Mistake Has Been Made... Pregnant Cat And Vaccine?!?!

Meowykitty

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Hey! I'm new here and I am really freaking out!!

I took in this stray cat a few weeks ago, tried to find her owner with no luck. She was definitely in heat when we took her in, have kept her indoors since.

Now, thinking I was doing the right thing and all, I took her to the vet not only to have her scanned for a microchip but also to have her looked at and talk about things that should be done. Obviously the vet suggested getting her tested for feline leukemia, dewormed and vaccinated. I mentioned that she was in heat when I found her and there was a chance that she was pregnant, the vet felt her up and couldn't feel anything. She said she wasn't sure if she was pregnant but suggested vaccinating her anyways and we would know later on for sure. So she was vaccinated.

Now I am seeing that her nipples are potentially "pinking up" and now that I have done more research I am learning that vaccinating a pregnant cat is a big no no. Did I just kill the kittens?? I am so worried and I feel so guilty. If she was vaccinated early in the pregnancy what are the side effects for the kittens and how likely are they to occur? I am so stressed about this and feel so horrible :(
 

StefanZ

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Im not expert on when the vaccinating is most dangerous, and when the dangers are lesser.
How far into the pregnacy is she?
Is a spay - abortion now still possible?

This would be the safest and easiest way out. Esp as I presume a spaying IS in your plans.?
 
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Meowykitty

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I am unsure how far along she is in her pregnancy. Not sure how long she was outside before we took her in. It is 100% my plan to get her spayed, as my other two cats are spayed. Just wasn't sure when would be the best time for me to do it. The vet said she had to be at least a year old.
 

lutece

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It's best to spay before the first heat cycle if possible. You might consider shopping around for another veterinarian, as it is not standard practice to wait until a cat is a year old before spaying... this leads to many unwanted litters!

At this point, she could be spayed at any time. If she is just barely pinking up now, she is not far along in the pregnancy and it would be fine to go ahead and spay ASAP.
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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I am unsure how far along she is in her pregnancy. Not sure how long she was outside before we took her in. It is 100% my plan to get her spayed, as my other two cats are spayed. Just wasn't sure when would be the best time for me to do it. The vet said she had to be at least a year old.
The best way to find out if, and how far along, she is pregnant is by an abdominal ultrasound.
 
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Meowykitty

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Anyone know how pricey an ultrasound can be? And also I didn't mean the vet wanted to wait until a year, she was just informing me that she thinks my kitty is about a year old now. Sorry for the misunderstanding! Also are there any negative health implications for spay-abortion? And how likely is it that the kittens are dead or have defects? Would an ultrasound be able to determine if the kittens are still viable?
 

lutece

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You would have to call the vet's office to ask about the price for an ultrasound. Prices for vet services can vary a lot! You can ask them any questions you may have about spay-abortion, too.

If she is more than three weeks into her pregnancy, the vet should be able to see heartbeats on the ultrasound, in order to determine whether kittens are alive. Unfortunately heartbeats don't guarantee healthy kittens, since they could have other problems.
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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You also, per your original question about vac safety for pregnant cats, need to find out what type of vaccinations were given to the cat. When was the vet visit specifically?

The more info you can get from the vet right now, or from a 2nd opinion vet, the better informed your decision can be.
 

talkingpeanut

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Before the halfway point in the pregnancy a spay/abortion is about the same as a normal procedure. It is slightly riskier because the uterus is enlarged. After the halfway point, there is more hormone involvement and the mother might be more effected. It is still the better choice if you don’t feel prepared to care for kittens, especially those with posisble special needs. A litter of kittens is substantially more expensive than an ultrasound and spay.

I know this is more than you bargained for, and really applaud you for caring for this cat!
 
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Meowykitty

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Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all of the advice!
I took her home with me September 3rd, she was definitely in heat at this time but after I took her in she never went outside. I kept her for a bit to see of we could locate an owner or see if anyone would claim her, so on the 14th I decided officially that I was just going to keep her so the 14th is when she was vaccinated, dewormed and tested for FeLV (which she was negative yay). I just noticed yesterday (the 25th) that her nipples were "pinking up" but she also seems to be going through another heat? I don't know if that's normal for pregnant cats or if it's like a false pregnancy or something, but it looks like I'm definitely gonna be talking with my vet again.
 

Apple54321

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Well done for taking her in. I'm no expert, but have taken in a cat earlier this year, who had been in heat and have gone through the whole kitten journey, and now out the other side with all spayed/neutered and two cats remaining with me. This site has been an amazing resource for me, and clear that cats are extremely fertile and if there's a chance they got knocked up the generally are (you see quite a lot of posts where a cat accidentally got out once and that's all it took). I agree with others about finding more out about risks of the particular vaccines at early stage in pregnancy and making the decision that works for you. Having kittens is in my experience a considerable undertaking and expensive. If you go along with having the kittens, along with this amazingly helpful site, one thing I'd advise is find a good cat vet you trust (things can change very rapidly if a kitten or mum is poorly) . Also, I know you are far away from this stage, but kittens can be spayed/neutered very young (10-12 week). With mine it was between vaccinations and before they went to their new home and they bounced back from it so so quickly - so toally recommend this to anyone on this site with kittens.
All the best with whatever you decide to do.
 
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Meowykitty

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Thank you all so much again! I've looked at this site from time to time for some advice for my other cats and always thought the community seemed so nice and helpful! I really do appreciate all of your advice and opinions! Gives me a lot to think about but I will definitely be consulting with my vet!
 
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