# Few questions



## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

I have a 10month old cat, when I brought her last year I was told that she was spayed/immunised/dewormed and deflead. When I got her home I instantly noticed she had fleas on her, so I de flead her and thought nothing of it. I decided to keep her indoors as I the front of my house is a main road. However the back is all gardens. Over the last month or two me and my partner had noticed that she was occasionally acting strange and meowing a lot by the backdoor, originally we thought it was because she wanted to go outside so we decided that we would get her chipped when we got paid at the end of the month and then start letting her out. She escaped about 3weeks ago, but after about an hour she came back. She then escaped last week and didn't come back overnight (worse time of my life I thought something terrible had happened), but I found her the next morning. My neighbour said that she saw her mating with a male cat (who belongs to my other neighbour) and he has been snipped. So my questions are; is it likely that she hasn't actually been spayed? And is although my neighbours cat that she was mating with has been neutered would she have been caught by another cat and potentially be pregnant?


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Please take her to your vet asap and check with him. Does she have a vaccination card?


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

No she doesn't, will vet still vaccinate her if she's pregnant?


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

You really need to get her spayed if she isn't already, personally I wouldn't vaccinated a cat who maybe pregnant.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

To be fair we had doubt that she had anything done as the people we got her from didn't seem very genuine and had planned to get everything done at the end of this month but I think she may already be pregnant. I know my neighbours cats are all neutered but is she was in heat when she got out is likely she got caught by a cat who isn't neutered?


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

There is a high chance an unneutered male could have caught her, males travel miles for a female in heat.

A sign you could watch for is if you know the signs of season, bottom in the air, crawling, some howl ..... if she then comes out of season within 3 days of being outside she could be pregnant.

You are not going to really know until she is 3 weeks pregnant when her teats turn a rosy colour, then at 5 weeks she will gain weight.

Question to ask yourself is, if she could be pregnant are you planning on having kittens or would you spay now?


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

I'm afraid it's very likely. Even if there isn't an entire tom close to you, tom cats have an enormous territory and will range for many miles looking for queens to mate with. There will be at least one - probably many more - pet or feral cat who will have had the opportunity to get your cat pregnant. If her pregnancy is still in very early stages, your vet may be prepared to carry out an abortion and spay, but you may not be comfortable with that.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

Well I have three relatives that have had cats and would home a kitten. And I would be happy to keep one or two but she would have to be spayed ASAP afterwards, I was more wanting to know the chances of her being pregnant. I don't want to go ahead with her spaying at the end of the month if there's already babies in their, it just wouldn't feel right, I would rather keep them all myself. If those are the signs then she was definitely in heat when she got out overnight, but she also escaped about 3-4 weeks ago but only for an hour or so. I've already thought her nipples are starting to look pink when they are normally almost white. Do I get her checked or will that just stress her?


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

A vet can feel at 28 days or scan if you wanted to have her checked, they cant tell you before 28 days though.

Answer to both your questions is yes there is a high chance she is pregnant, and no I wouldn't vaccinate as this may cause damage to the kittens.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

I would say it is 99.9% likely that she is pregnant.But i could be wrong!


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Abbskiie said:


> Well I have three relatives that have had cats and would home a kitten. And I would be happy to keep one or two but she would have to be spayed ASAP afterwards, I was more wanting to know the chances of her being pregnant. I don't want to go ahead with her spaying at the end of the month if there's already babies in their, it just wouldn't feel right


Your relatives could go to a rescue and get a kitten, you could also adopt one or two more from a rescue. 
Spaying her asap is far kinder than kittens who are already born being put to sleep due to not finding a home.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

No card = not vaccinated and in that case I'm sure they lied about her being spayed. She can be spayed now and it would be for the best. As well as there already being lots of kitten & cats in recsues needing homes you would get a big vwt bill if she needed a section, and its quite expensive and potentially stressful raising kittens for a minimise of 10 weeks.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

But if she's already pregnant I am basically killing kittens anyway. Nor myself or my relatives want to go out and get kittens/more cats but due to the situation would home them rather than them go onto bad homes. I've been reading up the signs and am convinced that she is pregnant I would feel awful getting her spayed now. I'm sure there's plenty of people on here who have spent hundreds of pounds buying a cat when they could of rehomed some from a shelter instead. So I think that's abit of an unfair comment. Ideal scenario she would have been spayed but she's not so I will have to deal with the consequences of that.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Abbskiie said:


> But if she's already pregnant I am basically killing kittens anyway.
> <snip>


I think there is one thing worse than a spay/abort, and that is cats & kittens that have already been born being killed because they can't get a home fast enough.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Whichever choice you make we will help you with advise on labour.

Section costs depend on area, a section for me would cost £1,000, some vets are cheaper at £600.

The serious problem you have is not knowing what the sire of this litter carries, if he is a feral around mating many girls he could carry any virus.

I rescued a pregnant cat she only had a week left to go, what I didn't know at the time was the dad had calici virus, sadly despite my best efforts and the vets, we lost kittens, that is heartbreaking.

If you go through with this you need to be prepared for things to go wrong, so read up on what can go wrong.

Once you have both sides of cons versus pros, then make your mind up.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

More info in this sticky:

http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-breeding/298452-my-cat-might-pregnant-what-should-i-do.html


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Ive just been back through your posts, I guess the pregnant girl at 10 months old is your ragdoll cross, if so, if she was mine I would spay as she looks small to be having a litter.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

spotty cats said:


> Your relatives could go to a rescue and get a kitten, you could also adopt one or two more from a rescue.
> Spaying her asap is far kinder than kittens who are already born being put to sleep due to not finding a home.


Whilst I agree with what you say, I would also find it very difficult to abort a litter, unless the pregnancy was very, very early indeed.

Commonsense and emotions often conflict


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

You really must put your morals to one side and consider spaying now. She may only be in the very early stages of pregnancy and she is a cat so therefore has no notion of this right now. It would be the responsible thing to do.
You may well have a couple of homes lined up but who's to say these homes may fall through and your kittens could end up in a shelter further down the line. 
Also as CC says, she is also unvaccinated and could have caught all manner of diseases from the tom which could make her very poorly and also the kittens if they survive.
A lot of people on this forum say they will keep the kittens if they can't find homes. So say she has 6 kittens, can you afford to neuter, vaccinate and chip all 6, then maybe insurance not to mention the cost of food for 7 cats over, say 18 years of their lives?
If it were me I would spay her right away (chip at same time) and get her vaccinated in a few weeks once she has recovered and you and she can then spend many happy years together without all the worry.
I'd also be on the phone to the 'breeder' who sold you this cat and told you a pack of lies


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Abbskiie said:


> But if she's already pregnant* I am basically killing kittens anyway.* Nor myself or my relatives want to go out and get kittens/more cats but due to the situation would home them rather than them go onto bad homes. I've been reading up the signs and am convinced that she is pregnant I would feel awful getting her spayed now. I'm sure there's plenty of people on here who have spent hundreds of pounds buying a cat when they could of rehomed some from a shelter instead. So I think that's abit of an unfair comment. Ideal scenario she would have been spayed but she's not so I will have to deal with the consequences of that.


I know where you are coming from - to me it depends how far pregnant she is. If she is only a week or two, I think I could cope with terminating her pregnancy, but if it is further advanced (and if she's 'pinking up' (i.e. her nipples are becoming prominent), I think that suggests at least three weeks - others here would be able to tell you more accurately), I would find it hard - and more risky for your cat.

Yes, there is a risk of birth problems and a section might be necessary, but TBH it is pretty unlikely - cats, because they don't vary as much as dogs physiologically, tend to have far fewer birth difficulties (not to say it WON'T happen - it might, especially if she's a very young cat).

I would take her to the vet, explain the situation and see what s/he says. If you have kittens it could be anywhere between 1 and 8, but is likely to be 3/4. If you can be confident that you can home these or keep them yourself, that's ideal - but you might find that people change their minds when they are actually presented with a kitten. I'm sorry if I seem to be scaremongering, but this happens a lot. As she is a young cat she is more likely to have a small litter, so fingers crossed for that!

But I would point out that in 4/5 months they will ALL need neutering and will require inoculations before that, and that alone can be expensive.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck. You seem to have your cat's interests at heart - if only the seller hadn't lied about her being spayed this distressing situation would never have arisen.

I hope all goes well. And if you do go ahead with her pregnancy - please keep in touch with us and let us see how she and her babies are doing. (And if you don't go ahead, keep in touch anyway - it's just nice to know how folk get on ).


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

catcoonz said:


> Ive just been back through your posts, I guess the pregnant girl at 10 months old is your ragdoll cross, if so, if she was mine I would spay as she looks small to be having a litter.


CC knows a lot more about these situations that I do - I am an over-emotional bundle of sentimentality. Please try to take advice from those who know the breed, even if you find it hard.

And speak to your vet.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

I'm afraid that the chances are high that she is preggers. There is no point having kittens now and if something bad were to happen to mum due to the pregnancy, you'd just hate yourself. I'd spay now


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

Yeah I think I'm going to try and get a vets appointment for next week and see what they say. I think 2/3 relatives that said they would take one on definitely would. As for spaying/neutering them there's a place not far from me that do it for free but ask for a donation. And she isn't as small as when I previously posted last year. I will upload a current photo of her today x


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Please try to see the vet tomorrow. This isn't a situation to delay. Personally I would simply ask them to spay and not tell me if she was pregnant.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

It isnt just a case op that you have homes lined up.If your cat is small there is a chance she is going to need a section.Kittens born from a section can be weak and some some dont make it.You will also then be £600 lighter too.At worst your girl might mot make it either.

The cost of a spay is much cheaper and less risky.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

Things go wrong for breeders too.I had a big girl of breeding age who couldnt part with kittens.There were 4 kitten one was stilborn,one born weak and died and two that survived.Not a nice experience and this is what my girl looked like afterwards.What ever you decide to do good luck with things.You can now weigh up your options.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Whatever choice you make please don't run from the forum if you have no experience of kittening, there is always a breeder on here who when the time comes can help you through this.

As you have noticed pinking up I would guess 3 weeks pregnant, do have a vet check as soon as possible, but I have a feeling your girl will be having kittens.


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## RubyFelicity (Aug 26, 2013)

spotty cats said:


> Your relatives could go to a rescue and get a kitten, you could also adopt one or two more from a rescue.
> Spaying her asap is far kinder than kittens who are already born being put to sleep due to not finding a home.


That's quite an unfair comment. Her family members could be denied a kitten from a rescue because they live near a main road, have a dog, they want to the kitten to be an indoor/outdoor cat.

Also by that logic every time someone buys at cat they are killing one in rescue. I agree there are* a lot *of moggies however I can't think of any species which isn't over/under populated, it's nature.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

RubyFelicity said:


> That's quite an unfair comment. Her family members could be denied a kitten from a rescue because they live near a main road, have a dog, they want to the kitten to be an indoor/outdoor cat.
> 
> Also by that logic every time someone buys at cat they are killing one in rescue. I agree there are* a lot *of moggies however I can't think of any species which isn't over/under populated, *it's nature*.


I'm sorry but I don't agree, it's not 'nature' at all, it's _us_, these aren't wild species but domestic, & it is down to us to make responsible decisions on their behalf


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## RubyFelicity (Aug 26, 2013)

simplysardonic said:


> I'm sorry but I don't agree, it's not 'nature' at all, it's _us_, these aren't wild species but domestic, & it is down to us to make responsible decisions on their behalf


I am saying that OP keeping the kittens in her family is not directly related to kittens in shelters being PTS. She isn't putting the kittens into the shelter.

"I can't think of any species which isn't over/under populated, it's nature." This is a statement about all animals, there are many animals/insects I would like to see less of.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

I wouldn't run from this forum as I will need people to turn to for advice. I am aware that there is advice and then their are opinions; whilst I respect everyone's opinion I will ultimately make a decision for myself and my cat. Here is a picture of her I took today; will try and get a picture of her nipples later as well, I don't think she is that small??


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

She is nice, not small being tall but she does need building up especially if she is pregnant.

Glad you will stay for advise.

What are you feeding her so we can also advise food for you whilst she is pregnant.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

She is not terribly small but if I'll be honest, she doesn't look to be in the best condition. 

As you said, it is ultimately your choice.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

What do you mean she doesn't look in the best condition? She is a very loved and well looked after cat. Her food bowl is never empty, although over the last week she is eating lot more. Generally she is on 2bowls of dry food a day and 1-2 sachets of wet depending on if it's been eaten by the evening?


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

I want her to put on some weight regardless of whether she is pregnant, despite her looking quite small she feels quite heavy, like a solid weight if that makes sense?


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## RubyFelicity (Aug 26, 2013)

Aww she's beautiful. Pretty face and tail. And lovely blue eyes.

I've learnt on this forum that wet food is best, and wet food without grains is better. My cats like Butchers classic you can get it in most supermarkets. You can higher quality foods on zooplus.com If you want them, I would buy a few to try as your cat may not like them.


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## Blackcats (Apr 13, 2013)

The rescue situation is true completely. Some rescues can be very difficult in homing animals and extremely fussy.

Yes, if the OP continues with the pregnancy and kittens are born this is more kittens when there are many in rescues. To be honest, I see it that way in any cats that are bred and have litters. These people could go to rescues as well instead of getting a breed and rescuing a moggy that needs a loving home.

At the end of the day it works both ways.

Aside from the whole argument with rescues getting worse and the causes of all cats being bred, it's the whole cost of it and heartbreak that comes with it.

OP, I know you say you would definitely have homes and keep them yourself if not, but you do know some cats can have many kittens. I believe CC's queen is due for nine. That's nine kittens and a heck of a lot of money, care and time involved.

And her kittens will hopefully go to a home. You would want to keep them if they couldn't get homes.

I'm not saying it's impossible as there are some members here who have many cats and they don't breed from them.

They handle it well but it is a lot of money do you understand? And heartbreak too and worry and checking on your girl every second.

But she could have complications and C sections range from 500 (I think) all the way up to 1500.

Then there would be the cost of other treatment she may need. 

Looking after the kittens when they are born. The heartbreak of losing some and the possibility of that. My girl lost one of hers as it had to be pts. Heartbreaking I can tell you.

Read stories of breeders have to feed kittens themselves and how tiring it can be when you become the kittens mother yourself, whilst having to look after the female.

There's heartbreak, money, time, and a lot of care involved.

If you decide to not get her spayed now and decide to let her continue with pregnancy, do not let her out until she has been spayed after. 

Just have a really big think about it before and ask yourself do you have the time, emotion, money and care in going through with her pregnancy and looking after mum and kittens.

Spaying my girl was the best thing ever after she had kittens. She was only a cat I was looking after and feeding and now she's completely mine. She's so much more friendly and I know happier in herself without all those hormones driving her barny and I feel safe having her out and not having to worry of having more kittens. As lovely as some of it was, never again for me. Too much heartbreak and work to be honest. I was lucky in how it all went with Fidget. No complications, one having to be pts when it could have been more, kittens all going to homes...

But I was one of the lucky ones.

Just wait till those kittens start moving around. It's like having lots of children in your house.

Best of luck to you. Stick around so you can get advice, etc.

And book to see your vet as soon as possible.


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## Blackcats (Apr 13, 2013)

Abbskiie said:


> What do you mean she doesn't look in the best condition? She is a very loved and well looked after cat. Her food bowl is never empty, although over the last week she is eating lot more. Generally she is on 2bowls of dry food a day and 1-2 sachets of wet depending on if it's been eaten by the evening?


Calm down hun. People aren't being nasty and I think you're seeing it wrong.

People are more concerned because your girl is tiny. My Fidget is the same and the vets have told me she is one of those naturally thin cats. She eats like a horse and has regular worming treatments. She's like me really. Doesn't put much weight on.

The only thing is there could be more complications when a tiny cat has babies. She could carry a few and it would tire the poor girl out and higher risks of complications, her dying and the kittens.

I know it's a risk you're willing to take but it could kill you completely if it happens.

That's what I think the poster was saying really.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

Do you really think she's that small? I think I was going wrong before, I used to buy whatever dry food was on offer, and she would normally take all day to finish it. I brought some dry food but it was a tender one so not very hard, about a month ago and she eats it all up so I think she has and will continue to put weight on. Even with wet food I'm noticing that the more expensive it is the quicker and more she eats of it... Typical aye! But I didn't think she was actually that small?


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Yes my queen is having 9 kittens due Thursday.

I did have tests done so I know both parents are healthy, this gives the kittens a high chance of being in good health, you have to feed a queen a lot more and watch for any distress signs when she is in labour.

My queen is also a very good weight being 6.4kg, I know this girl will be smaller as I do breed larger cats but its the weight I needed for her to cope with the pregnancy, she is also 2yrs old so older than this cat.

Will admit it is a risk everytime a queen has kittens, you are relieved when mum gets through but for the kittens you also worry the first 2 weeks of life as anything can go wrong.

Not only do you have the extra expense of feeding you have a lot of washing of blankets, mess when kittens are weaning, worming, flea treating, litter....

well the list goes on and on ..... and the time you have to spend, well I need an extra 4 hours in the day.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

Oh and she is due to be wormed so is it still safe to treat her with her flea and worming stuff?


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## Blackcats (Apr 13, 2013)

All cats are different. I have two females. Fidget and Tibbs. Fidget is thin but healthy and Tibbs is a bit of a porker (Healthy) and my girls pretty much eat the same amount. It's harder to shift Tibb's weight because she rarely goes out as she is a nervous cat of people so she doesn't exercise as much.

I know Fidget has put on more weight since being spayed so once your girl is spayed she will most likely fill out more. She's quite young too. I'm just worried for how small she is with holding kittens.

And scrap dry food or at least get her on a wet diet and good quality too. At the moment I'm feeding my girls Butchers and some other wet food. I occasionally feed them some dry but never on its own as it can make cats severely dehydrated and it can cause some health problems. Mouth treatment can be a problem too I think as biscuits caused a lot of damage to cats gums.

Try Zooplus.

Wet food does cost more but then you won't even have to worry about that when spending hundreds, if not thousands on your girl and kittens.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Abbskiie said:


> Do you really think she's that small? I think I was going wrong before, I used to buy whatever dry food was on offer, and she would normally take all day to finish it. I brought some dry food but it was a tender one so not very hard, about a month ago and she eats it all up so I think she has and will continue to put weight on. Even with wet food I'm noticing that the more expensive it is the quicker and more she eats of it... Typical aye! But I didn't think she was actually that small?


personally from my own point of view if she was my queen I wouldn't be having a litter from her yet, she is smaller than I would like but that doesn't mean she cant be built up now.
Just feed her a lot of food during and after her pregnancy, you will notice after she has had kittens she will lose more weight as feeding kittens takes it out of her.

With my own queen I know having 9 kittens she wont be having any more kittens for at least a year as I know she will lose a lot of weight.

She may only have 2 or 3 kittens but it more of the problems giving birth being smaller, she may be fine but then she may get exhausted delivering.

I will be honest and say I have been lucky with my own queens, they have given birth fine even though I have had to cut the cords and only had 2 losses of kittens which was stillborn. I have in the past had to hand rear, this is hard work as you need to feed the kittens every 2 hours 24/7 for 3 weeks.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

Okay well that's good to know. She normall has a dry bowl of food in the morning and a sachet of wet on top of it, then I top it up during the day if she needs it and then the same at night, but that's only in the last couple of weeks. Before that she was just eating one bowl of each. But I will reduce the dry food portion and increase the wet food.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Abbskiie said:


> Oh and she is due to be wormed so is it still safe to treat her with her flea and worming stuff?


you can safely use Milbemax wormer for pregnant cats.

You can safely use Advantage flea treatment for pregnant cats.


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## Sparkle22 (Oct 26, 2013)

I would say, don't worry.

She looks in great condition to me personally, not too thin and certainly not fat. I can't really tell from the picture how tall she is and obviously we don't know how big the cat who mated her was but if she's part ragdoll she's probably a fair size. I get very annoyed seeing so many overweight cats and dogs. Nice, glossy fur, bright eyes...

Accidental pregnancies that result in kittens because the owner refused to spay while pregnant always provokes a lot of passionate, somewhat vicious sometimes responses. 

Although sometimes cats, particularly if they are very young or small run into trouble, generally, the vast majority birth just fine. The kittens being stillborn, the mother needing a c section, hand rearing, viruses etc are all possible but not guaranteed. 

Feed the mum as much as she will eat, make sure she is wormed, set aside a nice, warm, cosy, private area for her to birth and chances are all will be just fine. 

She will need to spayed soon after as she could come back into heat when the kittens are just 6 weeks old, possibly a little before. 

The babies will need worming also, ideally they shouldn't be leaving for their new homes until they are about 12 weeks. 

Ignore all this 'kittens in rescue will die' rubbish.

So many rescues refuse really good homes for stupid reasons, like having a young child, a dog, living near a road, wanting an indoor cat, living in a rental, a flat etc etc. 

Your family wouldn't have been looking for another cat anyway if you didn't need help in homing yours so would never have travelled there to adopt one. 

Plus the fact that every time someone buys a pedigree that's one less home available to the rescue population....


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Sparkle22 said:


> Plus the fact that every time someone buys a pedigree that's one less home available to the rescue population....


Can you justify or evidence this sweeping statement please?


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## Sparkle22 (Oct 26, 2013)

My sweeping statement is in response to these:



spotty cats said:


> Your relatives could go to a rescue and get a kitten, you could also adopt one or two more from a rescue.
> Spaying her asap is far kinder than kittens who are already born being put to sleep due to not finding a home.





OrientalSlave said:


> I think there is one thing worse than a spay/abort, and that is cats & kittens that have already been born being killed because they can't get a home fast enough.


Which is repeated so many times on this site.
Sure, everyone COULD go and adopt a rescue cat but plenty don't, does everyone who buys a pedigree then go and adopt a rescue as well?

I don't have a problem with good pedigree breeders, indeed, my own family includes ex breeders.

But I do have a problem with this silly notion that every time someone has an accidental litter they are somehow responsible for the mass death of so many rescue cats because now that someone has bought a moggy kitten they won't buy a rescue.

It's the same argument with a pedigree! 
If someone buys a pedigree, they aren't likely to then go and get a rescue so a rescue has still missed out on a place. 
It's a really silly argument.


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

Sparkle22 said:


> I would say, don't worry.
> 
> She looks in great condition to me personally, not too thin and certainly not fat. *I can't really tell from the picture *how tall she is and obviously we don't know how big the cat who mated her was but if she's part ragdoll she's probably a fair size. I get very annoyed seeing so many overweight cats and dogs. Nice, glossy fur, bright eyes...
> 
> ...


That's correct you CANT tell from a picture, so how can YOU say she looks to be in 'great condition'? and 'not to worry'? Why should she be a 'good size' IF (And its a big IF) she has *some* ragdoll in her? Whats that got to do with anything? 

Exactly it is ALL possible, so why cant we warn people? Just look on here the troubles people have had, people need tgo be aware of what CAN (and DOES) happen and be prepared for that and know how to deal with it when the time comes, not just think 'oh well she will probably be fine!!' And dance about with their eyes closed :blink:

'Chances are she will be just fine' and you know this how? Psychic powers?

Do NOT neuter mum when kittens are 6 weeks old, this is too early, kittens do not leave until 12-13weeks of age, mum can be neutered just before then or just after, just don't let her outside, it isn't hard to shut a door and keep her in one room 

and the ... on the end of your sentences just means you want to entice people into a argument... Are you bored today?


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## Sparkle22 (Oct 26, 2013)

Taylorbaby said:


> That's correct you CANT tell from a picture, so how can YOU say she looks to be in 'great condition'? and 'not to worry'? Why should she be a 'good size' IF (And its a big IF) she has *some* ragdoll in her? Whats that got to do with anything?
> 
> Exactly it is ALL possible, so why cant we warn people? Just look on here the troubles people have had, people need tgo be aware of what CAN (and DOES) happen and be prepared for that and know how to deal with it when the time comes, not just think 'oh well she will probably be fine!!' And dance about with their eyes closed :blink:
> 
> ...


Personally, I do think she LOOKS in great condition. Obviously without seeing her I don't know do I? But judging on the picture, yes I think she looks just fine.
How is that different to another poster's opinion that she isn't in great condition?
We are both offering opinion based on what we can see in a photo?

I can say not to worry and it's probably going to be fine because despite what some posts would have you believe MOST cats DO birth just fine! 
Some run into trouble, but a lot don't.

How do I know that?

Well, I have a family of breeders and I know plenty of people who have had moggy litters, accidental and non accidental and while sometimes you run into trouble, cats, generally, birth with minimal issue.

I'm not saying the mother won't die, or that she won't need a c section, or that she won't succumb to an infection or that the kittens may need handrearing etc etc.
She might. 
Sometimes they run into trouble.
But often, they don't!

Ragdolls are meant to be a medium to large size breed...? 
So a half ragdoll is more likely to be a more substantial size than say a half singapura?

But the posts don't just warn people do they? 
They insist that they spay even when the poster has said she isn't going to, they won't take no for an answer or accept that everything could be just fine and blame them for the euthanising of rescues and generally pick on them and make them feel really crap.

Not neutering the mum at 6 weeks is your opinion, maybe there's substantial evidence to back you up, I don't know, it's been a long time since I bred but queens can come into heat again when the kittens are very early, a lot of people neuter at this stage to stop another accident with no ill effect.

Yes, I did say they shouldn't leave until at least 12 weeks old did I not?

As for just shut a door, depends on how determined a cat you have IMO!

I am bored most days, you can take ... However you like, if people want to get argumentative I couldn't really care less tbf. 
I gave the op advice relevant to her situation.


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Sparkle22 said:


> It's the same argument with a pedigree!
> If someone buys a pedigree, they aren't likely to then go and get a rescue so a rescue has still missed out on a place.
> It's a really silly argument.


Most things in life work on a supply and and demand basis. In simple terms if you were looking to buy an oven but there was only a fridge available would you want the fridge? Obviously not. Most pedigree cat buyers are looking for a specific kind of cat and wouldnt necessarily take one from a rescue even if there were no pedigrees available. The demand for pedigree cats of most breeds outweighs the supply. The supply of "whoops" litters outweighs the demand hence many kitten remaining in shelters, especially black and black and white ones. Humans are notoriously picky, where do you draw the line - are you going to suggest "whoops" litters are ok as long as they are black and white or black so those colour kittens already in shelters dont get overlooked by say a ginger or tortoiseshell "whoops" litter which will be homed much more easily.


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## korrok (Sep 4, 2013)

Honestly if I had a cat who accidentally got pregnant - I would want to know what could go wrong, in order to be prepared ahead of time and know what to look for, know what signs I should be aware of. I am sure our OP feels the same. It's a bit daft to discourage worst-case scenarios, because that's what the OP needs to actually know about.

I am not going to argue with your moral choice on cat abortion, OP. It's upto you. I do think you have a beautiful cat but she is quite slight (that's how I would describe her) and thus making sure she has the best nutrition possible during her pregnancy is definitely a priority. I'd ditch the dry food, or cut it way down, and feed her on wet food, ideally a higher quality one (lots on Zooplus.co.uk or there's brands like Hi-Life, Butchers Classic, Nature's Menu in stores). More expensive is not always better, be sure not to feed on a food like Applaws, Encore, Almo Nature etc as they are not complete and don't contain all the nutrition she needs - maybe you know this but it seems these brands catch a lot of people out, so I figure it's worth a mention. And of course make sure that she gets as much as she'll eat. 

Best of luck!


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## Sparkle22 (Oct 26, 2013)

I wasn't trying to discourage worst case scenarios but I know how these threads typically go which I think would be a shame for the op and her cat.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Sparkle22 said:


> I wasn't trying to discourage worst case scenarios but I know how these threads typically go which I think would be a shame for the op and her cat.


I am keeping an eye on the thread - to make sure that it doesn't go the way these things go. In fact, I have to say, that it has been a while since any thread like this has had to be closed because of any pushing of views.
It will always be an emotive topic, bringing out strong opinions but arguing over those opinions helps no one.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

In my opinion the cat in question look very lean.No reserves,imagine what she will look like after a litter of kittens.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

I appreciate everyone's advice... Particularly the slightly more friendly and positive ones. I will upload some pics later to get everyone's opinions as I'm not too sure she is infact pregnant?! Other than getting sick once one morning last week (and in my opinion putting on some weight;however I have been feeding her much more) I haven't noticed any signs? She seemed to even be coming into heat again yesterday and was calling from the kitchen window?? Her nipples seem bigger but not pink? Not sure what to think?


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

Abbskiie said:


> I appreciate everyone's advice... Particularly the slightly more friendly and positive ones. I will upload some pics later to get everyone's opinions as I'm not too sure she is infact pregnant?! Other than getting sick once one morning last week (and in my opinion putting on some weight;however I have been feeding her much more) I haven't noticed any signs? She seemed to even be coming into heat again yesterday and was calling from the kitchen window?? Her nipples seem bigger but not pink? Not sure what to think?


some cats can act like they are in heat when pregnant thats the hormones.You should feel a bump by the 4 week mark.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

How far along would she be in her pregnancy?

If its over 3 weeks we may be able to tell you from a photo of her teats.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

I just worked it out and realised that the night she got out overnight was the day before pancake day which would have been 2nd/3rd March meaning she is about the 3week mark. The only difference I've noticed the last couple days she is very quiet in herself (normally from dinner to late evening she is very playful/active/seeks attention) and she is very chilled n spends most of the time on my bed sleeping.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

Just got a picture of her teats, flash has made them look less pink than they actually are. Her teats have always been white/very pale; literally the same colour as her flesh. But they aren't very pink although I'm certain they are most definitely bigger in size.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Ive just checked my maiden queens teats as she is just over 3 weeks and I know she is pregnant, I would say by this photo your girl is pregnant.

You will know next week as she will either have been in call, so be careful she doesn't go outside, or she will start to eat a lot more.

I take it that as you haven't had a vet visit you are planning to continue with the pregnancy, if she is, if so, feed her as much as she wants and we will help you when the time comes for labour.

Maybe a good idea to watch online cat labours, if you haven't already, then you will be more prepared.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

She has been in heat yesterday and today... What does that mean?


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

If you're certain she is in call then it's highly unlikely that she is pregnant. I remember there was some uncertainty whether she had ever been spayed - the best course of action would be to allow her to finish this call, keeping her carefully confined and meantime book her in to be spayed for just after she has finished calling. Most vets wont spay whilst a girl is in season.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

I'm so confused, the last couple of days she's been meowing at the back door (where she can see outside and other cats) regularly during the day; however this is nothing compared to when she is normally in heat. Normally she meows all day and night and lays on the floor infront of me with her tail in the air etc??? Not sure what to think??


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Going by the dates you mentioned she'd escaped, 2/3 March, if she is pregnant she'll be around 4 weeks next Monday; this is the ideal time for a vet to be able to palpate her abdomen to check for pregnancy. Personally, for the sake of the cost of a consultation fee, I would book her in with the vet for Monday and, if no pregnancy, get her spayed within a few days thereafter. Has to be better than running the risk of her escaping again (she sounds quite determined to get outside) and, aside from anything else, will be a whole lot less expensive than raising a litter of kittens even without any complications.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

She definitely came into heat for about 2-3days but her nipples are really pink and her tummy is even plump. She hasn't been difficult to keep inside as she hasn't been as determined to get out either. I think I might wait another week and see what happens ...


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

A lot of girls pink up before calling, not just when pregnant 

Hopefully she isn't pregnant and can be spayed


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

Abbskiie said:


> She definitely came into heat for about 2-3days but her nipples are really pink and her tummy is even plump. She hasn't been difficult to keep inside as she hasn't been as determined to get out either. I think I might wait another week and see what happens ...


Why? .....


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

OrientalSlave said:


> Please take her to your vet asap and check with him.


Or her.


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## Abbskiie (Jul 25, 2013)

Taylorbaby said:


> Why? .....


Because I don't want to pay out for a vets appointment to see if she's pregnant I would rather wait a week or so where there would be other symptoms and if not just book her straight in to be spayed.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Abbskiie said:


> Because I don't want to pay out for a vets appointment to see if she's pregnant I would rather wait a week or so where there would be other symptoms and if not just book her straight in to be spayed.


Might be easier than all this uncertainty.


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