# Is my rescue cat pregnant?



## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum. Thank you for having me here. I need some advice. I recently rescued a cat from the pound. She was surrendered by her owner so did not have a lot of time as the pound was a high kill pound. The original plan was to foster her, have her desexed and vaccinated (pound already microchipped her) and find a home for her like I have done before..... however....as it turns out she has won the hearts of my son, my ex rescue cat Bella and myself... ssooooooo I decided she was meant to be.. so shes now a permanent family member :O).... anywho after I took her to the vet on day 2 to get her checked over (she was very very underweight and suffering cat flu) the vet told me she looks to be pregnant! I asked the vet how sure she couldn't tell me all she said was she may be or she may not be.. shes either constipated or approximately 3 to 4 weeks pregnant.. there was no option to have the babies aborted / desexed as the vet wouldn't put her under anaesthetic until she had made a full recovery from the cat flu and has finished her anti biotics.. she said to wait it out and see.. sooo I have to wait for another 5 weeks to see if she has kittens... either that or an ultra sound which the vet said is prolly a waste of money.. best to just wait It out.. I have no patience.. so please tell me what you think.... Her symptoms is she sleeps ALOT!! She eats ALOT!! She grooms herself ALOT!! She is VERY VERY affectionate..to the point where she sleeps in my arms each night.. she hasn't been in heat for over a month..i asked at the pound who had her prior to me..and her nipples are double the size of my desexed Bella.. and are pink..


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## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)




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## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)




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## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)

And this is the rest of her body... she is very very thin everywhere else


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

The nipples are enlarged and quite pink; this usually happens about 2-3 weeks after a successful mating. Unless something else is going on health-wise with your kitty, she is going to be having kittens of her own. You could do an ultrasound in a week or two to see if there are fetuses in there. The vet could palpate the tummy at about 6 weeks to see if he can feel any tiny babies in there. They may also be able to hear heart beats too by then...but those may be a bit longer.

Because she wasn't looked after well before, you may want to consider some vitamins and supplements for her as well. Talk to your vet or go to an independent pet store (not the big box ones) and talk to one of the staff members there.


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## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)

Thank you very much! So she will be 4 weeks pregnant as the nipples happened a week ago.. Yes with advice from the vet she is being fed kitten food, chicken breast, bits of liver every second day. Im feeding her 3 times a day until she can't eat anymore.. She loves her food so eats until she's full in one sitting which is lucky as I can't simply leave food out for her 24/7 as my other cat is a guts lol.. Im actually very excited about this.. Ill get to doing more research.. And will grab a box this week to get her used to sleeping in.. Only thing is she sleeps with me.. Id like her to have her babies in the bathroom NOT my bed.. But she has become very very close to me following me around everywhere and sleeping with me sometimes with her head on my face lol. Ill keep researching.. I'm soo excited I hope everything goes well.. I estimated her due date will be 20 Jan... she must have been mated the week prior to being taken to the pound.. wondering if her previous owners knew she may be pregnant ? She was not liked after at all.. I gave her a big bath and the water was brown yuk! She had mats in her furr her nails were soo long and she had cat flu and was soo thin.. shelooks soo much better now after just 10 days of being with us


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## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)

The vet said she thought she was pregnant too.. But then when I asked is she certain she said she could be but she may not be as she could be constipated.. Which she wasn't as she has been pooing every day.. I just wanted a second opinion plus the vet was very young.. Ill be going back in a few weeks for another check up closer to get due date..Vet ccan't worm or vaccinate her until after the kittens have finished feeding off mum... In which she will also b desexed.. I will find good homes for the kittens and all will go home with desex and vaccination certificate s and with a check up / worm from the vet.. I am soo excited ???


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

It is difficult for vets to be certain in the first month.
If the cat was indoor before being surrendered, the owners would have known. There is a DEFINITE difference in the queens when they are in season. If she was in season, that may well have been their reason for surrendering her (the queens can be VERY noisy, overly affectionate, and some spray). Some queens still go into heat while pregnant and can successfully mate and carry two litters at the same time. So if you have unaltered males around, you may want to keep them totally separate and make sure she does not go outdoors where she may find a mate. Once you are certain she is pregnant, you may want to consider having a birthing kit ready for you (things you will need if you have to assist with the birth). If you are using a clumping litter, you may want to switch....just in case she decides to give birth in the litter box. As well, clumping litter is not good to have around newborn kittens.


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## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)

Oh thank you soo much Mochas Mommy! Fantastic advice!! Im also visiting the pet store in my lunch break today to talk about what vitamins she could take .. Chloe must have been allowed out prior to coming to the pound as she was covered in red / brown dust?? And yes maybe she was calling or spraying like you say and that's what led them to bring her to the pound.. when all they had to do was DESEX her.. although they weren't feeding her or looking after her anyway and she also arrived there with the cat flu.. wasn't vaccinated or microchipped.. the cat litter I use the crystals... what do you think about that? What should I be using? And I only have another female desexed , vaccinated. microchipped cat Bella in the house.. and they are completely and utterly inside cats! Im against cats being outside where they can eat birds, get run over, get into fights with other cats and run away... and obvs breed if not desexed... I will certainly start arranging a birthing kit.. any ideas on what I may need?


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

I'd wait to get a birthing supplies until you are certain she is going to be a mommy. Remember, many cats give birth on their own with no help. Breeders do this frequently and often our cats are expensive purebreds so we are a lot more cautious of our queens. You can also ask your vet what he suggests closer to the due date.

Given you only plan to do this once, you may not want a whole kit. But some of the things breeders have in their kits are:

for the birthing box:
-plastic waterproof liner on the bottom, pee pad in the middle, towels on top

vet number & after hour number close by phone

extra towels
heating pad/hot water bottle to keep the kittens warm after they are born and while mom is still working (these go in a small box, pad on low, towel on top)

small scale to weigh the babies, pen and paper to record (breeders often have newborn id collars)

small sterilized scissors, alcohol swaps, and dental floss (in case you have to help with umbilical cords)

nasal aspirator (in case you have to help clear mucus so the baby can breath)

kitten formula (mom may like some while she is birthing...babies may need some if mom doesn't start or isn't able to start nursing) also may want to have a baby kitten bottle available (again...these are things that breeders have, you may not want/need them)

hand sanitizer (for you)

a good book to read if you stay with her...coffee if you need to stay up all night 

I haven't used crystals...but I guess if they don't clump. Just watch the babies to make sure they don't eat them! There is kitten attract litter (but I don't really like it)...many of the breeders I know use non-clumping walnut shell, corn, wheat.


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## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)

Fantastic thank you.. That's a good start... Ill start adding these to my birthing list.so im fully prepared ..hahaluv the coffee and book suggestion ??


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## BellaChloe (Dec 14, 2014)

*i can feel the kittens in her tummy!!*

I thought my cat who I rescued from the pound was 4 weeks pregnant.. As the vet estimated however my hand was rested lightly on her tummy tonight and I could feel them moving!!?? Maybe she's further along than I though..


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