How to tell if your cat is pregnant

Im sure that alot of people have asked this, but my cat has been acting very wierd lately, always tired, and she is laying a different way, instead of on her stomach she is laying on her side, i know she isnt hurt or anything because ive checked for that. Im pretty sure she is pregnant, wich im fine with because i have alot of sisters that want a cat. I just want to know how i can be sure that she is. and if its ok to use flea medicine on her.

I am guessing you have not got many responses because of the nature of your post. You dont know if you cat is with kittens (live little things in there not just a big belly) and you want to know if is OK to flea collar a maybe pregnant female? (or any cat)
Oh dear, you must read, sit down and read , then read some more on this site, We will help you.

Your cat is fertile, going out, and having quiet heat, so you really dont know if she is in heat? And thus, not either if she met a tom and mated?

Of course, if she is fertile, is in heat, and gets out - count on she get mated.
And mated - they often/usually get pregnant.

IF you know a shecat was mated, you can often detect early signs soon afterwards. The behaviour is slightly different.
But otherwise, you must wait for the "hard changes". the nipples gets more red and bigger (raspberry-coloured they say). This happens at about day 21. The stomach is next going bigger and bigger... At the end you can feel kittens move in there. An experienced owner or vet can of course feel the kittens earlier, before they move.
The cat is eating more (IF there is more food to get).
Delivery usually day 63-65.


So btw, your first step now is to give her good food. It doesnt necessary need to be more food, but it most be really good food - probably better than she gets usually. Think kitten food, so it will be oK.


Good luck!

Hi,

may I ask you why your sisters don't want to adopt a kitten from a kill shelter? I'm sure your cats kittens would be adorable- but sadly there's no shortage of adorable kittens looking for a home.


regards,

christine

It would be best not to use any flea medicine on a cat who might be pregnant. I would ask a vet if there are any types of flea meds that are safe during pregnancy.

Well...There is always that silly old option of taking your cat to the vet to find out if she's pregnant.

StefanZ pointed out all the changes that I know of.

Otherwise, I do believe that female cats will instantly stop going into heat after they've become pregnant. So if your cat isn't in heat anymore or going into heat when you think she should be, then she is pregnant.

Also, raising kittens is hard work and takes a lot of time and dedication. You must further baby/kitten proof your house. Be sure that your momma cat has her babies in a place where the babies cannot crawl away from. Such as a large box or big laundry basket lined with towels.

Watch for her to go into labor. Get her used to your designated area, and make it private. Cats like to sneak away and hide to give birth, and you don't want her having kittens in the crawl space under your stairs that you can't fit into.

I do believe that right on the box with the flea collar it says not to use on pregnant cats or kittens under a certain number of months.

Also, keep her indoors. I'm guessing that this pregnancy is the result of your cat not being fixed and/or not being kept indoors.

Please remember from now on that in and around the sum of 5 million cats and dogs are put down each year due to overpopulation.

Please consider having your female spayed, or keep her as a strictly indoor cat and adopt no male cats.

You could take her now for a spay, for about $80 or less, or possibly have complications during labor, like my cat did, that end up costing $1000 or more, or possibly even the cat dying.
Then you won't have to listen to her crying when she's in heat, and she'll live a longer healthier life.
If she's already pregnant, they can still do the spay.
My cats have been laying on their sides, looking irritated, bad moods, etc., here lately, but that's because it's hot!

If a cat is over 4 months old, not spayed, and is allowed outside unsupervised or is around any unneutered males....then she's pregnant. Unspayed cats are nearly always either pregnant or nursing a litter. Sometimes both.

Welcome to the site, and I'm glad you came here because this is the best place on the web to get answers (in my opinion ).

First, do not put a flea collar on her or use flea treatments if you think she might be pregnant. It's just like a human woman taking medicine when she thinks she might be pregnant. It's a no-no. The chemicals in flea collars and flea treatments soak into the skin and while it's normally not dangerous for an adult cat, it can be VERY dangerous to any unborn kittens.

You've been given very good advice on how to tell if a cat is pregnant but with some it's hard to tell until they're about ready to pop. If your kitty has been in heat (as in crying, calling or meowing for no apparent reason, acting strange or displaying her butt in the air, tail to one side, or VERY loving to you, always wanting attention and pettings) and suddenly stopped, she's probably mated and you're going to be a grandma. Also, check the nipples and watch her tummy. I took in a stray one time that I didn't know was pregnant and she ended up looking like a walking foot ball! Best bet is to take her to the vet and make sure. If she IS pregnant you should switch her food to kitten food because that has higher nutrients and she will need that during her pregnancy and afterwards while she's nursing. The cost isn't that much different.

If you already have homes for them lined up, that's good (keep in mind litters can be large). But please, after this litter, have your girl spayed. If you can't afford it at the vet, call your humane society and see if there are any lost cost spay/neuter clinics in the area or see if you could qualify for a voucher to help you pay for it.

You have to understand....a lot of people here work or have contact with animal rescues and shelters that get tens of thousands of unwanted kittens all the time and most never find homes and get put to sleep. Bringing new kittens into the world is actually cruel to them if they can't have forever homes.

Keep us updated on how she's doing!

Originally Posted by Willowy

If a cat is over 4 months old, not spayed, and is allowed outside unsupervised or is around any unneutered males....then she's pregnant. Unspayed cats are nearly always either pregnant or nursing a litter. Sometimes both.

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Sometimes even nursing two litters at once. Poor mama cats.

Originally Posted by calico2222

If you already have homes for them lined up, that's good (keep in mind litters can be large). But please, after this litter, have your girl spayed. If you can't afford it at the vet, call your humane society and see if there are any lost cost spay/neuter clinics in the area or see if you could qualify for a voucher to help you pay for it.

Click to expand...

Also, please strongly encourage the people who take the kittens to have them spayed or neutered (or at least the females spayed). At least then there won't be multigenerational effects of this accidental breeding. For example...I once did the math on what would have happened if my two females had been breeding with a male, and after having them for just two years I would have had over 70 cats!!! Kittens are little furry miracles but there are just not enough loving homes for that many. Even if you would take responsibility for keeping them yourself (and I don't know of anyone who has the space for that many to be happy), it works out cheaper to get the first one spayed than to feed so many cats.

Also, if your mama cat has fleas, medicine or a collar is not an option (it's really flea poison and the developing kittens are just too sensitive to it) but you can safely go over her with a flea comb and squish the fleas between your thembnails. This will never completely eliminate fleas but it'll reduce the numbers so that she's healthier and won't pass on as many to the kittens while they nurse. You'll need to comb the kittens, too, once they're a couple weeks old and until they're old enough for flea medicine.

Originally Posted by ebrillblaiddes

Sometimes even nursing two litters at once. Poor mama cats.

Also, please strongly encourage the people who take the kittens to have them spayed or neutered (or at least the females spayed). At least then there won't be multigenerational effects of this accidental breeding. For example...I once did the math on what would have happened if my two females had been breeding with a male, and after having them for just two years I would have had over 70 cats!!! Kittens are little furry miracles but there are just not enough loving homes for that many. Even if you would take responsibility for keeping them yourself (and I don't know of anyone who has the space for that many to be happy), it works out cheaper to get the first one spayed than to feed so many cats.

Also, if your mama cat has fleas, medicine or a collar is not an option (it's really flea poison and the developing kittens are just too sensitive to it) but you can safely go over her with a flea comb and squish the fleas between your thembnails. This will never completely eliminate fleas but it'll reduce the numbers so that she's healthier and won't pass on as many to the kittens while they nurse. You'll need to comb the kittens, too, once they're a couple weeks old and until they're old enough for flea medicine.

Click to expand...

Yes, momma cat can get anemic very easily, having fleas and babies. You just have to comb her once or twice a day.

Just to let you know that revolutionary flea drops is safe for a pregnant or nursing cat my vet told me.