Crap- only myself to blame

I haven't been on here since one of our cats had kittens a few years ago (holy cow has it been that long?!) but suddenly find myself needing to relearn about taking care of pg cats and kittens.

We have 3 cats. 1 neutered male (had him fixed after he fathered that first litter) and 2 females who we have been putting off getting spayed because we don't have a lot of extra money and they are indoor cats. Unfortunately with the warmer weather our kids go in and out all day and sometimes the cats get out. I've tried to keep a better eye on them when they are in heat, but can't always be monitoring the door.

I noticed 2 days ago that one of our cats, Stripes, is getting noticeably rounder and her nipples seem larger/pinker. I don't have a lot of experience with cat pregnancy, but am sure she is. I blame myself for not getting them fixed before now, always had some excuse to spend our money on other things. I know there are already way too many cats/kittens being put down and abandoned. I am definitely going to start saving up the money to get them fixed soon so this doesn't happen again. I believe our local humane society does it relatively cheap.

Anyway, so I'll be around reading up on what I need to be prepared for. I know I need to start giving Stripes kitten food and I'm going to set up a box/bed in a room the kids can't get into and try to get her used to it so she can have them there.

I think last time I read that they are usually about halfway into the pg when you can see that they are, so I'm assuming she's got about a month left. but who knows, I wish I could remember the last time she was in heat so I'd have a better timeline to go off of.

Please reconsider the spaying. Do you have the money to care for a litter of kittens for 3 months? With the extra food, etc.? And what happens if mom cat needs a c-section to deliver them (or other complications)? C-sections can cost you $1500 or more.

IMO its a lot cheaper to get the females in now and spay them (pregnant or not). I know its a tough decision to make, but if you are having financial problems, they might wind up being a heck of a lot more if you allow this pregnancy.

Check the net for a low cost spay/neuter clinic near you. We have 2 or 3 here that charge $40-$45 to spay and less for a neuter. If you can afford to have an animal, there is really no financial excuse not to spay/neuter your animals.

Oh I agree, if I can afford to have animals I can afford to get them fixed, that's why I blame myself for putting it off for so long. We definitely have had the money to do it by now, but have always found something else to spend it on. Right now any extra money we have is going towards paying off debt, but I'm going to use some of our extra payments to get them fixed. I found a place nearby that is $25-35. I won't have Stripes fixed while she's pg though, I would feel guilty forever for killing unborn kittens, I just can't do it.

Well that is a personal decision. Please consider how many homeless kittens their are in shelters across both our countries though, but if you don't want to spay her now that is your decision to make.

Sounds like you're on the right track with Stripes, but why don't you send the other cat to get spayed right now? You don't want 12 or 15 kittens all together.

Originally Posted by Nes

Sounds like you're on the right track with Stripes, but why don't you send the other cat to get spayed right now? You don't want 12 or 15 kittens all together.

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I'm definitely getting the other one (Stars) fixed as soon as I can. We just paid bills and don't have the money until we get paid again in a few weeks, but I'll be making sure to budget some of that money for it. She's in heat right now so I am being extra careful about not letting her get out.

Ugh, I hear you on the budget! It sucks when you can't get them done right away but food and family definitely come first. Check with you local HS though, they may even do it free if you qualify.

Here are some places in your state that may be able to help with low-cost or free spays for your girls. (hopefully its ok to post this)

PAWS for Life Inc
Boise ID
208-343-0317
For pets of local residents with financial need.

Bonneville Humane Society
PO Box 2763
Idaho Falls, ID 83403
208-529-9725

Humane Society of the Palouse
2019 White Avenue
Moscow, ID 83843
208-883-1166
Discounts for residents of Latah or Whitmany county.



About having the pregnant cat spayed - I know it is a touchy subject and I dont want to upset you, but this is my way of looking at it.
By aborting the kitten fetuses that are still in the womb, you are actually saving lives. Let's say your cat has 6 kittens, you need to find 6 homes. This is taking away homes from 6 kittens who are already born, probably abandoned, and at risk of becoming ill from sitting in an overcrowded shelter (especially at this time of year), and ultimately, euthanized because there just arent enough homes available for all these little babies .

Oops, guess I haven't updated my profile, I live in Utah now lol But thank you. I did look up the low cost options for my state, but don't qualify for any of the free ones, but I can handle $25-35.

I know that logically it makes sense not to add these kittens to an already overpopulated society, but I couldn't live with myself if I was directly responsible for killing them, it just goes against everything in my nature. I'm sorry.

Originally Posted by kitkat5505

Oops, guess I haven't updated my profile, I live in Utah now lol

But thank you. I did look up the low cost options for my state, but don't qualify for any of the free ones, but I can handle $25-35.

I know that logically it makes sense not to add these kittens to an already overpopulated society, but I couldn't live with myself if I was directly responsible for killing them, it just goes against everything in my nature. I'm sorry.

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I understand.
Wow 25-35?!! Thats really cheap. I had to pay 200+ for each of my cats

how old are your kids? are they being responsible about keeping the kitties inside now? {hugs}

Lets hope she doesn't have complications and you need to be spending a lot more. Its a hard decision to make - not one anyone really wants to make. But sometimes we have to do things we know are really the right choice whether its something good or bad.

Originally Posted by Esme

how old are your kids? are they being responsible about keeping the kitties inside now? {hugs}

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My boys are 5 and 3 (and a baby) and they don't pay attention to whether or not the cats go out, even though I've told them so many times to watch for them. So I'm having to keep the door latched at the top and unlock it everytime they want to go in or out.

I know alot of others have posted that you should check some vets for fixing prices and i think that is the best thing you can do.
Do some research on prices, thats what i did and i found a vet for less than $200.


As for how long she is into the pregnancy, i say she has about one month left also.
I got a new cat from my cousin on July 1st.. And a month later she gave birth to a kitten, we had no idea she was pregnant but looking back at it she was showing all the symptons. She started to gain weight but we didnt think anything of it and her nipples started to get bigger and pink also. We didnt know why tho..


Anyways, good luck with the pregnancy and be sure to post pictures

I understand the decision to not abort, if Ginger had been found even a week sooner I would have aborted, but seeing those babies move inside her was too much for me. When I chose not to abort I made one decision and that was that if I wasn't going to prevent those babies from coming into the world (Ginger was a stray, so her getting pregnant had nothing to do with me) then I was going to prevent her and those babies from adding to the pet overpopulation no matter what. I starting looking for resources and found a great program that would give vouchers for her and the babies to be spayed or neutered for just $10 d/t them being strays. I charged a $20 rehoming fee and part of the deal was if I got the say so from the shelter doing the spaying and neutering that the kittens had indeed been done, I would refund the $10 to the adopters. I kept a kitten, one lives right next door and the other three found great homes, one keeps in touch and last I checked they had booked appts just waiting for the say so that they attended and had the surgery. Momma Ginger also lives here, and no more babies for her, she was spayed the same day as her daughter that I kept and her son who lives next door.

As a side note the cost I endured to keep momma and 5 kittens until I was able to rehome at 8-10 weeks was quite a lot, if you were unable to budget the spays before, I'm worried you won't be able to budget kittens needs and then spays for your cats afterwards. Please think about that in deciding to abort.

Leslie