Pregnant cat

[LittleRedMare]

:help:
I am a huge proponent of spaying and neutering pets. All three of my cats and my dog came from rescue organizations/animal shelters. I have one cat that is unspayed. She has a pronounced heart murmur and we decided that because the cats are inside-only pets that it was best for her not to try and put her through surgery. And then 5 weeks ago, while I was at work, someone left my front door open and she got out and of course she was in heat at the time... I got her back three days later but I guess the damage was already done. She has an appointment at the vet this afternoon but we're already pretty certain she's preggers. I feel so guilty, all those homeless cats out there and I'm producing more, not to mention the extra stress this is going to put on her body. I'll keep as many as I can and will personally rehome the others but it's still upsetting. *sigh*

[WashingtonBay]

You did the best you could. Things happen and sometimes others have desires we can't control. :) At this point, just try to enjoy having and raising them, it's a lot of fun. I hope both momma and kittens get through it happy and healthy. :)

[LittleRedMare]

Thanks. We've confirmed the pregnancy. The vet thinks there are 3 or 4 kittens in there. I feel a little more relaxed now that I've talked to the vet and know for sure.

[cyb]

Oops, well accidents do happen, kittens are the sweetest little creatures on earth, enjoy them!

[Steelhorserider]

Accidents do happen...you did your best. Be grateful it is only 3 or 4 kittens and not 7 or 8. I know you will be right by the kittens.

[oursarge]

I'm so sorry, don't beat yourself up about it. You were trying to do the best for the kitty by not stressing her body with surgery. I hope she will come out of it all OK and so will the kittens.

[MyHorseBiggs]

Well its not your fault. Kittens are adorable! Enjoy them! And I'm to lazy to look and see if you already wrote this but when is she due?

[Gypsy Rose]

You were doing what you thought was best for your kitty. There's risk in everything. Hopefully, she'll come through the pregnsncy just fine, and there will be some sweet little kittens to enjoy soon.

If I'm calculating right from the date the OP is saying she got out, it should be around 3 to 3 1/2 weeks.

[Cat]

I'm sorry this happened.

I may sound harsh saying this and I don't mean to, but I would get the cat spayed now and abort the kittens. There is a very good chance that the kittens will have the same heart murmur - heart faults can be genetic. Also the actual birthing can be very hard on a first-time mom and will get her heart beat up high. I've seen first time mom cats go through contractions for over an hour before the first kitten is born. This can be harder on the female cat than any surgery.

Even if you don't abort the kittens, I do hope you decide to spay her in the near future. There are different types of anasthesia that can be used and some are easier on the heart - your vet should know which ones would be better (ketamine vs. isoflourine vs a mix, etc).

Most people don't realize it, but a unspayed cat that goes through unbred heats has a lot of stress. They can start to spray just like a unneutrered male. They are also at a higher risk of getting pyometra - which is a uterine infection that can be deadly. It can also be very hard to detect to the untrained eye, especially a "closed" pyo. An open is pretty obvious because they are leaking the most hideous smelling junk. A closed one is very hard because the only sign may be the cat being a bit lethargic and running a fever. However, a closed has the worst outcome.

[LittleRedMare]

I appreciate your input, Cat. And I don't think it's too harsh. We did discuss spaying her now, but I have an opportunity within the next month or so to get a cardiac ultrasound and some other rather pricey diagnostic tests done for free- tests there's no way I would be able to pay for. These would give us a better idea of what exactly is wrong with her heart and allow us to decide on the best surgical protocol. I discussed all this with my vet and we decided this would be the best course for my cat. If her heart murmur was mild or even moderate I would have gone ahead with the spaying when I first got her but it is extremely pronounced, the most pronounced my vet has ever heard. I am praying that the kittens are healthy (and unharmed by my cat's medication) but my cat is my priority so we're trying to do what is safest for her. I spent an hour at the vet's today weighing all the pros and cons and our decision to let her carry the kittens to term was not an easy one.

And I'm well experienced with the health hazards of unspayed females. Years ago, when I had my first cat, we were unaware of the health issues associated with leaving a female intact and I ended up losing her 14 years later to a closed pyo that was discovered during pre-surgery work up when she was to have a series of mammary tumours removed. This is something that has been worrying me about my current cat, but as with the pregnancy, it's all about weighing the various risks.

Again, I appreciate your input and your concern for my cat. You obviously have a lot of experience with this (I should have guessed that from your name ;).)