Is this stray pregnant?

In outline premature birth, low birth weight, greater risk of c-section if the cat is small, greater risk of medical complications, greater risk of her abandoning her kittens due to emotional immaturity.  Note that the 'greater risk' is sill small.  Also STDs are always a risk if a female has freely mated - in the case of cats we are talking FeLV & FIV.

Also, unlike with humans you have to find homes for the kittens.  Sunday was today, hope she got safely spayed.

I agree with Shunra.  If it is not very important for you to have a litter after her, you can end it NOW without any problems or fuss.

I had even seen in a british vet handbook they preferred to spay early pregnanices, than risk to spay while the cat was in heat.  The surgery is easier and less riskable.

They even hinted it was a useful idea to let mate the female in heat, and bring her to spaying afterwards, when she was already pregnant...

what tests did your vet do. I have readed that you would only feel b as baby kittens by the 5th week that feel like hilf balls. I am just wondering if my sreach in this is wrong. The site I will post in the next message do to useing my phone and needing address of web site.
I look forward to helping and assisting here asthe others stated are too. We can be a good support if you need as us be remember your vets choices come first.

Here are a few of the sites. Remember their only guidelines but could help you if needed I may self like the massage boards cuz they can be supportive and your talking to people.

http://cats.about.com/od/reproduction/a/pregnant_signs.htm

http://www.2ndchance.info/felinelabor.htm

http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/cat-pregnancy-a-week-by-week-pregnancy-calendar.html

ok its good to have a clear picture of what to expect:-) I took her to the vet and she agreed that bramble is pregnant she said she was approximately 3 weeks pregnant. I have decided to let her have the kittens because and please don't list out all the reasons why I shouldn't. It feels cruel to me and it would feel like murder to the poor unborn kitten (s) in my opinion anywat, I just can't bring myself to do it.

GemsGem said:

Its no problem we all know what it's like when you get stressed and cannot think straight. I probably came across a bit harsh in my last post. But I was just trying to make you understand

Now you know she is definitely pregnant we can help more. Cats are pregnant for 9 weeks, so you have 6 weeks left to get everything ready.
Read up as much as can about cats giving birth.
You will need to make her couple of nesting boxes. These need to be in a quiet place like a bedroom.
Feel free to ask any questions. We are here to help

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its fine thank you! :-)
I plan to let her go on with the pregnancy please don't make a list of why I shouldn't I just can't bring myself to do it as it feels like murder to the poor unborn kittens.

catman8 said:

what tests did your vet do. I have readed that you would only feel b as baby kittens by the 5th week that feel like hilf balls. I am just wondering if my sreach in this is wrong. The site I will post in the next message do to useing my phone and needing address of web site.
I look forward to helping and assisting here asthe others stated are too. We can be a good support if you need as us be remember your vets choices come first.

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well she felt her abdomen but said it was difficult to tell how far along she is because bramble kept bunny kicking her hand lol poor vet though:-D
she said she could be anywhere from 3-4 weeks maybe even 5 but I have another appointment next Friday for an ultrasound.

Cool lets us know how things turn out.

Ilovecatesxoxo said:

I plan to let her go on with the pregnancy please don't make a list of why I shouldn't I just can't bring myself to do it as it feels like murder to the poor unborn kittens.

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It's not nice, but there again it's not at all nice that kittens and cats are being murdered every day in shelters simply for not having a home.  I hate both, but I'd rather spay-abort a cat than have cats and kittens pts by shelters.

I hope you can afford a C-section in the middle of the night in the unlikely event one is necessary.

If here's no way to convince you that you would do your cat a favor by aborting / spaying, then I can only recommend to prepare very very well. Your vet should be available 24/7 and able to come to your house if there are complications during birth, even at night. Be prepared for bottle feeding as well. 

I hope you can afford hundreds of Dollars in case the mother cat or kittens will need emergency care. It would be cruel to let them die just because this can become a very expensive endeavor.

shunra said:

 
It's not nice, but there again it's not at all nice that kittens and cats are being murdered every day in shelters simply for not having a home.  I hate both, but I'd rather spay-abort a cat than have cats and kittens pts by shelters.

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Not even mentioning the often horrible deaths they could have outside being homeless, dumped or gone astray, if they were left on the street without any support..

Some DO manage, sometimes even quite  well. Its them we know as ferales or semiferales.

Its them survivors, those who made it.. 

Now you will surely say: yeah, but I will find good homes for my kittens.   Sure, lets hope so, is my comment.

But if you are so good at finding homes, you could surely instead raise these homes for adopting kittens from these kill shelters.   Thus saving already living kittens twice the number: 1. These who got these adoptions homes tx to your effort, and 2. these homeless who can now be admitted into the shelter when there is now a vacant place tx to your effort, now having a place there, and now having a chance to perhaps get a home.

What do they say?  Its a dilemma.  

I have to add my voice to this as well, and say I agree with those who are advocating spaying your cat now.

You are not killing kittens.  They are just embryos and not kittens yet.

But if you let them be born, and get them homes, if there are 4 kittens, you will be killing 4 kittens that are alive and already born as surely as if you killed them yourself.

Because those 4 already born kittens can be put into those homes now and not be euthanized.

If you really want to have the kitten experience, the shelters and rescues are overrun with cats who are pregnant and too far gone to be spayed that need a temporary foster home where they can have their babies and raise them safely until they are ready to be adopted.  That's an even better idea because usually the rescues will pay for any vet care and be there as support if needed.   And most of them will do the adoptions, you don't even have to worry about it.

I practice what I preach.  I started fostering a cat with 4 kittens a couple of weeks ago, and I began to suspect she was already pregnant again.  Sure enough, she was, and the rescue had her spayed yesterday.  Did we hate to do it?  Absolutely.  We talked about it a long time because it felt so terrible.  But it was the right thing to do, because killing already born kittens is a hell of a lot worse.  And I have her four living kittens, so freakin' adorable, that hopefully will go onto wonderful forever homes.

As someone said, if you know of good homes, there are so many now that need them that are already born and are facing death as soon as tomorrow morning.

For each kitten born that is not spayed, in 5 years, that kitten, if left to breed and their kittens are left to breed, is responsible for about 5,000 new cats.

If you're not sure, please go to your local kill shelter and spend one day there, even 1/2 a day, and watch all the perfectly healthj, adorable kittens and cats be killed simply because they were born and nobody wants them and there is no money to care for them because there are too many and there are simply not enough homes.  Watch them die, especially the really little cute trusting ones, as well as the beautiful, grown, sad, lonely, frightened ones.

And while they die, remember that you know of a few homes that could save some of them, but you're not doing that because you want your cat to have kittens.

Do that for me, then make your decision.  I would respect it a lot more after that.

I wrote this to you in another post and will repeat it here .....

~I have to add my voice to this as well, and say I agree with those who are advocating spaying your cat now. You are not killing kittens. They are just embryos and not kittens yet. But if you let them be born, and get them homes, if there are 4 kittens, you will be killing 4 kittens that are alive and already born as surely as if you killed them yourself. Because those 4 already born kittens can be put into those homes now and not be euthanized.

If you really want to have the kitten experience, the shelters and rescues are overrun with cats who are pregnant and too far gone to be spayed that need a temporary foster home where they can have their babies and raise them safely until they are ready to be adopted. That's an even better idea because usually the rescues will pay for any vet care and be there as support if needed. And most of them will do the adoptions, you don't even have to worry about it.

I practice what I preach. I started fostering a cat with 4 kittens a couple of weeks ago, and I began to suspect she was already pregnant again. Sure enough, she was, and the rescue had her spayed yesterday. Did we hate to do it? Absolutely. We talked about it a long time because it felt so terrible. But it was the right thing to do, because killing already born kittens is a hell of a lot worse. And I have her four living kittens, so freakin' adorable, that hopefully will go onto wonderful forever homes.

As someone said, if you know of good homes, there are so many now that need them that are already born and are facing death as soon as tomorrow morning. For each kitten born that is not spayed, in 5 years, that kitten, if left to breed and their kittens are left to breed, is responsible for about 5,000 new cats.

If you're not sure, please go to your local kill shelter and spend one day there, even 1/2 a day, and watch all the perfectly healthj, adorable kittens and cats be killed simply because they were born and nobody wants them and there is no money to care for them because there are too many and there are simply not enough homes.

Watch them die, especially the really little cute trusting ones, as well as the beautiful, grown, sad, lonely, frightened ones.

And while they die, remember that you know of a few homes that could save some of them, but you're not doing that because you want your cat to have kittens.

Do that for me, then make your decision. I would respect it a lot more after that.

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Aside from being against the forum rules, it's extremely confusing to our membership to have three threads about one possible pregnancy.

Im am soo sorry about that really and truly i was just too stressed out as well as having found a stray I had exams in college and a good friend of mine was pretty ill so I was almost sick with worry and stress.

About the me not wanting to spay her, I am deeply against animal cruelty and I know of the possible outcome you have stated but If homes aren't found I'm willing to keep the kittens and pay for the costs etc. But I have fostered many a kitten and have experienced the good and bad aspects of it.
Try look at it from mine and a cats view:

Think, a cat would prefer to be running wild and free than not have a chance to live at all and be killed before you have had a decent chance to live. Imagine if you were killed before you had the chance to live the life you have lived. There are way too many people on this planet but people aren't trying to stop that we are polluting our planet and are just parasites to this wonderful world and now we've made many animals that have been here longer than us extinct.
I am sorry and I recognize that you all would spay her but I can't, I just can't it's completely against everything I believe and do.

I just can't destroy a life only save one.

Thanks anyway :-)

yes I love cats and pretty much all living creatures. When you say to go to a kill shelter and I have on many occasions as i work in a rescue center that deosnt kill but saves. I have been there and it was torture but I saved many lives in my job and I plan to save more:-)
anyway thanks for your advice:-)

Ilovecatesxoxo said:

well she felt her abdomen but said it was difficult to tell how far along she is because bramble kept bunny kicking her hand lol poor vet though:-D
she said she could be anywhere from 3-4 weeks maybe even 5 but I have another appointment next Friday for an ultrasound.

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Here are a couple of websites that may be of assistance:  http://www.cat-world.com.au/pregnancy-in-cats  and http://pets.webmd.com/cats/cat-pregnancy-gestation

If you aren't already, please start feeding her a high quality kitten food, canned food is best for cats.  She will need all the nutrients she can get.  Please do not let your vet vaccinate her while she is pregnant it can cause problems in the kittens. 

Well I think it is up to the owner if they do go forth with a litter of kittens. I did not see the owner say they would not keep them. After all if they are going to keep them it saves them
from shelters and or being homeless. Again the rule of thum is take care of what you bring into this world. Don't bring in what you cant or won't care for. That crates curl death.

cprcheetah said:

Here are a couple of websites that may be of assistance:  http://www.cat-world.com.au/pregnancy-in-cats  and http://pets.webmd.com/cats/cat-pregnancy-gestation
If you aren't already, please start feeding her a high quality kitten food, canned food is best for cats.  She will need all the nutrients she can get.  Please do not let your vet vaccinate her while she is pregnant it can cause problems in the kittens. 

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Thank you I have found a good quality kitten food with i think 80percent meat recommended to me by my vet. And Felix kitten food sachets.
Keep the advice coming much appreciated! :bigthumb: