6 Month Old Pregnant Cat

[leda]

Hi there. I'd like to start by saying that yes, I know my kitten should have been spayed earlier on, and that this could have been prevented. But it is what it is and all I want now is to do right by my sweet little Freya and her kittens. I do plan to have her and her kittens spayed/neutered as soon as possible when all is said and done.

I got Freya at I believe 7 1/2 weeks old back in October or November, which would make her about 5-6 months old now. I adopted her from a farmer, when I got her she had ear mites but has otherwise been a very healthy, happy kitten. What I didn't realize is how young kittens were able to start mating. I have previously had female cats go 1-4 years without getting spayed, never having a single litter, so I thought I had more time before I had to get her fixed. I didn't even realize she was in heat...

But fast forward a little bit, we have been letting her play outside in the yard with supervision. I can pinpoint the exact date that she most likely got knocked up, February 19th. We caught her hanging around a stray tom cat but brought her in right away and didn't think anything of it.

Until a few days ago. My boyfriend has been cracking jokes about her being pregnant as her tummy was getting a little bigger. I assumed this was just normal weight gain that comes with her growing up. But I compared her to a picture of her a couple weeks ago, and the change was quite drastic. We also checked to see if her nipples were larger, and in fact, they are. And very pink.

I wish I could calm down and just be excited for the new arrival(s), but I can't. My anxiety about what might happen to my sweet, sweet kitten when she goes into labour has been keeping me up at night. She's so young and still so small. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, the local vet is not open to anything that isn't an emergency, and if something were to go wrong, I'm not sure we'll be able to pay a huge vet bill as we have both been without work and are already struggling to pay our bills.

I guess what I'm looking for is a walkthrough of what to do when she goes into labour, and how to care for her and her kittens afterwards. And if you guys have any stories of your younger cats successfully giving birth, I would love to hear them in hopes of easing my anxiety...

 

[di and bob]

I have had several ferals go into labor at 5-6 months, most came through fine and your little girl will be too because she has you there with her. The ones that had trouble were feral and hid when they had kittens, so I could not help.....Being so young and so small, she will most likely have only two or three kittens for her first litter. The main thing is to observe the mama cat. If she is calm (as calm as she can be) and paying attention to the newborns, she is fine. If she is clearly distressed, is actively pushing and no kitten is born in an hour, then it IS an emergency and she should be loaded up and brought in. First-time young mothers sometimes don't really know what to do. Make sure she licks the membranes off each kitten's face and is stimulating them to breathe. They look like they aren't breathing when they are first born, and really, they aren't. it takes the licking and moving around to get them going. if she doesn't, take a warm, damp washcloth, clean out their mouths and face and rub them to get them going, sometimes it takes a gentle squeeze and movement form you to get them going. Cats know instinctively what to do, she will chew on the umbilical cord and eat the afterbirth and that is needed too. Read up on birthing to be ready. Take cues from her, some cats really want you nearby for comfort, some don't want you close at all. Remember, a calm cat giving birth is a normal cat with a normal delivery, A clearly distressed, restless, meowing cat ignoring her babies is having trouble. She is approximately 44 days pregnant and has approx. 20 more days to go. Have a nice secluded spot for her with towels/blankets that can be washed, and she will probably have them on your bed....LOL
I have a feeling you will be fine if you are prepared, make sure she is getting kitten food now and after delivery to give her extra nutrition. There is always someone here at this site too, my time to be on here is about 5 AM, and there are always staff members, forum helpers available. Don't hesitate if you need advise. If you need to talk to a staff member, tap on their avatar above their name and at the bottom right you will see 'start a conversation'. Tap that and it will go personally to them via E-mail. Good luck, I'll pray your little girl comes through fine!

 

[Sarthur2]

She is about 45 days along, so you have a good 3 weeks to prepare. Here are helpful articles:

Pregnant Cat? What To Prepare For The Birth – Cat Articles

How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth? – Cat Articles

Help! My Cat Is Having Kittens! – Cat Articles

We have many more articles at the top of the forum. Most importantly right now is to feed her well, both wet and dry food, and to locate a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for down the road and to get appointments on the books.

 

[cataholic07]

You want to get lots of KMR, kitten food, and nursing bottles. Many young moms arent great at taking care of kittens because, well they are a kitten themselves.

 

[ArchyCat]

Feed the mother to be kitten food from now until the kittens are weaned. She needs the extra protein, calcium, and minerals to form healthy kittens, and then to help her make milk for the kitten s.

Thank you for rescuing the cat!