Pregnant cat

[Hidingwithcoffee]

Hi. Looking for advice not judgement. From reading about this online I know there are people who might scold me for being a terrible pet owner but that isn't going to help right now.

Haven't had a cat before, but my family desperately wanted one, so got a kitten last summer. All went well, until we started letting her out at about 8.5 months, and at 9 months she was suddenly really, really ill. I still suspect poisoning. She went to a pet hospital who were amazing, big vet bill but we had insurance.

Brought her home, kept her in as she was still recovering but this was hard as we have big patio doors and always in and out ourselves. Was going to take her back to the vet to have her spayed, but wanted her to recover just a bit first.

And now we realise she's pregnant. She's about 11.5 old, due in roughly 4-5 weeks but the timing.

I can see it's not ideal for her body at such a young age, but also animals give birth all the time and nature finds a way and all that, I'm not wanting to be dramatic about it.

I can see online there are some simple things recommended like having a card box with old blankets or towels, in a quiet dark warm place and just keeping an eye on her.

If anyone here has experience of a similar age cat giving birth and any advice I might not find elsewhere online would appreciate that. How many vet trips did you need?

Obviously she'll be spayed as soon as she gives birth.

Thank you.

My cat got pregnant around her first birthday. You shouldn't need any vet trips, just let nature run its course. Observe her to make sure she's not poorly. I left one of the wardrobes open and left a pile of bedding for her. It will get covered in blood but it washes out.

Once she was close to going into labour she kept coming in and out of the wardrobe. The first kitten was breech and she struggled a bit, which gave me a scare. She managed to push him out though and the other two just flew out. It's important to give her lots of privacy after she has her kittens and not let anyone bother her - keep her away from children and dogs. Once the kittens get bigger place them all in a pet bed on the floor and give a small litter tray so their mum can teach them how to use it. Always keep fresh water and food nearby so your cat doesn't have to travel across the house. Cats are really straightforward and they look after themselves, they will need minimal support. My kittens didn't see a vet until the day they were vaccinated.

A cat that adopted us out of nowhere, while I was trying to find an owner, became pregnant. By the time I realised that the big neighbourhood tom had got her, it was too late. She showed no signs of being in season either. I took her to our vets to get her checked over as she only looked small and young. The vet said she suspected she was around 7 months old, but that she should be ok. I'd already got a birthing box set up. The vet suggested some KY jelly, some dental floss and some scissors, just in case of difficulties.
None of that was needed, she gave birth bang on the day I'd worked it out to, to two healthy kittens!
I don't really think they'd come into season until they were able to give birth.
I still have the 'kittens', who are both 2 years, 2 months old. Mum cat decided once she'd weaned them, that she hated them! So now our lovely neighbours have adopted her, all chip details transferred over. She still calls in every now and again for a growl and a snoop around!

You may not like the idea, but she can still be spayed at this point. Most vets will do a spay abort - as harsh as that seems, are you prepared to cover the cost of any issues if something does go wrong - your insurance may not cover costs related to pregnancy. You may struggle to rehome the kittens - rescues are bursting at the moment with unwanted kittens. If she's quite early on, then perhaps this is the best solution.

Thank. I'm aghast at the idea of a spay abort but understand what you are saying. I don't think my insurance would cover any of this but I'll check.

The cat is quite pretty, I might hope to sell the kittens. Which I assume needs to be after they are 12 weeks and before they get too big.

Please remember - she's a cat - she doesn't experience pregnancy in the same way a human does and won't know any different. She's also quite young and more likely to experience complications - are you prepared to sell (if you even can) 8 or more kittens, feed them and look after for 3 months? What if you can't sell or rehome them - do you have a backup plan?

Have a look at your local rescues - they are bursting and some still have last years kittens on their books. Many rescues these days spay abort just due to the over whelming number of cats needing homes. No-one wants to do that but personally, I think you need to make a decision based on what is best for your cat. Good luck whatever you decide

I know you said no judgement, but why on earth did you let your kitten out before having her spayed. Female cats can be done at four months old so you effectively had five months before her illness in which to get her spayed.

And don’t compound this totally avoidable situation by selling the kittens, they could be used for bait for fighting dogs or goodness knows what else. Try and find a decent rescue centre who can vet any prospective homes and rehome the kittens safely. If you can find one that isn’t already overwhelmed with unwanted litters due to irresponsible pet owners.

This is going to sound harsh, but as you clearly have no idea what you're doing, you should take her to for a spay/abort and not even consider letting her go through with this pregnancy.

Letting an un-neutered cat outside is stupidity at its' finest.

When you get a kitten one of the first things you do is book them in to be spayed so it’s 🤯 that you didn’t do this.

What did you think would happen when you let her outside?

I was just about to suggest this very thing.

You dont even know what bedding she will need. How are you going to look after her in labour, if she needs help, how will you know?
How will you look after tiny kittens? Where will you keep them? Once they are active, what will ypu do with the patio doors?

Sell the kittens to who? How are you going to make sure they go to decent homes and don’t get used as dog bait? Are you going to make sure they are vaccinated and spayed/neutered first?

Spay abort and let your cat have a half decent life, without adding to the cat over population problem.

If you do end up with kittens please don’t try selling them.

Kittens should stay with their mum until they’re weaned (about 3 months old) & not go outside until they’re vaccinated & neutered. Are you going to take on those costs?

You’ll have no way of properly vetting the buyers & no way of guaranteeing that they’ll give the kittens good homes.

Most rescues are bulging at the moment, mainly because of abandoned kittens, but you could probably find one that would advertise the kittens for you & vet applicants in return for a donation. They would expect them to be weaned & vaccinated at the very least, though.

I don't really think they'd come into season until they were able to give birth.

The rescue I volunteer for has had kitten mums who must have been four months old when they got pregnant. The births were very difficult & not all the kittens survived.

Yep, you can so easily have kittens having kittens. Our first ever female cat had her first season at 4 months!

Exactly!
People talk a load of shit about ‘letting her have just one litter’ or ‘letting nature take its course’ but it’s bollocks when it comes to cats. (And I do know that’s not the OP’s situation).

My girl was 5 years old & pregnant when rescued, I fostered her & the last of her kittens to be adopted. Once he'd gone she was far happier & became much more outgoing, at which point I lost my heart & adopted her.

@Twynklebellwhen we were looking for kittens there were waiting lists at all the rescues near me (I live in London). I’m amazed they still have some near you!

Spay abort

I foster cats and often kittens for a rescue close to me. Cats don’t have a desire to be mothers like humans, I have a young female who has just been placed with me who is potentially pregnant - she’s booked in to be spayed on Friday, regardless of if she’s pregnant. She won’t understand the difference and it’s better for her long term.
Kittens are a lot of hard work, younger cat mothers are more likely to have complications and more likely to reject the kittens. Would you have the money for an emergency c section or feel confident in bottle feeding newborns as it’s a full time job.
I just had a mum and litter on a foster basis who have now gone to their homes but it was a nightmare keeping them safe and cool in this heat too.
I don’t want to pile on op as things happen and it may go perfectly well for your cat but the alternative is not great.

Completely agree with the advice to spay her now, if she needs a Carsarean (which insurance wont cover) it could be thousands, as she's young she may reject the kittens and you will be hand rearing multiple kittens. The people I know that work in rescues are constantly at crisis point, they don't need more kittens

The vet should have told you at her vaccinations that you can't let her out before she's spayed.

Get a spay/abort now, it will be safer for your cat.

Christ. I was reading along without judgment until you mentioned making a profit off the kittens.