Is my cat really pregnant?

I do not know for sure whether my cat is pregnant. My son has searched the internet and swears that she is. I am not computer savy so I am unable to post any pictures. I found her last December abandoned in the parking lot, I think she was maybe 4 weeks old. She is plump in the middle now and her nipples appear to be bigger and pink. I never noticed if she went into heat but I do have two male cats at home that I have not been able to neuter due to financial reasons. What are some other signs that she could be pregnant and how do you know when she might deliver?

If she is over 4 months old and not spayed, and has been around male cats, she is definitely pregnant......cats are extremely efficient reproducers. Calculating her age, I will guarantee that she is pregnant. Can you feel the babies moving yet? Once you can feel them moving, it will be about 2 weeks until she gives birth.

You may still be able to get her spayed, if she is early enough. That is certainly cheaper than feeding a mum and litter for 12 weeks then getting everyone vacinated and spayed/neutered before re-homing.

Please keep your boys away from her until everyone is fixed. If you do allow her to have the litter she can get pregnant again within days of giving birth.

You may not be aware, there are low cost spay/neuter programs in many parts of the US providing the surgeries for as low as $25.

I cant feel any movement yet. I have noticed some changes in her behavior. She seems to be favoring my older(3 year old) cat and follows him everywhere, before she would just be with the younger male who is about 2 weeks older than her. Also, before she used to be very skitish around me and my sons, now she wants to be loved a lot. I have set up a nesting area in a room upstairs where I can keep her away from the other animals but she does not like it in that room and I am afraid if she is pregnant and has the kittens while I am at work that she will have them downstairs where I can not keep the other cats away from her. Can I move the litter after she has them? I have all sorts of questions but will just keep researching to get the answers I need. I am aware of the low cost spay/neuter operations available and hopefully one will happen when I can take off work to get all the cats fixed, I feel very bad for letting this happen to our little girl. Thanks to all that have any feedback for me to help make sure Shadow is safe and healthy thru this.

And there are free clinics too! (Spay/Neuter)

Oops,, we posted at the same time. She needs to be separated now. The males may kill the kittens, exspecially the male who isn't the father. You may be able to get her spayed now, aborting the kittens. It's sad, and hard to do, but are you prepared to nurse kittens by hand if she isn't able to, or pay the vet bills if she has complications giving birth? You may end up with 4-8 kittens/cats that no one wants, then what?

I hope I don't sound harsh, I just worry alot when it comes to animals. And I know how hard it is to bottle feed kittens every 2-3 hours all night/day long (24hrs a day), the pain of a momma cat dying after giving birth, kittens getting sick and costing $$$$$, spays/neuters for 4-8 kittens, the cost of kitten food, formula, shots, ect. Kittens are cute, yes. But they are 8x as much trouble as they are cute. Ever sat down to surf the internet, just to find out a kitten has chewed the internet cord in two? How about being woke up at 3-4am by the kitten crazies almost every day(and oh yes, they ALL do it!) and they sure can scratch and bite too.

Go to the kitten board and look around, you will get alot of tips if you want to let her have them, and cute pics too! You can move them after she has them, well... if she will let you, some momma cats will attack their own owners over their babies.

Again, I am NOT trying to be mean. I am very much a realist though.

I appreciate your honesty and have already thought about the costs and work involved in having the kittens but spaying is not an option now. I posted on this forum to get advice and information about caring for the mom and kittens before and after delivery.

Hi dainaz,


please reconsider having your girl neutered now, even if this means an abortion. If you can't afford to get your cats neutered then I'm sorry but I just can't see how you will be able to bring up a litter of kittens which will cost a lot when done properly. Also, your cat is very young, it would be nicer for her if she didn't have to have a litter at such an early age.

If you do decide to have this litter make sure you seperate your mom from the tom cats, as a cat can come into heat as soon as 1-4 weeks after giving birth and two prengnancies shortly after another wouldn't be nice for your cat.

regards,

Christine

My guess was if you can't really tell whether or not she is preg, then it's not too late to get her spayed.... & some vets do late preg spays.

That's where I was coming from. Guess I missunderstood...

It is highly possible that your kitten is pregnant. She is so young that she might not know what to do with her kittens and may end up abandoning them which is common when kittens that young have babies. Has she had free access to both of the males? If she has, they both can be fathers and some of the babies can be older than the others which can cause complications when giving birth, and then usually c-section is needed.
Do you know your cats bloodgroups? If you don't and you are going to let her have the kittens, get her bloodgroup checked! (And if you don't know why this is so important, get her spayed asap).

OK, dainaz has stated that a spay/abort is NOT an option for her at this time. It's a very personal and difficult decision to make. Please respect her decision.

She is asking for help getting ready for this pregnancy.

Dainaz, there are some great stickies at the top of the Pregnant Cats and kittens forum that will provide you with a wealth of information.

There's a low-cost spay and neuter clinic here:

Jul 22 South Ogden - North Side of 40th Park (570 E. 39th St.)
Pre-register at South Ogden Police Station 3950 S. Adams Ave or call (801) 622-2839. Pre-registration for South Ogden City residents first. Registration for out-of-town residents starts July 13 as space allows.

More information is here - http://www.utahpets.org/nmhcms/Home/...2/Default.aspx

Male cats are $25 each, which is super cheap, and they have a "family plan" that covers mum and her entire litter for $100. Start saving your pennies so you can get the girl and the kittens spayed before finding homes from them - you can spay from as young as 8 weeks.

Please, please call them, and find a way to get the boys neutered ASAP - there's more dates in your general area on their website. Unneutered boys may get aggressive with mum and the kittens, and not only that, but cats can go into heat again as soon as they have kittens, so if you don't get the boys done, your girl could get pregnant again, and you'll have two litters to deal with!

For the moment, just try to keep the boys separate, and make sure your girl is getting plenty of good quality food to keep her nourished.

Good luck!

I appreciate all your comments and concerns. I know of a mobile neuter/spay clinic that comes to my area often and the next time they are here I will get the boys fixed. As for Shadow, as soon as possible after having her litter, I will also get her spayed along with her litter. I know I was wrong not to get the boys done earlier but I didn't know my girl could get pregnant this early. Again thanks for all the input.

To ABbeysmom thanks for understanding where my intentions are in all this. It is not that I can't afford to spay/neuter now. I just had a rough few months and couldn't take time off work to stand in the lines at the clinics to neuter the boys. I am not trying to be selfish by letting Shadow have this litter. There is no way to explain to my children why I "killed" her babies. We are financially stable now and I will get the cats taken care of. I appreciate you respecting my decision enough to put your own feelings aside and helping get the info I need to make sure Shadow is safe and the kittens are well taken care of.

Originally Posted by sarahp

There's a low-cost spay and neuter clinic here:

Jul 22 South Ogden - North Side of 40th Park (570 E. 39th St.)
Pre-register at South Ogden Police Station 3950 S. Adams Ave or call (801) 622-2839. Pre-registration for South Ogden City residents first. Registration for out-of-town residents starts July 13 as space allows.

More information is here - http://www.utahpets.org/nmhcms/Home/...2/Default.aspx

Male cats are $25 each, which is super cheap, and they have a "family plan" that covers mum and her entire litter for $100. Start saving your pennies so you can get the girl and the kittens spayed before finding homes from them - you can spay from as young as 8 weeks.

Please, please call them, and find a way to get the boys neutered ASAP - there's more dates in your general area on their website. Unneutered boys may get aggressive with mum and the kittens, and not only that, but cats can go into heat again as soon as they have kittens, so if you don't get the boys done, your girl could get pregnant again, and you'll have two litters to deal with!

For the moment, just try to keep the boys separate, and make sure your girl is getting plenty of good quality food to keep her nourished.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Thank you!!! I will get the boys done in August. Thanks again for the website and information about low cost neuter/spay programs.

Be prepared for emergency costs - such as the need for a c-section, kittens getting ill, mom being unable to nurse, etc. I'd prefer to think of all the negatives that *could* happen, to plan ahead, than to be caught unaware.

I've only skimmed the thread - but keep in mind that a female can go into heat shortly after birth. They don't always show visible signs of heat (such as yowling, butt in the air, etc). Males can still impregnate a female for awhile after being neutered.

To be safe - where she has the kittens is where they should stay, moving them could cause her to abandon them. You males may seem friendly, but they should not be allowed near the kittens until they are much older - as it will only take a second to kill them.

I'd start her on high quality kitten food now - as the babies will take a lot out of her.

And just to add: I've got a feral cat who had kittens at my house, and she stayed in a crate for the first 3-4 weeks they were born and was fine, and has stayed in our spare room since. They will want to stay near their kittens anyway, so she won't need a HUGE amount of space for a while. So don't feel too bad about keeping her in a bathroom/bedroom or whatever until the boys are done

^^^ Most deff agree.