Is My Cat Pregnant?

[Courtyeliza]

I took in a stray cat two days ago and I think she may be pregnant?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Can you get her to a vet?

 

[StefanZ]

A vet check up is always wise with new cats. Teats not very hindbeaer red but they arent always.

If she is early preg do you want to spay?
Medically its fully doable.

 

[Courtyeliza]

She goes to the vet on Monday. She showed up at a friend of mines house in October and she was feeding her. However she was unable to catch her until a few days ago. So I was just curious whether she may be pregnant. Thank you for your responses. I do plan to have her spayed but am unsure whether I will have her spayed right away if she is already pregnant.

 

[Courtyeliza]

I had her at the vet and they confirmed Gypsy is pregnant by palpitating her stomach. They didn’t tell me exactly how far along they thought she was tho. I’ve been keeping a close eye on her and this evening I noticed she was licking herself and her nipples looked different. I was thinking she was only like 3 or 4 weeks but now I am unsure if she is further than I thought! Please help!

 

[talkingpeanut]

Did the vet have an estimate?

 

[Courtyeliza]

He didn’t say he wanted to see her again in two weeks she’s to go back the 15th. She’s still very shy and scared and wasn’t the most cooperative for him. So he didn’t want to stress her out too much so he didn’t do an ultrasound. He could feel them but didn’t give me an estimate. I’ve only had her for a little over a week.

 

[Courtyeliza]

Does anyone have any guesses on how far along she may be?

 

[Kflowers]

I think you should ask the vet as soon as possible if she is too small to carry safely to term. Ask him how much a C-section will be and if there will be someone who can do it on the weekend if she goes into labor then. If there isn't someone who can do it, or if you can't afford the C-section, which is expensive, then for your cat's sake consider going ahead with the spay.

Cats do die giving birth. Sometimes the kittens die in small cats because they can't pass through the birth canal and they kill their mother in a dreadful way. Sometimes the mother dies and the kittens survive and must be hand raised.

The kittens will feel no pain, merely go into a deep sleep and cross to the other side.

IF you decide to let her go through this, please go to the forum on pregnant cats and read as many of the threads as you can.

 

[Courtyeliza]

Thank you for your response. She was at the vet on Monday and weighs 9.8lbs the vet believes she is about 2 years old. I have been reading as much information as I can find and will continue to. They didn’t have any concerns for her on Monday and as I said she will be going back on the 15th. I just have a hard time with some signs because I’ve only had her a little over a week and am unable to compare to her previous behavior before pregnancy. I will call the vet tomorrow to ask the questions you suggested.

 

[Courtyeliza]

I thought I would give an update on Gypsy the stray I took in 5 weeks ago. She is doing well. She went back to the vet on February 15th for a follow up and to make sure her ear infection was cleared up. They believed she had about 2 weeks left. She gained a little over a lb since her last apt in early February. So as of now we are just waiting! The vet also gave me a number of an emergency vet in case of an emergency and she is scheduled to be spayed the second week of May. Here are some current pictures!

 

[Courtyeliza]

 

[Courtyeliza]

Any advice would be much appreciated she has a box I made with a blanket in it and I’ve been feeding her kitten food! Thanks in advance for any advice or some positive thoughts I’m sure I’m more nervous than she is!

 

[abyeb]

She looks like she’s getting really close! Have you noticed any behavioral changes recently? More affectionate, or a decreased appetite? Those can both occur hours, or days before birth. Milk production starts a day or two before delivery. This article gives some more information: How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth?

As for how to prep for the actual birth, this article gives some great advice (on both mental preparation, and the things you’ll need) Pregnant Cat? What To Prepare For The Birth

It’s good that you got her nesting box set up. Be sure that the blanket that you put in there is one that you’re okay with potentially having to throw away afterwards. Cat births can get messy.

Please do keep us updated!

 

[Courtyeliza]

Thank you so much for the response and the articles I will be sure to read them! She’s still eating a lot but has wanted more attention than normal wants her belly rubbed all the time. She didn’t mind my other cats up until a day or so ago but now hisses at them. She’s been mainly staying in my bathroom because she was very scared when we first took her in so I wanted her to have a safe place that was her own but now she doesn’t want to come out or be around my other cats so I’m thinking she’s getting closer!

 

[Courtyeliza]

Another update on Gypsy. Today is 7 weeks since she’s been inside. So we have to be getting very close. I started seeing the kittens move last Friday so according to everything I read it should be about a week or less. I haven’t noticed any signs yet that we are close other than her back nipples are a little fuller. She is still eating a lot and only occasionally goes into her nesting boxes. I spoke to the vet yesterday and he doesn’t want to see her again yet unless there is any issues or she’s in any distress, I am to call him next Friday to update him or sooner if she goes into labor.

 

[Courtyeliza]

 

[Courtyeliza]

 

[abyeb]

She’s pretty! She looks like she has some Siamese ancestry, which means that her gestation period might be longer than the usual 62-67 days. Siamese cats can take up to around 70 days.

 

[Courtyeliza]

Thank you! She is such a sweet and pretty girl I still can’t believe someone dumped her off ): we had to put our horse down a week before I heard she was living under a porch. She was just what our hearts needed! She loves my children and is really warming up to everyone! Our families have all fallen in love with Gypsy and already have quite a few of the kittens spoken for! The one picture is of my son with Mo our horse and Garfield my sons cat who doesn’t miss an opportunity to walk down to the barn. The other picture is my son laying with Gypsy!