# Pregnant Cat Questions???



## kagesmommy (May 20, 2005)

Now, my oldest cat Heidi well she is still under one year old. She is getting bigger and bigger each day. The vetrinarian I work with told me that you should be able to feel the kittens once she gets closer to being due. Now I also was wondering if it were just she was getting fatter, form eating more, her stomach would be somewhat squishy right? Well her fat is pretty hard, and also her nipples are really big, they are not releasing any milk just big. I have never had a pregnant cat before. Also the hard fat is around the insides of her legs like near her pelvic bone, would that mean that the kittens are due soon because they are moving down more? I am kind of cunfuzzled a bit. Please help me out! Thanks in advance!

Kristy


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Kristy, I hope she's not pregnant. She's so young.  She will get much wider if she's pregnant, not fatter. It's pretty obvious the last two weeks, unless she is having only two kittens. Also, during the last two weeks you will easily be able to feel the kittens moving. Just rest your hand on her abdomen. Don't try to palpate the kittens; only a vet should do that.


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## kagesmommy (May 20, 2005)

Okay, well shes around a year old.. Personally I dont think that is young seeing as how they can go into heat as young as 4 months old. She was given to us about 2 weeks ago and the guy that gave her to us said beware she may be pregnant. As he was moving back home after Universtiy and his parents would not allow her. So anyways, I tried to feel, but I guess she is getting wider not fatter. But are there any other signs I can look for to really know if she is pregnant?

thanks


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

kagesmommy said:


> Okay, well shes around a year old.. Personally I dont think that is young seeing as how they can go into heat as young as 4 months old. She was given to us about 2 weeks ago and the guy that gave her to us said beware she may be pregnant. As he was moving back home after Universtiy and his parents would not allow her. So anyways, I tried to feel, but I guess she is getting wider not fatter. But are there any other signs I can look for to really know if she is pregnant?
> 
> thanks


Well, "Mother Earth" didn't intend cats to become fertile at 4 months of age, that is our doing (and it is VERY unusual). The "natural" age for a female to become fertile is between 6 and 12 months of age (depending on what time of the year the year the female is born). Just because an animal is fertile doesn't mean it's good or natural for them to have babies at that age. There are girls that become fertile at 9 years of age and I think we all have very strong feelings about so young girls becoming pregnant.

If she is pregnant her breast will swell and become pink/red... sooner or later so if that happens there are babies on the way. If it doesn't happen there probably won't be any babies.


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## emma_pen (Nov 2, 2004)

You would think you being a vet tech would know the problems with breeding young cats.


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## kagesmommy (May 20, 2005)

Well.. I never did breed her, like I said she was given to us like this. Also in response to Emma's question. I'm 21 years old been a vet tech for just under a year. We are constantly so busy because we are the only animal hospital within our city of 111,000 population. I simply do bloodwork, fecal samples stuff like that, I am not ever handling any animals and so on, so NO i dont know these types of questions. So please dont attack me again, if thats what you were doing. Thank you

Ok I will definitely look for the pink/red. And also my kitten is 4 - 5 months old and she is hitting heat cycles already and she is in her 2nd heat cycle. I am not one to breed my cats, because I am not interested in over populating the cats like they already are, this other one was a friend of mines cat and I took her in becuase if I didnt it would have been on the streets giving birth. She is going to be fixed after all this goes through. Then she will stay in a loving home I provide her with. There is no way that my male could have done this as he is incapable. And is neutered anyways! Thank you for all your help

Kristy


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

Good luck with everything, I hope you get your kitten spayed as well, she is definitely old enough.


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## emma_pen (Nov 2, 2004)

Please accept my apologies. I really didn't actually mean to come across as badly as I did, I guess it's easy to forget how certain sentances can look on an internet forum. I realise you didn't breed her intentionally yourself, and was not attacking you.


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## kagesmommy (May 20, 2005)

Okay. Emma thanks for the apologies its appreciated. I really don't have any clue about pregnant cats, never had to deal with them, and its kind of frightening because I really dont know what I am supposed to do to help her out. I know she cant get food herself but how much should I really be feeding her.. also she has started to be laying on her side and she keeps pushing herself off the wall with her hind legs. What would that mean? its kind of scary!

Kristy


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Kristy, if your young kitten has had two heat cycles, I would get her spayed right away. When a female is in season, she'll try to get out. I even had a tom come into the house once! The shelters spay much younger. I usually wait until 6 months, but under these circumstances, it would be best not to take chances. 

If you haven't seen or felt kittens moving, I don't think pushing off the wall means anything. When she is in labor, you'll see the contractions as well as pushing. The last few days of the pregnancy, she will want a lot of attention, scratching at paper, looking in closets and cupboards, etc. Put her on your lap and rest your hand gently on her abdomen. As I said before, if she's in the last couple of weeks of pregnancy, you will be able to feel movement. Here is a link with a lot of information.

http://www.netcat.org/birth.html


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## kagesmommy (May 20, 2005)

Hey Thanks for the info. It makes me a little bit more knowledgable when it comes to this. Also I can feel little tiny heads or maybe arms cant really tell the difference, and also about the affection today was the first time I have ever had her just come and fall asleep next to me on the couch. Usually she waits until we are in bed and she will climb next to us and sleep between us at night. Anyways my other cat has an appointment to be spayed, I was told no younger then 6 months but I let them know shes been through 2 heat cycles already and the doctor tried to argue with me but I told them I wanted it done. And finally he gave in, but he also told me if there are complications dont come and blame me. Hmmmm maybe I should just take her to another hospital!

Kristy


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## gsc4 (Mar 27, 2005)

Here's a picture of Squirrel a couple days before she gave birth. She did not get big all over, it just looked like she swallowed a softball. Trim shoulders and hips, big lumpy bulge in the middle. She had 4 babies. 

I could never feel the kittens inside but that is probably because I did not know what I was trying to feel. Also, Squirrel was not to happy about me poking around her belly so I did not try too hard. 

The vet had no trouble feeling the kittens before she even looked pregnant. The vet diagonosed the pregnancy from feeling and only confirmed it with an ultrasound because they had a new machine they wanted to try out. 

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/[email protected] ... pg&.src=ph


Hope this helps.


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

some vets recommend waiting until 6 months, some do it at 12 weeks. Neither has been proven harmful.


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## kagesmommy (May 20, 2005)

Thanks for all your help guys!!! I greatly appreciate it!
Kristy


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## ChiliBean (Jun 17, 2005)

splendid kitty pictures =) :wink:


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Please do tell us if all is OK.


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?p ... ht=#204652


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