which most shelters do.Please make sure to find a good humane society that will be ready to take in the kittens for adoption once they are weaned. And, get momma spayed when kittens are at least six weeks. She will be going into heat very soon after birth and looking to mate again. Best to keep her and kittens confined inside until she is spayed and kittens are old enough to go up for adoption.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Thank you for your wise advice. Primarily raising dogs, I was not prepared nor properly prepared for this precious little kitten when I brought her home. I initially was not going to keep her but when our local cat rescue center could not take in any kittens that were less than 8 weeks old, I could not let this poor little one fend for itself and still call myself a good human being so, I integrated her into "the pack" with great success. I wasn't anticipating how much I fell in love with her we would become. Having said all that, I intend to follow your advice in spaying her and with God's help, will find great homes for the babies once they are weaned. I would also like to know the process of submitting an article. There is an area of their healthcare I would like to see addressed more, that being the effects smoking has on them. I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your assistance. Bella Mia
A wonderful topic! I think the best is to contact Anne, our chief administrator. She is also building up our bank of articles.
If you wish you can also get help with proofreading etc - we do it the whole time in our Team Forum...
But Anne and we all will surely be happy over such an article - either as 100% complete, just to publish, or as an advanced manuscript-draw.
@Anne
Good luck!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #10
I am a freelance reporter for one of our local newspaper's and would consider it an honor to submit my article on your site. I will begin working up a rough draft immediately. Can you provide me with her contact information. Thank you again, Bella Mia
Thank you for your offer, Bella Mia. I'm always happy to get cat-related content from members. Second-hand smoking in cats is a good topic which I don't believe we've ever covered here. My email address is [email protected] and you can also send me a private message.
And thank you for rescuing that precious kitten!
I couldn't believe that there are still vets who suggest waiting until after the cat has had a first litter. I don't usually go out against vet advice coming from a professional vet, but this one is just so wrong, both on the medical level and the ethical one. If you feel comfortable with it, please let me know their name and address in your email and I would be happy to write to them on behalf of the site.
And thank you for rescuing that precious kitten!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #12
My 10 month old "catten", just had her litter this morning; 5 kittens. She seems to be a very good mama, which is wonderful considering her age. She's allowed me to move them all to dry clean bedding and seems grateful for that. The problem that I have now, is she won't stay with them unless I am in there with her. For those that hadn't read my earlier post, I rescued her at two weeks old and bottle fed her until she was weaned. I didn't have her spayed because the vet said they have to be 8 months old or after the first litter. So having said all that, my question..is this normal behavior and how should I handle this. HELP. Bella Mia
Its not the most common behavior, but it surely does happens sometimes. Possibly the fact you raised her since a little kitten has to do with it. Both not all instincs are cemented / awakened, and ALSO, you ARE her mother person....
So I think its" just to like the situation", as the swedish saying is. Another try may be you close her in in their room, so she cant leave. You can also have a Feliway adapter in there for good measure, so she feels more calm and harmonious with the situation..
Good luck! @bellamia
So I think its" just to like the situation", as the swedish saying is. Another try may be you close her in in their room, so she cant leave. You can also have a Feliway adapter in there for good measure, so she feels more calm and harmonious with the situation..
Good luck! @bellamia
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I agree totally with Stefan. As you are 'her' mother, she sees you as mother to the whole family, and expects you to be there to supervise everything, almost as if you are telling her what to do. I think you are just going to have to be there as much as you can at first, until she gets the hang of it. Being so young, her maternal instincts have not kicked in yet - and she has no maternal feline model to follow. Watch her very carefully to be sure she is feeding all the kittens and weigh them every day to be sure they are all gaining weight - get a small kitchen scale that measures in grams, and that she is helping stimulate them to eliminate. She will get there, but you will have to help her for a little while.
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