Oh no :( 5 month old Pregnant Sora!

So, I took my VERY small 5 month old Cat, Sora, to the vets today. She wasn't looking her usual self and I needed to book my 11month old tomcat, Fex, in for a castration.

Turns out those lumps werent a problem, they're kittens!

I KNEW I should have gotten Fex done sooner, so I only have myself to blame

The vet thinks shes expecting two, but I'm not entirely sure she'll make it, or if the kittens will either.

What do I do? I feel so horribly guilty

How far along is she, did the vet say?

I hate to bring this up... b/c I PERSONALLY - hate the idea... but the vet could do a spay abort on your girl. She is waaaayyyy too young to have kittens...since she is hardly more than a baby herself.

Or maybe a c-section and then once the kittens are out safe... remove the reproductive organs.

People don't think a kitten that young can be in heat and conceive.. but we are seeing them younger and younger with their first heats.

Don't beat yourself up... talk over the options with your vet.

Most vets will do a spay on a pregnant cat. It sounds cruel, but it's better than the alternatives. We do it on shelter cats all the time, especially very young ones. It's a little more expensive than a regular spay. I think our vet charges an extra $15 or so.

I hope others will read this and take the warning! This isn't as rare as you might think.

Take a fix on her now.

For an decently experienced vet surgeon it is no big problem especielly if they are prepared. In fact easier than neutering while in heat.

It may be an ethical problem. But here is an exception even for the most touchy anti-abortion person.
That the mother is VERY young and small, thus the live itself of the mother is in danger. And thereaby also the lfe of the kittens. No spaying doesnt save them.

Not much to ponder about, as I see it.

Back to the vet and let him do his profession.


Good luck!



ps. Welcome to the Forums!

At least 6 weeks, the kittens have heartbeats and spines etc. The PDSA vet was not helpful at all and gave us no advice. Essentially just told us to get out and prepare.

I've just rang my partners trusted vets, and they've said she should be ok. Nice quality kitten food for a while and keep an eye on her.

HATE the idea of aborting them

IMO you should do an emergency spay/abort on a 5 months old kitten. If she survives pregnancy, she could have a lot of complications, not care for the litter and not know what to do. More then likely you will lose her as well as any kittens if she is not spayed now.

Originally Posted by InkyKitty

At least 6 weeks, the kittens have heartbeats and spines etc. The PDSA vet was not helpful at all and gave us no advice. Essentially just told us to get out and prepare.

I've just rang my partners trusted vets, and they've said she should be ok. Nice quality kitten food for a while and keep an eye on her.

HATE the idea of aborting them

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How can they make that assessment without examining her? I would take her someplace with a GOOD cat vet and let him/her look over your baby. You may have to make a decision about the life of mama vs. the lives of the babies. Horrible. I know.

If you don't abort and she goes into labor... oh man... I would be rushing her to the vet to deliver... b/c you could lose them all w/o emergency intervention.

Originally Posted by InkyKitty

HATE the idea of aborting them

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I suppose you could try to cross your fingers, pray for Gods help and hope for the best. With lotsa of Gods help the odds may even be in your favour...


But why all this risk taking and all the trouble?? She is supposed to be spayed, spaying is best for her AND her health.
The kittens although not unwelcome by you - werent expected nor planned.
Find a good vet who is prepared to do his job. Although it is rather a hurry.

If you really want to have kittens, to save kittens, there are lots of kittens needing to be saved out there. Already born, with their immortal souls already in place. And in dire need for salving.
And there are also preggy mothers too if you prefer such a one.

Cooperate with some good shelter or rescue group and be their fosterer of pregnant moms. Dumped homecats. Or semiferale mothers with kittens. Or something. The needs are so great so there is place for practically every volunteer and or adopter.
A great win win situation, without any risks and no need of second thoughts.

The first problem is that this is the equivalent of an 11-year-old girl having a baby.

Yes, it happens (see the news this week).

No, it's not normal, and it's not good. Even adult cats often have trouble with their first litter, and the whole litter stillborn is not unusual.

I've called the PDSA, they've told me to bring her in tomorrow. Isn't six weeks too late for an abort? I would have thought it would been stressful, but I guess not as stressful as a baby essentially having a baby.

The kittens are not unwelcome, and any cat I ever take on/adopt or rescue is *always* looked after. However, I've been unwell and unable to take Fex to get fixed and I know it's my own fault and yes I do feel terrible. Too late to change that now, all I can do is look out for her and make sure when she does start labour, to get her to my vet ASAP for help with the delivery.

Park Vets, who I've just rang, have just said they'll refer me on Monday but the risks of an abortion at this stage considering her size are pretty much equal to her having the kittens at full term.

Run the gaunlet of surgery and possibly lose my baby, or run the gaunlet of letting her go to term and possibly having healthy kittens, or no cat at all.

Originally Posted by InkyKitty

I've called the PDSA, they've told me to bring her in tomorrow. Isn't six weeks too late for an abort? I would have thought it would been stressful, but I guess not as stressful as a baby essentially having a baby.

The kittens are not unwelcome, and any cat I ever take on/adopt or rescue is *always* looked after. However, I've been unwell and unable to take Fex to get fixed and I know it's my own fault and yes I do feel terrible. Too late to change that now, all I can do is look out for her and make sure when she does start labour, to get her to my vet ASAP for help with the delivery.

Park Vets, who I've just rang, have just said they'll refer me on Monday but the risks of an abortion at this stage considering her size are pretty much equal to her having the kittens at full term.

Run the gaunlet of surgery and possibly lose my baby, or run the gaunlet of letting her go to term and possibly having healthy kittens, or no cat at all.

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Right. No one here is jumping on you for letting this happen. We all want what is best for little Sora. Keep in mind, too, that if she does succeed in birthing healthy, viable kittens whether naturally or via c-section... she may not be able to or willing or understand how to nurse and care for them. Then the burden of doing so falls on you. There are lots of links here about caring for bottle babies... or have a rescue on standby to take in the babies.. some of them have volunteers who specialize in this sort of thing... the bottle babies. Or you may be lucky enough that they have a lactating female that will take in the little ones as her own. That is the best solution should the scenario above fall into place.

One of our members here - Fastnoc - has brother-sister cats. Supposedly, the female was spayed. She was shaved, sutured, etc. but the vet never removed her repro organs and her brother got her preggers, at well under a year. She gave birth to two live kittens and was totally freaked out, didn't know what to do, how to care for them... kept bringing them to Fastnoc and dropping them in his lap.. everytime they would cry she would move them and leave them behind... etc. He had to call in a helpful rescue and a specialist in bottle babies took them in... or maybe they already had a lactating female who accepted the newborns.. I don't remember that detail.

But you get the picture.

This thread was just posted not long ago, and that young kitten was pregnant & lost her babies.

It is very common at that young of an age for them to loose the babies, or even die themselves, IMO. I'd do the spay/abort.

Not an easy decision.

I personally would do the spay/abort. Being not only very young, but also small is very concerning.

Originally Posted by InkyKitty

make sure when she does start labour, to get her to my vet ASAP for help with the delivery.

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ah, so your vet is doing the delivery if he is asked? Excellent! And very unusual.

They are good at making emergency things, but they seldom wants to bother with the loong hours of "common" delivery. And very seldom with raising motherless small kittens.

I think that it is an important decision and that only you can make it. One the one hand, going with the abortion will probably cause you a lot less trouble and energy. Plus, there seems to be a conscensus that it would be less dangerous than keep going with the pregnancy. On the other hand, I can understand how hard it is to make this choice. IF you do not go with the abortion, I suggest you get prepared to take care of a litter of bottle babies. Because you will probably have to help her or litteraly do all the work of the mother assuming the delivery goes well. It is very demanding and you won't sleep much. It can be very rewarding, but also very tragic as bottle babies are very fragile and it takes experience to take care of them (keeping them warm, feeding them, stimulate them to urinate and defecate). You cannot leave the house for the first weeks. Do you have a job? As it was suggested, finding a lactating mother could be a good option.
What I am trying to say is that even though everyone here agrees that you should go along with the abortion, if you should decide not to, do not stop coming back here to ask for help or advice. The help of the experienced people here would be much needed in that event.
So please, keep us posted no matter what. I wish you and your kitty all the best.

At this point it is in the hands of the vet. I hope things go well either way. Don't beat yourself up over this situation. Unfortunately, it happens, and you are trying to do the right thing for your little girl, as difficult as it is. A lot of people would turn her out or take her to a shelter. Please keep us posted.

I understand the deciscion of what you are going through.
When Kit Kat came to us, we though she was only 4 or 5 months old so I did not rush to spay her. Well she kept gaining weight and yes I took her in on her follow up and found she was with little ones.
She was about 10 months the vet said and was risky to spay since she was so far along but could not risk having the kittens so we did it and she survived and I believe she is much better now than what would have been with the kittens and then trying to take them from her. It is a tough choice, but I believe in my heart we did the right thing and she seems to be a very healthy and happy kit kat.

There are risks either way, but personally, I'd rather take my chances with letting the baby kitties be born. It must happen all the time with cats, and our feline feral populations are living proof. With an abortion, you risk that the mama cat will have false pregnancies on and off and that she may have abnormal behavior. I have a cat that was spayed while 5 months pregnant, and she goes through a false pregnancy every couple months. Once, I even thought she really was pregnant! Anyhow, it's your decision. Keep us posted!

Originally Posted by Scatt Cat

There are risks either way, but personally, I'd rather take my chances with letting the baby kitties be born. It must happen all the time with cats, and our feline feral populations are living proof. With an abortion, you risk that the mama cat will have false pregnancies on and off and that she may have abnormal behavior. I have a cat that was spayed while 5 months pregnant, and she goes through a false pregnancy every couple months. Once, I even thought she really was pregnant! Anyhow, it's your decision. Keep us posted!

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Sounds like something is wrong there. First off, average gestation for a cat is something like 60-65 days... so that's like TWO months. I don't know how your cat could have been pregs for FIVE months. And if she is having "false pregnancies" then I would have to wonder if the vet "took" everything out... or if there is some other physical/biochemical problem going on.

And as it regards ferals, I don't have any figures on mortality rates, but it would make sense that it is much higher for ferals than well fed, well kept house kitties. And a colony that has not undergone TNR will just keep growing.. b/c a fertile female can have 2-3 litters a YEAR. I would venture to guess that kittens born to a 5 month old feral mom would have a very low chance of surviving... as would mama. As someone else on here said, it would be like an 11 year old girl giving birth.

I do have some figures on feral populations and mortality rates and many kittens do not make it, and even more do not make it to 8 weeks. I will try to find the data when I am back at home but the basics are here: http://www.feralcat.com/feral-tr.html

42% of the kittens will die by the age of two months

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My vet would probably do a spay abort at 6 weeks, especially with a young cat, but doesn't like to do them at that stage of gestation. However, we have had lots of young cats come into the shelter pregnant who did not have issues birthing or caring for the kittens.

Since it looks like you are going to let it go to term, I recommend buying some kitten handfeeding products

- heated blanket or puck
- box to keep the kittens in (carriers etc work especially if the mom is aggressive to them)
- KMR (kitten milk replacement)
- bottles and needle-less syringes for feeding