A stray cat adopted us but I think she is pregnant

Ok so about a month ago we had a young female cat find her way into our basement through a hole another animal had dug out... She was very friendly and wanted attention ... So we brought her into the house and fed her as she was looking thin- my husband made a special trip to the store to get her food .. But she soon after got comfy and pasted right out... She has now become a member of our family and my children adore her!! About 2 weeks ago I noticed a change as her nipples became more visible.. Plumper looking and pink plus her stomach area looking slightly round ... We had already had an appointment set with a vet so I figured I'd bring the subject up with them at the appointment ... Last week we took her to see the vet ... We took her to a low cost clinic as we really don't have a lot of money to work with .. I had mentioned my thoughts about her possibly being pregnant at first ... The vet was more concerned about her overall health and wanted to check and get her treated for her noticeable issues .. She has ear mites so she is on ear drops now but other then that she is in good health ... The vet vaccinated her with 2 shots one being a rabies shot ... Then the pregnancy topic came up .. The vet did take notice of the tummy area .. But she said that she could be pregnant or it could be worms so she started her on a de wormer strongid .. She said if her tummy doesn't go down in a few weeks then she is pregnant ... I've never owned a cat before so I know nothing .. But I did some reading up on cats and saw that pregnant cats shouldn't be vaccinated so I'm concerned now but I would like to think that knowing the vet knew before giving the shots that she gave safer ones ... But I'm not 100% if she is in fact pregnant ... I think she is but just not entirely sure... She is between 9 months to a yr old .. That's what the vet told us ... Like I said before I've never had a cat before so I don't know what a cat of her age would look like .. What do you think? How far along do you think she is IF you think she's pregnant ? And also because she got vaccinated is there cause for alarm if/ when she gives birth?.... Thank you all for any help/ suggestion and your time

She sure doesn't look like a stray in the chair picture. She is lovely. Good luck. Somebody else will be along to answer your questions. I never raised kittens so I can't help you . Congratulations on adopting her.

My husband had seen her a week before on our property ... So she had been outside for some time ... We do think she was dumped though... Sadly that happens a lot around here.. And thank you

SHe is young, but not too young. And sadly, at this time of year especially, any cat that has been outside for longer than a day or so is likely to be pregnant. From the pix, it is hard to tell, but she certainly could be.

She sure looks pregnant to me! I know vaccinations are not to be given to pregnant cats, but I also know it has been done with no ill effects. If she's 'showing' that means hopefully the kittens are far enough along for them not to be hurt. Good luck and bless you for giving her a home!

Yep she looks pregnant to me too!

Can I use a flea collar on a pregnant cat? If not what can I do for fleas?

Absolutely not. Flea collars should *never* be used on any cat.

Revolution is safe for pregnant cats, as wellas Advantage. If only needing to treat fleas, I would use Advantage as it doesn't get into the bloodstream.

Oh ok ... Thank you for letting me know ... Also would happen to know a good product for the home for killing fleas that's ok to use around animals?

Lots of vacuuming and washing blankets, etc. I have heard of some people using food grade Diatomaceous Earth (sprinkled on carpet and the vacuumed up,) but those people do note that you have to be careful not to inhale the powder (or allow the cat to.)

Again thank you ... Looks like I'm going to busy washing and cleaning haha

Today she is looking very pregnant so all doubt about is she or isn't she has gone ... She is lol

My cat is same size as yours how far along is she??

Well we had only had her a few weeks.. Almost a month so she is at minimum a month along so for

Wow she looks big for a month mine is due anyday

My cat has fleas .. She's not liking me running the flea comb through her fur... Do you think an apple cider vinegar bath will help or maybe a bath with a little bit of dish soap added? The flea treatment we use on her I don't think is working .. It's the Adams spot flea and tick .. I'm just here scratching my head on what to do to get rid of them before she has her babies which is still weeks away but I want them gone completely .... I've been posting a lot on here in a short period of time and I apologize about that .. Being a cat owner is all VERY new to me

You could give her a bath....but I think if your cat doesn't like being combed she is going to really hate being bathed. Giving a cat a bath is stressful at the best of times and if she is pregnant and you've never done it before it might be tough on both of you.

How about changing the flea treatment you are using? Your vet should be able to advise you on which products are safe to use on pregnant cats.

The more you comb her the more comfortable she will get with being groomed. Have you tried distracting her with a toy or a few treats while you comb her?

Norachan said:

You could give her a bath....but I think if your cat doesn't like being combed she is going to really hate being bathed. Giving a cat a bath is stressful at the best of times and if she is pregnant and you've never done it before it might be tough on both of you.

How about changing the flea treatment you are using? Your vet should be able to advise you on which products are safe to use on pregnant cats.

The more you comb her the more comfortable she will get with being groomed. Have you tried distracting her with a toy or a few treats while you comb her?

Click to expand...

I agree. When in doubt, ask the vet.

I have a new question / problem ... So it's been over a month now since we took in our cat Heidi ... We already had a dog ... Now they were never pally pals but after a few week Heidi our cat seemed to be beginning to tolerate our dog.. She would let our dog get close but when the dog came face to face with her that's when her paws started swinging .. Heidi is probably 5/6 weeks pregnant now but these past few days it seems she is going out of her way to start a fight with our dog ... I've had to put up a baby gate to give the dog her space away from the cat but Heidi will lay in front of the gate and watch the dog through the gaps on the sides and every once in a while she will try to claw our dog through the gaps ... I feel sooo bad for our dog .. I know it's going to take time for them to tolerate each other , more so the cat as our dog just wants to play lol but do you think her change in behavior is caused because of her being pregnant ? And will she be less aggressive after the kittens are born? For now I'm just going to keep them separated but eventually they have to learn to get along

Yes, I think her being more touchy and defensive is because of her pregnancy.  Even a beloved Mom can get herself a swipe in these weeks. Nothing peculiar a so so pal till dog gots clawed... (ps  are you sure she clawes him?  Swipes with a soft paw is a common teaching technique given for friends and family members).

As you say, later on, when the ktitens are big or preferably adopted out, the situation will change again ,and she will be more interested in making friends.