Very young cat/kitten possibly pregnant?

Hi everyone

Me and my husband have found ourselves in a really difficult situation. We have two kittens (a boy and a girl) that we adopted from a shelter. It was preferable for us to take them both together because they had been housed together when they were fostered but are not related. They're both indoor cats. They were both supposed to be spayed a month ago, we've paid for it and everything but our kittens had a bout of diarrohea so we had to put it off. We were planning on rescheduling but now our female cats nipples have started to protrude and turn pink and she has a bit of a tummy (though our boy cat does too).  

I thought they were too young to breed and that we had another month to get them spayed but now it appears that our little girl might be pregnant. We feel terrible that this is happened - if it has, we're not completely sure - so right now we're trying to decide whether or not we should get her spayed or whether to just get our boy spayed and wait until after she's weaned the kittens.

My question is this though; how risky is pregnancy for a kitten/very young cat? What is the likelihood of a positive outcome for our girl and her kittens?

If this delivery would put her life or health in danger I'd prefer to spay her now but if we can avoid it, it would be preferable. We have already found a few close friends who want to adopt lined up just in case.

TL;DR: I think my 5 month old cat is pregnant. If she is, what are the chances that she will be able to deliver? Would delivering put her life at risk? etc. 

Thanks in advance

Are they the same age? Is she an indoor-only cat? It is entirely possible for a 4-or 5-month-old female to get pregnant, but usually males don't become fertile until 6 months at least. Although of course there are exceptions. If he's the same age as she is I'm going to say it's unlikely (unless she's been outside where a mature tom could get to her). I would spay her now, personally, but if you're uncomfortable spaying if it's possible she's pregnant, have the male neutered immediately, keep her inside, and give it a few more weeks until you can be sure one way or the other.

There is a somewhat increased chance of her having complications, being so young. But how high, I don't know. It would be a good idea to ask your vet about that.

I should have mentioned; yes they're the same age though since they were adopted from a shelter we don't know exactly how old but they are both around 5 months old. Our girl only managed to escape once and we caught her right away so there's no chance that she's mated with an older male. 

Thanks for taking the time to reply

Yeah. . .even if he's fertile, usually young males don't have a clue :lol3:. So they might be able to breed an experienced female, but an inexperienced male and an inexperienced female, probably not. So yeah, if you really don't want to risk a pregnant spay, have him done now and wait a few weeks until you know for sure about her. But my guess is she probably isn't pregnant. Possibly she's about to go into heat and that's why her nipples are developing. . .so don't wait too long!

Thanks for the advice, we'll definitely get him spayed right away and I'm sure the vet at the shelter where they're booked in will be able to give us some more advice. Perhaps they'll even be able to tell whether or not she's pregnant yet.

Males can and do mate from 4 months old, girls can also pink up before coming into heat. Has she been in heat yet? Girls will fight the boy off if they aren't in season, determined boys can still do the deed but it's generally an experienced boy who'll do that.

But anytime you've got kittens together over 4 months it's pretty safe to assume they will mate at some point. Not an issue for the male, but can be quite dangerous for the female

Also note that males remain fertile for up to 2 months after neutering, and can still impregnate a female during that time.

I didn't notice any of the classic signs that she was in heat however she and our boy cat (his name is Leonard) are so close (always cuddling up ever since we got them at 10 weeks old) I figured perhaps since they're always in such close proximity they didn't need to act out. We heard them fighting strangely but didn't pay much attention to it figuring they were play-fighting and testing boundaries with each other until we suddenly noticed that they had both become more calm and affectionate. After that we noticed the changes in our girl cat (her name is Penny) particularly her pudgy tummy and her nipples becoming more prominent and put the pieces together after doing some research. 

I don't think you can rule out the fact that she may be pregnant. Really if you are going to spay her or let her have the litter is a personal decision to make. Will her life be in danger? Probably not (though nothing is ever certain and every labor comes with risks). But, I have noticed that the younger the foster the more complications there are with the delivery. I just went through it with a 6 month old and she had a very difficult delivery- I had to cut all the cords, warm all the babies, and pull two out of the birth canal. She did take to them after and has been a fantastic mother but it was a rough start. I have noticed a few other posters on here recently with young mothers reporting similarly difficult deliveries. 

Some things to consider that may help you make a decision: start thinking now of how you can separate them- most Queens won't tolerate another cat around their kittens, and some Toms can become territorial and hurt the babies. Also, be sure you have enough finances set aside to care for each kitten, and be prepared for a medical emergency. I did have to take my foster to the emergency animal hospital because her labor was so difficult. Thankfully, the shelter paid for it but it cost several hundred dollars that I couldn't have afforded otherwise. Another option is to talk to the shelter- ask them if she is pregnant if you can keep the kittens as "fosters" where they pay all the medical but you do all the work. In return, they can adopt the kittens out when they are of age and keep the adoption fees. 

So, if it were me, I would spay the male right away and have the female seen by a vet to try and determine pregnancy status. If she is pregnant I would see if the shelter will help cover the costs. If they won't and she's early I would spay. If she is too far along or they will help out, then I would probably have to give it some real consideration. 

I hope some of this helps you in making a decision- please let us know what you decide. Welcome to TCS! 

BriarRose said:

. Our girl only managed to escape once and we caught her right away so there's no chance that she's mated with an older male. 

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What is right away?  You running after with her in sight, and catching?

Or did you found her one  hour after?

IF she had a silent heat, a tom nearby would smell her off, she being in heat, would be sneaky, and not "happen" to escape, but do it purposefully. BECAUSE she was in heat.  And after it it may go very quickly if the tom is experienced and knows what and how to do it. If he is a dominant territorial tom he wont even pretend to make courtship, he just jump her. 10 minutes may be more than enough. Five.

Your second variation, them making peculiar noises, and afterwards sweet sweeties is also a sign.

If our tom isnt such a rapist as hinted above, they DO become sweet buddies afterwards. Even if they werent pals before, as many courtships are rather semihostile, with her striking withs paws and him beleugering.  Them becoming sweet buddies is thus sorts of  a strong indicium, if you say let them met for mating, but didnt managed to witness the mating.

About the risks as you ask about.  The risk for young mom higher, but not so very much as you would think.  The real risk is she doesnt know what to do.  Which is prob part of explanation to the complications EB24 mentions.  Another step is taking care of the kittens.  Sometimes they dont know at all what to do, but most often it kicks on, sooner or later.  After the instinct kicks in, they usually manage and may even be good moms.

You had already got good advices, you do have own ideas.

You are the pilot here. You decide.

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!