pregnant and sick cat

Hey guys, here is our situation over here:

We very recently adopted a cat (like a week ago) and she started sneezing and such so we took her to the vet. It turned out that she had some upper respiratory infection or something like that, but then we found out she is also pregnant! O_O (the shelter didn't know this) Well, and she also had fleas (...) but anyway--

The doctor said she'd be giving birth as soon as tomorrow, if not then by the end of next week. The cat hasn't been eating since yesterday. We were told she might not each much because she's sick, but if she's expecting kittens soon then isn't it important that she eats? What can we do about this? She also has not been drinking very much water.

I read a lot of different articles online on what to do for an expecting cat/kittens, but if there's any tips you guys can give us that'd be awesome Neither of us have had a cat before, only dogs, birds, fish, hamster, etc.



Edit: I also forgot to mention, the cat's name is Nyx and she's only 5-6 months old... An x-ray the vet did showed that she'd be having 6 or more kittens! :O So, I am also a little worried about this, her young age and so many kittens. Also, how soon after giving birth can she be spayed? She was supposed to be spayed after one week of keeping her, but then we got the preggo news.

oh no that is terrible! what kind of shelter is it that doesn't know that a cat is about ready to pop with kittens?

anyways, give her high quality kitten food (not crap from the grocery store) and have it available all the time. I believe when they are ready to deliver they will stop eating temporarily. Make sure she has a cozy and quiet room all to herself and lots of blankets, although she may have them wherever she feels safest. A large dog crate for her is recommended with all her stuff in it.

good luck!

OMG! 5-6 months old, fleas, pregnant...& the shelter didn't know!?!? I'm sorry you went through this & sorry she has to go through this...poor baby!

Like Jen said...high quality kitten food. I'd set her up somewhere "safe" to have the kittens...maybe a bathroom. Get her a nesting box. Ummm....love! That's about all I can think of.

Please keep us updated on the poor girl! She should be able to be spayed right after the kittens are weaned, but be sure to keep her indoors all the time! She can get pregnant very soon again after birth.

Okay, we got this box set up with some towels and stuff and set it in the bathroom... she seems to like it in there now anyway (earlier today she kept going into the bathtub...) Occasionally she will move but then she'll just lay down and stay there for a really long time. I feel really bad, because we have to give her the medicine for the upper respiratory thing, and she really doesn't like it

Anyway, we are feeding her Purina ProPlan right now. I just saw her drink a bit of her water, thank goodness, but it seems like she has a hard time bending down to drink from it... maybe because of all the mucus in her nose? There's mucus droplets wherever she sits.

For the fleas we gave her some FrontLine... Will the fleas attack the kittens?

if the flee problem is really bad then they can kill a kitten. but either way if there are flees then they will go on to the kittens. but seen as you have treated her they should be fine , remember to treat the house aswell.
her not eating can be a sign she is close to delivery. well done for adopting her and taking care of her. everyone else has already given you good advise. please keep us updated.

If her nose to stopped up, she cannot smell her food and as such, she may not want to eat. I am presuming the vet gave her antibiotics for the URI and they can upset the stomach a bit so that may be adding to the problem of her not wanting to eat.

You can try to entice her to eat by getting some baby food (for human babies) and heating it gently to enhance the smell of the food. Get meat-only baby food, no veggies or onions. Heating the food tends to bring up the smell and the warmth is good for her stomach. Cold foods are hard on a sensitive tummy!

Plain unsalted chicken broth is another good thing if she isn't getting a lot of fluids right now. Again, gently heat it and offer that to her in a little dish several times a day.

Best of luck and please keep us informed about her progress.

If she's in the bathroom, either run the shower on hot to get some steam into that room or run a vaporizer. Like humans, steam will help the sinuses and help her breath better.

Ask your vet for a flea comb, or try a pet store for one. If there are still fleas on after the frontline, start combing them out and don't use any more chemicals on her. You can also use it to comb them off the kittens.

Followed the advice you guys gave me and got her some baby food (chicken!!). She didn't eat it at first, but about an hour ago she started eating that, along with some other food the vet gave us (yay!!) She even drank a lot of water, too! Now she's meowing at us and has her eyes wide and open and everything.

We also got one of those flea combs and we tried combing stuff out, but we did not see that many things on her. So I don't know if they mostly fall off or if we're doing it wrong or what. The FrontLine also left a bit of her fur all yucky and matty looking, so we were wondering if we should give her a little bath. Is that safe with baby kitties on the way? Will it ruin the effects of the FrontLine? She also has some yellow-green stains on her leg from a bandage that was on her (from the antibiotics shot).

Jim and I are just so happy she's eating and drinking again though Hoping the babies will come out okay... we have to go to work tomorrow so I'm a little worried leaving her alone.

Sounds like you're doing great with her! She's so fortunate to have you to care for and love her. You can try wiping her with a warm cloth to get the sticky stuff out and to get rid of the medicine stuff. Also, a nice soft brush from the pet store will help get the mats out. Just be gentle with her. Talk to her in a soft, calm, loving voice. Continue steaming her or running the vaporizer. Also, if her eyes have goop caked on them, wipe it out with a warm wash cloth. If her nose has crusties on it, wipe those off with a warm cloth as well.

For the food, you can always pour in enough unsalted/low salt chicken broth to dissolve the wet food then heat it up for a bit in the microwave. Heating it makes the scent stronger and will entice her to eat since she'll be able to smell it. Just like humans with a stuffed up nose, if we can't smell food it has virtually no taste. Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell, so if she can't smell it, she won't eat it. Kitty food is good for her right now since she needs the extra nutrition as she gives birth then nurses her kittens.

Keep up the good work!

Stephanie