# Help I think my kitten is pregnant!!!



## CanucksStar#17 (Apr 19, 2013)

I have a 5 month old kitten that wasn't allowed to be let outside and now I think she is pregnant! She is a great escape artist and often slipped out when someone opened the door to go outside, if she ever escaped with me I would run after her (sometimes with bare feet in snow) but my brothers won't chase after her at all. Which is likely why she got pregnant.

Anyway should I get them aborted? The only male cat that really hangs around our place I think is her father so she could be pregnant with him one more reason to get them aborted!

But I am really worried about the abortion part! Will it hurt her? I just want my kitty to be ok!

Just so you all know I was and still am planning on getting her spayed, she just isn't yet because she is to young.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Firstly, was she in season when she got out and how long ago was it?

Personally I would take her to the vet and discuss it with him / her.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

We've had a 6 month old kitten pregnant, recently. 5 months, I'm not sure of. What makes you think she is pregnant. What are the signs your seeing? This is why once a cat is 3 pounds in the US we get them s/n just because there is the outside chance this can happen. Don't be down on yourself. Some cats make it their life mission to be door darters. Its a hard habit to break.

As far as aborting them it is up to you and your convictions if you should do this. Be prepared, if you let her have kittens, for her possibly to reject them and you will have to bottle feed them. First time very young moms can be a bit sketchy with their maternal skills. You will need to feed her extra nutritious food while she is pregnant and nursing kittens.


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## CatMonkeys (Sep 27, 2012)

5 months is not too young to get a cat fixed. I agree with the others- you will really need to talk to a vet before making any decisions. If it turns out she is not pregnant, get her spayed ASAP.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

You do need to speak to your vet, if she is pregnant but is very early on then having her spayed is the best choice if you can handle it.

I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again; yes, many places in the US DO s/n at 2lbs and 2 months...up here in 'the great frozen north' many places won't s/n until 6 months. It might simply not be an option where the OP is to have gotten her spayed earlier. I can't say for sure, but in my area the only places that have access to early (under 6 months) s/n are a few of the rescues. Here all vets (and I do mean ALL of them) will neuter males at 5 months but won't spay a female under 6 months, and if she's tiny they may wait longer.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

From what I understand, young and small cats can have a lot of trouble birthing. I seem to remember a few people on here losing kittens while they were whelping because they were young and VERY small....


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## BigLittleSmall (Dec 9, 2013)

I would definitely take her in and get her spayed/kittens taken care of. There are enough kittens in this world that need homes already


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## CanucksStar#17 (Apr 19, 2013)

Thanks everyone!

CatMonkey's: She is a really small cat and way to young to be spayed! You can go right ahead and s/n your cats when they are 5 months old but I am not ever going to!!!
Here is something you should read:
Your Dog Needs To Be Spayed Or Neutered – Right? | Dogs Naturally Magazine
If she wasn't a outside cat I would never get her spayed but since she loves the outdoors I really have no choice.

Like I mentioned before she is a very small cat, her mom is small as well.

Should I get her spayed when I get the kittens aborted? I don't want to do it when she is so young but if it will make everything easier I will do it.

Mitts & Tess: She isn't normally a very affectionate cat but now she will wake me up in the middle of the night to cuddle with me. She sleeps with me to when normally she won't, she also is getting a belly one she shouldn't be getting.
She is acting like her mother when she was pregnant. Same stuff happening.

I am really good at telling if a animal is pregnant!! The one time when my Dog was late for her heat and she was getting fatter and my Mum said she thought she was pregnant but just looking at her I could tell she wasn't. Same thing with looking at my goats I can tell if they are pregnant or not just by looking at them. I am pretty good at telling with humans to. I can usually tell before anyone else in my family.

And she often gets out. Having a big family with some young children cat's get let out a lot!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

CanucksStar, if this little girl at five months old is already Pregnant...
Than she's old enough to be spayed, IMO!
How it would be considered 'ok' for a Kitten (which she still is...) to become a mother...But not to spay, because she's to 'young'...
Really seems oxymoronic! 
I know this has to do with the rules your vets use there!
So this comment is Not aimed at you personally! 

I know you are thinking about her health...
The safest bet is to have her spayed at the same time you take her for the 'abort'...
Everything can be taken care of at the same time, saving her from having to go through it later...


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## Yuki'sMum (Dec 3, 2012)

CanucksStar#17 said:


> If she wasn't a outside cat I would never get her spayed but since she loves the outdoors I really have no choice.


My girl is an indoor cat and she's spayed. You never know when they'll make a dash for the door and escape! It also eliminates the chance of uterine cancer and reduces the chance of mammary cancer. There are all kinds of benefits behaviorally too  good luck with your little girl. 


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Yuki'sMum said:


> You never know when they'll make a dash for the door and escape!


Especially if they're in heat - a female cat in heat is nearly impossible to keep in the house.


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## CanucksStar#17 (Apr 19, 2013)

7cats2dogs said:


> CanucksStar, if this little girl at five months old is already Pregnant...
> Than she's old enough to be spayed, IMO!
> How it would be considered 'ok' for a Kitten (which she still is...) to become a mother...But not to spay, because she's to 'young'...
> Really seems oxymoronic!
> ...


My vet has nothing to do with my opinion! If you had read that link I but on here then you might have realized what I was saying. I had a cat way back that would not go outside hated everything about the outdoors, if he had been a female then I would not have got him fixed but since he was marking I had no choice.

Yes she is old enough to be spayed but is is better to wait to spay until she is fully grown, otherwise you can run into problems.

That whole uterine cancer thing is BS! In the article it says what really was always weighing on my mind does spaying really decrease uterine cancer? No it doesn't! What causes uterine cancer? Cat food and Vaccinations!

Since you didnt read the article you should read this:

Downsides and Risks
What’s become of greater interest to me of late are several studies showing the ill effects of surgical gonadectomy, or instant hormone-pause.

A study done in UC Davis and published in February 2013 revealed some startling health consequences of neutered animals, both male and female. The research tracked 759 Golden Retrievers, and looked at early neuter (less than one year of age) vs later neuter (12 months or older) vs intact dogs and five common diseases:

Hip dysplasia (HD), the arthritis of the hip joint common to dogs
Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) damage, the “football injury” of dogs’ knees
Hemangiosarcoma (HSA), a type of cancer that can be fatal
Lymphosarcoma (LSA), immune system cancer, usually fatal
Mast cell tumors (MCT), yet another cancer that can kill dogs
To summarize the researchers’ findings:

Neutered animals fared significantly worse in all five diseases.
Early neuter of males doubled the rate of hip dysplasia compared to intact males.
None of the intact animals had cruciate ligament disease. Zero. It only appeared in the neutered animals.
Early neutered males had three times more LSA than the intact males, while late neutered males had no LSA.
The percentage of HSA was four times higher in late neutered females than in either intact or early neutered females.
MCT was absent in intact females but present in neutered females. In males, neutering status made no difference.

This mostly has to do with dogs but I think you should still read it!

Now I am going to spay my cat no question about that but the thing is I don't want to be spaying so young. Now if you want to spay at 5 weeks then go right on ahead! But I don't like people saying that I should spay at 5 weeks, my cat my decision. 

I have a 3 year old Border Collie/Lab cross and I was going to get her spayed but after reading this I decided to keep her intact! I am able to keep her from getting away and getting bred so I am not going to be spaying her.

Did you know that spaying gives the animals instant menopause? Anyone who has been though menopause or is going through it or knows someone who has it wouldn't want to put anything through that! Now I am going to spay my cat because I don't want her to get pregnant but just letting you all know to not spay unless you have to! 
With cats you usually have to though.

I will re-post the link on s/n ya'll should read it Your Dog Needs To Be Spayed Or Neutered – Right? | Dogs Naturally Magazine


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

5 months is definitely not too young to spay. In rescue, we spay/neuter at 2 pounds (anywhere from 8 - 10 weeks depending on development). So if she's not pregnant, I'd definitely get her spayed pronto! Now 5 weeks, that's pretty ridiculous. They're normally not even a pound yet at 5 weeks. That's way too young!

BTW - NOT spaying your cat has serious implications too. Un-spayed cats have a much higher risk of mammary cancer when they're older. And un-spayed cats can have ovarian cysts and uterine infections from the fluctuating hormones. Not to mention, the number of kittens who are euthanized every year...


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

CanucksStar#17 said:


> Thanks everyone!
> 
> CatMonkey's: She is a really small cat and way to young to be spayed! You can go right ahead and s/n your cats when they are 5 months old but I am not ever going to!!!


I guess there's a toss up.... having a really small cat that you feel is in danger from being spayed (because she's too small)... 

Or

... having a really small cat possibly die during whelping because she's trying to pass kittens that are too big for her to pass safely.

You just got done saying that you live in a house with lots of kids and it's hard ot make sure animals don't escape... be responsible and have your pets fixed. Be part of the solution, don't add to the problem.


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## Jakiepoo (Jan 5, 2013)

I would like to point out something with the article you posted (which I read) you already mentioned, it's a study about dogs. There are significant biological and behavioural differences between the two, the problems they name in dogs really aren't problems for cats. And while it's something you may not be comfortable with (which is absolutely fine) I would recommend a little more research into the feline side of things because they are different. It is actually thought that the earlier you do a spay, the easier it is due to their being less fat in the abdominal cavity. 

Early Spay/Neuter: An Overview

A little study I briefly read comparing early and late spay/neuters in puppies and kittens.

Also another side not, you mentioned you wouldn't spay your cat if you could keep her in, but the link you posted recommends spaying ALL cats no exceptions unless you are a reputable cattery. I mean, unless you enjoy intact toms hanging around the property, which you probably wouldn't. As far as early spay neuter in cats and that article, they have no research on the effects in cats so I wouldn't necessarily use it as a reference for health affects on them!

Quoted from your article: "The data of ill effects of neutering are largely from the dog world. Cats may follow suit, but we don’t typically see bone cancer in cats, nor HSA, or MCT."

Other than that, if you really do think your kitten is pregnant and she's as small as you say she is then I'd get her to the vet ASAP and get the kittens aborted. The longer you wait the more potential complications there may be. And I definitely would recommend getting her spayed at the same time, but that is 100% your decision. Though a vet might just do the two procedures at the same time, not exactly sure how the whole thing works. Hopefully all goes well!


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

I would also like to point out that a kitten pregnant with kittens means they are not growing properly, all her energy is going into her kittens both during pregnancy and nursing instead of herself in the essential growing months.

There are far more important reasons to spay now rather than later.


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## CanucksStar#17 (Apr 19, 2013)

I understand what everyone is saying.

emilyatl: I didn't mean 5 weeks! I meant 5 months. 

MowMow: I am gettting my kitten spayed!!!! I never said I wasn't! I don't even know why we are still talking about this should I spay my cat or not! I'm not trying to add to the problem why do you think I am getting the kittens aborted and my cat fixed??? I don't agree with fixing a cat when it is 5 months old, now if you guys do that is totally fine. 
As far as i'm concerned I am responsible! Why do you think I am going on here for advice on to abort or not? I didn't ask if I should spay! I was just wondering if I should spay when getting the babies aborted.
Please understand that I do not want my cat to have kittens!!!

I am going to talk to my vet and ask him if I should spay and get the babies aborted at the same time or not.

The person that wrote the link is ok with people not fixing their cats she/he just said that they personally couldn't handle a cat that wasn't fixed. It is totally up to you.

Once again thanks everyone and I will talk to my vet about the whole thing.


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## BigLittleSmall (Dec 9, 2013)

I do not believe they will abort the kittens without spaying the cat


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## CatMonkeys (Sep 27, 2012)

This is really one of those times where you should be consulting a medical professional, not the internet. 

As much great advice as the people on cat forum have to offer, your situation is one where you will only get a good definitive answer from a vet who has examined your cat.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

CanucksStar#17 said:


> Once again thanks everyone and I will talk to my vet about the whole thing.


Good...that's what you should have done right from the beginning. Now that you've come to a conclusion I am going to close this thread as it has become a bit contentious.


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