Need advice PLEASE!

Okay... here it goes. My female cat went into her heat cycle a week before my tomcat was neutered. We kept them separated most of the time and watched them when they weren't. In the past week and a half, her stomach is growing and her nipples are getting larger and a little pinker. I really think she's pregnant, but I don't want her to be. If she is pregnant, she's in her fourth and a half week, approximately. I was worried when she came out of her heat cycle so soon, and I am really worried that she actually is pregnant now. She has become increasingly loving toward me, and is eating like a pig. I hope she's not pregnant, but if she is, I know I need to know. I think she is, but I would like your opinion, too. I appreciate any advice from anyone!

Thanks!

Take her to the vet. That's the quickest way to find out.

at 4 1/2 weeks my vet couldnt tell.

if her heat cycles have stopped and her nipples have pinked she more than likely is. if you dont want her to continue with the pregnancy speak to your vet, some vets have issues with late spays others dont.

if you do want her to continue with it you need to start feeding her good quality kitten food.

either way, take her to the vet just in case. your going to need thier help what ever you decide.

Originally Posted by maverick_kitten

at 4 1/2 weeks my vet couldnt tell.

if her heat cycles have stopped and her nipples have pinked she more than likely is. if you dont want her to continue with the pregnancy speak to your vet, some vets have issues with late spays others dont.

if you do want her to continue with it you need to start feeding her good quality kitten food.

either way, take her to the vet just in case. your going to need thier help what ever you decide.

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I don't want to abort the kittens. We already have to do that with another cat, because she is a feral, she has kittens, a week later, she's pregnant, and there's nothing we can do, so we have to abort some kittens as it is. I don't want to abort my babie's babies. I would rather her just have them, especially since her and the father are indoor cats, and my tomcat is now an "it." I will see if I can take her to the vet soon. Thanks for the advice!!!

Usually if they are pregnant their nipples will start getting pinker around 21 days after she was bred. So she could be.

The vet can tell at 23 days after conception so at 4 1/2 weeks he should be able to tell. She has all the signs though so she probably is. Cat's do not have to go into heat in order to get pregnent they are induced ovulators so the act of mating makes them ovulate. She could have gotten pregnant any time she was with the tom cat weather she was in heat or not. You count from the time they were together not the time she went into heat.

Originally Posted by bengalbabe

The vet can tell at 23 days after conception so at 4 1/2 weeks he should be able to tell. She has all the signs though so she probably is. Cat's do not have to go into heat in order to get pregnent they are induced ovulators so the act of mating makes them ovulate. She could have gotten pregnant any time she was with the tom cat weather she was in heat or not. You count from the time they were together not the time she went into heat.

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I did not know that! Wow! I learned something! He was neutered on the eigth, and she didn't see him the 6th or 7th, so, it has to have been that week, because she is just now showing. I took out my stethescope (P.S. It was a Christmas present... I'm not a vet, just aspiring to be... I'm only 15) and I heard what sounded like movement in there. It sounded like the babies moving.... I've heard the sound of gas before, and this wasn't it. Thank you all for your advice. It looks like I'll have some mini kitties soon!

Once again,
thank-you all!

Even if your male was neutered ... say on the eighth ... if your girl was allowed to be out and about freely with him, he could still impregnate her. It takes at least a couple of weeks to a month before you would be safe allowing them to be out and about freely together.

The chances are extremely good that your girl is in fact pregnant.

May I ask why she hasn't been spayed before now? How old is she? Was this her first heat cycle?

~gf~

Originally Posted by gayef

May I ask why she hasn't been spayed before now? How old is she? Was this her first heat cycle?

~gf~

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Yep I was wondering the same thing. If it is her first heat cycle and she is still really young, you probably should have the kittens aborted because she would be way too young to care for them properly and they could grow up with problems.

Originally Posted by Jen

Yep I was wondering the same thing. If it is her first heat cycle and she is still really young, you probably should have the kittens aborted because she would be way too young to care for them properly and they could grow up with problems.

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I wholeheartedly agree with this. I realize you commented that you didn't want to abort the babies, however, it is more considerate of the mother cat if she is still young. Jen is right, there are way too many risks in allowing a female that is too young (under a year) to become pregnant and have kittens. I strongly urge you to reconsider your thoughts on this.

~gf~

I work with a rescue, and am fostering a mom cat who had kittens 2 weeks ago. Her original owner apparently never got her vetted, vaccinated, etc. Obviously not spayed. At less than a year old and a first time mom, she had 7 kittens, and we've lost 3 already. I'm a single mom with a full time job who's up at 3:20 am bottle feeding the tiniest baby because mom is sick, babies are sick, and mom doesn't have enough milk for 4. In the past 15 days, I've had three babies die, 1 at birth, 1 at 2 days old, and 1 yesterday. The reality is, my mom cat is too young, shouldn't have been allowed to continue her pregnancy, but by the time the original owner got around to surrendering her, the rescue's vet wouldn't do a late term abortion. As cute as Chloe's kittens are, my reality is this is a heart breaking, very hard work job. Don't get me wrong I've learned a ton, I love volunteering with a rescue, and I love that my rescue is so supportive. But at the same time, this experience has made me even more outspoken about s/n of animals, even ones that are probably pregnant. Good luck to you no matter what you decide.

i think you need to talk to your vet and both agree on what would be best for the cat.

if you really want to keep the kittens make sure you can find homes for them and make sure she is in fit condition to do this. if your feral has had kittens already i'm concerned you might be taking on too much for yourself.

if you do decide to carry on with this pregnancy you need to read up about cat reproduction, pregnancy and birth so you'll know what to expect. you also need to read up on nutrition for mothers to be.

it can be done but its very hard and stressful for both you and the cat (not to mention dangerous) so please have a think before you decide

This isn't my cat's first heat cycle. She is 10 months old. I have not had her spayed because she has very bad reactions to vaccinations, and I'm scared to get her vaccinated for all the things that are required. I know she needs to be spayed, but, I just can't bring myself to do it. The feral's kittens are leaving for homes this weekend, long before my kitty has hers. I know young mothers is a risk and can be a heartache, but, I don't think I could bring myself to abort the babies. I just couldn't do that. I would rather give them a chance at life, than to kill them because they might die. I've raised many litters in my life, and have had many pregnant cats in my life, though I'm only 15, me and my mother have a soft spot for needy cats, and we help them when they are pregnant, and had a problem recently with one litter of a very healthy mother. She lost two, and abandoned another. She is left with only two. I am more than willing to bottle feed babies if I need to. I really want to try to do this. I, of course, have to talk to my parents about it, but, I want to raise the kittens. By the time she has them, she will be almost a year old. It's just that I have a soft spot for cats and kittens. I don't like to see any die without a chance. (Not that I like to see any die period, of course) My "motto" has been, "I would rather a kitten feel human love, and leave happy and secure and feeling safe, and for me to be sad, than for a kitten to leave scared, alone, and feeling unsafe, and me to be happy." I feel that way even with a kitten inside my baby. I'm not meaning to step on anyone's toes, but, I just don't want to abort the babies. My feelings toward aborting anything, unless absolutely neccessary, are very strong. I don't even want to abort the feral's kittens, but I may have to because that's what my parents feel is neccessary, though they feel the same way about abortion.

Although your cat should have been spayed and then you wouldn't have to face the descision you did bring up a very good point about not aborting them. I think that if you are willing to use your time to care for kittens that might not make it then you should let her have her kittens. But then afterward get her spayed right away.

oh and dont keep any of the kittens unless your willing to get them spayed too =0)

While I do not share your views on abortion, I can and do respect them. Since you feel as strongly as you seem to about it and you say that you are willing to do what it takes for your pregnant girl during her term, and then even further to help her babies should she need you to, then I suspect there isn't much hope in trying to change your mind.

If you do allow this to happen, then you must know right now that you are 100% responsible for the results. You have made a very serious committment to seeing it all the way through. You can't just say, "Oh, it is Saturday morning and I want to sleep in ..." or you can't just go off to the movies or the mall with friends ... you are in for the whole penny and pound until such time as those kittens all go to their new homes and your momma cat is spayed.

You write as though you are very dedicated to this cause - I sincerely hope you will remember that dedication when and if you are called to duty for these cats. Make us proud of you - and never, ever forget that if you run into problems, your vet is ALWAYS the first line of defense, but we are here as well to guide and advise as best we can if you need us.

I agree, Gayef. Addy, you need to start thinking ahead now since you've decided to continue the pregnancy. Caring for your mom cat and seeing her through the pregnancy is only the beginning. It can be very challenging to find responsible, PERMANENT homes for the kittens. You will need to ensure that the kittens are spay/neutered and the best way to do that is to make sure the S/N is done BEFORE the kittens go to new homes. Too many people will say they'll be sure to have it done, but somehow they never get around to it, and before you know it, the kitten is having kittens... Situations like that are still all too common and only add to the already tremendous overpopulation of cats.

Please get your cat spayed after she has the kittens. Find a sympathetic vet who will be willing to do it without vaccinations since she reacts badly to them.

You're kind to also care for the feral cat. I have a small colony of feral cats myself. The reason it's small is because they're all neutered. Please, please get this feral mom spayed. She's had several litters already - please don't let her have more. Buy or borrow a humane trap, like a Tru-Catch trap and get her fixed. She will be healthier and happier because she won't constantly be pregnant, and you will feel great knowing you have done a very responsible thing!!! If you need advice on how to trap her, there are lots of members who can help you.

Originally Posted by KTLynn

You're kind to also care for the feral cat. I have a small colony of feral cats myself. The reason it's small is because they're all neutered. Please, please get this feral mom spayed. She's had several litters already - please don't let her have more. Buy or borrow a humane trap, like a Tru-Catch trap and get her fixed. She will be healthier and happier because she won't constantly be pregnant, and you will feel great knowing you have done a very responsible thing!!! If you need advice on how to trap her, there are lots of members who can help you.

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Working on it! The cats are tame, and come to us... we are just trying to get them spayed, but, they get pregnant everytime before their other kittens are weaned! They have kittens, a week later, they're pregnant!!!!

Thank-you all for your support! I appreciate it!

First, I'm sympathetic to your situation and agree you are conscientious to be posting here.

So your >1 year old unvaccinated cat is going to have babies? Obviously this is a very suboptimal situation but you can still get things on track.

1. Prepare for the delivery by creating an isolated area somewhere in your house
2. Prepare for a litter of at least four kittens
3. Start saving money and stockpile supplies
4. Find a vet who is willing to give you an extended payment plan for all work
5. Start locating people who will adopt your kittens

I think this would be a good time to reach out to a local private rescue group and ask for help. You seen overextended and need to reduce your load. As for the feral cats, simply feeding a bunch of strays is not managing a feral community. It'd be best to either let them go or to turn it over to someone with more time and resources.

I was also a pet owner at age fifteen. But...we can't save every animal. I took in one stray and while it is rewarding, rescuing Nano has been a lot of work and is an ongoing challenge. And I'm an adult with my own place and sufficient resources for proper care. Each evening when I go for a walk I see at least five strays and I just have to keep walking -- I can't save every lost pet.

You don't believe in abortion and I can respect your views. But once you get this litter delivered and weened, you need to get them all altered so you can place them in new homes. Then please focus on your two housecats. Go for high quality of life for each of them -- quality food, shower with your attention and good vet care. Instead of many cats, save your resources and do nice things like get them professionally groomed twice a year.

It is tough...but you need to start transitioning where you don't have so many responsibilities and aren't so overextended. If you still have that extra energy, consider volunteering to be an attendent at the local adoption days. Today I saw a high school aged attendent spend 30 minutes with a family setting out exactly what they needed to do for the cat they were adopting.

Again, good luck...but I think you really have your work cut out for you.

Addy, you mentioned the (feral ) catS are tame - I thought you had only 1 feral mom. I'm confused: in one of your posts it sounds like the mom cat WAS spayed since you talked about aborting the kittens. Are there 2 mom cats?

Are you using a trap? I know you don't like taking them to be spayed when they're pregnant, so if they're getting pregnant as fast as you say they are, basically "back-to-back" pregnancies, how are you ever going to get them spayed?