What color kittens will my cat have?

Hello This is my first time posting here. So I have a 3 year old cat and her name is Mrs. Peppers. She is a half outdoors and half indoors cat. She's inside from 10 p.m to 8 a.m and I let her out the rest of the day. She also has never been pregnant before up until now. So Mrs. Peppers was in heat early January and I really want to have one of her kittens so I let her do her stuff. I saw her be with 4 different cats all the in 3 days. One was all white, one was a grey tabby, the other was an orange tabby and the last was an all black cat. Mrs. Peppers is white with black spots. I heard cats can have multiple fathers and I was wondering if you could tell what color her kittens will be. She is 51 days pregnant today and she should have them around the 13th of March. I took in Mrs. Peppers when she was very young, I found her in a  car at my old house with 2 other dead cats so I kept her, so i'm pretty sure I know how to properly raise kittens. So my questions are:

1. What color will my kittens be?

2. Should I get Mrs. Peppers spayed and how soon? She's been out for 3 years and this is her first time getting pregnant so what are the chances of her getting pregnant again if it took her this long. 

To the first question.

You cant really know. FOUR different combinations, and you dont know anything for sure with any of them. You happen to know something about their outer, but what genes they do carry, you dont know.

Althoug there are some exceptions. A not entirely unusual pattern, the "van" pattern, white with some blotches on head and tail, seems to be rather dominant. So such a moms tend to get kittens in the same pattern.   Maybe Mrs Peppers is a likewise...

You ask what is the chance of Mrs Pepper getting pregnant again.  I hope there is no chance, as you will spay her.      Do spay her even if she has a lower fertility.  Getting pregnant takes a toll of them as you know. But having heat without result many times takes also some toll. There is a risk for problems in the lady parts, like pyometra and some forms of cancer, both in vomb and breasts.

There are also good reason for not producing more kittens, if you arent really burning for it.

When to spay?  Normally, with an inside mom, a common recommendation is at about 8 weeks, as the kittens are more or less weaned.

But if you let her out, you must of course spay her earlier, even if the kittens arent really weaned.

They usually manage to suckle anyway, if the vet does a neat job.

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck! 

Getting a cat spayed isn't just a matter of contraception.  With each call her risk of breast cancer goes up, and so does her risk of pyometra which is a potentially fatal infection of the uterus.  So ring your vet and ask how soon after the kittens are born he will spay her.  Also keep her in when she has the kittens - you can't risk her having an accident and leaving you hand-rearing tiny kittens, and she might also get pregnant again very soon after delivery.

As to colours - almost any colour under the sun.

Since this thread had already started, I wonder if any of you experts could make a prediction for the colors of my cat's kittens?

Here's the mum, Fluffers:


Here's the dad, Splodge, who I've also taken in (he was with her all the time when she was in heat, but there was a time when there was a solid ginger male out there too, which I guess could change the colors in a big way)


Since both of these cats were semi wild I have no idea about their histories. All I know is that this is the last litter for the female because I've taken her in for good now and will spay her after she's weaned her kittens. Splodge will also be neutered shortly.

But I thought it would be nice if someone had an idea of what color kittens these two cats might produce?

The first example, I think the kittens can be any color, that's a big variety.

The second, hmm, actually, they look like siblings :/. Hopefully if he's the daddy the kittens will come out all right. If he is the daddy, the kittens will probably have the same coloring as the parents. If the red boy is the daddy, that allows for a wider range of colors in the litter.

Splodge has this "van" pattern I was writing about.

I dont know if this dominant gene goes just via the mom, or if it doenst  matters, and it goes also via the dad.

If so, the chance is heavy they will look alike Splodge.  Especielly as Fluffers isnt that much different.

So even if dads pattern isnt a real van pattern and no van gene, two rather alike patterns should produce something similiar...

But we dont really know what other genes they do carry with them, so there CAN be surprises.

It is easier with purebred cats. There you do know decently well what they do carry with them.

Which is the reason why purebreed ARE purebred. Why these cat fanciers are not "just" taking some beautiful moggie from the street and use them in Shows etc.

Many breeders do have also a moggie from the street as a loved family member. Many.  And or do help shelters and rescuers. Many.

But they do breed on these pure bred.

Tx Kris you are helping both Splodge and Fluffers, with the neutering not least.  Their life will be easier now.

Thanks for the responses!

Willowy, I'm 95% sure they aren't siblings. But they're almost certainly related. Fluffers could even be Splodge's daughter. I've been seeing/feeding Splodge for about 15 months and he was fully grown back then. But Fluffers came along later and was still a kitten (I think). It's hard to keep track of because both of these cats (and all the other cats in my neighbourhood) pretty much come from this one horrible family who have more animals than I can count - and none of them ever get neutered.

fluffers looks like my daddy cat and all the kittens look like him in some way
 

Sense this thread is already in progress my I have permission to ask a "color" question as well?

Savethemoms said:

Sense this thread is already in progress my I have permission to ask a "color" question as well?

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Better to start your own separate thread in my view.

Ok, will do!

You let ur cat mate with 4 different males?! You should mate your cats responsibly with only males that you know and that have been health checked and vaccinated! I hope she has been vet checked during this pregnancy to make sure she is ok? x

NatashaJago said:

You let ur cat mate with 4 different males?! You should mate your cats responsibly with only males that you know and that have been health checked and vaccinated! I hope she has been vet checked during this pregnancy to make sure she is ok? x

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This is normal for cats mating freely outside.  The OP's cat should have been spayed 2 1/2 years ago on health grounds - her risk of breast cancer would have been greatly reduced, and the risk of pyometra is removed when a cat is spayed.

exactly, a cat should not be having their first litter after 2 years of age its so hogh risk to the cat AND kittens, i wish people would treat their animals with the same respect as they would like to be treated

NatashaJago said:

You let ur cat mate with 4 different males?! You should mate your cats responsibly with only males that you know and that have been health checked and vaccinated! I hope she has been vet checked during this pregnancy to make sure she is ok? x

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This is just a reminder to everyone that this site promotes a pro-spay/neuter policy for all cats who are not part of a recognised breeding programme. But we offer support to everyone who comes here seeking advice on how to care for pregnant cats and their kittens.

Nay, as luck is, if the female is healthy the first timer limit is higher up, perhaps even up to 5 years.

It gets really risky first afterwards.

But with many small mammals, like guinea pigs I think, yes, they shall be young with their first litter.

JennyRanson´s  remark is quite correct.  So we do recommend, so we are trying to do.  

No seriously it should be in first 2 litters for their first litter, otherwise you are risking a higher chance of cancers, heart problems, and problems with the ovaries x

NatashaJago said:

No seriously it should be in first 2 years for their first litter, otherwise you are risking a higher chance of cancers, heart problems, and problems with the ovaries x

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Ah, you mean, going many empy heats increases risk for cancers, pyometra, etc?  Yes, it is true, here you have quite right!    I suppose these tend to be  common first after many years of "misuse", but the risk is increasing for every year, true.

I was thinking on the skeletal changes, the skeleton and joints and tissues hasnt become too hard or lost too much elasticity, so the giving birth itself isnt dangerous yet. The dangers of the delivery as such clearly bigger firstly at 5+.

Tonymel said:

 I took in Mrs. Peppers when she was very young, I found her in a  car at my old house with 2 other dead cats so I kept her, so i'm pretty sure I know how to properly raise kittens. So my questions are:

1. What color will my kittens be?

2. Should I get Mrs. Peppers spayed and how soon? She's been out for 3 years and this is her first time getting pregnant so what are the chances of her getting pregnant again if it took her this long. 

Click to expand...

I agree the kittens can be any combination of colors. As for spaying, she should be spayed as soon as your vet will do so, the most common time being when the kittens are between 8 and 12 weeks of age. As was mentioned she can go into heat again very soon after giving birth so it is imperative that you keep her indoors until after her surgery. You want to keep her indoors anyway for the health of the kittens. She needs to be there around the clock to care for them. 

Since she is getting close now is the time to bring her inside full time and get her used to the idea. Even though you think she is due around the 15th you don't want to risk her having her litter outdoors. Make sure you set up a birthing box for her in a quiet part of the house and get your birthing kit all ready. A lot of good threads on labor and delivery and kitten rearing can be found here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/249018/...regnant-cats-kitten-care-articles-and-threads . Also, be sure to look back through past threads- you can find a lot of useful information on preparing for the kittens arrival. In addition to getting your birthing kit ready make sure you get a scale that weighs in grams. Since weight loss is the number one sign that there is a problem kittens should be weighed everyday at the same time. It's by far the most important thing you can do for them. 

I know you say that you got her when she was very young and so have experience with kittens but actually having a litter be born is a unique experience and is something you need to read up on and be prepared for. Some advanced planning can go a long way! 

As for the general questions about kitten coloring: TCS has a specific section for these types of questions which can be found here: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/5809/describing-cats-what-does-my-cat-look-like . It's always best to start your own thread when asking these kinds of questions as it's how you can get the best feedback. 

oh yeah stefan sorry yh physically at 2 she will be fine to deliver x x