HELP me please!

Hello,
I just found out that my cat/kitten is pregnant when i noticed her belly and nipples were, well huge!!! I have been reading up as much information as i can about cats and pregnancy but still worried i'm not going to no what to do. My cat is still a kitten herself she is only about 8 months old (I think) she is so small still and i'm worried how she is going to give birth. If anyone could give me any advice it would be muchly appreciated!

It might be worth your while to call you vet and explain the situation to him/her and see what they advise.

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Cat Pregnancy Report

Also....please keep her indoors only through her pregnancy and until she has delivered and weaned her kittens and then has been spayed. When the time comes, we can help you to locate a vet in order to have the mom spayed.

Katie

Hi there. I had similar concerns. We were waiting for our very small little girl to become old enough to be desexed (vet had said she was about 5 months old when we found her as a stray) and we got our boy desexed only one week after he showed signs of being "a man". Well, it seems our timing sucked, cos our girl Silvie got pregnant! We didn't see her in heat and didn't even realise (or have reason to believe) she was pregnant til she was very round-tummy. They are 100% indoor cats. Talk about a shock! I worried as you are, but we kept Silvie vet-checked and on premium kitten food, and despite her tiny size, she had 5 robust healthy kittens. Two were a little smaller and we had early concerns about maybe needing to supplement bottle-feed them, but Silvie did a great job in the end. We are still amazed such a little girl could have so many kitties. They are 5 weeks old now and a delight! All bouncy, healthy, chubby -- beginning to nibble kitten food and drinking water when not feeding from Silvie. We have kept Silvie plied with as much premium kitten food as she wants, and although she is very lean, she is feeding the babies well, perky and content.
With good vet care, a good diet and a vigilant eye (for any potential problems) there is no reason your little one can't do equally well. It is a wonderful, fun journey for everyone! Best of luck and keep us posted.
PS --- try to line up good homes for the babies well before they are ready to go, so you don't end up with "older" - that is 4 month+ kittens that are harder to find homes for. But don't let them aactually go to new homes til around 12 weeks and they are fully weaned etc. And of course --- get mumma desexed!!!!

It is a wonderful, fun journey for everyone!

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I would caution against making statements along these lines.....I had a foster family where 1 of the kittens died of pneumonia...that was NOT fun watching this little kitten struggle to live. It was also very costly trying to save her live.

With good vet care, a good diet and a vigilant eye (for any potential problems) there is no reason your little one can't do equally well.

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Even cats who have the best vet care can have issues in delivery...so best to be prepared for both a fine delivery and for the potential of issues.

Katie

i would just like to say i am in the same situation my lil girl is 11mths we should have got her done already oh well things happen for a reason but let me tell you as soon as we can she is of to the vet to get spayed.
I have one question though as i am not 100 percentsure she is pregnant and i cant take her to the vet (please dont ask why nothing bad or anything) i looked at her nipples and i thought that they looked bigger but i cant be sure so can anyone explain how big a big nipple is??

Originally Posted by ava112

i would just like to say i am in the same situation my lil girl is 11mths we should have got her done already oh well things happen for a reason but let me tell you as soon as we can she is of to the vet to get spayed.
I have one question though as i am not 100 percentsure she is pregnant and i cant take her to the vet (please dont ask why nothing bad or anything) i looked at her nipples and i thought that they looked bigger but i cant be sure so can anyone explain how big a big nipple is??

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Ava....unfortunately there is no way to say for sure if she is pregnant unless it is verified by a vet. I understand your mother does not want to take her to the vet...but every day that you delay and allow her indoor/outdoor access is another day that she could become pregnant if she isn't already. Big nipples and a big belly are not necessarily proof of pregnancy. That is why it was recommended in your earlier post that you have her examined by a vet. The vet will not only be able to say for sure whether she is pregnant, but also let you know if there are any potential problems:

The mother can and should be examined by a vet who can confirm her pregnancy, check her for any abnormal conditions which may harm the kittens and based on exam findings, may also be able to tell you how far along in the pregnancy the cat may be.

If your mom is not willing to take her to the vet, then it will be a waiting game. But I would still recommend you stop allowing her indoor/outdoor access until she can be spayed.

Katie

Regarding my comments on it being an exciting journey - and being positive in attitude that things can work out well if one is responsible with care of mum-to-be........I was not trying to gloss over the situation or deny things can and do go wrong and if it does it is terrible. But I have been in bundy-rums shoes recently and know the nervousness only too well. Since we are not vets nor do we have crystal balls, we cannot foretell what may happen. But we have a profound ability to scare the heck out of a newbie, fill them with dread about all manner of potential tragic outcomes and raise their anxieties even further. They are likely running these scenarios through their minds in the first place and have come here looking for answers. Yes, things go wrong. Yes, problems do happen. But as long as an owner does all reasonable things to care for their cat and keep watch for abnormal developments, then it was just my opinion the pregnancy/birth journey should be enjoyed, not be one of fear and worry. If real problems do arise, the answers don't lie on a board like this (although much valuable and caring guidence is offered ---- and full marks for that)......but the first point of contact in the face of problems is a obviously a vet. And that's just common sense. Anyhow, I just wanted to clarify what I meant, and reiterate to bundy-rum that although a bit nerve racking, being a kitty "mum" really can be an exciting and fun journey.

If real problems do arise, the answers don't lie on a board like this (although much valuable and caring guidence is offered ---- and full marks for that)......but the first point of contact in the face of problems is a obviously a vet. And that's just common sense. Anyhow, I just wanted to clarify what I meant, and reiterate to bundy-rum that although a bit nerve racking, being a kitty "mum" really can be an exciting and fun journey.

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My goal is to try to be as realistic with a person when they find themselves in a situation where their cat became pregnant by some unknown cat. There are real issues that they can encounter...and not everyone is going to seek medical advice or have the funding to work with a vet on a regular basis...thus this board is put in the position of providing a realistic picture of both a pregnancy that goes well and one that has complications. It is also incredibly important that we not forget the cats that lose their lives every day due to the overpopulation, so keeping a cat indoors and planning to have it spayed once the kittens are weaned is critical.

Katie

A concern I would have is if you can't take a cat to a vet now, how will you do so if something happens during delivery? Or if a kitten does get sick? I know often money can be an issue for families. But I have a friend who's sister couldn't afford a $100 adoption fee for a spayed cat, and got a free cat. The vet bills in the first two months were over $200. Then, as she wasn't spayed, she had kittens, all of whom died. They had several vet visits with the kittens, which was also costly. And now she has had another litter, which is apparently healthy.

Just to let you know, sometimes the kindest, and least expensive option is to spay the cat even if she is pregnant. That is possible. The sooner it is done, the better. The vet can examine the cat to let you know how far along she is.

That said, I love kittens, too. I have fostered 2 litters. The first were just fine, no problems, all 4 kittens were great. From my last litter of 5 kittens, 3 died. So it really can go either way. Best of luck to you, whatever you decide.

I agree that you really should take the cat to a vet, but to answer your question about nipple size. They are about the size of a grain of rice when pregnant.