Is the kitten pregnant?

[norwegianforestcat]

Hello everyone! This is a really sad story. A couple of weeks ago I was given a norwegian forest cat kitten. She has a pediagree and she is born in the end of august 2019. That mean shes around 7 months now and still a kitten even though shes pretty big and looks adult. Her past owner couldn´t keep her because he had a ragdoll male and when she got into her first heat 3 weeks ago he started to mating her and wouldn´t stop (after a few days of mating she showed clearly that she did not want anymore but the male didn´t stop). So he gave her to me and I know that it´s wrong to let a kitten be pregnant but unfortunately, the damage has maybe already been done.

So I was asking people for pregnancy signs. Someone told me that her nipples was supposed to be pink after 14 days. Yet I can´t notice any difference on the nipples. Someone told me that I could know for sure after 10-14 days because if she didn´t go back into heat in that time it means shes pregnant. Now it was 19 days ago she was mated the first time and she has not gone back into heat. I was reading on internet that usually cats eat more and get calmer when they are pregnant. Well, I think she eat more because I bought her Royal canin mother and babycat and she like it better than her past food. But she is absolutly not calmer. She is playful and run around, chasing her own tail, jumps up and down on the cat tree and so on. I understand that the only 100% safe way to know is by letting a veterinary check with ultrasound but I give it a try to ask here first.

Anyone who knows if it´s true that I can know for sure that she is pregnant because she hasn´t gone back into heat yet?

 

[di and bob]

All I know is that if she got mated while she was in heat she most likely IS pregnant. Cats can get pregnant as young as 5 months. I wouldn't have an ultrasound done but wait for a few more weeks to pass and see if she gets bigger. Definitely give her added nutrition in the way of kitten food now, it wouldn't hurt. She will need close monitoring when she goes into labor, her little body is really not made for birthing yet. If it goes longer than an hour between kittens, or she seems really distressed when you think she is done, have a vet ready to call. My cat I have now gave birth after getting pregnant at 6 months and she was fine. Your little girl will not likely get huge with her first litter, probably 3-4 kittens. All the luck!

 

[lutece]

Cats' nipples usually "pink up" at around 21 days (3 weeks) after mating. Not all cats pink up, however.

If you do not want kittens and are concerned about her young age, it is not too late to have her spayed.

 

[StefanZ]

Yeah spaying now is really about ideal. This way you will be sure she isnt in heat during the surgery.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree with getting her spayed now.

 

[jefferd18]

It is sad because she still is such a baby herself. I will look on the bright side of this- if she is pregnant- I bet those kittens will be beautiful.

 

[StefanZ]

Continuing. Unless you plan to have her as your breeding queen in a dedicated breeding programme (doesnt sound like it!!!), its just to go ahead to spay NOW.

I even once saw a discussion among british veterinarians, when to spay and when not to spay. The problem was the extra risks of spaying during the heat. So yes, some meant it was OK to mate the female, and spay her a 2-3-4 weeks after the spaying. Ethically not entirely in everyones taste, BUT takes away the risks of spaying during heat.

 

[cataholic07]

She's far too young to have kittens, so yes please get her spayed now. She is more then old enough to be spayed. It's very important to get her spayed, cause yes, though her kittens will be stunning. Most female kittens who have kittens have no clue on how to properly care for them as they are just babies themselves. Some will be ok but might require you to do some bottle feeding or even potty duty. I know one 7 month old kitten who needed a c-section, was a good mom but required her foster to clean her babies bums as she wouldn't do it lol. She will be much happier spayed, as even if she isn't pregnant a cat is miserable when in heat.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

She is very lucky that you have her now. Letting her have the kittens or not is a decision only you can make. There are many knowledgeable members that can advise you helping take care of the kittens if you need it. We would love to see pictures! And what is her name?

 

[norwegianforestcat]

Hey again! It was a long time since I was reading my thread.
I took my cat to a vet and asked about her opinion. The vet said that it was okey to let her pregnancy continue. Maybe the general opinion of whats okey or not is different in each country? We live in Sweden and I know many vets here think that its not nessecary to spay young pregnant cats. It might be different in the US.

At least my queen Pixie seems fine! She was very playful and active until 2 weeks ago and then I think her big belly stoped her from playing. She was mated 22 february and I think she is most likely to give birth 27 april. And yet she got no milk Im really worried and bought kitten milk replacement today in case that she will not have any milk for her babies. Is it normal that they dont have any milk 2-3 days before the expected delivery? I can also feel the kittens in her tummy. Sometimes they move around very hard and Im not sure if its normal. Please can anyone tell me if its normal that cats dont have any milk in day 63 of pregnancy?
I also dont know if she found any good place to birth yet. 2 weeks ago i made a box for her but she didnt like it so 3 days ago I made a new one and maybe she like this one a little bit better. But it seems like she spend more and more time on the bathroom floor. I hope she dont wanna birth on the bathroom floor.
Right now Im really nervous and I wake up 3 times every night to check on her.

I will post pictures when the kittens have arrived (if everything goes well!)

 

[norwegianforestcat]

And also, now I was reading in the forum that sometimes female cats tries to steal each others kittens. I have another female cat (10 months old, on birth control pills now, a birman with pedigree. I eventually wants to have kittens from her in the future if she pass the health tests. Im not sure yet!). What if my other female tries to steal Pixies babies? Should I separate between them now?

 

[Sarthur2]

Separate them when your cat enters labor.

It is not unusual for a cat’s milk to come in at or just after delivery. It will come in. Try not to worry.

Cats do not generally go into the nest until it is time to push and deliver.

At 63 days pregnant tomorrow, your cat may go into labor any day now or in the next 5 or 6 days. Best of luck and keep us posted!

 

[norwegianforestcat]

Separate them when your cat enters labor.

It is not unusual for a cat’s milk to come in at or just after delivery. It will come in. Try not to worry.

Cats do not generally go into the nest until it is time to push and deliver.

At 63 days pregnant tomorrow, your cat may go into labor any day now or in the next 5 or 6 days. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Thank you very much!! Im happy to hear that about the milk...Then hopefully everything is normal! Now its just the endless waiting left...

 

[di and bob]

The waiting and worrying is the worst. Many queens do not appear to have milk until birthtime. It is very rare to not have milk at all. Many vets here in the US will spay while pregnant, I think they see too many homeless, starving, sick kittens. It most likely depends on your morals too, I myself believe that life starts at conception, not birth like many do. I wish you well, and pray for a safe, swift delivery. Keep us posted!

 

[norwegianforestcat]

What if she really wanna give birth in my wardrobe, but its closed? May she ”hold” the kids and refuse to give birth until she is happy about the birth place?

I saw her two times the last days standing outside my wardrobe and scrabble on it and meawing. Usually she never make sounds. Unfortunatly its not possible for her to give birth inside it. Its having a very bad and dangerous construction. So I dont let her in. I wondering if this makes her upset. Maybe she wont birth until she is happy about the birth place? I placed the birth box close to the wardrobe.

 

[Sarthur2]

Is there another closet that is safe that she could nest in? Cats love to nest in closets.

 

[norwegianforestcat]

She got 3 healthy babies
I woke up to check on her at 3 am and found her in the birth box, pushing. 10 min later the first baby was born. 10 min later the second one and then the third one. I think its one tortie with white and 2 black with white Later I will check the genders. It was 30 min ago the last one came out so I will soon check her stomach and see if it seems empty. Pixie did very good and took care of everything by herself! Im so proud and happy!!!

 

[norwegianforestcat]

 

[di and bob]

I'm so happy for you! Give that sweet mama a kiss from me!

 

[Celticmum]

congratulations and well done to mama