Two Pregnant Cats - What Should I Expect?

melontine · Jul 18, 2019

So yesterday I brought home a couple of foster kitties, two gorgeous possibly pregnant cats who are a bonded pair. The shelter I foster for wanted them kept together, so even if only one is pregnant, the other will be staying with her and the kittens the whole time.

I'm thinking they are both pregnant as they both show small baby-bumps and swollen nipples. I started thinking about how their kittens will be, how they'll look, and how the moms will do.

I remember hearing of co-parenting, where two queens in a cat colony will house their babies together and nurse them together, the two litters become indistinguishable from each other.

But then, I've also heard of cats stealing each other's kittens. Where one mom hears a baby and decides to put it with her own. This sometimes means the other mom has to either fight the cat, or let her take the kitten.

I don't know how much truth these scenarios have, and both sound like extremes to me. But I'm really starting to wonder, what is normal for cats in these cases? What can I expect with these two pregnant cats?

abyeb · Jul 18, 2019

Hi there! Thanks for fostering! I think, that since they are a bonded pair, that they would be more likely to share the parenting duties. If there are any problems, you can separate them then.

Sarthur2 · Jul 18, 2019

They should do great together!

golondrina · Jul 18, 2019

Couldn't two queens sharing simultaneously the care of two litters of different ages pose a problem? Perhaps it would be advisable to consult a vet on the approximate delivery date of each queen.

furballs bring joy · Jul 18, 2019

My experience with queens sharing litters, etc. We are on a farm with lots of tame barn cats. Several years ago, when there were a couple unneutered toms on the farm, we had 3 mother cats give birth. If I remember right, they gave birth in separate locations. Than some ended up stealing kittens and/or moving them. The kittens all ended up in one location, with 3 moms sharing nursing duties. Sometimes there would be 2 moms nursing at a time. It worked! No one knew who was who anymore.

golondrina · Jul 18, 2019

Furballs mom said:
My experience with queens sharing litters, etc. We are on a farm with lots of tame barn cats. Several years ago, when there were a couple unneutered toms on the farm, we had 3 mother cats give birth. If I remember right, they gave birth in separate locations. Than some ended up stealing kittens and/or moving them. The kittens all ended up in one location, with 3 moms sharing nursing duties. Sometimes there would be 2 moms nursing at a time. It worked! No one knew who was who anymore.[/QUOTE

Yes, I am aware of these situations working quite well. I was just wondering if the difference in age of the kittens of the two different litters could cause some difficulties, such as the bigger ones pushing away the younger ones.

melontine · Jul 18, 2019

golondrina said:
Couldn't two queens sharing simultaneously the care of two litters of different ages pose a problem? Perhaps it would be advisable to consult a vet on the approximate delivery date of each queen.

I don't think age differences will matter too much, I've had cats adopt kittens a few weeks younger than their own. (One cat took care of her own five, plus four smaller ones.) As long as there is enough milk to go around and enough care is given to each kitten it shouldn't pose a large problem for them to be different ages.
You get bigger kittens pushing smaller ones even when they're all the same age, it's more an issue when there are a lot of kittens. But between two mom cats, if they get along like I'm hoping they will, there should be plenty of room.
(If not, I'll be prepared to help supplement where I can)

melontine · Jul 18, 2019

Furballs mom said:
My experience with queens sharing litters, etc. We are on a farm with lots of tame barn cats. Several years ago, when there were a couple unneutered toms on the farm, we had 3 mother cats give birth. If I remember right, they gave birth in separate locations. Than some ended up stealing kittens and/or moving them. The kittens all ended up in one location, with 3 moms sharing nursing duties. Sometimes there would be 2 moms nursing at a time. It worked! No one knew who was who anymore.

That's awesome it all worked out like that. So I guess it was kind of a combination of both scenarios? (Cats stealing babies from each other until they all ended up as one big group for them to co-parent?)
I guess I shouldn't worry too much, it sounds like cats will work things out on their own.

ArchyCat · Jul 18, 2019

You should be feeding the cats kitten food, kibble/tinned, with a saucer or two of Kitten Milk Replacement from now until they wean the kittens. They need the extra fat and protein to form the kittens, then for milk production when they are nursing the kittens.

You are a brave person, fostering to pregnant cats! Please keep us updated!

golondrina · Jul 18, 2019

melontine said:
I don't think age differences will matter too much, I've had cats adopt kittens a few weeks younger than their own. (One cat took care of her own five, plus four smaller ones.) As long as there is enough milk to go around and enough care is given to each kitten it shouldn't pose a large problem for them to be different ages.
You get bigger kittens pushing smaller ones even when they're all the same age, it's more an issue when there are a lot of kittens. But between two mom cats, if they get along like I'm hoping they will, there should be plenty of room.
(If not, I'll be prepared to help supplement where I can)

Thank you melontine for your reply. I never had such an experience that is why I'm asking, for my education. I very much look forward to your posts when the time comes. I have heard about such situations but I have never had the opportunity to follow one as it develops. I am sure it will be an enriching experience.

melontine · Jul 22, 2019

I should read up on the rules for the forums better. I posted another thread last night because I needed help.
I’m going to try to keep this thread updated and post all information here instead of making new ones.

The two pregnant cats in my first post are named Pippin and Arwen. I brought them home Tuesday of last week and noticed they both showed signs of uri.
I posted about that and got some antibiotics (clavamox) from the shelter. They have been under treatment and I didn’t worry too much, just told myself they would get better.
Because Pippin and Arwen are sick, they haven’t been eating much at all. I hoped that their symptoms would clear quickly and they’d regain their appetites but they aren’t doing well.
As of last night Pippin is no longer pregnant. I estimate she was around 30-40 days along. She’s doing a bit better today but it sucks that she couldn’t have her babies, she tried to take care of them and it really broke my heart.
I brought both cats in to have them checked up on, we switched medicine to some pills, I don’t remember what they’re called. We’re just going to try getting them to eat more, and hopefully they’ll be alright.
They said that they feel one or two kittens in Arwen, but they can’t tell if they’re still alive.

Sarthur2 · Jul 22, 2019

Time will tell on the babies. Poor mamas. I hope they feel better soon and begin eating better.

melontine · Jul 26, 2019

The two pretty girls, Pippin is the colorpoint, Arwen is the long-hair.

They're both eating and drinking well, I think they are getting better.
It's been five days since Pippin miscarried, she's still bleeding/spotting. I've updated the shelter on this, they say for now to just watch to make sure she's still eating and drinking.
They're very affectionate. I noticed Pippin already looks less thin, like her belly bulked right back up, though her back is still pretty bony. Arwen is thin and bony, but also very round in the belly, I don't have any idea how far along she is. If she and Pippen were at the same stage then I'd estimate another 15-30 days before we can start expecting kittens.

Sarthur2 · Jul 26, 2019

They are beautiful!

melontine · Jul 27, 2019

I learned a bit more about their background today and was asked if I could take in two more pregnant cats.
So the shelter says all the cats came from the same hoarding situation, there are six pregnant ladies total. They managed to find another foster for two of the other girls, but the two still at the shelter have been waiting for a foster for more than two weeks already.
Hoarding situations are always a bit rough, but Arwen and Pippin are doing better every day.

Arwen and Pippin have four days left on medication, and the other two girls I might be getting (Demi and Bailey) aren't showing signs of sickness. So I'll be keeping them separated for another week or two while Arwen and Pip recover. Then we can see about re-introducing them.

I'll be picking up Demi and Bailey tomorrow afternoon at 2pm, hopefully, everything will go well. I have a room all ready for them, we just finished cleaning it after bringing back a different litter of fosters. Just need to fit it with some cozy nesting areas for them in case the kittens come soon.

I'll probably be on here a lot asking for advice because this is the most foster cats I've ever done.
If it gets to be too much I can always start bringing them back to the shelter.

Sarthur2 · Jul 27, 2019

Let’s hope all goes well! We are here for you!

melontine · Jul 28, 2019

Got the two new girls home.
Here’s some pictures.
Demi is on the carrier, Bailey is inside.

You can’t see them but Bailey actually started having her babies last night. She’s got two healthy-looking newborns right now.
She might be done, or she might still have more. We’ll see how it goes. (Babies are adorable, I’ll try and get some pictures to show you once they’re settled in more)

Turns out they do need medicine for sneezing, but it should be fine after another week.

Editing images so they aren't sideways or upside down.
This site works weird on phones.

melontine · Jul 28, 2019

Another picture which didn't manage to make it into my post for whatever reason.
Demi seems pretty small, but they're all very pretty cats.
I'm back to having two pregnant cats again so my forum title works again.
Demi and Arwen are expecting, I think Arwen is more round so she'll probably have her kittens first but we'll see.
I'm going to keep an eye on Bailey, but I think she's done having babies and I'm just so happy her two little ones look so healthy. I'll get to name them but I don't have any ideas yet. One is mostly white with spots of black, the other is a black tabby with white paws.
Pippin is so loving, she and Arwen are constantly together now and usually, Pippin is grooming Arwen. They all seem like such sweet cats.

(Another thing I thought adorable was when I was picking Bailey and Demi up, Bailey and another cat in the shelter started a conversation. They meowed at each other from across the room and it was so sweet. I think these girls are used to having lots of company.)

melontine · Jul 28, 2019

Sarthur2 · Jul 28, 2019

They do look like sweet cats! And I see the babies in the carrier. Are the moms eating well?

Two Pregnant Cats - What Should I Expect?

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