Potentially Pregnant Cat

[HaileyOssinger]

So l think my cat is pregnant;
I have two pedigree Maine Coon cats that are both hitting a year now (female just turned last month, male will be this month). I got them to be a breeding pair but ideally wanted them to start in the fall when they were both a year and a half. I have always been super careful with separating them as soon as she starts displaying signs of heat. She usually goes into heat every 2 - 3 weeks and has never missed one since she was 7 months old.

Now, it has been 7 weeks since the beginning of her last heat (her heat was March 14th - March 25th and it is currently May 3rd). She has never gone this long without one. I live in a house with my boyfriend and 3 roommates, all 5 of us have different work schedules, 2 of which are working from home so it is very rare that we are all gone from the house at once. If she has conceived, how did no one see or hear anything? I was under the impression cat sex is very loud and hard to miss.

Other than the fact that it has been over a month with no heat, she has also become extremely affectionate, especially towards me. From the minute I get home from work she follows me everywhere and immediately climbs onto my lap the second I sit down. She has never been THIS clingy/ affectionate. At first I played it off as it maybe being a personality change since she is just hitting a year but then I noticed a slight bulge on her sides and it feels like her stomach is starting to round. She's so fluffy it is hard to tell from looking at her but when I run my hands along her sides it definitely bumps out on the sides and she's usually a very lean cat. She's also been eating a lot and her nipples look big and pink but it's hard to tell because I didn't examine them this close before so I don't know if those her regular nipples or not.

At this point I'm 90% sure she is pregnant and I have a vet appointment in 4 days to know for sure. My next question being, will the male cat still try and mate with her while she is pregnant? He stills seems interested and tries mount her. Half the time she gets mad and fights him off but the other half she is receptive and puts her butt out towards him like when she is in heat. Does this mean that she is not pregnant? Or do female cats still get horny during pregnancy? And if she is, can he hurt her? I have them separated again and I plan on keeping them separated until I know for sure if she is pregnant or not. If she is I will also keep them apart throughout the pregnancy when they are not being supervised because he gets rough with her and I wouldn't want him to hurt her or the babies.

Any advice on this would be super helpful.

Attached is a picture of her nipples lol, do these look like she could be?

 

[sivyaleah]

Sure doesn't look like my spayed MC's nipples. But I'm not an expert either

 

[abyeb]

From your description, I do think it sounds like she could be pregnant. And, as far as I know, male cats will mount pretty much anything. One breeder I know said that her stud tries to mate with spayed females- so I imagine that a male may try to mount a pregnant female as well.

Please, keep us updated and let us know what the vet says. Here is an article you may find helpful: How To Tell If My Cat Is Pregnant? – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Sarthur2]

Well, your cat is exhibiting all the signs of pregnancy, so you can assume she is and most likely will deliver in 2-3 more weeks, depending on exactly when during her heat cycle she actually conceived.

Cats are stealthy and not all mating is necessarily loud. You’ve depended on roommates and noise and calendars to set their mating times, but cats are induced ovulators, so once your male hit puberty he found time to mount your female and induce ovulation and now she is pregnant much too young. Most breeders separate males and females completely until they are ready to breed for this very reason. Regardless of pedigree or relationship, two intact cats of the opposite sex will find a way to mate.

You need to keep them separated from now on as further mating can be harmful. Your female is jacked up on pregnancy hormones which mimic heat hormones and she does not know the difference.

You were right to not try to breed them until 18 months, but it’s too late. Your female should not be bred again for a year after this litter, Cats are bred once per year starting at 18 months and only once per year and are retired and spayed by age five. Males can go longer but lead frustrated lives not being allowed to mate, and often are lonely because they are caged and separated for long periods when not allowed to mate as their hormones dictate.

You should have this litter and spay and neuter your cats unless you can dedicate yourself to the rules of proper breeding. I know you meant well with your intentions, but you’ve already seen what happens when proper protocol is not followed.

It’s now time to focus on her pregnancy and see that she gets proper nutrition from now on, which is kitten food from now until she stops nursing.

Let us know what the vet says and prepare for kittens.

 

[Lam_ashley]

Was she pregnant?