Worried Kitty Mom!

Hello! I am new to this forum, as I am sure you can tell. 





I have a pregnant cat named Boo who is a little over a year old. 





Before I get into the details, I'd like to say that none of this was expected and I know how ill-prepared I am/was and I feel absolutely horrible about it. I've always been an advocate of getting your animals spayed and neutered but this little minx was SUPPOSE to be an indoor cat, however she did get out once in season and of course, she got pregnant. 





I didn't know though! I got my previous kitty spayed and my male cat is neutered, however unexpected financial constraints occurred and I told myself she'd be fine because she's an indoor cat and I wouldn't be able to get out. However, Boo is a very strong-willed type of cat and she fooled me, and boy is she fast.





Okay, so, my boyfriend and I lived in AL, back in November we decided we'd move to New Jersey, where he's from and where his family is located. We took Boo with us, (she was surprisingly GREAT in the car! Didn't even have her in the carrier long, just in a harness and on a leash). So we get here, our money's looking a little low being that we were in between jobs, but we had what we THOUGHT would be enough to get things going up here, even had money set aside to have her spayed! Fast-forward to a week of being here and Boo is throwing up, she's got diarrhea and she's starting to get lethargic from dehydration. At this point I still had no idea she was pregnant. I know! I know, I should have KNOWN she was, but I've never dealt with a pregnant cat and she only got out ONE TIME. But with the chaos of the move and the stress, I thought that it was just too much on her.





I spent that night forcing water in her with a syringe, which she eventually would just throw back up. I do know the signs of extreme dehydration in cats and by the morning had come she had them, I was distraught. I rushed her to the vet and they told me things were not looking good for her and that if she didn't improve in the next day I may want to consider the tough option. I was bawling, I felt like such a terrible cat-parent. They wanted 2600$ to keep her in the Vet Hospital and to run numerous tests, but I could NOT afford that. We didn't even have that much money left! We ended up spending every penny we had put back there, just to take care of her at home and to have a few of the tests run. I wanted them to run an Xray on her because I had read online that she could have had something stuck in her and it could be blocking some important bodily functions (also, at this point she had started pooping blood). They said if I couldn't afford to have the Xray and blood tests done that I should definitely do the tests and now, thinking back, I wish I had had them do the Xray anyways because then we would have known SHE'S PREGNANT.  





IT'S ALL DOOM AND GLOOM. Because I am CONVINCED that because I didn't have 2600$ to drop on her and I had to take her home and give her fluids and stuff myself that she was almost CERTAINLY going to die. But I didn't give up and neither did she! There were a few times I can remember just sitting in the floor with her and holding her almost lifeless body and telling her that if she needed to go then she should and I felt so guilty that I couldn't have just made the hard choice for her and put her out of her misery but I am SO GLAD I DIDN'T. Because she is 100% better now and she's also HUGELY pregnant and probably going to drop dem babies soon. 





I only recently started working and I haven't had the money to take her back into the vet (which I am searching for a new, cheaper vet) and my boyfriend also only just started his job. I want to take her to the vet extremely badly, but my bank account says no. :< I am so worried for her kittens, but given that I almost lost her completely I am willing to accept anything at this point. But I am very worried that there may be some developmental issues going on in there, what with her previously failing health and all. They're growing fine, but I haven't been able to feel them move, she's VERY protective of her belly though and I've gotten a fair share of scratches to prove it. 





I am pretty sure she's gonna have them in the next day or so, her milk is in and she's been acting very strange tonight. I have about 3 boxes set up in a room for her and she's been repetitively jumping from one to the other. 





Also, she's been trying very hard to escape the room she's in tonight. Earlier she was quite a ways across the room when I looked away from her to shut the door and she ran for it, which caused me to shut the door on her stomach a little. I wasn't shutting it very hard and I was going kind of slow, but I've read online you're not even suppose to TOUCH the belly ever when they're pregnant. 





I am freaking out. I don't know what I am doing. Please, anyone, help me. D:

It is completely fine to touch their bellies if they will allow you to. Some don't like it, as you've found out. What is not recommended is trying to palate mom's tummy to feel the kittens. That should be left for an experienced vet to do as you could harm or kill them accidentally. Keep her in the room. Are the boxes open looking? Or is there a little hole she can use to get into them? They tend to like dimmed places. If she is uncomfortable with you in there with her you may want to let her be. Some cats get very clingy and others want to be alone. I wouldn't be too concerned about the door incident unless of course, you do feel as if you closed it pretty hard on her. My very pregnant foster kitty was playing with a toy mouse today and it made me nervous how crazy she was getting because she was throwing her weight around and sometimes landed on her side pretty hard. But I know they usually know what there doing so I'm not worried about the babies. Have you been giving her kitten food and making sure she always has access to it? If not, you will definitely want to do that asap

First of all, take a deep breath and calm down.   She will sense your stressed out and it will stress her out.  The babies are fine.  Each is in a little sack of fluid inside a larger sack.  She could be close to labor or she could be having pre-contractions.  When she begins panting and you can see ripples or tightening of her sides and belly, she in labor.

Here are some articles to read.  Information is power and these are info-light.  After you've read them, cruise over to the cat lounge forum to see/play some games and visit with other members to help you pass the time.

 [article="29720"]Pregnancy And Delivery In Cats​[/article]  

 [article="31379"]Pregnant Cat What To Prepare For The Birth​[/article]    I understand money is tight.  Get the basics if you can.  KMR, small 1 ml needleless syringe, small kitchen scale, kitten food - lots of kitten food, wet and dry.  Mos, if not all, of these items are available at Walmart.

 [article="31496"]How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth​[/article]  

 [article="31414"]Help My Cat Is Having Kittens​[/article]  

Welcome to TCS!

Here's one more article, just in case

 [article="32915"]No Money For Vet Care How To Find Help And Save Your Cats Life​[/article]  

Thank you for the responses!

I've been giving her hard kitten food for about 3 weeks now, pretty much when I noticed her nipples were pink and enlarged. I will pick up more as soon as I can. 

She got out about 2 weeks before we moved, which was at the beginning of June, I am pretty sure I even know who the father is, a cute little orange and white kitty that I actually saw her with when I finally got her back inside. 

 I had suspected a tiny bit that she COULD be pregnant when we were moving but after the health issues and the expensive vet visit I had thought there wasn't a possibility and even if she had been, she would have most likely lost them. But I guess I was very wrong. 

I have been super worried about not being able to feel them move but I just went and visited her hormonal butt and she was being very cuddly and let me rub her belly and I felt tiny little nudges. Almost makes me wonder if she knew I was worried and let me feel to put my mind to rest.  c:

Just an update on Boo!!

She went into labor around 5PM yesterday and had 5 beautiful kittens. All seem healthy and eating properly. They've all put on at least 12 grams in just a day! (the biggest baby gain 20!!) 


First 2 out! The one with more white we're calling Chubbs for now, the darker one is Fabio! 


All five are born and they all nursed like little pros! Mama kitty is doing fine as well! She's a natural and so caring! 


This was about 5AM this morning! She hardly ever leaves their side, I actually had to give her food an water in bed because I was worried about her becoming dehydrated! 

Now a few questions! 

She decided to take over my kids room, which is fine, but I am too nervous to let my girls sleep in there with the little ones so they're sleeping on a air mattress in my room for now. How old should the kittens be before I let them have their room back? Also, I want to pay to have them all spayed/neutered, when is the earliest a vet can do that? 

So glad that all of my original concerns were for nothing! Yay kittens!! 

They're adorable!

How old are your girls? Is the momma kitty comfortable around them or are you concerned they'll accidentally hurt the kittens?

The earliest they can be spayed/neutered is 8 weeks. Our shelter does it at 8 weeks as long as they are 2+ pounds but I think I saw somewhere that some vets only require that they be 8 weeks or hit 2 pounds (whichever comes first). It really depends on the vet. Some like to wait until they're older than 8 weeks, some still want to wait until they're a bit older.

First of all, I'm glad you didn't give up on her. Not every grim situation is life or death. I've been in that place, telling my kitty that if they needed to go, then go. It's heart-breaking. I'm so glad that she's better.

Those are also some beautiful kittens! If your girls are old enough not to play rough, and know that looking but not touching and being very careful where they step is important, then I would say they would be fine to move back into their room once the kittens are 4 weeks old -- or if Momma decides to move them out of the room.

My vet won't do spaying or neutering until kittens are 6 months old. It varies from vet to vet. Since funds are low, your best bet is finding a low cost spay and neuter clinic that can help you. People here can help you find one based upon your geographic location. Call around and see when they'll do it.

Best of luck to you!

Congratulations! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

You may want to move mom and kittens to your room, so the girls can have their room back, because it will be several weeks before they can handle the kittens much, and it may be easier for you to keep an eye on them in your room.

I'm so glad they are all doing well!

Congratulations!  I'm thinking the orange and white cat isn't the father.  There are no orange kittens in the bunch.

Watch for a runt.  Weigh them every day at the same time.   Not gaining is the first sign of trouble.

Unfortunately there are other cats in the house and my room doesn't have a door that can keep them out so I am thinking the girl's room will be her nursery until I can get the kittens out and let them explore. 

I am so glad I didn't give up on her and also glad that even after I forced oodles and oodles of medicine and subcutaneous fluids into the mommy the kittens are okay. I am also glad that it doesn't seem to have affected our bond greatly. It was so cool how I found the poor cat, she was alarmed and meowing loudly when I found her halfway through delivering the first. She was meowing at the door and then calmed down once I sat in the floor with her, gotta say made me happy that I was able to help in some way. 

My kids are 7 and 6 and I think they'd be fine, honestly, but I think Boo gets a little antsy with them around and I want her to be as comfortable as possible. 

I have no idea who the daddy could be. Most seem to have a similar pattern to her, however 1 of them has a couple orange spots on his face and another has large orange spots on its body, so maybe?? 

In that case the girls's room is best! Your girls can move back in when the kittens are 3 full weeks old. They will still need to be careful, but it should be okay then. I would not let the kittens explore outside the room until they are 6 weeks and fully weaned and litter trained.