# I adopted a pregnant cat, need advice



## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

I recently adopted a pregnant tortoiseshell cat (her name was tiny, but we changed it to Cinnamon as our other cat was already called Tinycat) from a neighbour that was going to take her to the cat shelter as she didn't want the trouble of the kittens.

Hope to find some friendly advice on here as most people (including the vet we took her to) assume that we were the ones that didn't get her spayed and are quite hostile to us. 
We intend to keep her and are getting her spayed as soon as she is ready, any babies that we can't find good homes for, we intend to keep ourselves so I hope she dosen't have too many 

We have a neutered tomcat already, he is very gentle usually and gets on well with Cinnamon. They lie cuddled up next to each other and wash each other. The vet said that he should be fine with the kittens but I am worried that he will turn on them. 
Does anyone else have experience with this?
Should I keep them separated after the kittens are born?

Also, I've no real idea when she is due. She has a very round tummy and you can see the kittens moving when she lies down, her nipples are very prominent and she is constantly washing around her tummy. She is sleeping a lot and eating like a horse 
The vet told us that she was between 4 and 5 weeks around about the 7th June (we had her from the neighbour around the 5th and took her to the vet as soon as we could get an appointment) but she was uncertain as we had no idea when she had mated.

Any advice or stories of your own experiences would be very welcome!


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi and welcome to the forum 
If Cinnamon was about 4 - 5 weeks pregnant when you took her in the kittens should be due within the week. Cats are pregnant for roughly 9 weeks (63 - 65 days) Watch out for signs of her looking for somewhere to nest and have somewhere suitable ready for her.
It is difficult to know how your boy will react and wrong imo of your vet to just say he will be fine :nono: I would keep him out of the room where the kittens are born and certainly not allow any unsupervised access to them or Cinnamon. She on the other hand may want him with her and be happy to let him help. I have not had this happen with a male cat but certainly females will share the care of a litter.
The breeders of both of my girls have neutered males that will play with the kittens when they are older but are not allowed in with them until they are at least 4 weeks old.
Hope this helps


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

Thank you for the advice!
I will keep Tinycat away from the birthing room and the kittens until they are a few weeks old 
We have made her two nest boxes in her favourite sleeping spots with her favourite cushions (and sometimes food titbits) inside to entice her to go in and get used to them. Alas, she stubbornly refuses to go in. She slept on top of one the other day :laugh:
She seems to favour under the sofa at the moment. I suppose only time will tell!


One other thing I didn't mention, she is only about 10 months old and quite small and dainty. Are younger cats more likely to reject the kittens or does it depend on the cat?

We did ask the vet a lot of questions, but she was quite grumpy with us and not really much help. She was more interested in telling us about the call out fees if Cinnamon needed help giving birth at night :blink:


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

She is still only a kitten herself poor thing  Some youngsters do make good mums so you can't really generalise but I would keep a very careful eye on her from now until she has the kittens. I do hope you don't have to call out the vet who sounds quite unhelpful :nonod:
I'm sure you don't need telling that under the sofa is not a good place to give birth as you will need to be able to see what is going on and help if necessary. Being young Cinnamon may not have much idea of what to do with the first kitten at least.


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## Lushgirl84 (Jun 27, 2011)

She must be due this week ish if the vet said she was 4-5 weeks gone on the 7th June, So be prepared! She is very young to have kittens, but through my experience taking on pregnant cats its the young ones who surprise you! They do an excellent Job, Its like they grow up in the the few hours of given birth BUT always be on stand by to help with the birth and/or hand feeding them if mum does decide to reject them, Its a VERY demanding Role and does take up alot of time, So please be aware of this.

But well done for taking her in, and good luck! I will follow her progress


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

I second that, well done for taking her in, and I find young ones are perfectly capable. Chances are everything will be fine. Weigh the kittens every day just in case Mum doesn't have enough milk, if that should happen you need to know asap.

My comments about your neighbour and your vet are best left unsaid 

Liz


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

lymorelynn said:


> She is still only a kitten herself poor thing


Yes, poor little thing. Cinnamon is such an affectionate, pretty little cat, I don't know how the neighbour could just abandon her at the first sign of trouble.



> I'm sure you don't need telling that under the sofa is not a good place to give birth as you will need to be able to see what is going on and help if necessary. Being young Cinnamon may not have much idea of what to do with the first kitten at least.


Don't worry! I am keeping a very close eye on her and keeping her away from the sofa!
I have been watching lots of videos on the internet of cat birth and how to help if the mum is reluctant to attend to the babies straight away.
Really nervous though, I just want to do the best I can for her, she deserves it 



Lushgirl84 said:


> She must be due this week ish if the vet said she was 4-5 weeks gone on the 7th June, So be prepared! She is very young to have kittens, but through my experience taking on pregnant cats its the young ones who surprise you! They do an excellent Job, Its like they grow up in the the few hours of given birth BUT always be on stand by to help with the birth and/or hand feeding them if mum does decide to reject them, Its a VERY demanding Role and does take up alot of time, So please be aware of this.
> 
> But well done for taking her in, and good luck! I will follow her progress


Thank you all for your advice! I will keep you all informed of her progress 



lizward said:


> My comments about your neighbour and your vet are best left unsaid


Probably nothing that I haven't said myself! :laugh:


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## Cara Mia (May 21, 2011)

Well done for taking the little lady in  You are now in the same boat I was a month ago LoL

If you can see the kittens moving around then she is at least 7 weeks along, so count from when you saw them move for the first time. In my case that method was pretty accurate, since I didn't know when Bella was due either.

Having a birthing box is a must but don't be surprised if it won't be used. My queen insisted on giving birth on my bed and in my lap and only moved when the first kitten's paw was visible... she moved into the linen cupboard tho, and even moved the kittens back when I put them in the birthing box LoL

Bella was 9 months old tops when she gave birth and she is a great mommy. She is a small cat and her belly wasn't very big either and she had 3 healthy kittens.

There is a chance that there will be complications but most births go down without a hitch. Be prepared and stay calm. It won't be any use to get nervous and upset and it will only hurt you queen if you do. It is her first litter and she will be confused and won't know what is happening, she'll only know she is in pain. Be there for her, sooth her -- it makes all the difference in the world for her.

Good luck *hugs*


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## Cat Lover Chris (Jan 11, 2009)

Don't panic too much about the age of the cat, despite it being young. Our rescue cat was barely 6 months old when she had her 3 kittens. They are now 6 weeks old and very healthy; on solids and using the dirt tray.

Just keep an eye on her during the birth.

Good luck


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

Cara Mia said:


> Well done for taking the little lady in  You are now in the same boat I was a month ago LoL
> 
> If you can see the kittens moving around then she is at least 7 weeks along, so count from when you saw them move for the first time. In my case that method was pretty accurate, since I didn't know when Bella was due either.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your response and advice! *returns hug*
I've been reading about your lovely Bella and the kittens and it has really made me more optimistic  Keep updating with their progress, as it's a real pleasure to read about them!



Cat Lover Chris said:


> Don't panic too much about the age of the cat, despite it being young. Our rescue cat was barely 6 months old when she had her 3 kittens. They are now 6 weeks old and very healthy; on solids and using the dirt tray.
> 
> Just keep an eye on her during the birth.
> 
> Good luck


Wow! I thought that Cinnamon was young!
Thank you for your advice too. I'm not as nervous about her age now I know others that have been ok with it


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## Dannielle100 (May 23, 2011)

My girl is 18 months and had her first litter 4 days ago, in the garden!! 
She snuck out, but luckily I found them and they are all happy and healthy now. Can't believe how much they have grown already! Keep us updated 
xx


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

You must have been terrified when she snuck out!
Glad to hear they are all ok 
All the best to the mother and her new family!


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## jordebony (Jun 22, 2011)

hi, i also adopted a pregnant cat and she was pregnant at 10mnth old too. she has just days ago had 5 very healthy kittens that are doing gr8 and she is a good mummy, vet said she may not of been good as she is only young herself but she proved her wrong lol. she didn't really nest till the morning of giving birth when i caught her getting comfy in my tumble dryer!! just watch where she goes lol. she then decided to use her nesting box. i know that the ppl on here will guide you wonderfully through every stage as they did me and it's a reassuring feeling to know they are here. i found it helped also to watch cat births on you tube to prepare myself to what i was going to see. but she was nothing like the births i watched, she was very calm and very quiet! 
i really hope all goes to plan with your little cat and that the babies are healthy.


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

Thank you, and congratulations on the healthy new arrivals!
It's really reassuring to hear these positive stories from everyone 
My male cat liked to try and sneak in the dryer too when he was a naughty kitten. He's a bit too big now though :laugh:
Have watched tons of videos on Youtube, so at least I will know generally, what to expect to see with a normal birth. Every cat is different though so I will just try to comfort her the best I can


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## jordebony (Jun 22, 2011)

yes you will find she will let you know what she wants from you why she is giving birth, dusty kept positioning herself so her back leg was pressed against my hand. she then used my hand to help her push. she was fantastic and made it look very easy. there was just one baby she didn't attend to but that was due to the others being all over the new one so i just gently moved them so and turned her head towards the new one and she started licking it and cleaning. the kids left the room door open this morning where she is and tipsy my male cat came in and just stood and looked at the babies. i hope the will e good with them when they are older,


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

Cinnamon had her kittens this morning.... 6 of them!
They all seem to be doing fine and mum is taking care of them. She had two torties and four ginger kittens.
She wanted me to stay for the births so I was able to see it all happen!
I'm so relieved


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Congratulations :thumbup:


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

Congrats hun!  Very lovely of you to take her in and help her, she is no doubt very grateful  xxx


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

Thank you. I was a bit worried with the first birth because the kitten was tail end first and Cinnamon had a bit of a struggle to push (him?) out. She managed it after a few minutes though and all of the rest were easy for her after that 

Cinnamon is eating and drinking well and has used her litter tray since the birth so I'm very pleased with her
I can't believe such a small cat had so many kittens!


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## Lushgirl84 (Jun 27, 2011)

oh wow congratulations


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## Cara Mia (May 21, 2011)

Glados said:


> Thank you. I was a bit worried with the first birth because the kitten was tail end first and Cinnamon had a bit of a struggle to push (him?) out. She managed it after a few minutes though and all of the rest were easy for her after that
> 
> Cinnamon is eating and drinking well and has used her litter tray since the birth so I'm very pleased with her
> I can't believe such a small cat had so many kittens!


Aww! Glad everything went well and you could be present at the birth. My Bella had her first kitten tail end first and I was very concerned about him - but I was told it is normal for the birth take longer if it is tail first especially if it is the first kitten to be born.

You think now you have many kittens? Just wait till they 4-5 weeks old. I have 3 and I feel like there are at least 6 running around getting in trouble, attacking my feet and pooping in the tray!  LoL


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## klwarren (Jun 21, 2011)

really enjoyed reading ur story as we took in a pregnant stray who is now due in the next week so was nice to read a happy ending as we fretting abit if the birth is gunna go smoothly but hopefully all will go well
congratulations x


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

klwarren said:


> really enjoyed reading ur story as we took in a pregnant stray who is now due in the next week so was nice to read a happy ending as we fretting abit if the birth is gunna go smoothly but hopefully all will go well
> congratulations x


Well done for being kind enough to take her in!
Thank you for your interest and kind comments 
Hope it all goes well for your little cat, keep us informed


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_congratulations, we will need pictures very soon. xx_


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## Glados (Jul 1, 2011)

I have this pic, took not long after she had the sixth one. She looks exhausted :001_wub:









p.s. Don't worry about her being in the pet cage, the door is always open for her and we lined the sides of the cage with cardboard after she had finished giving birth so the kittens can't fall through the bars. It is nice and dark and cosy in there for them 

Will put more pics on soon!


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

Glados said:


> I have this pic, took not long after she had the sixth one. She looks exhausted :001_wub:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Aww they look like little sausages! Very glad things are going well for her and her babies so far. I'm glad somebody who really cares adopted her, and by seeking information around birth and young kittens you have no doubt provided a better place for her and her kittens to be safe


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## Puindoors (May 19, 2011)

Having that pen already may be very useful as those kittens grow. It'll be somewhere safe to put them to keep them out of mischief when you can't watch them ,and it'll also help with litter training.
I usually use a pen for kittens from 4 weeks till around 7-8 weeks, and then I still use it occasionally in the evenings - fending off multiple kittens from your dinner plate loses its 'cuteness' for some members of the household! As long as the pen is somewhere where they can experience everyday noises, socialisation occurs naturally. Before this the're in my bedroom in a cardboard box mum has picked out of several options.

Purindoors


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