Pregnant ? Newbie

[monica78]

Good morning...

I have to start by saying that I am a new cat owner. I have recently taken in a kitten which walked in my house with me about a month and a half ago...to be honest...she walked in and since I'm not a "cat" person....I placed some milk outside in a bowl for her....closed the door....and 3 days later we found her sitting napping on the window sill. So we took her in...bough a few toys.... scratching poles....food.... and took her to the vet. It is a "she"...and she is approximately 6-8 months. About a week ago, she recently went in heat. I got a certificate for her to get spayed through a state sponsored program....but she has to have all her shots. She will be going this Saturday for the remaining shots. My husband...bless his heart....let her out in our backyard 2 days ago because of all the vocalization the cat has been doing and because he thinks she needs fresh air (she was an outside cat after all). She jumped the fence and got away till I caught her across the street in the afternoon. She was with a Tom Cat. Now I am fully aware that she might be pregnant...but she is still vocalizing, flipping (showing her belly), and putting her butt in the air. So my question is....would she still be acting like she is in "heat" if she is pregnant?

 

[Kieka]

Yes, she could still be in heat even if she mated. It is possible for the heat to continue for a few days which is why you can have kittens with different fathers and different ages. Since you have the spay certificate I would proceed with the spay. The sooner the better; she is young enough herself that she shouldn't be a mother. Many times when a kitten her age has kittens there will be problems with the pregnancy, the kittens, or her ability to mother. I've seen young mothers her age just walk away from their newborn kittens or rely heavily on guidance from humans to figure out what to do. It really would be best to get her spayed and avoid all that.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree. Finish the vaccines and get her spayed asap. Heat usually lasts about a week.

If you do not plan to spay her because she might be pregnant and you want kittens, then do not proceed with vaccines. They can and do cause birth defects in early pregnancy.

 

[monica78]

Thank you all so very much. We are definitely getting her spayed. Kittens is something we are definitely not prepared for.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Thank you for taking care of her! Please let us know how she is after her spay. The surgery will be no different than a normal spay, even if she is recently pregnant.

Keep her inside now!

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to The Cat Site. And congrats on becoming a new cat owner. I love the stories when a cat just walks into someone's house and makes themselves at home.

You've already gotten good advice on getting her spayed, but here are links to a few TCS articles for new cat owners:
First-time Cat Owner's Guide
Bringing Home A New Cat - The Complete Guide
How To Choose The Best Name For Your New Cat

 

[monica78]

Hey guys.... just wanted to give you all an update. We went ahead and decided to get her spayed before it turned into a "full" pregnancy... luckily....she was not pregnant....but I feel better that this is taken care of. Thank you all for the advice. She is doing great

 

[rubysmama]

Glad to hear everything went well with her spay. Now she can focus on becoming a happy, spoiled cat.

 

[Sarthur2]

It’s good to hear this!