I need advise! First Time Grandmother of Kittens!

Hello!

I have a Cat that we rescued last year along with her two siblings after their mother gave birth to them at my husband's Grandparent's home in the country, but then dissappered. Unfortunately, we believe she was killed by a wild animal. We took them in, kept one, and named her Harriet.

Harriet just now turned 1 year old, and as far as we knew, showed NO signs of going into heat. We were getting ready to get her in to get spayed when she started darting out of the house and came back pregnant!

We're thinking she's about 3-4 weeks, but not completely sure. How can you tell? Her belly is rather large, and her nipples are big and pink, and is incredibly more affectionate. Also, Harriet is a small cat though, not very big at all. I love this cat so much and I'm worried she might have a difficult delivery. What advise can you give for us to help her out, or how to notice if she is having problems? Any other advise for this first time Grandmother?

Thanks,
Tiffany

take her to a vet and have them give you opinion..most will do spay/abort early on but would only do it later on for medical reasons. My cats mom(adopted him from my friend who had the mother cats) was TINY how she gave birth to 5 kittens without a problem was amazming to me. Definatley keep her confined(don't want her to deliver outside) and continue to keep her in the house until shes spayed(each vet has different requirments-my vet will only spay if cat is dried up-which was about 12 weeks after she gave birth

I have a 4.5 lb cat that gave birth to 6 kittens! I had her checked up by a vet shortly before delivery was due to make sure she would be okay. She needed help (at the emergency vet) for the first one, but was okay after that.

I would make sure that you have an emergency vet's number on hand in case you find that she is having trouble as she gives birth. If she strains with any kitten for more than 30-45 minutes with part of the kitten out of the birth canal, you will need to get her some help. Start feeding her kitten food instead of adult cat food now. As the time nears, you will need to set her up a birthing box and a room she can feel safe in.

Check out the links at the top of this forum for other helpful advice... there's lots of good stuff! Best of luck with your baby... it's an amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world! Raising six kittens was quite the adventure. Keep asking questions, that's what all the wonderful people here are for. I would have been so lost without them!

Just to give you an idea of what you'll be seeing...

Here's Sneakers in labor pains in her birthing cage:


Here's Sneakers just after she gave birth.


And here's about a month or a little more later, with daddy trying to get in on the action too:

Originally Posted by tiffykitty

Hello!

I have a Cat that we rescued last year along with her two siblings after their mother gave birth to them at my husband's Grandparent's home in the country, but then dissappered. Unfortunately, we believe she was killed by a wild animal. We took them in, kept one, and named her Harriet.

Harriet just now turned 1 year old, and as far as we knew, showed NO signs of going into heat. We were getting ready to get her in to get spayed when she started darting out of the house and came back pregnant!

We're thinking she's about 3-4 weeks, but not completely sure. How can you tell? Her belly is rather large, and her nipples are big and pink, and is incredibly more affectionate. Also, Harriet is a small cat though, not very big at all. I love this cat so much and I'm worried she might have a difficult delivery. What advise can you give for us to help her out, or how to notice if she is having problems? Any other advise for this first time Grandmother?

Thanks,
Tiffany

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Welcome to TCS Tiffany. Just for your education...cats do not have to be in heat to become pregnant, if there is an intact male around and they are over the age of 4 months, they can become pregnant which is why we recommend having all your cats spayed/neutered prior to 4 months of age if possible.

There really are not any signs that are exact until the cat is further along in her pregnancy, so my advice is to take her to your local vet. Your vet will be able to tell you whether he/she also believes your cat is pregnant and whether she is capable of carrying the litter to delivery. I would also recommend that if you have any intact males hanging around or any siblings of hers that are intact, that you get them fixed. Also, if Harriet has been allowed indoor/outdoor access, this needs to stop immediately as the more you allow her to go outdoors, the greater the chance is that she will become pregnant.

If your vet advises you that he/she does believe that Harriet is pregnant and can carry the kittens to delivery, then I would recommend you read this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80724

It would also be beneficial to know where you are so that we can find information that would be useful for your particuliar situation.

Katie

I just want to make it clear that I do think you should take you cat to a vet to make sure she is able to have the kittens (and see if she is pregnant to begin with!).

Be sure you get her fixed (either now, or after they are weaned). My litter was indeed my favorite mistake, but still an mistake that could have been prevented with better planning. I don't want to give the wrong impression.

I wish you the best.

You vet should be able to tell by x-ray (after a certain point in the pregnancy) how many kittens, approximately, and get close to a date of birth. If you don't have a vet, call around - our vet only charged us about $18 for a set of x-rays...

Thanks everyone! I've been reading the threads and that's why I decided to join this forum, you all have been very helpful to so many people! Thanks for the advise.

Yes I'm definetly taking her to the vet to get her checked out. She is not allowed indoor/outdoor access, unfortunately, when she got pregnant, she had darted out between our legs and ran off so fast we could not catch her. We've noticed a stray male cat lingering around our house, that must be her little boyfriend.

OK, so She'll be taking a trip to the vet this weekend, but I have another question. Her birthing place is set up, but I have another cat that is 11 years old that we adopted a year ago, but she keeps trying to take it over because its really nice a comfortable. Harriet sometimes runs her out, but other times doesn't seem to care. I take it I should move the place to another room, but should I be locking Harriet up in that room with it to keep the other cat out and to make sure Harriet gives birth there and not on my furniture or somewhere else? I just wasn't sure if I should be locking her up or not. Thanks again!

-Tiffany :-)

Her birthing place is set up, but I have another cat that is 11 years old that we adopted a year ago, but she keeps trying to take it over because its really nice a comfortable. Harriet sometimes runs her out, but other times doesn't seem to care. I take it I should move the place to another room, but should I be locking Harriet up in that room with it to keep the other cat out and to make sure Harriet gives birth there and not on my furniture or somewhere else? I just wasn't sure if I should be locking her up or not. Thanks again!

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Once you have confirmed she is pregnant and have an idea of when she is due, I would plan to acclimmate her to the room. I would move her food and litter into that room and start confining her to the room about a week before she is due to give birth. This helps in a couple of ways...1. you will know where she is incase she shows any sign of distress and 2. she will be limited as to where she can give birth.

If she is confirmed to be pregnant, switch her over to kitten food and switch her over to a biodegradable or clay litter.

Katie