Pregnant mama cat

We took in a stray kitten someone dropped at my grandmother's house. My husband is highly allergic so we kept her outside she was healthy& happy and of course got pregnant pretty much immediately,before we could get her spayed. We kept of the two kittens and planned on getting Lucy, mama, fixed as soon as she quit nursing. The kittens were born in April, she still nurses at times AND is pregnant again!! My questions are since bringing Lucy in is out of the question will the other 2 kittens hurt the new kittens? Is it okay that they still sometimes nurse? How soon can I get the 2 older kittens fixed? Is 6 weeks enough time after the new kittens are born to take Lucy away to have her spayed? Lastly do you think Lucy will have these new kittens in or around the same place she had her 1st litter? I'm sorry I know this is a lot of questions. Please do not be mean because she is pregnant again. I know this will be hard on her. I feel bad enough already. I have always feed her kitten food (she's still a baby herself!) and canned food. Kept fresh water available always in several shady places. Thanks for your help.

How far along is Lucy?  If you want to, you may be able to get her spayed/and abort the pregnancy. Just mentioning the possibility - no judgements.

Practical info. the first few days after the birth the mother cats have the colostrum which give the babies the antibodies they need to survive the first few weeks.  So the first litter will need to be weaned by then. 

Lucy will need lots of good nutrient rich food now.  Her bodies reserves will be depleted by the first litter.  You should also try to get extra calcium in her by giving her a little KMR (kitten milk replacer) or goats milk.  Cow's milk is bad for cats. You can also give this to the older kittens in a bowl or on a small plate.  Egg shells with the membrane removed can be crushed into a fine powder and mixed  with her wet food.  the KMR or goats milk can be mixed with wet food to make a mush that will be easier for the kittens to eat.  They will not be able to eat dry food right away, the kmr/milk can be poured over to soften it for the kittens.

Do you have a garage or a spare room you can move Lucy and the kittens into where your husband will have no contact with them?  As you (and many others) have learned, Lucy can get pregnant as early as a week after giving birth.  If she is left outside I fear she will get pregnant again after this litter is born.  Would your grandmother be able to take her in until the kittens are about 6 weeks old.  that is the earliest she can be spayed if she is nursing and she should still be able to nurse afterwards.

The earliest the 2 kittens can be fixed is about 8 weeks.  They need to weigh at least 2 lbs.  So you should be able to get them taken care of now.

I don't know if Lucy will pick the same place.  She may choose another because the current location smells like kittens and is probably messy.  Cats don't want to attract predators to the nest so move into it at the last minute.

i think I answered all your questions?  Ask more as they arise.

You can take her kittens from her first litter to be spayed beginning at 8 weeks old. Your mama cat can be spayed as early as when the kittens are 6 weeks old. She can continue to nurse after the spay. Be advised that even six weeks post-delivery she may be pregnant again, as cats can go into heat again very quickly after birthing. The very early pregnancy can be terminated during the spay if this is the case.

She will likely have her new kittens wherever she feels is a safe place, but it sounds as though she will let you know where they are. Thanks for feeding mama so well!

Do you have a low-cost spay/neuter clinic nearby, such as a Humane Society?

Lucy is pretty far along. I can feel the kittens moving and she's pretty big. I couldn't bring myself to have them a boarded. I understand it will be hard on her but I will defiantly get the goats milk and do the eggs! Even though they have all have an endless supply of dry food at their leisure when it's breakfast and supper time (wet food) they are ravenous!
Unfortunately we do not have a place like a garage etc and no my grandmother is elderly. Lucy and her brother & sisters were literally dropped all along her (busy) road. They were wild and Lucy was the only one who stayed around. Last time I had made several places I thought were safe for her to have her babies but she chose under our deck! We had to pull up a board to see them! I have read & read on how to take care of her and the kittens, it's been since I was little that I had a cat, but these questions just had me concerned. Thank yall for your help!!

Keep us updated. 

about 2 weeks ago i joined this site because our cat Lucy was expecting her 2nd litter of kittens. I was sure she would have had them by now. She is SO big. I have literally saw her in her back with her paw over her head! She's still jumping eating playing etc as normal. My question is is it normal for cats to get bigger with each pregnancy? I feel bad for her.

Perhaps she is going to have a larger litter than she did the first time?

Oh wow really? She had 5 before. Also any advice on a nesting spot for her since she's outside with 2 other cats? [emoji]128563[/emoji]They are her babies from before but will she feel comfortable enough to let them around her or her new kittens during birth?

Can you bring her inside so her and her babies are safe?? Newborn kittens shouldn't be outside...

@sarthur2  

Bringing her inside is the best idea.  She will not want her older kittens nearby.  Mother cats get very protective.  How long ago did she have the last litter?

It would be best to bring her in.

Do you have plans to spay and neuter her kittens from the first litter?

She will need to be spayed in a few weeks as well so she does not continue this cycle of reproducing and bringing more kittens into the world.

Cats can get HUGE during pregnancy!

Yes! I plan on getting her spayed as soon as possible after she has these kittens. I was going to get her done before this but we found out she was pregnant. Unfortunately my husband is highly allergic to cats so bringing her in is not an option. She was dropped as a kitten at my grandparents house. That's how we got her in the first place.
Her other kittens were born in April. They are going to be spayed and neutered as well! Our kids wanted to keep two of them. We had no intentions of letting Lucy or any of them have anymore kittens and other than pregnancy living outside has been fine and healthy for them. They get a ton of attention and love.
Lucy is probably almost a year old now. She is not Siamese or anything. The last time it seemed like it was only about 2 weeks after we felt the kittens moving that she had them. It's been over 3 now! We have 2 buildings but I tried to put her in one the last time she was pregnant and she totally freaked out!! I think confining her somewhere would her more stressed, if yall are saying she's stressed now by having the other 2 kittens around. She actually doesn't seem anything but ready to pop lol Last night she was kinda strange I was petting her then she bit at me then wanted me to pet her only to nip at me again. She ran over and bit my ankle once to! I have no idea why she did this?? She's never been mean. She's always really lovey. She was lovey in between bites last night! It didn't hurt but she wasn't trying to play like the babies do?? I just don't want anything to happen to her the new kittens or the older two, obviously. Outside is not the ideal place for kittens but when there's no other choice... [emoji]128532[/emoji]

She's ready to deliver any time now, it sounds like. That's why she's being alternately affectionate and nippy. It's her high state of hormones.

Lizanader16 said:

I'm gonna get her fixed as soon as the kittens are ready to go. She only got pregnant in the first place from going outside and there's this male cat that's not fixed and he sticks around our house. I love him too and he's sweat and nice and I call him Mr. Chubs cause he's chubby. I'm not bringing her outside till her kittens are ready to go. Yes, I'm getting her fixed as soon as possible. Thanks everyone for helping.

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Any chance you can get the male fixed?

We have three kittens so far she has been in labor since about 7:30 -8pm. She delivered the third one about 10:30. I am certain there is more than three. They are tiny and she was so big (and still is) how long does this normally last? Her last litter (of 5) was born in the night so we had no idea it was happening.

It can take hours if she has a pause in labor, or it can go quick. I am glad to hear that she is doing well so far.

Are the first three latched and nursing?

This morning there is 6 heathy eating moving kittens! Yay! But Lucy still looks big. Could there be more??

Congratulations!

It's possible, but often times cats appear lumpy after birthing because their uterus must shrink back down and they've gained weight during the pregnancy, just like humans.

Just make sure all six are nursing well and growing.

Thank you! They all appear to be nursing and doing great. I don't push hard but when i feel her stomach it's not lumpy it's smooth not as hard but not soft like normal. Last time she had babies she looked like a different cat she was so skinny. I know like humans each pregnancy can be different but I just want to be prepared.

All you can do is wait and see. It's good she's got reserves to nurse all these babies. If she has more you may have to step in and rotate kittens, and even supplement, as more than six usually results in a couple of kittens being runts and getting rooted out. Certain nipples are always favored and hence produce more milk. Six babies is hard on mom, and more is a game changer.

Let us know!