how can i tell how pregnant my cat is?

[tasha porter]

Hello again. I recently was posting about my cat Midget but now I think my other cat Coon is pregnant. She had a heat cycle maybe 4 or 5 weeks ago. The last few weeks I have been preoccupied with learning as much as I could and watching and carding for Midget I really don't know how long ago Coon was heat last. I noticed that her belly is looking a little plump and is firm. I'm pretty sure she is pregnant but not sure how far along she is. Are there any signs that might help me get a rough idea as to how far along she is? I want to say she is probably 4 to 5 weeks. Most of what I read while learning for Midget said that around 5 weeks they will start to show. Are there any other signs that will help me? After watching Midget I'm pretty sure I will be able to tell when she goes into labor. I'm not sure how to tell how much longer she has. I also have a question about midget. She also looks as if she may be pregnant again but it has only been 2 weeks since she had her kitten. Yes I know I need to get them fixed so we don't keep having kittens. I am looking into getting it done. When we first got the cats we got just the two and then we moved to my dads and my brother lives there with his male cats. Again I know notba good mix but we just haven't the chance to get cats fixed which is why I took the sisters and my brother took the sisters. What are the risks of brother and sister having kittens? All the cats are brother and sister which is again a good reason to have them fixed. Anyway just trying to see if there are any ways to figure out how long until Coon will have her kittens and if its possible that Midget could be pregnant and showing? Thanks in advance. This is really a cool site!

 

[Willowy]

It is possible that Midget is pregnant again. . .they can get pregnant right away after having kittens (they don't always, but they CAN), and if she's living with tomcats she probably did. Coon probably got pregnant when you saw she was in heat---although usually if there are toms in the immediate area, you won't even see a female in heat because the toms will get to her before she shows signs. But I guess they weren't fast enough :tongue2:. There isn't any way to know for sure unless you saw her mating, but if you want to take her to the vet for an ultrasound you might get a better guess.

Cats will mate with all family members, they don't have any qualms about that. Inbreeding can cause deformities and other problems in the kittens (usually not the first generation, but after that the risk goes up significantly) so you'll want to get that taken care of quickly. Best to have the boys neutered now, so that by the time the girls can get pregnant again, they won't be fertile anymore (boys can stay fertile for a few weeks after neutering, due to sperm retained in the tubes). Then you just have to make sure the girls stay inside until after they're spayed. Otherwise they're going to keep getting pregnant constantly and you'll have a million inbred kittens to deal with . And remember, if you keep any kittens, or have a hard time finding homes for them, the females can go into heat as young as 14 weeks (usually 5-6 months but some are early bloomers), so you'll either have to have the kittens fixed at a young age or keep the genders separated until after they're fixed.

Just call your vet to make an appointment. Most vets can get you an appointment within the next week or so; if your vet is too busy try another vet. If finances are a problem, call every cat rescue, shelter, and vet's office in the area to find out what kind of options are available. You can also contact Spay USA to see what they can do for you.

 

[lagay]

It sounds like you might have a tough time if Midget is pregnant again as well. I'd recommend having Coon spayed while pregnant--if she's mated with the bother cat, there is a big risk of congenital birth defects..also, the last thing you need is more kittens to (not) fix. They can go into heat as early as four months!!! It could get out of hand very, very quickly.

Also, if you are really stuck on having kittens in the house, maybe you could look into having Midget foster some kitties who've lost their mother? I'm sure a local shelter would love the offer, if she is still is able to nurse .... and yes, brother and sisters cats WILL MATE. If a female goes into heat, and no other cat is around...lets just say they won't discriminate. Any port in a storm, as they say. lol. The only way to prevent this is to have them all fixed. Do you have a local vet you usually use for vaccinations? I'd phone them up and ask for help. You'll need it.

 

[tasha porter]

I have been looking into the VSNIP program but I'll look into spay usa as well. Yea this is going to get out of hand quickly and we never intended to have kittens which is why I got two girls when I did, but things happened and we moved to my dads where my brothers to males were and neither of us could part with our cats. we knew what would happen and we have been looking into getting them fixed.As for Midget fostering I did contact a local shelter but they had told me that it wouldn't be a good idea because cats can get infections and if Midget hasn't been tested or has has an infection she could give it to the kittens and that would not be good. If Midget is pregnant, which it wouldn't surprise me since the day after she had the last kitten one of the toms was right on her, would she already be showing the belly? It was July 18th when she had the kitten so its only been 2 weeks. I thought they didn't start to show the belly until 4 or 5 weeks? Thank you for the advice. I will look into spay usa and see if they can help me.

 

[maewkaew]

I don't see how she could be showing at 2 weeks.  the embryos would not be big enough to be making her show.    at 2 weeks they would be like the size of a grape!   

That doesn't mean she is not pregnant again, . but  if she's bigger I dont think it can be from that.   I have heard people say the cat just felt more solid or something.  

I sure hope you can get all these cats fixed before it gets way out of hand and you have like 30 cats needing to get fixed,  and generations of inbreeding. 

 Someone else on here said they called that spay usa number and they helped them find some low cost options. so maybe they can help you.   
 It might not be free,   but neither is raising litters of kittens,  with all the extra food,  extra litter,  and they need to get their shots and  deworming medicine .... not to mention if there are complications,   an emrgency c-section is a lot more expensive than a spay.    And with back to back litters it increases the risk .  

ASPCA also has a database of low cost spay neuter clinics.     So you might check that in case there are some listed that the other number doesn't tell you about.   http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/spayneuter

 

[tasha porter]

Just a quick update our males are getting nurtured. Since midget had a kitten that didn't make it is there any tips to help Coon when she has hers? I would really hate to have the same thing happen again. I am going to have a heating pad set up so it can be turned on during the cold nights but just wondering if there is anything else I can do help make sure Coon has better luck?

 

[Willowy]

It's great the boys are getting neutered! IF you can keep your girls from ever getting outside, that should prevent pregnancies. But, you should still try to get the girls spayed when you get a chance. They're at risk for pyometra and breast cancer, and the risk goes up the longer they stay unspayed. Plus they'll be in heat all the time and drive you crazy :tongue2:.

There isn't much you can do to prevent stillborn kittens. But make sure the mama cats are well fed with good nutritious food (not crummy dollar store kibble). In fact, give them kitten food if possible. That will help them have healthier babies.