She may become pregnant again...

My Mixy just had her kittens on December 31. It is the kitty that I want someone to adpot him.
My question is, can Mixy become pregnant again soon? She is still nursing her kitty and I understand that it takes two weeks for her to stop feeding before I can have her spayed. I ask because there are cats coming around again. Unfortunately, she is an outdoor cat because she becomes nervous when she is inside.
Thanks.
Angie

Unfortunately, yes. She can come in heat with 2 weeks after delivery. If she had her kittens in December, you can spay her now. My domestic was spayed at 5 weeks after delivery and she continued to let her kittens suckle until around 9 weeks.

I'm sure Katie will come along and direct you to the right place to get your cat spayed asap.

Good luck and don't let her out!

Originally Posted by angier106

My Mixy just had her kittens on December 31. It is the kitty that I want someone to adpot him.
My question is, can Mixy become pregnant again soon? She is still nursing her kitty and I understand that it takes two weeks for her to stop feeding before I can have her spayed. I ask because there are cats coming around again. Unfortunately, she is an outdoor cat because she becomes nervous when she is inside.
Thanks.
Angie

Click to expand...

Angie...yes, she can become pregnant again within a few days of giving birth...which is why we recommend keeping an intact cat away from other intact cats and preferably indoors only. Since she is an outdoor cat and the only way you are going to break the cycle of her becoming pregnant is 1. spay her now or 2. try to confine her indoors...I would seriously consider getting her spayed now. Talk to your vet...many of them will perform a spay on a lactating female if you tell them that she is an outdoor cat and this is her third litter (so close to her first and second).

The only other option I can offer you Angie is to confine her. I know she gets "nervous" indoors...but we are talking about her safety and well being. Being intact means that she is subject to multiple matings from intact roaming males who could have a disease such as FIV/FELV. Having litters so close together means that she won't have the same level of nutrition for her subsequent litters and oftentimes that means the subsequent litters aren't as healthy.

It's not an easy choice....but I do believe the kindest choice is to spay her now so she can go back to being an outdoor cat but not be able to get pregnant over and over and over again.

Here is a list of low cost clinics in TX, I would start contacting them.

http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html#tx

Katie

You guys give such great advice on this site.

Hi Angie, it is fine to spay her while she is still nursing. It's very unlikely that she will lose her milk but even if she does, her kittens are old enough that they don't need to nurse anymore.

Katie is right that cats can become pregnant very soon after giving birth. I've personally known cats who got pregnant when the first litter was just 3-5 weeks old. So she's definitely ready to be spayed, or else she will be pregnant again very soon.

so it doesn't matter if she is nursing? That is the main reason I have not acted on it. If it doesn't matter, I will call right away!
Thanks.
Angie

Originally Posted by angier106

so it doesn't matter if she is nursing? That is the main reason I have not acted on it. If it doesn't matter, I will call right away!
Thanks.
Angie

Click to expand...

Angie...in most cases, the preference is to wait until the kittens are done nursing...but in your case, I would go ahead and schedule the spay. We have had many nursing females at our feral cat clinic who were spayed and still able to nurse. Just make sure that the vet understands that she is still lactating. They may want to do a flank spay (meaning a spay through her side as opposed to her belly) and I would really recommend that you ask for dissolving stitches and glue so that she doesn't have to be brought back in to have her stitches removed. That method is much kinder to an outdoor cat.

Katie

If the cats are coming around, then she's either in heat or close to being so, and if outside WILL become pregnant again. You need to confine her till she is spayed. Another litter while nursing will be very bad for her - she has NO time to recover from the one now.

Puppy and kitten mills breed the animals on every heat cycle, so the cats have litter after litter till they are dead in a short time.

I already scheduled her for her spay but they gave it to me until Feb. 19.
Angie

Originally Posted by angier106

I already scheduled her for her spay but they gave it to me until Feb. 19.
Angie

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Ok Angie....see if you can find another place that can take you in any sooner. Check if they have any cancellations. By the time Feb. 19th comes along..she may be already pregnant and too far along for them to spay. I think it's wonderful that you want to take her to be spayed..but I do think if you can get something this week, that would be MUCH better.

Katie