Accidental pregnancy

[britty93]

So, my cat got out before we were able to get her fixed. Now, she's pregnant. I'd say she has about 5 weeks left roughly. Well, her nipples are dry and cracked. Is there anything I can do for the poor baby?

 

[krissy marissy]

You can put some olive oil on them. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[britty93]

Ok. I never would've thought about that. Thank you. I would ask our vet, but they're closed until Monday.

 

[krissy marissy]

No problem. We're here for any questions you have. Just continue to ask them here in your thread [emoji]128522[/emoji] Any photos of the mom to be?

 

[britty93]

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• britty93
• May 20, 2016

This is mama. Her name is Little Boo. We rescued her from a lady on craigslist. She's such a beautiful tortie. This is from today.

 

[krissy marissy]

I'm glad she's found a safe place to deliver her kittens. [emoji]128522[/emoji] she's a beautiful kitty.

 

[britty93]

Thank you she's pretty special to us, especially my kids. We lost her play mate due to their condition, they were a 1 on the body scale.

 

[britty93]

While I'm thinking about it, someone dropped a dog off out at our place, and is infested with fleas. Is the Adams flea dip safe to use while she's pregnant? I don't want to do anything that will harm her or the babies.

 

[fairycatmom]

Never heard of Adams Flea dip, but a quick search said to ask a vet before using on a pregnant cat. One of the best tools is a flea comb, put a little bit of soap and hot water in a used can and pick them off and slip them right into the water. I've gotten them many places like Walmart or pet stores. She might also need to be dewormed as fleas can lead to tapeworms, but again better check with a vet since she's pregnant, or maybe someone knows. The combs look like this

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• fairycatmom
• May 21, 2016

 

[britty93]

That's what it says on the bottle, I just didn't know if anyone had any experience using it on their expecting cat. We'll have to get one, poor mama is just miserable. I will most certainly talk to the vet Monday, and ask about it and the tapeworms.

 

[Sarthur2]

No Adams! That stuff is way too strong. Wash the dog in it, but not the cat.

The vet can give you a flea product, such as Advantage II, which is safe for mom. He can also give safe worm medicine. Or you can purchase Advantage over the counter at a pet shop and put it on both animals right away.

You'll definitely want to get rid of the fleas before the kittens come. Flea anemia can kill kittens.

 

[britty93]

Dog=yes, cat=no. Got it! Thank you. Our Walmart carries advantage thankfully. Now, it's time to clip her nails, can I just use baby nail clippers or do I need special ones? Sorry, it may seem like a silly question, but she's my first cat as an adult. I didn't have to worry about this kind of stuff when I was a kid.

 

[Sarthur2]

It can be difficult to clip adult cat nails with regular nail clippers. They sell nail clippers for cats. Be careful not to clip too far back - just the tips.

No questions are silly - that's what we're here for! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[newkitties]

They sell kitty nail clippers about anywhere that has a pet section, walmart, kmart, kroger, costco, whatever you have near you if you don't wanna go to the pet store for it. They're normally only $5 or so.

As for the fleas, you do need to get rid of them before the kittens come, it can kill kittens extremely quickly. And give pets tapeworms. I would spray for fleas, near dog beds, cat beds, on the furniture, in crevices, corners, doorways, you cannot be too thorough. If they are really bad, honestly I recommend bug bombing your home. Remove all animals, children and pet food if you decide to do that. Just follow the directions for the bomb if you use it.

I've had fleas before, very badly. I'm talking full blown infestation. That's what I get for baby sitting someones dog for a few days and then going out of town for two weeks after. They took over in that time. You'll want to sweep and vacuum multiple times a day if at all possible. Take the trash out daily, be sure to empty the vacuum in the trash or outside every time you use it. Wash bedding, dog bedding, cat bedding, blankets, curtains if you can. Even couch covers if they are removable. A handheld steamer is effective for killing fleas on contact in couches/beds if they can't be washed. They die in the heat from the steam.

The best brand I've found is Harris flea and tick spray, raid works too, but Harris is more potent IMO. You'll want to be sure it is fully dry and the room aired out before pets or children are allowed back in the room.

Enforcer brand flea powder for carpet works well, but personally I used Diatomaceous Earth. Food grade only. Honestly I swear by the stuff for multiple things, but it is extremely effective in killing bugs. Especially for long term control. The perk of diatomaceous earth is (FOOD GRADE) if it's ingested, it won't do any harm. Even to the pets. I actually take it daily as a supplement.

Flea combs are amazing, there are also certain shampoos safe for pregnant cats you'll want to ask the vet about, but if you can't find one, dawn dish soap and sea salt (only a little salt) inside the bath kills fleas and is safe. Comb kitty and other pets with the comb while bathing them. It does not kill eggs so it needs to be repeated, but if baths aren't the worst thing in the world for your kitty, I would do it.

So if you use something like advantage or frontline for your pets, give them flea baths, comb them, vacuum, sweep, and spray, among other things, you will get rid of them before the kittens are born.

I wouldn't skimp on any of these things personally, because it can take months to get rid of fleas, and if you go full on war with them, you may just do it in time so the kittens lives will be safe from anemia which is deadly since they are so young and weak.

It took me 6 weeks to get rid of them completely, and it was a lot of work. It's worth it though! Goodluck and I'm sorry it's so hard to get rid of those forsaken insects. I've been there 

 

 

[britty93]

We'll have to pick up some clippers then. I don't want it to be stressful on her. And yeah, I've been battling them for 2 weeks now, so unfortunately we do need to bomb the house. I hate hate hate! fleas! I want them gone before the babies get here, not only for their sake but for mama too. I'll look into the Harris one. And she doesn't necessarily like baths, but she also doesn't hate them either, thankfully she tolerates them.

 

[newkitties]

I'll be rooting for you and your effort to get rid of those pesky bugs!
I believe they also have certain powders, sort of like a dry shampoo that can be used for fleas on cats, I'm not sure about pregnant ones though so I'd ask a vet first too

 

[britty93]

Thank you. Mama is miserable with the little suckers.

 

[britty93]

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• britty93
• May 22, 2016

 

[britty93]

image.jpeg

• britty93
• May 22, 2016

This is her from today. For her, this is huge, she's such a tiny thing.

 

[britty93]

I have a couple more questions. I've been reading forums on cat pregnancy on here, and I'd like to stock up on kitten milk as a just in case. I've seen some say avoid the Hartz brand. Why is it not a good brand? Also, she's on kitten chow, per vet recommendation, does she need anything else for protein, or is that good enough? She's been on it since we got her in August,and its done wonders for her. The vet wanted to wait until a year after we first brought her in to get her spayed, because of how malnourished she was. Is that normal for some vets? He doesn't spay pregnant animals, due to personal beliefs. He also doesn't want to do an x-ray on her while she's pregnant. He says it could harm the babies. I've seen some say to other cat parents, to have an x-ray done, so can it really harm the babies? She's roughly a year old now, and her first litter, obviously lol, what's the average litter for a first time mama? Also, I keep getting told by family members to get her declawed. I've heard it's super painful, and completely unnesecarry to do so. Can you guys tell me why? Sorry it's so long, but so far, you guys have been super helpful. I'm so glad I found this forum!!! [emoji]128525[/emoji]