# Pregnant?



## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Okay before I start this thread I will explain. I do plan to get her spayed and all her kittens spayed before they go to new homes. 

Now, my idtio friend let my cat outside the first week of September, she was in heat when she got out. I found her September 6th and she remained in heat for about a day. I thought she was pregnant. I dunno tho. I dont have $300 for an ultrasound right now so I thought I would ask here. My one friend tells me her nipples are normal and she is infested with worms and thats why her belly is big. Now, I have seen little white specs in her poop tonight (she pooped on rug cause litter box was blocked off, my bad). They werent moving etc. Now neither dog has worms and neither does the other cat (who is a fixed female). I am unsure if shes pregnant, she is a nervous cat I dunno if she would let a male near her to breed? Here is a pic. I calculate she would be due around November 14th.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

DEFINITELY PREGNANT.

Her nipples have 'pinked' and her belly looks like she has at least 4 kitts, maybe 5 and possibly up to 6.
Get a nesting box made for her ASAP and be CERTAIN to place it in an area where she is The ONLY animal. She may be sweet and love-y to all housepets but after the kitts are born she will become a protective mamma. Best to separate everyone before the birth so she can birth/raise her litter as stress-free as possible.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Here is a copy/paste of a reply I made regarding preparations you can make for your pregnant cat.

http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=67472

Pregnant cat preparations

I've only had one cat (Shadow, 2004) kitten in my home as an adult ... and a few when I was a small child, so I have extremely limited experience in this area. I've fostered and bottle-raised kittens, but those experiences are vastly different from birthing.

First, I wouldn't like to let kitties kitten wherever. I feel it is necessary to have access at any time and I wouldn't want her putting kittens out of reach and/or in places I can't keep cleaned and sanitary. For me, this means NO under furniture access. 
I also feel it is best to keep new mothers separated from all other animals. Shadow was *very* accepting of all of our housecats ... until she gave birth ... then she became a hissing, growling and aggressive little demon if she saw another cat! This was another reason she was kept in the bathroom. I visited often to keep her from getting bored and to give her some undivided attention, but invariably she was more interested in her babies than she was with me until the kittens reached about 6wks old, then she was DELIGHTED for me to come and take her away from the kitts and give her a break.

Next, mamma cats like to have a cozy, cave-like place to birth and raise their litter. Nesting boxes should be both roomy and private. 
How about something like a tall Rubbermaid Storage Tote?
















These totes are sturdy, moisture-proof, easy to clean/sanitize and check on the litter by removing the top and they won't collapse if Mamma jumps on top. A large size also provides plenty of room for her to maneuver herself and not accidentally lay on any kittens in a cramped space. Fold towels and place them in a pillowcase for their bedding. The pillowcase prevents little kitten claws from getting tangled in terry-cloth loops. 
You can cut a preggie-cat-sized access hole, about 3-4" above the bedding level to prevent kittens from accidentally rolling out of the nest. In addition, if a kitten will not release a nipple when she is exiting, the edge of the access hole will gently bump the kitten off the teat and it will remain in the nest and not be dragged out. By the time the kittens are big enough to get out of the access hole on their own you can enlarge the hole for easier kitten access in and out.

I kept Shadow in our Master Bathroom. It was large and easy to kitten/cat-proof and clean. It also kept two closed doors between our housecat residents. The bathroom was fine for Shadow. As a new mother all she wanted to do was nurse, care for her kittens, eat, drink and litterbox. She had no interest in playing or exercising so the small bathroom was sufficient. As the kittens grew older and began to explore I eventually gave them the bathroom and adjoining bedroom during hours when I was awake and Shadow would join them. At one point I did try to allow her access to the bedroom while she was nursing her litter and she tried to move them under the King sized bed. They would be inaccessible under there and difficult for me to clean so I confined her back to the bathroom until the kittens were about 5wks old and she could then take them on 'field trips' to the bedroom with her so everyone could exercise and explore together.
Heidi =^..^=


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

I have set up a nesting box, half is covered the other have is open. It has blankets it there etc. I gated off my bathroom as this is the ONLY area she can be kept safe. In the bedroom she would have access to jumping on in between the ceiling boards as I havent yet repaired the holes. Plus its gross in that room and messy LOL. When I expect her to deliver I will shut the door to the bathroom and leave a night light on. I will let her out during the day since I can supervise her then. Her litter and food are in there as well.

Miss anything?

Heidi I sent you a pm (well will type and send after I reply here)


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

squeekers said:


> Miss anything?


Nope! Sounds like you've everything you can cover, covered!


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

Pregnant, no doubt. She might be infested with worms as well so deworming is probably a good idea. She needs to be in good health in order to take care of her kittens.


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## Darkcat (May 27, 2010)

The white specs in her poo are possibly tapeworm. Best of luck with the kittens.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Deworming her will not hurt her kittens?


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Oh yes, swollen pink nipples....preggers for sure! I say 6 kittens! Here's some info. about worming while pregnant.

The only wormer indicated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as safe to use in pregnant cats is *pyrantel pamoate*. It is effective in treating _roundworms _and _hookworms_, but not tapeworms. 

Piperazine is also indicated as being OK to use, but is not preferred due to problematic side effects. 

Natural herbal remedies for worming should not be used on a pregnant animal. These remedies are not regulated by the FDA, and many solutions contain wormwood, which is known to induce abortion. 

A pregnant cat should be taken for regular vet check-ups. If any unusual behavior or symptoms develop, a visit to the vet is recommended. ​


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## Jan Rebecca (Oct 14, 2010)

Ohhh sounds like kitties on the way - good luck!


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Well I called a few vets. They will not deworm her unless I vaccinate her and get an ultrasound done to confirm pregnancy. All for a price of $400. I would rather deworm her at home with Diamotacious earth and not vaccinate her. She is over due on her booster shots, but since she lives inside I refuse to update them..over vaccinating is bad.


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## teasha (Aug 15, 2010)

The white things may be tapeworms, but best to wait till kittens are born to deworm. If she has tapeworms she probably has fleas which CAN be treated before kits are born. I would highly advise doing so. Revolution works awesome and is safe to use on pregnant animals.

When we has a dog who had tapeworms and newborn pups the vet said to treat for tapeworms and that it was unlikely the pups would pick them up. It will be the same for kittens. In the chance they did pick them up she said to deworm at 6 weeks.


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## teasha (Aug 15, 2010)

squeekers said:


> Well I called a few vets. They will not deworm her unless I vaccinate her and get an ultrasound done to confirm pregnancy. All for a price of $400. I would rather deworm her at home with Diamotacious earth and not vaccinate her. She is over due on her booster shots, but since she lives inside I refuse to update them..over vaccinating is bad.


It is not safe to vx a pregnant animal, I wonder why they are suggesting it. You can also buy frontline to kill the fleas w/o a prescription. Fleet farm also sells tapeworm tabs for cats where I live...


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## teasha (Aug 15, 2010)

This site says not to use the product you want to use on pregnant cats, it's at the bottom. Diatomaceous Earth and Dogs


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

I can only get revolution from a vet, and this goes back to the vet wanting to vaccinate and have an ultrasound done. Its a money maker here sadly. I have found a few fleas on her every few days. Only she has the odd few fleas neither of my dogs do and not one of my dogs are on flea control. Its probably their diet that is making them unappealing to fleas.

I dont like using chemicals..sorry. My one dog reacts to chemicals so anything I do with the animals is all natural.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

You could comb her thoroughly twice a day with a flea comb, that should catch quite a few.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

I do run the comb through her about once every other night. I spend about 20 minutes doing this and only turn up a few fleas. Seldomly I get flea dirt. I have no idea what flea eggs look like to know if I got any of them.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Here is the whelping box I made..is this okay?


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## mimitabby (Apr 20, 2010)

whelping box!
i have news for you, it's a cat! 
she'll pick where SHE wants to have her babies. You can move them into a box and if you're lucky, she'll like it and stay there.
i can't believe the dumb vet wants to ultrasound her. anyone can tell that cat is pregnant!


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

You don't need a vet for deworming. There are over the counter dewormers that are safe for pregnant cats. Just read the instructions to make sure it's safe. The active substances pyrantel pomoate (or tartrate), praziquantal and epsiprantal are safe. The first one kills roundworms and the other two kill tapeworms.

You've made a lovely house for your cat and her kittens. I'm sure she'll like it. She might not choose to give birth there but if you move the kittens there once it's all done I'm sure she'll accept it.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Well I am in an apartment and the only room I can confine her to is the bathroom as its like a loft type apartment. I cannot let her have them where ever only because she has access to the ceiling and if she has them up there I would have to knock down the ceiling stuff to get to them and I would get shot lol. I cannot close those holes off as I they arent my responsability but that of my landlords. So the bathroom she will be locked into at night with her bed, last night I peeked in on her and she was sleeping in it.


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## Meker (Nov 8, 2010)

Omigosh, sounds like alot of fun/patience! I hope the best of luck to you, and your cat mamma and safe birthing for all the little ones!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I think it looks FABULOUS! Great way to use materials at hand.









_I call them 'nesting' or 'kittening' boxes, but most people would understand the purpose if you call it a whelping box._


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Yeah I used to breed dogs, so I always called them whelping boxes. Guess I keep using that term. For those who are wondering, my puppies came CKC registered, vet checked, shots and came with a guarentee that covered everything. The parents were health checked and hip scored etc..so I wasnt a puppy mill 

At night I lock her into the bathroom in case she decides to have them in the middle of the night I dont have to worry about the dogs investigating.

Also, do I need to do anything while shes having them? Or would this apply to what I did with the dogs?


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

Just make sure she has plenty of fresh water, obviously. If you haven't already, upgrade her to a high-quality canned kitten food, as much as she wants. She will need a lot of nutrients to finish growing these kittens inside of her, and will especially need the extra nutrients once she starts nursing them. Definitely keep her and the kittens in that bathroom so that she is separated from the dogs. Once they're born, she'll likely be very protective of them, and if the dogs have access to her and the kittens, she may act "out of character" and attack the dogs when they come to investigate. 

It seems like the de-worming stuff you want to use isn't safe for pregnant cats. DO NOT USE. Maybe call an e-vet to get advice over the phone (which is free). Ask what they recommend giving pregnant cats for de-worming and flea treatment, or follow the good advice of the nice forumites that have already posted. 

Definitely use Revolution and try to get as many fleas off of her as possible. If she has fleas, they will definitely get on the kittens, and that's not fun for anyone. Then the newborn kittens will have fleas to deal with, which is not the most auspicious start into the world.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Well I combed her last night and I havent found any fleas on her. I closed off the one room because its messy and I think that may be where the fleas are coming from. I cannot get revolution without first doing things the vet wants. Also to call an e-vet here the only line they say is "We cannot give out any advice unless we see the animal"..

I have little baggies of pine shavings in the whelping box right now to repel any fleas, I will keep them there until the kittens are born. Then I will remove them and if they get fleas well when they are old enough I guess I will be treating them. 

Is advantage safe to use on pregnant cats? I could try one more vet and not mention shes pregnant but just ask to come pick up a vial for her...they wont give me revolution without a HW test either...


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

Grrr... it makes me upset when vets say they won't do one service for you unless you bundle all these other "necessary" services in with it, drastically raising the bill.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Yeah tell me about it. Anyway I just finished combing her with the flea comb for about 10 minutes, nothing. So I am starting to wonder if they are hiding in the messy room some where I cannot spray. So I will leave the room closed and when I am motivated I will tackle it. I will wait, if the kittens have fleas I will keep combing them daily etc and try a natural approach then order some Advantage online when I get paid.

I weighed her also, she weighs 10lbs even. When I brought her home after she got out she weighed only 4-5lbs.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Also when and if I find fleas its only ever 1-5..so I dont think my house is infested. Neither dogs have them..


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Ugh no kitties yet, the anticipation is killing me. She seems to be using the litter box a lot more.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Watch for restless behavior, like looking for a nesting place, she may not want your box. She may go off her food. There will likely be a discharge of mucous just prior to birthing. Cat Pregnancy Stages - Fetal Development until Day of Birth


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Yeah, well I notice she seems to want to check certain places out, like shes trying as we speak to get into my closet. Yesterday she was trying to open my pantry..oh shes doing that now actually. She has been in behind a stack of boxes against a wall (theres a gap). I would have no issues letting her use the closet except I have to keep her seperated from the dog. My dogs are great with cats but I have no idea how they will act to newly born kittens yet so she is locked up in the bathroom at night with her litter box, food and nesting box. Thats the only place in my apartment she can be kept safe that I can restrict access to. So shes going to have to use that box lol


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## Meker (Nov 8, 2010)

I can't wait to hear how things are going so far.

Whoot! My post was a little late on that.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

She seems to sleep a lot. Shes either sleeping, walking around for a few minutes, eating or using the litter box lol.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

The bathroom sounds like a good place. She will definitely be protective of her kitties and attack the dogs if she has a chance, even though she may be friendly to them now.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Here is a picture of her belly taken tonight. Is there a slight chance shes not pregnant? I am so nervous to be a grandmother lol


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## teasha (Aug 15, 2010)

She's pregnant, sorry no getting out of it.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Tonight while putting her on her back to take a pic, I noticed some discharge from her vulva, I dabbed a kleenix on it and it was brownish coloured. Its not dripping out or anything and she seems to be wanting to lick there more. Shes peeing okay and I havent noticed any blood in her pee (litter is white)..could this be a sign shes going to go into labour? I have a picture of the kleenix, but wasnt sure if I should post it lol.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Just an update, her nipples are now producing milk. If that means anything lol


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

Should be very soon now. Usually within 24-48 hours of milk coming in.


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

squeekers said:


> Is advantage safe to use on pregnant cats? I could try one more vet and not mention shes pregnant but just ask to come pick up a vial for her...they wont give me revolution without a HW test either...


According to the Swedish "pharmaceutical bible" it should be safe for pregnant cats. It should however not be used on lactating queens or kittens under the age of 8 weeks.


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

How exciting! To be honest, I think you should try keeping her in the bathroom more so she will be more likely to choose your nesting box for the kittening. My concern is with the dogs. She will be just fine if you start keeping her in there 24-7. Just make sure she is comfy and that you spend time with her in there petting, talking to her reassuringly. When I fostered a cat that had her babies in my house, on Holly's advice (I think?), I would talk to her a lot and tell her what a good mommy she's going to be, how everything will be just fine, etc. In between birthing the kittens and after the birth, I talked to her calmly, telling her how beautiful her kittens were, how I was so proud of her, how she was doing such a wonderful job. She seemed to really like me saying all of that, as silly as it sounds.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Today I woke up and check her out again. I notice shes got white stuff that looks dried on her vulva. Also the hair seems to be coming off that area as well. I have been deworming her naturally, but the stuff doesnt look like worms to me. No more brownish discharge and her nipples are still producing milk. I havent been able to feel any movement from kittens, I am nervous they are all dead. Unless she has a really quiet litter, plus she also doesnt stay still enough to let me have a good feel...


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Ugh, my friend told me (who works for a vet) that I should get her spayed because shes probably got pyrometra. Now this friend tends to lie to clients to get them to do things to bring the vet in money.

If lets say she had pyrometra wouldnt she be sick? and would her nipples be producing milk?

Maybe this friend is trying to scare me..


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## RowdyAndMalley (Aug 9, 2010)

these are the signs to look for if you are concerned about pyometra... If your cat is not showing these signs then I wouldnt listen to your friend. I have learned to take some vets or vet techs "advice" with a grain of salt.
Vaginal discharge
Lethargy
Lack of appetite
Depression
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Drinking excessive amounts of water and urinating often


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

The only discharge she had was once and it was brownish in colour. Hasnt happened since. She uses the litter box often but I think thats because shes eating her canned food like a pig.

Other than that I dont notice any other symptoms.


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## RowdyAndMalley (Aug 9, 2010)

Then she def does not have pyometra. She is very pregnant. Good luck and cant wait to see pictures of mama and her little ones!


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

I notice tonight when I was petting her rump she would lift it up and lick her hind legs up and down like how they do when they are in heat. Coincidence or?


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

I think she is just really close to delivering and her hormones are raging. Get ready! They should be here any time!


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

No kittens yet...ugh this wait is killing me. 

Anyway I have decided to give her the bathroom cupboard to birth in. I will double check to make sure the piping gaps are less then 1/2 inch if I remember correctly they should be if I did them. Then I will take all the stuff out and layer with blankets and tie the door halfway open and leave the second one closed. I dont like the look of the box I made for her, its falling apart. Plus the smell of the litter is strong in there and the only litter she will use is sadly the clumping grey stuff. This one isnt scented so I went out and bought a scented one and will keep it at the other end of the bathroom from her and her food etc. See how that works.

When its done I will post pics.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I have had good luck placing the litterbox in the bathtub (drain closed, of course) and sweeping up loose litter daily. Our bathroom has a separate shower stall and bathtub. Your cupboard solution sounds like a good one. I'll have to remember that.


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## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Yeah only I couldnt. The gap between the pipes was to large..kittens could fall through.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Darnit!


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