First Time Fostering a (Possibly) Pregnant Cat

[ColoradoCat]

I thought people might want a picture of Hathor so here she is.

 

[ColoradoCat]

As of today, I've had Hathor for a full eight weeks. The shelter contacted me about her two days before I picked her up so she's got to be close. I've added a couple pictures of her belly.

 

[lutece]

As of today, I've had Hathor for a full eight weeks. The shelter contacted me about her two days before I picked her up so she's got to be close. I've added a couple pictures of her belly.

Hmm... are you sure you have the dates right? The gestation period in cats is only 9-10 weeks. If you have had her for 8 weeks and she is pregnant, she would have been only 1 week (or maximum 2 weeks) into her pregnancy at that time, and cats don't normally show signs of pregnancy until they are closer to 3 weeks into pregnancy. Looking at this belly picture you posted, I'm not seeing the breast development that you would expect to see at the end of pregnancy. Have you been feeling any kitten movement?

 

[ColoradoCat]

Hmm... are you sure you have the dates right? The gestation period in cats is only 9-10 weeks. If you have had her for 8 weeks and she is pregnant, she would have been only 1 week (or maximum 2 weeks) into her pregnancy at that time, and cats don't normally show signs of pregnancy until they are closer to 3 weeks into pregnancy. Looking at this belly picture you posted, I'm not seeing the breast development that you would expect to see at the end of pregnancy. Have you been feeling any kitten movement?

Yeah, I've had some doubts myself. I did take her into the shelter about a week and a half ago to get her looked at and two separate people said she was pregnant and probably has a couple kittens in there, so I'm going off of that. The current plan is that if she hasn't given birth by Tuesday, we'll do an X-ray and see what's going on. I haven't seen too much in the ways of movement, though I did see a small lump about an inch in diameter rise up and fall at one point not too long ago. I know some cats can be pregnant as long as 72 days, so she might have some time to go if she is pregnant.

 

[lutece]

Sounds good, I'm glad you are on top of it and have a plan for an x-ray!

 

[cataholic07]

Yah don't be surprised if she's just fat lol. We had two pregnant cats who just turned out to be fat last month lol.

 

[ColoradoCat]

Yah don't be surprised if she's just fat lol. We had two pregnant cats who just turned out to be fat last month lol.

I suppose that's possible. When I took her down to the shelter, the woman who examined her did seem pretty sure she was pregnant with a kitten or two based on palpation of her abdomen and general appearance (she did think Hathor's nipples were pinking up), as did a second person who came in to help out. I'm not really sure what to think at this point, but hopefully we'll get her an X-ray soon to find out what's going on. I've managed to really scare myself thinking about the possibility that she may have miscarried the litter and they may be mummified inside her, so I'm really looking forward to some answers.

 

[ColoradoCat]

So just in case anyone's curious for an update, I took Hathor into the vet today to get her checked. After an ultrasound and an x-ray, the vet determined that she is NOT pregnant. She managed to fool several people at the shelter, including our medical manager. We're now working on getting her a spay date and no longer worrying about kittens.

 

[Furballsmom]

Goodness!

 

[Sarthur2]

Good news!

 

[lutece]

I'm very glad she's healthy and you do not need to worry any more!

 

[ColoradoCat]

Goodness!

She really threw us all for a loop. It's for the best, though. She's only seven months old.

 

[Furballsmom]

It's for the best, though.