Need help figuring out whether cat is pregnant or not.

Hi all,

I would appreciate any and all input. This cat is a stray (we tend to get a lot being out in the middle of nowhere, dead end road). I have one indoor/outdoor spayed female cat (somebody dropped off in DECEMBER) and this cat I'm asking about was a new drop off and I've just been feeding her until I figure out what I'm doing with her. DH is not a cat person.

So.. this cat was dropped off probably about a week ago-- kinda skinny, not bad. I thought she was just hungry so I fed her as much as she wanted. She is the sweetest cat-- constantly purring, paw padding, rubbing up against me and the kids. The kids refer to her as the "nice cat".

However-- upon seeing her today, she kinda looks possibly pregnant to me. I am unsure however as I've never had cats till these two got dropped off (the other has been with us a year now and is doing great health wise-- just a bit of an attitude). I'm not sure how far along she could be or what, if she is even pregnant. She didn't act "in heat" when she was dropped off.

I did take some pictures... thoughts?

An unspayed  female cat being outside, you must count on is pregnant.  The only way to stop it is spay (or possibly adopt).

However, big belly may also be worms.

If you dont see proof she is spayed, my guess is she is both pregnant and has worms.

Do you want to help her? Is it possible for you to do it yourself, or you want get others to help her?

Continue with reports and questions, so we shall try and answer.

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!

First, thank you for bringing this little girl in and giving her a place to crash until you figure out the next move. She is very lucky to have found you!

I agree with Stefan that anytime you have an unspayed female who has been outdoors she is likely pregnant. But, since she is a stray you don't know if she is spayed or not. It's very hard to tell in pictures so I can't really advise on if she looks pregnant or not. 

Anytime you have a new cat you need to take them to the vet ASAP. Not only to determine if she is pregnant, but to make sure she is otherwise healthy and can't pass on anything to your other cat. So, I would make an appointment for as soon as you can and take a stool sample with you so that they can check for worms/parasites. Until then, keep her separate from your resident cat. If you decide to keep her you will also want to have her tested for FIV/FeLV but if you are going to try to re-home her you may be able to just wait on all that so long as the cats are not having contact. 

If finances are a concern (I know they are for everyone) it would be worthwhile to call around to some of the local shelters/rescues (preferably no kill) and see if they have a discount vet you can take her to. Oftentimes in these situations shelters are eager to work with you on vet care so long as it keeps the cat out of the shelter. If she is pregnant talk to them about if they will let you "foster" her. It's a win-win: you will get you vet care paid for and they will be responsible for finding homes for the new kittens. They would keep the adoption fees but in the end it would save you a lot of money!

Please, let us know what the vet says and keep us updated on what you decide to do with her! 

I believe I'm going to keep her-- I've been trying to get hubby warmed up to the idea of 'cats' (plural) haha... We have a small homestead with chickens, ducks, turkeys, and such.. so to me it's a win win b/c of the mice and other vermin. My grey indoor/outdoor spayed cat is an excellent hunter and leaves her trophies for me under the picnic table. 

So I guess I will have to get her into the vet then for a look see! She must have come from some home b/c she is VERY friendly and even likes my Pharaoh Hound. She doesn't act scared in the least bit. 

I do have dewormer on hand-- but I should wait until she's been seen for possible pregnancy first right? From there I can decide when to get her spayed to after I find out. Appts are kinda slow up here so hopefully they can get me in soon. It's a family run clinic and their prices are pretty good.

Thanks for the help!

Is there any way for me to tell if she is spayed? Or will only a vet know what to look for?

That would be awesome if you kept her! Remind your hubs that cats are very social and always do better in pairs!

If she was spayed recently then you may still be able to see the incision if her fur hasn't grown all the way back in yet but I'm guessing that's not super likely. Also, places that do TNR (trap-neuter-release) will clip one of the ears so others know the animal is fixed. But, since it's clear she had a family I'm guessing that's not super likely either. 

So really your only safe bet is to get her into the vet. If you explain the situation to them they may be able to squeeze you in sooner. They should also be able to tell if she's pregnant just by palpating her but if they need to do more testing ask that they do an ultrasound and NOT an x-ray as it can harm the kittens. They can also scan her to see if she is microchipped. Since you are keeping her (you know hubs will cave) in addition to the general checkup you do want to test her for FIV and FeLV. In most places it's around $50 and well worth it! I would wait to de-worm her as well. Take the de wormer that you have to the vet with you and they can instruct you on proper dosage, ect if it's safe to give. 

I would also highly recommend investing in microchipping and a collar and tag for each of your girls since they are indoor/outdoor. It sounds like you have a lot of deserted land and that they are safe being let outside, but they can still wander off and having both is the only way to ensure you will get them back! 

Yeah we are in a somewhat unique location as the only the only way to get to my house is a tiny road over a vast swamp on both sides.. and I'm also a stones throw (looking out my back porch) from the lake. It's just some tiny little cottages of summer (out of state) people and my homestead. They can wander, but they are somewhat stuck on a peninsula with me unless they go down the road.

Her ear isn't clipped and she is super fluffy and not keen on me rolling her over all that much to part her fur. I'm going to just take her in that way I know 100% for certain and I'm not guessing. Going to call this afternoon once I am done homeschooling to set up an appt. Thanks so much for the replies! My boys have named her "Oreo" hehehe.  

keekeelaroo said:

I do have dewormer on hand-- but I should wait until she's been seen for possible pregnancy first right?

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There are preparates which are OK also for pregs, you must "just" know which is which.  One reason why it is best to have the vet adviced it.

You ARE going to a vet, so this problem will solve itself soon.  

But if you by any reason cant get to a vet, even by phone, one can google... Or tell the brand and main ingredients here, so we do the googling or comment from our knowledge.

Observe, the "unsuitable" producers probably will tell you their brands are top of the notch for all...  You must use a portion of judgement if you google for info.

Good luck!

I just wanted to update that the vet appt is next Friday at 4pm. I'm soooo glad I'm taking her in. I looked her over a bit more closely--- she has at least 3 or 4 ticks on her neck alone.. One is huge... I don't feel comfortable trying to remove it myself, but who knows how long she has had them since our snow finally melted last week (ticks aren't around in winter I assume)... She has some weird bumps in her ears to and was very against me looking at them or her ticks. She's been sleeping under my chicken coop and I feel so bad to leave her there but until I know if she has anything I don't want her mingling with my other cat.. (That and they really seem to hate each other whenever mine happens to hang out at the sliding glass door). Ugh Friday can't come fast enough!!!

Yeah it sounds like a really good thing that you are taking her in. Until then, be sure you keep a list of the things you have seen or have questions about. I always find that once I get to the vet my brain goes blank about what all I wanted to ask!

Is there any way you can confine her indoors? A spare bedroom or bathroom or even in the basement? If not I agree for the time being it's better to leave her out than risk cross contamination to your other cats. But, if she is pregnant you are going to have to find a way to bring her indoors soon and that may have to happen before she is fully declared healthy and contaminate free. Also, since there seem to be territory issues between her and your other cats confinement and a slow integration is something you are likely going to have to do. 

I know it's a delicate balance because you don't want to risk her having her babies outside if she is pregnant but you don't want to just bring her in and risk cross contamination. I just think that at some point you are going to have to confine her, whether it's to have babies or to allow for a proper integration. So, it's worth starting to think about it now. Again, any kind of spare bedroom or even a bathroom would be ideal but there are also more creative solutions to be found. I live in a small apartment so when I bring in new fosters I use an extra large dog crate. It's big enough to fit a litterbox and food and water dishes with room for them to walk around and stretch. It's not ideal but it does work. Something like that may be what you need to do. 

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I followed your advice... I did the only thing I could for the time being and put her on my front porch--- which has its own issues if the kids aren't careful when they go outside-- or hubby-- I'm thinking of putting a baby gate on the outside so she can't easily escape. I hope it's not to busy for her... There's really no where else but t can be shut off entirely so she won't hear lots of house noise-- just ins/outs.

I put one of my spare dog kennels in there (the plastic varikennel type) with some comfy blankets and shirts (some I had planned on sending to the goodwill---she has some classy Gap and Ann Taylor shirts to lay on now haha).. I've put her on quality wet & dry mix food as well. The boys loved helping me make her bed. They are pretty excited but I told them they have to be super quiet and use whisper voices and only pet the top of her back not her belly. They were petting her which she was all about. She's been SUPER affectionate and I think her belly has grown in the past week.

The ticks are freaking me out.. I feel bad leaving them on her but i can't see the head on them! =\

I actually think this is a pretty good solution! If she is pregnant she has a nice den to use (plus it just sounds warm and comfy for napping) and she's safely confined. A baby gate on the outside would probably help to slow her down but it's certainly not going to keep her in so it's just whatever you think is best. 

The ticks would freak me out too- ick! If you can't see the head best to just leave them and let the vet handle it. 

At least the set up you have now keeps her safe and confined and is a nice quarantine area. Later on you may need to get her in the house but worry about that then. Hopefully you are having much nicer weather there than we are here (I'm so sick of snow in April) and that she is nice and warm. Well done!

Haha I'm totally freaking out today. So two days ago she had ticks still---- three bumps that I found and one was massive. I brought her in yesterday but just left her alone to adjust.

So today I'm thinking.. U know, screw it I'm gonna see if I can get the smaller two off--- I get all prepped and she's relaxing I start feeling around. NOTHING. I'm panicking a little and I'm searching on her-- I can't find a single bump. I stumble across a scab of the huge one-- tick butt is gone. I can't find any--- so now I have the creepy crawlies wondering if I did something really stupid by not checking her yesterday and they are in my HOUSE now??!?!? Ugh I don't know what to do now and I feel dumb. Hubby wants me to tear apart the porch and vacuum it all up and disinfect it.

Anyways here's an updated pic from last weeks. Bleh.. looks like I need to mop my floors with all these kids and muddy boots. x_x don't mind the floor!

Oh and it's actually the warmest room in the house with all that sun-- which is probably why she's not laying in it. The floor is nice and warm. She enjoys her den and has been sleeping in it nonstop today.

Any guess as to how far along? I'm thinking maybe 5-7 weeks but that's so broad of a guess in cat pregnancy. This is only a guess from what I've looked up on the Internet.

She's been soooo lovey and sleeping a lot, laying on just her sides. I am not sure if I have witnessed movement or not bc all she does is purr nonstop lol.

If she could reach them, cats will usually pull the ticks out by themselves. She probably did that. If not, they got full and dropped off on their own.  Thank you for taking her in, good luck!

I saw her grooming herself today so ill pray that that's what happened! Lol. The other gives me heebie jeebies!

Oh I'm hoping for the same thing! 

If nothing else I'm guessing the tick(s) fell off outside or in a high traffic area of the house when you first brought her in. Just check yourself and the kids to make sure they didn't pick it up. Otherwise try not to think about it too much! 

She does look like she has a bit of a pregnant belly. As a general rule once you can see/feel the kittens moving you are around two weeks away from delivery. So, if you aren't seeing or feeling anything yet you still likely have a couple of weeks (and a 6-7 week estimate would sound about right). 

What a lucky girl that she gets the warmest part of the house! Unless you are totally creeped out I probably wouldn't go tearing the room apart. I don't know a lot about ticks but I'm pretty sure if they aren't attached to something/someone then they die pretty quickly. Hopefully she just pulled them out and it's done with. If none of you guys end up with one and none of the animals do in the next day or two I would think it's say to assume they are gone. Just try not to freak out in the meantime! 

Haha I am not a creepy crawly person so it grosses me out, but I've checked us over and seen nothing, she has nothing new on her either. I cracked open one of the windows in there and it has a nice deep sill so she's been laying up there and sunning her self almost all day. The boys and I have been loving and petting her and groomed her gently with the brush yesterday. She's shedding like crazy-- probably b/c its finally warming up I guess. (which this also makes easy to sweep up since there is no carpet). 

She is eating like CRAZY and drinking like crazy. I hope I'm giving her enough! Every time I've seen her dish empty I just put more in it, any ideas on how much she needs right now? 

If she is pregnant it's a good idea to switch her to kitten food and to let her eat what she wants. She needs to get ready for delivery and feeding the kittens.

Okay I didn't know if there was a certain amt I should give her. Thanks. She's been on a wet & kitten mix for the past week & 1/2 -- plus she got some tuna scraps & a can to lick out which she thoroughly enjoyed lol.