My Kitty Is Getting Fat! Why? What Should I Do?

[Kittens and chickens]

So I have this cat her name is Kaia and she is a outdoor cat but she comes inside once in a while she's about 3 years old so she shouldn't be slowing down yet. Well on her last trip inside I noticed she was getting a bit plump She also stepped on me and it hurt a bit. This is weird because she's normally a very thin cat and very light. I was just wondering if she needs a new food Or maybe some of the other cats are messing with her and stressing her out I'll just put a picture of her if it helps. It's a bit hard to take the picture she's been grumpy today which is weird as well which makes me think more that she's being stressed out. Though she is kind of like the top dog around here and gets whatever she wants so I don't know if they would mess with her or not.

 

[Kittens and chickens]

Here's another picture of her it's kind of hard to tell since my iPad takes bad pictures and she's a darker color but she does have a bigger tummy.

 

[tangers40]

.....Is she pregnant?

 

[duckpond]

It was my first thought to, as tangers40 asked, could she be pregnant? Might be that a vet visit is in order to find out? If not i wouldn't worry about a little extra weight right now. All outdoor cats i know will put on some extra weight in the winter, for warmth, then they seem to take it off in the spring and summer. I think most all animals that live outdoors do this for survival.

 

[di and bob]

I wouldn't worry too much either, she looks fine in the photo. If she hasn't been spayed she could be pregnant, so would need more food, not less. But it is really unusual for a cat to be in her first pregnancy at that age. If she is spayed, she is getting at an age when they do start looking more mature and put on weight. She could be stressed but taht usually causes weight loss, not gain. winter puts a lot of weight on them to keep warm. See if she loses some this summer.Has she been wormed lately? Worms will cause a bloated abdomen too. Have the vet worm her or give you the pills, I break them in two and hide them in lunch meat or a small amt. of tuna. Outdoor cats almost always have tapeworms from eating rabbits and mice. I worm mine every 6 months. Don't use over the counter wormers at the store, they usually don't kill tapeworms and are basically worthless.

 

[abyeb]

My first thought was, if she’s not been spayed, she’s likely pregnant, since she’s an outdoor cat likely to come into contact with an unneutered male.

If she has been spayed, then what I would recommend is increasing her exercise, playing with her for a few extra minutes with a fishing-pole-type toy each day. But, don’t worry too much, as other posters said, she doesn’t look overweight as of now, but it is something to keep an eye on.

 

[Kittens and chickens]

We took her to the vet today and they said she's pregnant.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you keep her inside and away from intact males until the kittens have weaned? She will need to be spayed when they are 2 months old. We can help you to find a low cost clinic near your area, if needed.

 

[abyeb]

We took her to the vet today and they said she's pregnant.

If you have any questions about your cat’s pregnancy or delivery, please don’t hesitate to ask in our Pregnant Cats and Kitten Care forum. I’ll attach some helpful articles to get you started:

Pregnant Cat? What To Prepare For The Birth

How Do I Know When My Cat Will Give Birth?

Help! My Cat Is Having Kittens!

How To Save Your Cat From These 16 Life-threatening Pregnancy Risks

Post-birth Complications In Cats

I understand this is a lot of info to sort through. Again, if you have any questions, TCS is here to help!

Please do keep us updated!

 

[Kittens and chickens]

I'll try to keep y'all updated but I don't think my dad will let me keep her inside during the pregnancy but when she has the kittens he will. They said she got pregnant around New Years, so I think they'll be here in March some time? I think we can find a clinic but thank you. Thank all of you this really helps.

 

[Willowy]

She never got pregnant before, huh? That's very unusual. Most cats have litters twice a year starting at 6-9 months. That might mean she has a reproductive problem, so keep the vet's number handy in case of emergency.

 

[Kittens and chickens]

well whenever she would go in heat we would keep her inside for a long time until she stopped, and she was a inside cat up until she was about two years old because my other indoor cat Scarlet was Diagnosed with cancer and we didn't want to stress her out any more so we put Kaia (the pregnant one) outside. Now that Scarlet died of cancer reacently we could probably bring her back in but she likes being outside a lot so I don't know. But we will definitely get her spayed we already have a lot of cats from another mommy.

 

[verna davies]

Do you have a garage or shed she could stay in until she has the kittens. If you could find a dry and safe place for her now, she will settle in prior to giving birth and she and the kittens will be safe.

 

[Kittens and chickens]

We do but it's my dad's shed and he doesn't want them in there. Also there's a bunch of dangerous stuff that could hurt her.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Are all of your other cats spayed and neutered? Females can pregnant even when they’re not in heat.

 

[verna davies]

Are you able to make a temporary waterproof shelter for her. My concern is that she is have the kittens in an exposed area and they wont survive. Failing that, is there a friend or neighbour that can give her a safe place to have the kittens.

 

[talkingpeanut]

You cannot wait for her to give birth before you move her inside. It’s not safe Mom or babies could need help. Mom also needs to feel safe before she has the kittens.

 

[miagi's_mommy]

She’s safer inside since she’s pregnant. Other toms might try to mate with her even if pregnant. And that’s painful for her. And you can make sure she’s eating enough when inside.

 

[Kittens and chickens]

Yes Some of the cats are fixed and we're working on fixing the others. Maybe she can stay in the chicken coop? The chickens don't mind her and she doesn't mind them it's warm in there and there is lots of hay we installed lights in there and they come on about 6 pm and turn off about 7 am. Maybe I can keep her in there until she's ready to have the babies then I can bring her inside. But when my dads not home I can take her out from the coop and bring her inside and just put her back when he comes home. And we don't have a friend that would be willing to take care of her for such a long time. But would what I suggested work?

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you keep her in your room? Would your dad care if she was closed up there there?

What is his objection?