moving a pregnant cat

Hi everyone, I have a question.... I am currently going to college for animal care and over our week-long break I agreed to foster a pretty little calico kitty from the animal centre at my school who is more than likely pregnant (she's only 9-10 mos. old ). My boyfriend and I have decided to keep her but we don't think our tiny one-bedroom apartment is the best place for her to give birth because we also have 2 5-ish year old cats. I'm wondering if it would be ok to have her deliver the babies either at my school or at my professors house by moving her there a few days before she gives birth? The school is an hour + away....

argh, what do we do?

I would suggest you find another family to foster this cat. I am sorry, but it does not sound like a good situation to bring a cat into, especially one that is going to deliver. You have two cats already and they will be on the alert and maybe on the attack. If you can't keep the cats separated until they get to know each other and then after the kittens are born and moving around, then this cat is not the one for you to foster. I see to many things that could go wrong here.

If you want to keep her permanently, an option would be to have her spayed even if she is pregnant. Unless she is really far along, most vets will spay. This will eliminate all the hormones and the momma cats protectiveness towards the babies, etc.

She has been here for a week and I did the whole proper intro of a new cat thing, put her in another room with the door closed for a day or two then let them see each other yadda yadda and we've made a lot of progress already. When she first came here she would hiss even if she just saw one of my other cats but now they can coexist and she hardly hisses at all. My cats are really well behaved and I'm not concerned about them harming the possible kittens, its just that I don't have the space to have a queen and her kittens for 8-10 weeks until they are ready to go....

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

If you want to keep her permanently, an option would be to have her spayed even if she is pregnant. Unless she is really far along, most vets will spay. This will eliminate all the hormones and the momma cats protectiveness towards the babies, etc.

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How far along is too far? she has a rounded belly but I can't palpate any kittens and neither could the vet tech at school

Originally Posted by Melsa

How far along is too far? she has a rounded belly but I can't palpate any kittens and neither could the vet tech at school

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A vet can make that determination. At the feral cat clinic I volunteer at all pregnant cats are spayed because it would be difficult to recatch the cat after she had given birth. If the vet tech could not feel any kittens...she may still be very early in her pregnancy and ok to have spayed...but again, it will have to be the determination of a vet.

Katie

Anyone know of a cheap spay/neuter facility in Ontario? near Toronto (in Hamilton actually)

Originally Posted by Melsa

Anyone know of a cheap spay/neuter facility in Ontario? near Toronto (in Hamilton actually)

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Animal Crusaders of Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
Phone: (416) 438-4636
Email: [email protected]
Referral to low cost vets

Originally Posted by Melsa

How far along is too far? she has a rounded belly but I can't palpate any kittens and neither could the vet tech at school

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Different vets have different answers to that question, based on thier personal philosophical viewpoints relating to aborting the fetuses and how comfortable the vet feels working with a pregnant uterus and the associated massive blood vessels.

However, the official answer is that a cat can be safely spayed at any point in pregnancy. A late-term spay is basically identical to a c-section with spay and this is done fairly routinely and with minimal risk to the mother cat.

As for birthing options, it is best not to move the mother cat from home to home in the time near birth unless it is absolutely necessary. Any space that can be closed off would be suitable for her to have her kittens. A bathroom (with a space heater) or a walk-in closet would both be perfectly acceptable. She does not need much space, just somewhere private.