Rescue cat possibly pregnant?

[Kittycatcat]

Hello, I'm new here,
I've got two cats, My male tabby who's 4yrs old (Castrated) and a recently acquired female who's 14mths. (I've taken her in from a family friend who is having a difficult time right now)
I have reason to believe she maybe pregnant, she's from a home with an entire male however when I picked her up she was thin but over the last week or two her tummy seems to be filling out and nipples pinked up.
She's been treated for fleas and worms (Has this is what I first suspected) with her bloated tummy.
I know she's up to date with vaccinations etc but isn't spayed, something I was planning on sorting once my vet starts doing these again.
I think its abit to late for that now, according to my dates she will be 5-6wks.
So far there has been no sign of heat cycle although I've only ever had boy cats but think I'd know if she were.
What do you think? I will try and attach some pics.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yep, she’s pregnant. Feed her well with wet and dry food, and read up on the pregnant cat and kitten articles listed at the top of the forum.

 

[Kittycatcat]

Thankyou for your reply
I'm trying to find out as much as I possibly can, I've never had a pregnant cat before so feeling anxious about it all. Also she is only a small cat which is worrying me if she will be able birth okay. This is going to be her first litter and she is still very kitten like, I just hope maternal instincts kick in.
I've ordered some krm and syringes just incase she needs a little help. I'm going to get some scales too.
I've taken on far more than I'd imagined however I'm going to make sure she gets the best of care .
I had already added her to my pet insurance when I first brought her home however am I right in thinking pregnancy related issues are not covered?
Also can I ask if its safe to de worm a pregnant cat? I used the drontal spot on about a week ago.
Sorry for all the questions this is all new to me.

 

[fionasmom]

You are very sweet to help this young girl. I also agree that she is expecting; for one thing, despite the fact that you have only had boy cats, you would notice a change in behavior if she went into heat.

I am a huge believer in pet insurance and have three insured cats. I do not have preventative care for them, so spaying would not be covered, but I believe that any complication from a pregnancy would be. Don't take my word for it though as companies can be different. I was once told that if a vet deemed something medically necessary it was covered, so when Jamie had an investigative ultrasound they did pay for it regardless of the fact that it did not show any conditions and was normal.

I am not sure about worming or not but others might know. Your vet could probably just answer that question over the phone.

Read up all you can about pregnancies and births. I have dealt with all sorts of pregnancies in ferals, most born under less than optimal conditions such as in bushes and under houses and 95% of kittens that I was aware of did fine and survived to adulthood. The maternal instinct is pretty strong in most cats but read up just to be sure. You at least have control of the situation by having her in your house.

 

[Willowy]

Some insurance plans cover pregnancy-related expenses, others don't. Give your insurance company a call or email them to see what your plan covers.

Is she a Bengal? She has a very pretty tummy!

 

[Kittycatcat]

Thankyou, she's such a sweet sweet cat, so soft and gentle
I've been reading loads on cat pregnancy and birthing but that's what has got me worried about how things can go wrong.
I'm going to have a chat with my vet and make sure I have an emergency number incase I need it, I just wasn't sure if she was definitely pregnant.
The strange thing is she only appears to have a bump on one side, is this normal? Its as though she is only carrying one or two kittens on that side and none on the other. I will post a picture see what you think.
I'm probably going to have loads of questions over the next few weeks so I appreciate all of your help.

 

[Kittycatcat]

Willowy, Yes she is a bengal she's beautiful.

 

[ArchyCat]

Feed her kitten food, wet and dry from now until she weens the kittens. Maybe one or two saucers of KMR per day. Buy the powder form (not Hartz). That will let you mix as much as you need. She needs the kitten food now for the extra fat, protein and minerals she needs for the kittens. After she delivers, she will need the extra fat, protein and minerals (particularly calcium) for milk production.

Thanks for rescuing her! And provide updates! Please!

 

[Sarthur2]

Lots of pregnant cats have one side bigger than the other. You can get her x-rayed to see how many she is carrying and an approximate gestational age. Drontal is a safe dewormer. Only your insurance company can tell you what they cover as all policies differ. Try to relax as it sounds like you are doing everything properly to get prepared!

 

[Kittycatcat]

Feed her kitten food, wet and dry from now until she weens the kittens. Maybe one or two saucers of KMR per day. Buy the powder form (not Hartz). That will let you mix as much as you need. She needs the kitten food now for the extra fat, protein and minerals she needs for the kittens. After she delivers, she will need the extra fat, protein and minerals (particularly calcium) for milk production.

Thanks for rescuing her! And provide updates! Please!

Yes I'm feeding her both dry and wet kitten food, should I be giving her a saucer of KMR now or once the kittens are born?
I've just been reading that kittens often get worms from the mama's milk, should I de worm her again a week before she is due?
She is an indoor cat only however our tabby male goes outside and catches prey occasionally so always the possibility of her getting worms.
Thankyou for your help guys

 

[Sarthur2]

She should be okay without another worming. Yes, give her the KMR starting now to build up her calcium reserves, and continue through the nursing stage.

 

[Kittycatcat]

So I've put some kmr in a saucer for my little lady, made it up as instructed but she will not drink any, wouldn't even attempt to try it either.
Slightly worried that I ain't going to be able to get any into her.
Cow's milk is not good for cats is it? What can I do?

 

[Sarthur2]

Finely crush an egg shell and sprinkle a small amount of it into her wet food. It’s pure calcium. The one egg shell makes many servings. You can also offer cheese and full fat yogurt. And perhaps she’ll drink the formula after the kittens arrive.

 

[Kittycatcat]

Finely crush an egg shell and sprinkle a small amount of it into her wet food. It’s pure calcium. The one egg shell makes many servings. You can also offer cheese and full fat yogurt. And perhaps she’ll drink the formula after the kittens arrive.

Thankyou, I'll give that ago, she's a fussy little thing.

 

[ArchyCat]

Put her next to the saucer and put a few droops of the KMR on her front paws. She with lick it off and get a taste. I've used this with my cats when trying to get them to taste something new. It works sometimes. Other things to try are goat 's milk.

Good luck!

 

[Kittycatcat]

Why am I still questioning if she really is pregnant?
I really need to start cancelling all the plans I had made over the next few months including our family holiday however I just can't bring myself to do it incase I've got it wrong.
Surely she can't be gaining weight and not have come into heat for almost 6weeks for any other reason than pregnancy can she?
I mean she's sleeping more these days and definitely eating more.
I've added some new pics taken yesterday.

 

[Sarthur2]

If you want to be sure, a vet can perform an x-ray or ultrasound. This might offer you peace of mind moving forward and help you know whether to make plans or not.

 

[Kittycatcat]

If you want to be sure, a vet can perform an x-ray or ultrasound. This might offer you peace of mind moving forward and help you know whether to make plans or not.

I did think about doing this however it does seem rather expensive just to get a pregnancy confirmed not to mention the stress of taking her to the vets.

Have you known females to go longer than 6 weeks without coming into heat?

 

[Kittycatcat]

I didn't mean stress for me, thats no bother I have a local vet not too far away, just don't want to stress her out, also its rather awkward when we can no longer go into the vets with them. Oh I do hope things change soon.

 

[Kittycatcat]

Hi,
I'm not sure if what I'm looking at appears to be blocked anal glands? I can't say I've noticed these bumps at the side of her opening before. Or is it pregnancy related? And things are just alittle swollen down there.