A little extra help knowing that my cat is pregnant...

Sorry I am asking this question from here but I am brand new to this and couldn't figure out how to post an original question. So here goes...

We have 2 dogs and 2 cats, all adopted and believe me, I know the importance of having an animal spayed. My little Ethel was due to be spayed in February, we were waiting til she was old enough and it was after Christmas and one night when I was at work she was driving my husband crazy with her meowing and peeing in the laundry basket. He put her in the garage not realizing that the dog door was open.

Well, she hasn't had anymore meowing attacks and the laundry has been safe since then. Something hit me last week and I realized that she might be pregnant. I have been doing some reading and I learned that one symptom of pregnancy is pink nipples. Not paying attention to them before, I looked now and some are brigher pink with tiny white tips and others are pale pink. She seems to have more than my other female cat (who has been fixed for over a year) and they go almost to her neck.

So what do you think? And how far along could she be?

Thanks and I am so glad that I found this site!

Originally Posted by LisaB917

Sorry I am asking this question from here but I am brand new to this and couldn't figure out how to post an original question. So here goes...

We have 2 dogs and 2 cats, all adopted and believe me, I know the importance of having an animal spayed. My little Ethel was due to be spayed in February, we were waiting til she was old enough and it was after Christmas and one night when I was at work she was driving my husband crazy with her meowing and peeing in the laundry basket. He put her in the garage not realizing that the dog door was open.

Well, she hasn't had anymore meowing attacks and the laundry has been safe since then. Something hit me last week and I realized that she might be pregnant. I have been doing some reading and I learned that one symptom of pregnancy is pink nipples. Not paying attention to them before, I looked now and some are brigher pink with tiny white tips and others are pale pink. She seems to have more than my other female cat (who has been fixed for over a year) and they go almost to her neck.

So what do you think? And how far along could she be?

Thanks and I am so glad that I found this site!

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Welcome to the site...I am actually going to see if they can seperate this post from the rest so you will get more answers. There is a good chance she is pregnant...however it is always a good idea when you aren't sure to take your cat to the vet. Not only can the vet confirm that she is indeed pregnant, the vet can also give you a timeframe.

Katie

Katie,
Can you tell me how to post an original and then I can cut and paste and repost.

Definately get her to a vet to confirm if she is pregnant.
If she is under a year she really is too young to be having kittens.
It would be like a 12 year old child having a baby.
She probably doesn't know quite what to do and having kittens when she is just one herself can be a risk to her health.
I personally would take her in to be spayed. Why wasn't she done in February?
If you are hesitant about spaying her while pregnant, you can take her in to be spayed, tell the vet she got outside and COULD be pregnant but you don't want to know, just spay her. That way you wouldn't feel bad.
Other then possible health risks, there are other things too. You don't know who the father is, he could be diseased and now she could be too or she could pass it to the babies. She could reject them or not know what to do and you will have to spend every 2-4 hours all day, all night bottle feeding and stimulating to go to the bathroom, the whole litter for a few weeks. Or since she is young and probably small, she could have delivery problems. C-sections and late night vet visits could come up.

Lastly, you will then have to spend the money spaying and neutering not only the mother, but ALL the babies, vaccinating them all, testing the mother to be sure she didn't pick up anything from being outside with random male cats, and then you will have to find them all good homes. Adoption fees for the kittens will not get you nearly enough to cover the costs of vet visits for all those cats.

Just some things to think about. These are just risks that are taken when such young cats become pregnant. It could also go completely smoothly but you never know.

So what do you think? And how far along could she be?

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As others have stated, she obviously *could* be pregnant, but only a vet can tell you for sure. if she is, you would only have to count back to when she was outside of the house to figure out how far along she is. (unless she has been allowed out other times before or since, also)

If you do not take her to a vet and just play the waiting game to see if she shows other signs of pregnancy eventually, that is just more time that she is going to be unaltered and her chances of getting out and getting pregnant are still there.

So, I think your only good option is to take her to the vet and see if she is pregnant and then make a decision about what to do about it if she is.

You didn't mention her age and as Jen pointed out, that should definitely be considered when deciding what to do.

Good luck to you and your kitty and please keep us updated.

HELP!!!! Ethel and I were lying on the bed and she has been especially cuddy today but I have contractors here. I was rubbing her hine quarters and she was lovng it! I looked down and she had white stuff coming out. I got a glove and wiped it off and it is tinged pink! Is it time????

Also, her stomach was really hard a little while ago and now it's soft almost like before she was pregnant...

Originally Posted by LisaB917

Also, her stomach was really hard a little while ago and now it's soft almost like before she was pregnant...

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Lisa...I'm no vet....so my recommendation would be to take her into your vet if you have concerns.

Katie

Lisa, approximately when did your husband let her out? "After Christmas" meaning, like, around New Year's, or sometime later?

I couldn't begin to tell you when she got out. I didn't even realize that she could be pregnant until about 3 weeks ago. I read as much as I could, mostly on this site and it seemed that she should be 6 to 9 weeks about April 3. Then I read that you could see the babies moving and that she would lactate about 1 to 2 weeks before.

Today I think she must have lost part of her mucous plug because the description on this site was exactly what it looked like. She has gone from being unsettled to sound asleep off and on all day. I set up the dog kennel in my room for when I leave the house. Fortunately, except for the noise I have contractors here this week and so I am home all day with her. And when I work tomorrow night my husband will be here. So we are just keeping our fingers crossed!

She should definitely see the vet. It's entirely possible the she isn't pregnant, or that what you saw was actually a symptom of pyometra (which is a true surgical emergency). The vet will be able to tell you if she is indeed pregnant and how far along she is. If she is not pregnant then of course you would want to get her spayed right away because she will certainly get pregnant otherwise!

I'm a little confused because you said she was supposed to be spayed in early February - what happened then that prevented her from being spayed?

She is definitely pregnant. You can see the babies moving and feel them.

As far as having her spayed in February...frankly, life happened. We got through Christmas and then ended up with a leak in the roof and a plumbing issue where the initial estimate was $40,000. Between work, raising kids, sporting events, and contractors, little Ethel slipped through the cracks. I knew we needed to get her fixed but never even thought about her getting pregnant! (That's kind of how we had our boys!

I realize that I was irresponsible but in my defense, all 4 of our animals are rescued animals, incuding a 100 pound deaf dog and all were fixed in record time! Not that it's any excuse but it's kind of like the 3rd child where there aren't as many baby pictures.

Not to worry though I have already found homes for more than I think she is having and then she will IMMEDIATELY be going on on overnighter!

Originally Posted by LisaB917

She is definitely pregnant. You can see the babies moving and feel them.

As far as having her spayed in February...frankly, life happened. We got through Christmas and then ended up with a leak in the roof and a plumbing issue where the initial estimate was $40,000. Between work, raising kids, sporting events, and contractors, little Ethel slipped through the cracks. I knew we needed to get her fixed but never even thought about her getting pregnant! (That's kind of how we had our boys!

I realize that I was irresponsible but in my defense, all 4 of our animals are rescued animals, incuding a 100 pound deaf dog and all were fixed in record time! Not that it's any excuse but it's kind of like the 3rd child where there aren't as many baby pictures.

Not to worry though I have already found homes for more than I think she is having and then she will IMMEDIATELY be going on on overnighter!

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Lisa....most important thing to do now is to ensure that there are no additional opportunities for her to venture outside. Cats can get pregnant again as early as a week after giving birth.

I don't want you to beat yourself up..that is not why these forums are here..but we certainly do want this to be her only litter.

BTW...have you checked around to see when the vets will spay/neuter kittens?? This will be vital information for her kittens new families so that they can set up appointments as early as possible.

Keep us up to date on how things are progressing.

Katie

Life does happen. That is exactly why the TCS Pregnant Cats and Kitten Care Forum was created. I don't think there is anyone among us here who can say they didn't let something slip or neglect or procrastinate on something at some point in their lives ...

It sounds like you are an otherwise responsible person and know to do the right thing as soon as you can. That is all that matters. Enjoy the babies while you have them! They are a lot of fun, will make you laugh out loud at least several time daily and grow up to go off to their new homes way too quickly.