Is my cat pregnant?

Thank you for all your help.Could you guys possibly list kitten food brands that are very good for pregnant cats? The food she is on right now, i know is not high quality.It is called "Special Kitty".

Congratulations on the job! If I worked at Dairy Queen I would probably gain 50 lbs in the first week!

Special Kitty is very low grade food (Wal-mart, right? At least that is where we get it). We feed it to the barn cats. My indoor cats get Kitten Chow or Cat Chow. I know higher quality food is better but it just isn't in my budget. And they were fed that in one form or another since they were kittens and they are doing fine. So cats (and expecting mothers) can eat "not the best" and still be fine. Mine are all happy and healthy with that choice.

I agree with keeping her indoors though at least until she has her kittens. Not to mention the regular dangers, remember she is pregnant and doesn't get around as fast as she did a few weeks ago. You don't want her to not be able to get away from an attack or something and end up getting hurt. If she is comfortable in your house, she won't want to go out as much anyway.

I was there when one of my cats gave birth a few years ago, so if you have any questions feel free to PM me. I'm definitely not an expert, but I can try to help you.

Blacka is so lucky to have found you! And, I hope the no-kill shelter will take the kittens in when they are ready. I would still ask around with friends and family. I always try to find homes for them first...that way, I can keep tabs on them. It is amazing how attached you become to babies.

Good luck!

I've added Blacka to our Kitten Watch thread here: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...122520&page=15

Oh, I forgot to ask...do you have any other indoor animals right now? If not, you may just want to free feed her, rather than giving her special meal times. If possible, just leave her food dish sitting out with food in it at all times, so she can nibble when she gets hungry. A girl at work just found out she was pregnant, and is nibbling constantly!

Well both of my cats are outdoor cats.They are very well trained , never leaving our house property they just wait for the food and lay on the rug right outside the door.We dont keep them in because my mom is allegic to cats.I really want to keep her in my room when she has the kittens.Can i move the kittens once she is finished having them?or is that dangerous.Well she has a cat box outside.O yea i also have birds(parakeets)and they need their flying time as well.so will she get depressed if i have her in my room all day ?

Is there any shelter you can put her in outside? Garage, shed, anything? If the litter isn't going to able to stay in the house, I would suggest getting something secure (ie safe from other animals or threats) that she could give birth in. If you try to move them right after they are born (that is, if the mom will LET you move them) it will probably freak her out and she may move them and you may never find them. She is looking for a safe place where they won't be disturbed. IMO, moving them would be a bad idea, but she does need shelter and a safe place.

If you have a walmart around you can purchase Maxximum Kitten Formula. It isn't the greatest but it is a lot better than Special Kitty. It is also much cheaper than a lot of the high quality cat foods.

I feed Saedie Chicken Soup for the Kitten Lover's Soul. Some of the better brands in my opinion are Innova EVO and Wellness. I fed her Wellness while she was younger and then put her on Chicken Soup because it was less expensive.

If you are able to take her inside, that would be the best thing you can do. If she is allowed to have her kittens outside she can have them anywhere and you may be unable to find them later. Also the kittens can catch fleas outside and they can be fatal to young kittens.

Taking her inside would be the best thing you can do. Talk to your parents about it. Let us know what you end up doing.

There is also another problem.I dont think she knows how to use a litterbox as she was a stray.So im a little worried that she wont be able to teach her kittens how to properly potty.She is one of those cats who doesnt 'cover' her poo.We do have a porch where we could keep her and the box.She has not started nesting behavior but has become very restless.as if she cant get comfortable.and i think we are close because she walks very slow and rests when possible.She is still a kitten so she still follows us everywhere and when we stop , she will immediately lay down.I dont know if this is a sign that she is close to giving birth.I'm thinking a week or two.

It is normally instinct for a cat to cover their poop. I'm not sure what to tell about about that but as long as she actually uses the litterbox and doesn't go on the floor it shouldn't be a big deal.

I'm not sure about nesting, but I am pretty sure not all cats make it obvious when they are nesting.

Like humans, pregnant cats are very tired through a lot of their pregnancy. Just keep an eye on her. Pictures are hard to use to tell you exactly how pregnant she is.

The best way to find out if she knows how to use a litterbox, is to get one and show it to her. When I first started bringing Sylvie inside, I didn't know if she knew to use a litterbox or not either. When I brought her in, I put her in the litterbox and showed her to dig with her paw, after that she used it all the time, even when it was outside on the back porch!

Do you have a large dog crate you can put her in, in your room? I had one for each of my pregnant foster kitties. I put a large box with blankets/towels (puppy pads during the birth though for easy cleanup). I started getting them used to it a few weeks before the birth so they were comfortable with it. I put them in it at night and when I couldn't supervise them. When they acted like they were going into labor, I put them in their "nest" and they gave birth there. Once the kittens were about 3 weeks old and starting to move around, I moved them into a bigger puppy exercise pen that someone gave me. The crate is still in the pen, because that's still their nest, but now they have plenty of room to play and use litter box.

If you think she may have trouble with the litter box since she's used to going outside, bring in some of the dirt from outside and put that in the litter box. Gradually switch to litter and she should do ok. That's what is often recommended for feral cats, and it does seem to work with most of them.

Okay i will try the dirt one....Is there anything i can use instead of a litter tray since i havnt gone to wal-mart.I will go until this weekend.I do have the bottom of a bucket.(Paint buckets that you can buy at Wal-mart, I cut out the botttom end ,do its about 5" deep.)Will that work?I'd say its about 1' in diameter.

No, I don't think that would be good enough to use as a litter box. It is way too small for her to move around in. If you can find a rectangle box and cut it so she will be able to get into it that would be fine. Just make sure there is plenty of room for her. If it is too small she may not use it. Saedie started going in plants when she grew out of her litterbox.

Okay guys .today i went to wal-mart and bought some Maxximum kitten formula. but stupid me forgot to buy a litter tray ,luckily i found a rectangle shaped box.Its made out of plastic ,it is about 5 inches deep and 1 and a half feet long and about 9 inches wide.I think this will work.Well today i was feeling the side of her belly as some suggested and i felt the babies.!!!. They would kick about every 3-5 seconds. At what stage can you feel kittens?I will at least know about an estimate of how far along she is.

Have you found out if you can bring her indoors yet? The most important thing you need to do is make sure she has her babies in a safe place.

It is hard for us to give you an estimate because we can't see her in person and stuff. I would say she is pretty close but its hard to tell you exactly. Just keep an eye on her.

Well i havnt talked to my parents about it.I know my dad would say yes,cuz he wouldnt really care, but on the other hand my mom is a neat freak and i dont know how she would react.Im thinking of letting her have the kittens outside and then follow her ,to see where she has hidden the kittens.then i will put them in the box and show them to my mom, and she wont be able to deny them then.I'll tell her that they will die outdoors,cuz its so hot. I dont know if that will work but it might.Once when our dog had puppies.She let her in the house.She wasnt even trained to advise us when she needed to use the restroom so we had to go in and clean up the poope every single day.I dont think you guys will like my idea , but yea.

I wouldn't recommend that. It is the middle of summer and young kittens can't handle extreme heat or cold. Also you aren't going to know exactly when she has her babies so they could be outside for a few days before you realize they were born.

Talk to your parents as soon as possible. Explain to your mom that it is dangerous out there for her and her babies. Also if you allow Blacka outside she can get pregnant again even the same day she has her babies. I don't think your mom would be happy with another litter of kittens.

The same day ! wow!!. I will definately talk to my parents about this. What if they say no. I am also very scared that if my cat does have her kittens outside ,that my male cat will kill them.Will he try to kill them even tho he is neutered.What options will i have if they say no.Sorry for being so negative about this.I just have a feeling my mom isnt going to accept.

If she ends up saying no, you can take Blacka to a shelter. I understand you probably don't want to give her up, but you have to do what is best for her. Having her kittens outside is very risky and I know you don't want to put the kittens in any danger.

Im thinking of letting her have the kittens outside and then follow her ,to see where she has hidden the kittens.then i will put them in the box and show them to my mom, and she wont be able to deny them then.I'll tell her that they will die outdoors,cuz its so hot. I dont know if that will work but it might.

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Richi, PLEASE take Blacka to a shelter ASAP.

She CANNOT have the kittens outside, it is a bad idea all around. I can't even begin to tell you the amount of stray cats I saw people keep as "outside pets" who continually birthed kittens, received no medical care, and ended up with a variety of problems that Blacka and her kittens don't deserve. I know you are attatched to her but you really need to do what is best for her and her kittens, who will have close to no chance if they are born outside in these conditions.

They need the proper care and this isn't going to happen the way you are thinking it will.

I know this is hard, but like Brittany Nicole said, you have to do what's best for her and not put her or her kittens in any danger.

I am also very scared that if my cat does have her kittens outside ,that my male cat will kill them

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You can't rely on a "MAYBE my parents will say yes" when her life and the lives of her babies are in jeopardy. You are a very caring individual but there's too much that can go wrong in this situation. Please do what's right for Blacka and her kittens. (Sorry I keep saying that, but I really hope everything works out and she can have her babies happy and healthy)