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How can you tell if your cat is pregnant? And how long is a cat's gestation period? We've had this cat for what, 4 months? About three weeks after we got her she got outside and was gone for about 20 minutes. We have a lot of feral cats in the area.
She had not been acting like she was in heat, but then again, I'm a dog person, so I guess I really don't know if she was or not.
Anyway, last night she was laying on my lap and I had my hand resting on her belly, which is a little rounded, but not like big or anything, and I was feeling weird little flutters in her belly.
I suddenly thought, what if she's pregnant? Can she be? How long does it take to have kittens? Can you really feel kittens "kicking"? Was it like digestive bubbles I was feeling or is she really pregnant?
Help! I don't know anything about this kind of thing with cats!
-------------------- ~tough as nails yet nice as pie~ For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction - and sometimes a scar. "and don't threaten anyone with your pants today!" - Frog_Feathers daisys does Myspace Posts: 3206 | From: Molalla, OR | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Originally posted by daisyslegs Big Fish & Fries: She had not been acting like she was in heat, but then again, I'm a dog person, so I guess I really don't know if she was or not.
You'd know. Was the cat constantly wailing and howling, especially at the door or windows and especially at night? Was she sticking her rear up more than usual? Was she getting a little 'friendlier' with any of her favorite humans in the house? (Our cat kept backing up and rubbing her rear end against Micahel when she was in heat.)
But the vocalization is the big one. There is no mistaking a queen in heat because she only shuts up long enough to eat and sleep (while making the rest of the house go without sleep). The rest of the time she whines, wails, and yowls, and generally sounds like she's in a great amount of pain.
-------------------- "You're the opposite of troll. It's a compliment!" Posts: 12086 | From: Alberta | Registered: Feb 2000
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so, could she get pregnant if she was not inheat? Or at least she was not acting like that. I don't think so, but is it possible? And how long is a cat's gestation period?
-------------------- ~tough as nails yet nice as pie~ For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction - and sometimes a scar. "and don't threaten anyone with your pants today!" - Frog_Feathers daisys does Myspace Posts: 3206 | From: Molalla, OR | Registered: Jun 2004
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The gestation period is roughly nine weeks or around 63 days or so. No idea if you can actually feel the movement of kittens though .
-------------------- If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation. - Jean Kerr Posts: 18428 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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so, unless she managed to get out again and no one told me, and I have my time spans right, she should either spit out a litter in the next day or so... or it was gas bubbles. Guess we'll find out.
-------------------- ~tough as nails yet nice as pie~ For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction - and sometimes a scar. "and don't threaten anyone with your pants today!" - Frog_Feathers daisys does Myspace Posts: 3206 | From: Molalla, OR | Registered: Jun 2004
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-------------------- If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation. - Jean Kerr Posts: 18428 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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You didn't get the cat fixed? Well, I guess this will get you get her fixed if she is preggers. If not, get her somewhere to be fixed. There are places that will let you get the cat fixed a low or no cost based on proof of financial need.
-------------------- Tom, we're flying a giant robot into space! "Safe" isn't the first word that springs to mind! - Colleen, Last Hope, Vol.2 Posts: 2710 | From: Meet me in St. Louis | Registered: Mar 2004
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Fantastic article Christie! Thanks! Following those guidelines, no. I guess she is not pregnant.
Wild Otaku, no, we have not yet had her fixed. So far it's been a mix of budgets and the fact that she is supposed to be only an indoor cat. I do believe it will happen soon. Along with another flea treatment cause Lord knows, I will not bathe her again!
Thanks guys! I feel better. I was worried about what to do with the kittens if so.
-------------------- ~tough as nails yet nice as pie~ For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction - and sometimes a scar. "and don't threaten anyone with your pants today!" - Frog_Feathers daisys does Myspace Posts: 3206 | From: Molalla, OR | Registered: Jun 2004
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At one time we had an unfixed male cat and an unspayed female cat. Our vet tried to tell us they were too young. Too young to really fall in love.
The result was eight kittens.
-------------------- "No hard feelin's and HOPpy New Year!"--Walt Kelly Hear what you're missing: ARTC podcasts! http://artcpodcast.org/ Posts: 7581 | From: Gainesville, Georgia | Registered: Jun 2000
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Daisy, when she goes into heat the first time, you are going to wish you'd had her spayed. Female cats in heat are unbelievably annoying. My second cat was adopted from the humane society, when she was quite young but older than a kitten. They weren't sure whether her previous owners had had her spayed, and my vet couldn't tell (she said that a well-done spay leaves such a tiny scar that it's often impossible to tell). So we waited to see if the cat would go into heat.
And oh boy, did she EVER. We had her into the vet the very next day. God, the yowling and the presenting and did I mention the yowling?
Posts: 160 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Feb 2004
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How old is the cat? I believe they have their first heat around 6 months old.
quote:Originally posted by daisyslegs Big Fish & Fries: So far it's been a mix of budgets and the fact that she is supposed to be only an indoor cat.
The price of the surgery is a small price to pay so one doesn't have to live with a cat in heat. Heat season is spring and fall, but a cat in heat who does not mate can go back into heat in as little as three weeks. And it lasts for something like a week.
Our cat went into heat twice before we could got her fixed (we made the appointment as soon as we captured her while in heat, but we had to wait several weeks for an appoinment). I seriously considering staying at the hostel down the street.
Keep in mind that there are other benefits of spaying. It reduces the risk of mammary cancer (especially if done before the first heat), and also eliminates the risk of a sometimes fatal uterine infection that is somewhat common in mature cats. Spayed and neutered animals typically have longer lifespans.
You also won't have to worry about what to do with a bunch of kittens. As you found out, even when they're supposed to be indoor cats they sometimes get out. And they try very hard to get out when they're heat.
-------------------- "You're the opposite of troll. It's a compliment!" Posts: 12086 | From: Alberta | Registered: Feb 2000
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Spay or neuter your pets. Most large cities have some agency (Humane Society, SPCA, other) that offer low-cost spay/neuter clinics.
Posts: 127 | From: Over the hill and through the woods... | Registered: Jan 2005
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daisyslegs, you might check with your local Humane Society or animal shelter and see if they have a program that helpsw offset the cost of a spaying. Ours does and the certificate covers about half of the cost of spaying.
Noemi
-------------------- Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult. My blog, no guarantees about witty or intelligent content. My current projects. Coveted Beads <---- our eBay store, new items being added somewhat regularly Posts: 8418 | From: Wyoming | Registered: Feb 2002
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good advice from your posts, I don't want to deal with that!
She's around 8-9 months old. We wil be looking for inexpensive saying options.
-------------------- ~tough as nails yet nice as pie~ For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction - and sometimes a scar. "and don't threaten anyone with your pants today!" - Frog_Feathers daisys does Myspace Posts: 3206 | From: Molalla, OR | Registered: Jun 2004
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