Is my cat really pregnant?

[persiancatowner]

Hi,
I have a female flat face persian cat that was in heat about a month ago for only a few days and even though I kept a close eye on her during that time period and put my unfixed male in the other room, he managed to sneak in when I opened the door and closed it, I think she is pregnant now. I had an appointment for my male to get fixed but it got canceled a few days before because the vet said they didn't have the right "equipment" to fix a flat faced persian because the flat face could cause him to suffocate when put under for the procedure, before I could find a vet that could get him fixed that was capable of doing it the safe way, all this happened.
Her nipples look large and pink, I don't recall what they looked like before though, her abdomen feels large and not as squishy as before.
I went ahead and shaved her abdomen just incase she is about to give birth because she is a very fluffy cat and I wanted to make sure just to be on the safe side, because if she gave birth I wanted to make sure the kittens could successfully locate the nipples to drink.
I am prepared financially to take care of the kittens and momma if she were to give birth, the female is around 10 months old. Thankfully I am in the position to be home almost 24/7 so I can be here if she has kittens so I am able to keep a close eye on them and momma, my two cats are like my children and so I am definitely wanting any tips/advice if she has the kittens, even after all my research I still like hearing any extra advice. I have stopped picking her up because I read you shouldn't if she is pregnant so the kittens don't get harmed. I also made her a box and put in fleece so she can make a nest if she wants. I attached photos of her tummy, does she look pregnant? If so how far along does she look, if that is even possible to tell.
She is acting more affectionate to me as of 2 weeks ago, she constantly wants to be around me (which is a change in behavior for her).
Thanks!

 

[Sarthur2]

She is likely pregnant. Cats begin to show at about five weeks along, so her sides should begin to bulge soon. Do you plan to neuter your male cat in the meantime?

 

[persiancatowner]

She is likely pregnant. Cats begin to show at about five weeks along, so her sides should begin to bulge soon. Do you plan to neuter your male cat in the meantime?

Her sides seem to be bulging some already.
I am honestly very terrified of getting him fixed because I have heard of so many persians passing away during the procedure even when the vet says they are able, I want him to get fixed though and will do it because I clearly need to because I won't let this happen again to my girl, any ideas on what I should ask each vet? I know it may be a tricky question because I dunno how many people know about this subject but hopefully you can help me out. I literally was in tears out of fear of him passing during the procedure because he is my baby and means the world to me and I can't lose my baby.

 

[Sarthur2]

I certainly understand your concerns, so I think you should call other vets and ask as I am not an expert on neutering Persians, but I do know that it only takes about 10 minutes to perform a neuter procedure as it is external, unlike a spay. You should be able to find a vet who has experience with Persians. Let us know what you do find out after you make some inquiries.

 

[Willowy]

Yes, there are vets with a lot of experience with brachycephalic breeds, so just call around to a few different vets, tell them your vet isn't confident with the procedure, ask about their experience, what they do to make it safer, etc.

 

[persiancatowner]

Looks like I found a vet experienced in fixing cats of this kind, very relieved!! I am feeling pretty confident in this vet so far. Also, when would it be safe to fix my female? Like how long after the kittens are weaned?
My male will be fixed soon, so he won't be an issue. I just wanna wait to give her body enough time cause I don't wanna cause her any stress. Also, what are the benefits of spaying a female? I am gonna spay her but just curious if like her personality might change? Also she has always been a big girl weight wise, even for her age before I thought she was pregnant, so could spaying her cause her to get even bigger? Sorry for all the questions.
My male is a thin boy but not too thin (probably the runt of the litter) and even though he acts healthy (doesn't have worms cause I checked for that) he doesn't gain weight easy, he requires kitten food to maintain a good weight but my girl is a big girl and I am not sure how to solve that lol. cause sooner or later she will need to be on adult food but I dunno how I am gonna get them to eat separately cause I free feed my boy to make sure he gets enough food.

 

[lutece]

Do you know exactly when your cats mated? Persians, especially flat faced Persians, are more likely to have trouble during the birth process than other cats. You will want to make sure to be home with your cat when she is due to have birth, and make sure you have a plan in case she runs into trouble and needs to go to the emergency vet hospital.

It's fine to have your girl spayed any time as soon as the kittens are weaned. Besides preventing future pregnancies, spaying her will prevent pyometra (uterine infection) which can often occur in unspayed females, and will also reduce her risk of mammary cancer.

As far as your girl's weight is concerned, while she is pregnant and nursing kittens she needs to get as much high quality kitten food as she wants. After the kittens are weaned and she is spayed, you can think about changing her food. The nutrition forum is a good place to discuss food options and weight management.

 

[Sarthur2]

I usually recommend spaying mom when the kittens are eight weeks old. She will still be able to nurse afterward if she desires. Do ask for three days of pain meds.

 

[persiancatowner]

Do you know exactly when your cats mated? Persians, especially flat faced Persians, are more likely to have trouble during the birth process than other cats. You will want to make sure to be home with your cat when she is due to have birth, and make sure you have a plan in case she runs into trouble and needs to go to the emergency vet hospital.

It's fine to have your girl spayed any time as soon as the kittens are weaned. Besides preventing future pregnancies, spaying her will prevent pyometra (uterine infection) which can often occur in unspayed females, and will also reduce her risk of mammary cancer.

As far as your girl's weight is concerned, while she is pregnant and nursing kittens she needs to get as much high quality kitten food as she wants. After the kittens are weaned and she is spayed, you can think about changing her food. The nutrition forum is a good place to discuss food options and weight management.

Yeah, I listed that info in my other post on this.
And I read about that too and also have a vet in case that happens.
I think I'll wait until the babies are fully weaned to spay her cause I don't want her stressed and healing while the kittens are nursing.
Thanks though.

 

[persiancatowner]

That reply was to both recent comments btw, I didn't know how to tag both of you.

 

[persiancatowner]

Do you know exactly when your cats mated? Persians, especially flat faced Persians, are more likely to have trouble during the birth process than other cats. You will want to make sure to be home with your cat when she is due to have birth, and make sure you have a plan in case she runs into trouble and needs to go to the emergency vet hospital.

It's fine to have your girl spayed any time as soon as the kittens are weaned. Besides preventing future pregnancies, spaying her will prevent pyometra (uterine infection) which can often occur in unspayed females, and will also reduce her risk of mammary cancer.

As far as your girl's weight is concerned, while she is pregnant and nursing kittens she needs to get as much high quality kitten food as she wants. After the kittens are weaned and she is spayed, you can think about changing her food. The nutrition forum is a good place to discuss food options and weight management.

Also forgot to add, I am already keeping her on a high quality kitten food, I wouldn't switch her until she is at least a year old.

 

[persiancatowner]

Do you know exactly when your cats mated? Persians, especially flat faced Persians, are more likely to have trouble during the birth process than other cats. You will want to make sure to be home with your cat when she is due to have birth, and make sure you have a plan in case she runs into trouble and needs to go to the emergency vet hospital.

It's fine to have your girl spayed any time as soon as the kittens are weaned. Besides preventing future pregnancies, spaying her will prevent pyometra (uterine infection) which can often occur in unspayed females, and will also reduce her risk of mammary cancer.

As far as your girl's weight is concerned, while she is pregnant and nursing kittens she needs to get as much high quality kitten food as she wants. After the kittens are weaned and she is spayed, you can think about changing her food. The nutrition forum is a good place to discuss food options and weight management.

Sorry I was replying while also working on dinner at the moment so I also forgot to say, in my first post I mention I am home 24/7, so I will be here when she (if she is even pregnant) delivers.

 

[lutece]

Even if you are home all the time, it's still helpful to know when she is due to have her kittens, so that you can check in on her periodically during the night time. I normally go on "kitten watch" on the 63rd day after the first mating.

 

[cataholic07]

She is very young so make sure to have bottles and kmr on hand. Unfortunately young moms do not tend to be good moms and don't always take care of their kittens, some even refuse to nurse them.