Mom of 6 week old kittens is in heat

[kreinhardt]

Hi everyone, I'm fostering a very young mom and her 3 kittens who will be 7 weeks old on Sunday. I got them when they were 2 weeks old and they are all scheduled to get spayed and vaccinated around the 20th of September.

The mama, Marshmallow, is very clearly in heat! It seems to have only really kickstarted today. She won't stop meowing and rubbing up on everything and her butt is constantly in the air.

She has 1 male kitten and she keeps positioning herself in front of him.. it's quite upsetting to watch lol He isn't even 7 weeks old yet... This feels dumb to ask but, there's no way he could get her pregnant, right? I thought kittens wouldn't get this urge until about 4-5 months of age.

I've fostered a mom and her babies before but that mom either didn't go into heat before getting spayed or just wasn't as obvious. She still nurses them although only once a day on average, they are mostly on wet food.

I don't need to separate them, do I? Is there any risk at all? She literally will not stop meowing, will it be like this until she gets spayed in 3 weeks?

 

[cataholic07]

No he wont get her pregnant but she needs to get spayed asap. I would tell them to rush her appointment as you dont wanna risk her escaping to get preggers.

 

[Jcatbird]

Definitely be VERY careful that she does not get out or that any male in the area can get in! The urge to mate is extremely strong and it only takes one second for a cat to dash out a door. If you can keep her a room away from any exits, you might want to do that. Bravo to you for scheduling the spay!

 

[kreinhardt]

Thankfully there's no chance of her getting out. They are in my foster room which is a loft above the attic and I have a gate at the top of the steps to prevent my cats from coming up and hovering at the door or for her to get downstairs should she escape. Thanks everyone

 

[Sarthur2]

Her heat cycle will last about a week and she will be miserable during it. She may have another one a couple of weeks later. Ask your vet to call you if they get a cancellation before Sept. 20th.