Kitten already expecting kittens!!!

lea98

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Hello all, to make things short; a neighbor recently gave me permission to take in a kitten he claimed to be a "stray" that stayed in his open shed because he worked outside of town and only returned once a week long enough to switch vehicles. He had more pets but I don't want to get into the details.

Anyways, I believe the cat to be younger than my ten month old kitten, Amira. Yes, I consider any cat under a year a kitten. Maybe 7-8 months. Well, it took me awhile but I believe she's pregnant. I have a strict no litter policy and always spay/neuter my animals and even went as far as setting a spay appointment for her when I originally got her. The soonest available appointment is April 22nd. I don't know what to do not due to my new found knowledge, I have never had a pregnant cat before.

Should I go ahead with the spay?

Would it be too late in the pregnancy to get the operation? (Approx. conception date: March 6-7)

If I decide to let her have the kittens, how do I care for her AND them?

Please, let this incident encourage ALL pet owners to realize the importance of spaying/neutering their pets. Overpopulation is a serious issue with large majority ending up in shelters, euthanized, or homeless with no vet care and being forced to add to the problem. Unless it is a lively hood in breeding registered pure bred animals, please resist backyard breeding! It is cruel and inhumane. If it's accidental, don't force them to repeat this multiple times a year. Make the sacrifice to put their health as a priority. Please and thank you for reading this far.
 

ashade1

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Is there anyway that you could take her to a different clinic for a sooner spay? I think she would be too far along at that point (I don't like to spay them after their 7th week of pregnancy). However, there are some rescue groups in my area that will spay at any given time in the pregnancy. I guess it would be whatever you are comfortable with doing, I definitely would try to get her to a different clinic if you can! She is so young!

If you decide to not spay one of the main things is to give her 24/7 access to kitten chow and a couple of cans of wet food a day!
 

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Yes, try a different clinic. If she is showing she is already 5 weeks along. I do not recommend spaying after about 6 weeks. The unborn kittens begin getting fur and putting on weight the final 3 weeks.

If you decide to continue the pregnancy we have many helpful articles about pregnant moms and kittens.

We are a pro spay/neuter site and agree with you 100%. Thank you for taking her in!

Please keep us posted.
 
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StefanZ

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Hello all, to make things short; a neighbor recently gave me permission to take in a kitten he claimed to be a "stray" that stayed in his open shed because he worked outside of town and only returned once a week long enough to switch vehicles. He had more pets but I don't want to get into the details.

Anyways, I believe the cat to be younger than my ten month old kitten, Amira. Yes, I consider any cat under a year a kitten. Maybe 7-8 months. Well, it took me awhile but I believe she's pregnant. I have a strict no litter policy and always spay/neuter my animals and even went as far as setting a spay appointment for her when I originally got her. The soonest available appointment is April 22nd. I don't know what to do not due to my new found knowledge, I have never had a pregnant cat before.

Should I go ahead with the spay?

Would it be too late in the pregnancy to get the operation? (Approx. conception date: March 6-7)

If I decide to let her have the kittens, how do I care for her AND them?

Please, let this incident encourage ALL pet owners to realize the importance of spaying/neutering their pets. Overpopulation is a serious issue with large majority ending up in shelters, euthanized, or homeless with no vet care and being forced to add to the problem. Unless it is a lively hood in breeding registered pure bred animals, please resist backyard breeding! It is cruel and inhumane. If it's accidental, don't force them to repeat this multiple times a year. Make the sacrifice to put their health as a priority. Please and thank you for reading this far.
They aer less than a month the foetuises, so its not too late in any way.  the quiestion is possibly, if she is a  petite female whom looks as a kitten - which happens, or if she is that young for real.

anwyas, if you think its less than 5 weeks, its ok to spay, medically and for most, ethically too.
 
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lea98

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Is there anyway that you could take her to a different clinic for a sooner spay? I think she would be too far along at that point (I don't like to spay them after their 7th week of pregnancy). However, there are some rescue groups in my area that will spay at any given time in the pregnancy. I guess it would be whatever you are comfortable with doing, I definitely would try to get her to a different clinic if you can! She is so young!

If you decide to not spay one of the main things is to give her 24/7 access to kitten chow and a couple of cans of wet food a day!
I do give her constant access to Purina kitten chow Extra Protein, because she was a little skinny. I would take her to another clinic if this town I lived in wasn't in the middle of nowhere. The clinic I'm going to is already 45 minutes away. That's why it's so busy. I'm not sure I've made my decision yet. It's a lot of pressure.
 
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lea98

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Yes, try a different clinic. If she is showing she is already 5 weeks along. I do not recommend spaying after about 6 weeks. The unborn kittens begin getting fur and putting on weight the final 3 weeks.

If you decide to continue the pregnancy we have many heloful articles about pregnant moms and kittens.

We are a pro spay/neuter site and agree with you 100%. Thank you for taking her in!

Please keep us posted.
I'm not sure what choice to make yet as this is the only clinic in the area that is deemed "nearby", it still almost takes an hour to get there. I don't know if the kittens would be bad for her health since she's so young?
 

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lea98 lea98

Well, if you can't get her in until April 22nd, that's 25 days away. She will likely be in her final 2 weeks of pregnancy at that point.

Most young moms manage well enough. This unfortunately happens all too often with strays. Most do fine, though it's not ideal.
 
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lea98

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They aer less than a month the foetuises, so its not too late in any way.  the quiestion is possibly, if she is a  petite female whom looks as a kitten - which happens, or if she is that young for real.


anwyas, if you think its less than 5 weeks, its ok to spay, medically and for most, ethically too.
I'm relatively confident in my age estimate, I am currently attending college as a veterinarian assistant. We're not vets by any standard but they teach us the basics. I'm just concerned about the waiting period between now and her set appointment.
 
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lea98

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lea98 lea98

Well, if you can't get her in until April 22nd, that's 25 days away. She will likely be in her final 2 weeks of pregnancy at that point.

Most young moms manage well enough. This unfortunately happens all too often with strays. Most do fine, though it's not ideal.
I already have 2 dogs and another cat (excluding Sun) and told myself "no more". Apparently life says otherwise. It's a difficult decision because I have to think of options for finding homes for them if I let her have them. This little town is more of a country/agricultural area where dogs are always in demand. Cats no so much, unless they're barn cats, basically strays that they feed occasionally.
 

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I already have 2 dogs and another cat (excluding Sun) and told myself "no more". Apparently life says otherwise. It's a difficult decision because I have to think of options for finding homes for them if I let her have them. This little town is more of a country/agricultural area where dogs are always in demand. Cats no so much, unless they're barn cats, basically strays that they feed occasionally.
It is a hard decision. I think you would also want to make sure you can spay and neuter the kittens before they go to their new home, to stop the cycle. I think I would try to get her spayed asap, or tell the clinic that you will take any cancellation.
 
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lea98

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It is a hard decision. I think you would also want to make sure you can spay and neuter the kittens before they go to their new home, to stop the cycle. I think I would try to get her spayed asap, or tell the clinic that you will take any cancellation.
That's a good idea, I'll call them today. I wish they had a spay and release clinic here.
 

IndyJones

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If you feel comfortable with it than I feel an abortion is acceptable in this case. Your cat is very young and you express an interest in spaying her. This is a personal choice though.
 
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talkingpeanut

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If you feel comfortable with it than I feel an abortion is acceptable in this case. Your cat is very young and you express an interest in spaying her. This is a personal choice though.
Oops. Did not mean to quote!
 
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lea98

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If you feel comfortable with it than I feel an abortion is acceptable in this case. Your cat is very young and you express an interest in spaying her. This is a personal choice though.
I'll see what the vet says. If he's comfortable with doing the procedure I'll go ahead with it.
 

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I'll see what the vet says. If he's comfortable with doing the procedure I'll go ahead with it.
The vet should have no problem medically. It's no different than any other spay early on.
 
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lea98

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The vet should have no problem medically. It's no different than any other spay early on.
It won't be entirely early on because if my calculations are correct, cats I believe are pregnant for 9-10 weeks. Sun's approximate conception date was March 6-7th. Because when I went to pick her up the neighbor walked me to the shed where she was hiding under the floor boards because 3 males were waiting outside. At least I assume they were males, they even followed me home as I walked with Sun in my arms back to my house. So she must have been in heat. Anyways, her spay appointment is April 22nd, which would mean she would be 6 weeks pregnant, approximately. Maybe a little more if my estimates are slightly off. Sorry, I am just trying to figure everything out. 6 weeks shouldn't be too late to take her, should it?
 

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There are already so many loving yet unwanted cats in the world by doing this you are helping them have a second chance at life. And kitten season is coming up so that makes it even harder for these poor animals.
 
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