# Could my cat be pregnant?



## lisab3410 (Oct 2, 2009)

I have two cats; Gizmo a fixed male of 1 year & Daisy a girl of 10 months who has not been fixed.

A few evenings ago I heard a really loud wailing noise and had no idea what this was. I have now realised it was coming from my Daisy and for the last few days she has been calling out in the early hours of the morning.

Having only ever had male cats before this is all new to me and have now realised after a little research that she is in heat. She has also been sticking her little bottom up in the air. She does a bit of pacing and is very affectionate too, but she has always done this ever since we rescued her.

We let our cats out during the day, but they stay in at night. Daisy is really enjoying being outside at the moment - I guess this is because she is looking to breed.

She has only been calling and displaying behaviour as though she is in heat for 3 days, but could she be pregnant that quickly? I have been told she could. She is only a small cat and though we did not plan for her to have kittens, I would do my absolute best for them.


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## Xanti (Nov 4, 2008)

Yes, she most certainly could. Please, if she is, get her spayed when the kittens are weaned.


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## lisab3410 (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks so much for answering. I thought you may say that.

She is small - I call her my baby cat. I just didn't think it would be possible at this stage. How naive!

I am not sure what to do now. Should I keep her in? She would hate this as she has been reguarly going out now during the day for a few months.

I most certainly will get her fixed as soon as I can. But from what I have read there is no way I would do this whilst she is pregnant or in season.

Will it be ages till I know if she is pregnant? I have read that it takes about 3 weeks to see the signs. She is still calling, so am not sure that she is. Do cats stop calling as soon as the day after they fall pregnant?

My cats love being outside and have just learnt to go toilet out there, rather than use the litter tray in the house. If I keep her in, i'll have to keep him in too. I want to do what's best, but I want them to be happy too!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Cats are "induced ovulators" which means they do not release the follicles until they are bred by a tom. IF no tom has reached her, then she cannot be pregnant ... but because she has been outside unsupervised you have to assume she *is*. She will breed over a period of about 3-5 days. 
Gestation is about 63 days.
IMO, if/when she begins to near birthing, I would keep her strictly indoors. You do not want her to be able to have or move her kittens outside and if you allow her outside and an accident befalls her you would have to hand-rear the orphans. 
Best of luck!
heidi =^..^=


Here is a copy/paste about preparing for kittens:
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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## Nell (Apr 7, 2005)

Please please keep her inside until you get her spayed! She will whine and beg to go out, but keeping her in is for the best. There are already too many cats and kittens than there are homes for, and bringing more into this world is a death sentence for those in shelters.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

She may be pregnant, she may not be. Allowing her to continue going outside will ensure that she is. She is very young to be pregnant, which means a higher risk of complications. If she already is pregnant, what's done is done. But if she isn't, you can prevent it by keeping her in....which is what I recommend. You'll know in a few weeks...

For future reference, a cat typically experiences first heat at ~8 months. It's not common but it can be as early as 4 months. It's recommended that a cat be spayed no later than 6 months.

In addition, going through heat also increases the risk of mammary and uterine cancer in cats.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

As info:
Cats *can* be spayed when they are in-season or pregnant. Some people can do it. Some people cannot bring themselves to do it. 
IMO, if a pregnant cat must be spayed, I feel it is best to do so as early in the pregnancy as possible because if the pregnancy has progressed ... I feel it is a very difficult and unfair thing to put the vet, vet-techs and staff through.

Myself, I have only knowingly spayed one pregnant female and I did so because she was feral and I had absolutely no way of containing her to birth, raise and wean her litter and ensure no mating would occur before a spay appointment could be made. 
With feral cats, we sometimes have to make *very* difficult decisions to break the cycle of having constant litters and get them TNR'd. 
(_TNR = Trap, Neuter, Release/Return_)
...but that cat had a happy ending. She was returned to our property after her spay and over several years of working to tame her, she finally accepted being socialized and is now one of our happy, relaxed, confident and pampered housecats.


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## Mrs. PBJ (Dec 29, 2009)

I would have her spayed ASAP. I have had many pregnant female cats spayed some as late as 57 days. 

If you do not wish to have her spayed keep her in starting now. I know many people refuse to spay while pregnant and that is fine but make sure your cat did not contract any diseases from the tom.


I personally would spay now.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I would spay ASAP as well. There are already WAY too many cats in the world w/out homes--a mistake was already made, so not compounding it by bringing more kittens into the world would be my choice.


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## lisab3410 (Oct 2, 2009)

Thank you so much for your answers everyone.

I have decided that if she is pregnant I will not get her spayed till after she has had the kittens and will get her spayed straight away after this. If she is not pregnant I will wait till she is not in season as I have heard there can be complications and do not want to take any risks. I have heard the season can last anywhere from one week to three. Is this correct?

I really have no idea if she is and have not seen her have any contact with any toms, but yes she has been unsupervised so I guess I wouldn't know. Many of my neighbours have cats and I have no idea if their boys have been fixed, but there have been cats hanging round the back garden.

One thing that does make me doubt she is pregnant is the fact that she is still calling. I assume that this would stop if she were carrying??? But then it would have only been a few days....

If she is to become a mother then my sister will have one kitten and my best friend another (both are experienced with cats). As for any others, if I could not find them the most perfect homes I will keep them myself and love them as much as the two I already have. THANK YOU!!!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I admire your respect for life. I would not get her spayed until you're sure she's not pregnant. However, I would not allow her to go outside during this time. She will come in season soon if she is not pregnant now. Vets prefer to spay when cats are not in season, so please be careful that she cannot get out under any circumstances.


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## Avalonia (Oct 7, 2007)

It sounds like you have already made a decision and have good options for the future kittens so I will just add that yes, a cat can be pregnant within a matter of minutes (our Lea got out for about ten minutes despite us trying to be careful and she's pregnant now too). I would think there might be a few days before her body realizes that it is indeed mommified and she doesn't feel the need to express her in heat behaviors anymore. Either way, I wish you much luck on the outcome and am so glad to hear that you are able to keep the kittens if need be.

For anyone else who is reading this and in a similar situation, my own outcome is going to be different. We have made the decision to spay Lea anyway. It is not a happy decision and I don't feel good about it. In fact, I feel like a total tool that I let this happen. We haven't been on top of things with her and her sister, and I could bore everyone by listing the myriad of reasons why, but I won't. I should have been more careful and not assumed she was too young. With a dangerously sick dog and two elderly cats in addition to her and her sister, I just don't have the resources to provide for a litter nor am I willing to risk Lea at her young age giving birth. Our vet strongly believes we are making the right decision but it doesn't make me feel any better. The only thing that does is that her sister is going in with her so we won't have a repeat of this depressing scenario.

Learn from me, please, anyone who has not fixed their cats yet. If they are more than a few months old, they are probably old enough. Don't put it off like I did.


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