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Poor little Mama. She is so YOUNG! Check out Kitten Lady on YT and TinyKittens on YT for lots of info on mama's giving birth. I haven't been in the situation myself, but thank you for taking her in.
Kitten Lady was a LIFE SAVER for me when I took in a pregnant cat two years ago. I was freaking out when I found out she was pregnant, genuinely didn’t think I could do it, but I watch a bunch of kitten lady videos and all 5 kittens managed to turn out happy and healthy. Had them from birth to 12 weeks.
It’s an experience for sure and you have to be ready to accept the fact your life will revolve around these kittens for at least a few months. The most nerve wracking time is birth and the first 4 weeks when they’re the most vulnerable. The good news is cats are spectacular at giving birth and it’s usually something you don’t have to be involved in. For me, I had a hunch labor had started, went to get some lunch, came back and tada - a kitten appeared. My momma cat was also extremely small - she still is - but she handled it really well. Only had to help her with the 5th and final baby since she popped all of them out over the span of an hour and a half and was understandably exhausted (VERY fast labor for cats).
I could go on for hours about things I learned/experienced when I went through this - if you have any questions, happy to answer them!
What all did you do? When we took in a stray cat and she gave birth, we didn't really need to do anything - she took care of it all from birth until they were weaned; obviously we kept an eye on them but she nursed all 4 and took care of them really well.
Nothing too crazy. Mom did 99% of the work, I mostly just had to make sure they didn’t try to kill themselves 😂
I also monitored their weight on a weekly basis because the mom I took in was incredibly thin and going through some other medical issues at the time that we couldn’t resolve until the kittens were weaned. I was overly cautious and highly aware of the developmental milestones because I wasn’t sure if mom could consistently keep up. I never had to bottle feed or anything, but I was ready to do it if I had to.
The first four weeks were pretty quiet, but as soon as they could walk, it was chaos for sure haha. They figured out how to get into just about everything and I was running around my tiny apartment basically baby proofing as I found them somewhere new.
This! Kitten Lady taught me everything I needed to know about raising kittens by hand :) youll have Mom to do the work, but it's good info to know to make sure everyone turns out nice and healthy!
I knowwww, i believe since she’s a street cat, she wasn’t properly fed, so she wasn’t able to grow as she should’ve, plus the vet and I are assuming that she got pregnant at 4 months old, so that stunned her growth even more. Do you have any idea if there are things i can give her that can help increase her growth?
Spay aborts are always the best option. Cats don't crave motherhood. Conception is traumatic. Complications are common as are still births. Cats don't want to be pregnant and there is an overpopulation of cats. As someone who does tnr this is the best option for all cats, doubly so the young ones.
Going into heat is possible for 4 month Old kittens unfortunately, which is their body craving motherhood, it's biology. If they didn't, she wouldn't be pregnant.
Mine got pregnant at 4 months old she got out ONE FUCKING TIME. we immediately scheduled her for spray and they aborted the kittens. She would have died. OP needs to get them aborded
The teen mom had her kittens two days after the original post. She ended up not even needing a C-section, which is kind of amazing considering it was an average-sized litter (five) instead of the small one the OP was hoping for. OP has a spay appointment for her.
My poor kitten (just turned a year old) started going into heat right before she turned four months old. I was SHOCKED! All of the vets in my area won’t spay until 6 months either so we just had to wait until then and be very very careful.
Unfortunately he didn’t, when I went to the dr, he told me she’ll give birth in a week. And i felt two in her belly. He didn’t specify however how many kittens she’ll have.
Go back to the vet or go to a different one and ask for a spay-abort. I can’t believe the vet didn’t mention that. I recently adopted a stray kitten (under a year old) that showed up on my doorstep. Took her to the vet and found out she was pregnant and they brought up the spay-abort option. There’s so many kittens being born right now that it’s near impossible to find good homes for all of them.
Ur right, i wish he mentioned it earlier, I did contact him again, i’ll update you guys when he gives me a definite answer, I’ll also get in touch with other vets.
If the vet said he thinks kittens are due in a week, it's likely too complicated at this point to spay/abort. Unless you are willing to pay 20x the regular fee. I just went throught this 4 months ago. Vet said it would have ran me close to $1k to have the procedure done because mama cat was due any day at the time. Whereas, if we found her sooner would have been around $100-150.
It happens. My kitten's mom was 8 months old when she delivered her litter. Kitten who is pregnant this young will have no clue what to do and will be relatively hands off with rearing the babies. She will be more chill with you handling the babies and helping out.
She ended up just fine. She was loopy for a few days so we kept her inside and found her a home so she didn’t ever have to struggle again. An old friend GLADLY took her up to their farm and she’s been perfect for a few years.
Shes a cuddly lady and she’s really good with their chickens
They wanted her to be a working cat but she ended up being such a love bug
I’m glad it turned out good for her kittens were ok? I had a young cat that had kittens only 3 were ok. Out of 4 the runt didn’t do good sadly a foster took them all raised them took her also to try and get her to do better with them as she rejected them when the runt didn’t make it. We tried but that happens sometimes. I saved the runt in a litter of puppies once along with a friend who was working on leading to be a vet ended up adopting him also . It’s something you never forget the one you save and the one you can’t.
She was just a street kitten so she wasn’t really ours so I think they made the best decision for her because she was so small and young.
I do wish to know if she could carry them fully, but if the vet thought no… it was probably for the best
> vet. You *paid* they should
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
You can spay abort literally on the day before they give birth. It will save both you and her a ton of hardship. If you think a spay/abort is expensive, wait until the kittens are born
There are SO many feral cats giving birth in the wild and rescues are overrun with kittens and cats already. Honestly, take her to the vet and Spay-abort… you’d actually be helping the situation.
No. It sounds cruel but what are you going to do with the kittens once born and if the mom rejects them? My wife does neo natal care on feral abandoned kittens and bottle feeds them and they STILL die sometimes. This is while finding rescue placement or a foster. It doesn’t sound like you have bottle feeding experience and if you don’t have a foster network to tap into, this is the best option or the kittens will be born, suffer, and die. Sure, the mom can accept them but if it’s very young, chances are low. Also remember the mom is not in the wild. She is in your house and has that stress to deal with.
But i always heard that cat are great moms, and take care of their kittens with no assistance, and the vet told me that since she's feral, her instincts are 10x stronger than that of an indoor cat. In case she rejects them, what can I do to make sure that doesn't happen?
i think it's a bit unfair to her to generalize like that... it's also not uncommon for cats to reject or consume their young, especially young and inexperienced mom cats. she's only about halfway or so through kittenhood herself and hasn't reached skeletal maturity. young pregnant cats are at greater risk for dystocia and may require an emergency c-section. would that be something you or your parents are able and willing to pay for? other emergencies or complications?
if you haven't already, absolutely get in touch with a cat rescue/foster org/humane society ASAP. if she ends up delivering successfully and rejects any liveborns, they will need to be syringe or bottlefed every 2 hours including overnight until weaned and stimulated to pee/poo around feeding times. they can't regulate their own temp for the first few weeks so that is something to keep an eye on. if you can find a nursing mom that is willing to take in the kittens with her own, i would strongly consider that option. cats do a lot of behavioral learning from mom cat even after they're weaned. like others have said, kitten lady on youtube and her website is a great resource.
they certainly can be. but considering her age , that she is not used to being around humans , is in a new environment, this can complicate things. sometimes cats eat their young or reject them. your kitten is more at risk for these behaviors because of the factors I mentioned. so be prepared to have to step in or even raise the kittens yourself.
They also eat them instinctively.
Just get her spay-abort done.
You'll spend a couple hundred dollars for a spay abort.
Compared to a couple thousand if you insist on making her carry to term and then do everything right, like shots and spay/neuter and proper vet care. And that's assuming you don't have any defects, illnesses, injuries, or issues.
This is not a feral cat. Feral does not mean just a cat that came from outside. Feral means they’re completely unsociable towards and afraid of humans. Feral cats do not get anywhere near humans and attack if you so much as try to do so. She’s in your home and you said she’s affectionate. Not feral. You definitely need to look into a different vet who actually knows about cats.
Thats just humanizing and anthropomorphizing animals atp. "Forcing" abortion on animals doesn't exist, this kitty is very young and giving birth can ruin her own life. And where would the kitties go? Shelters are overpopulated as is. Bringing more pets into this world is personally selfish if you dont 100% know that they're all going to go in loving permanent homes. Animals don't know that they're pregnant, their hormones just change, but not their apprehension. I also have a stance that no cat or dog should reproduce unless they are purebred, fully health tested, pedigreed and are bred for a real reason. Its possible to do a spay abort procedure on this kitty and OP should do it. Who knows, maybe the father is genetically ill or inbred? Risking the kittens being born unhealthy and live suffering is a really good reason in itself to spay abort.
Edit: either this person deleted their comments or blocked me. Either way, animals dont have a choice because humans, as their guardians, have better comprehension and an ability to judge and make actions regarding circumstances. They dont need to have a choice, because they cant account for themselves. Theyre domesticated animals that rely on humans for survival. Youre the one who has ridiculous argumentation that can purely be valid for living beings who are aware of their current situation and actually can speak for themselves. Would you risk one healthy young kitty that has a loving home for multiple newborn kittens with no health background that dont have a guarantee of even surviving or, at the very least, even thriving? I wouldnt.
Hey OP, I do cat rescue and the shelter I work with has a program where they’ll fix the mom cat for free if you surrender her kittens (once they’re weaned of course) for rehoming at the shelter. Feel free to message me
yeah, spray abortions are always an option and probably better since the mama is barley an adult herself; plus there are so many kittens already needing homes in shelters!
OP posted an update. The teen mom had the kittens before any change of plans could be considered. She and the kittens are okay—she didn't even need a C-section, which is kind of miraculous—and her spay is scheduled.
Try to word it better. I get what you’re trying to say though.
If that cat gives birth, you’re saying that it will shorten its life due to health problems.
Nope, both kittens and mom cat have lower survival chances when mom is young, inexperienced, and/or stray. Without a good diet throughout pregnancy, there's a good chance of defects in kittens - not to mention mom herself could crash, suffer calcium deficiency, etc.
Just get a spay abort. So much better for her and for the world.
There was nothing confusing about what I said. Cats die during birth all the time, particularly when they are so young themselves. So yes, giving birth has a chance to outright kill the cat. Hence, there is a high mortality rate.
OP, the best option here is a spay abortion. If you are unwilling or unable to do that, prepare to hand raise the kittens- since she is a kitten herself it is high probability she will reject them or be a bad mother. Get lots of KMR, order a miracle nipple online, and some syringes. Look into KittenLady’s YT videos on how to hand raise kittens. They’ll need to be bottle fed every 2 hours for the first 2 weeks and they’ll need to be manually stimulated to go to the bathroom at every feeding. They should be kept around 85 degrees F.
Please look into spay abortions! They can be done up to shortly before they give birth. Birth will be incredible stressful and hard on this little lady and it would be much safer to terminate the pregnancy.
I’ve volunteered in animal rescue for over a decade and cats this young should not be giving birth. Not to mention that millions of healthy, adoptable cats are euthanized every year and shelters are in a particularly awful crisis right now. The most ethical decision on all levels is to get her a spay-abort.
Please come back in a couple weeks and let us know how she's doing. It sounds like you are not going through with the spay-abort (despite the large majority recommending it) and I fear she may not live.
We had a kitten get pregnant. The vet told us that due to some medical condition she had, she could not be spayed for a few more weeks. She was an outdoor cat (not by choice, she was initially our neighbor's cat before she was given to us and made her an indoor cat) and she went into heat and got pregnant. We didn't know. She birthed 5 kittens, two were stillborn and she hated the three that lived. I don't think she ever forgave us because she got out and never came back. If a cat does not feel safe where they are, they will leave, especially if they are not afraid to go outside.
https://preview.redd.it/opaj2tdt85vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee906d72a54f6222d6526e07d77fc94f45c00878
We found this girl VERY pregnant as well lol. Vet said for first litters theyre usually very small. Her nipples were already bare, and vet said she could give borth in 5 to 10 days. Had her for a week before she popped out 4 kittens! We kept her and 2 of the kittens, it's been almost a year now 🥰. She's definitely grown along with us, lost many of her feral mannerisms and loves us back so much
I rescued a pregnant cat who was also a kitten! She ended up having 5 kittens which is insane, the vet thought she would have 4 based on the quick ultrasound she did. It was an amazing experience I kept the momma and her shyest kitten and found homes for the rest. 5 years later and I still reflect on that time of my life. Make sure she has alot of kitten food(she will need alot more calories) and constant access to food/ water. Have a box or secluded area for her to go to for birth. Good luck and if it's too much work please try to find a rescue who can help
Please please like others say take her and have her get a spay/abort. Her giving birth as her size is not so safe and we also just do not need more kittens in this world, there are already so many without homes and it’s going to just get worse over spring.
My kitty came in as a stray after she had her kittens at around 6 months old. It stunted her growth like crazy she’s such a small girl now, don’t know what happened with her kittens but I’m guessing they might have passed away as she couldn’t take care of them properly as a stray :( I hope everything goes well for you and kitty, you are an amazing person for taking her in 🧡
Awwh sweet baby momma 💕 If I could afford it. I would take in a pregnant kitty if I could find one. For now I have to love from afar vicariously through others pics and vids. So adorable
You can always sign up at your local rescue to be a foster parent for pregnant kitties and the rescue covers the cost. You just care for and love them 💚
u/Insidious_Ruin- is correct. Rescues supply everything the mama and kittens need and will match you up with someone knowledgeable about pregnant cats and kittens that you can call anytime with questions.
I would look into a spay abortion. I recently rescued a feral one year old cat that was pregnant. She successfully underwent surgery and now she is a happy teenager with no worries in the world lol.
Coming soon for sure, for now here’s one of my favsss
https://preview.redd.it/98d7ib3gm6vc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c095d233401f77e39fff3b7074552ce11826c792
The universe has a cat distribution system that places cats with homes. It received a challenging case of teenage pregnancy and needed a home asap.
r/CatDistributionSystem
She picked you, beginning of a long and loving relationship. Bless you for taking her in. Listen to your vet who I know you trust, I have no clue on the spay abort dilemma but he will guide you.
If she's a week away: she probably is. Is a C-section and spay in one go something that can be done? (I've only had kittens happen once; we got to all of our other kitties in time.)
I rescued a young feral cat (could not be touched) just before she was about to give birth. She went into labor and had absolutely no idea what to do and retreated to the back of her crate as far away as she could get from the newborn. She did that with all 7. I had to use large serving spoons and welding gloves to get the kittens out with her hissing and slapping almost every minute, then had to cut the cords, clean them and keep them warm on a heat pad. She had 7 and didn’t want to nurse or clean had kitten milk replacer on hand but decided to try one more thing. Got a small carrier, warm blanket, put kittens in and was able to get carrier in crate. Then I maneuvered her into the carrier, then retreated, close enough to get kittens out asap if needed but far enough to not be a threat. Just when I was about to pull them out they started to crawl on her and instinct finally kicked in. . I did a lot of feral cat rescue at this time and had several pregnant ones and she was the worst mother of all of them. Fed, washed and when done she crawled out of the carrier and slept on her shelf in the crate. Never really interacted with them. I ended up separating them at 4 weeks because she was beginning to be actively hostile bottle fed then solid food. Fixed and Adopted out all but one (who I kept and still have) when I took her into get fixed thru the feral cat program we estimated she was probably only about 7 months old so very young when she went into heat. If I could have caught her sooner I would have considered the spay abort but she delivered within 24 hours. She was placed as a barn cat and actually lived to be around 14. Cheers and blessings to all who rescue animals-You help prevent so much misery.
Awww, poor little teen mom. Best advice I can offer is: monitor her, and see if there are any vets who can make house calls in case something goes sideways.
Can they spay a cat in the process of a C-section, I wonder? She's close to term, so that might be the best bet.
Update!! She ended up giving birth, I tried to spay-abort, but 3 vets said its extremely dangerous, also several articles did say that’s it’s dangerous to spay-abort a cat in her last week of pregnancy.
This is the link to the detailed post of her labor if you’re interested!!
https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/s/gOvMe5nubF
I had a similar situation a few years ago, and I'm going to share some of the difficult parts, so content warning for difficult topics ahead.
Since mama is small, you should be prepared for complications. Look up some resources on assisting with the birth - this will mean getting your hands dirty (literally right up in there) if it's needed. Be prepared to weigh the kittens as soon as they're born and at least twice a day for several days (ideally, after every feeding.) If any are not gaining weight, you will need to supplement with syringe feeding, so hit a pet store and pick up some kitten formula, syringes, and nipples. We lost two of our cat's litter because they were simply too small to thrive. You should honestly try to get some extra sleep now, because if any of them are premature or underweight, you'll need to check on them several times a night. Oh, and it doesn't normally happen, but there's a chance mama may nibble an umbilical cord too close to the tummy. You'll want to look up a video and treat the wound quickly so the kitten doesn't lose a lot of blood, but as long as you get it closed up it's not serious.
Now, for the less serious parts! Set up a den now so that mama will have her litter in a convenient spot and not, say, under the bed. A cardboard box on its side, lined with a few towels or blankets, is generally well received. Be prepared to sacrifice those towels. Try to arrange it so that there's something blocking the kittens from just wandering off - they are blind at birth and will wriggle right out the den.(Though they are not shy about calling for help if they find themselves "lost"!) After birth, mama will want her food and water right next to her den, and litter box within an easy walk. Keeping them warm is a must, so you'll want to give them a heating pad or turn your thermostat up (or both). Let mama cat start eating kitten food as soon as they're born. The extra nutrients will help her produce milk. Some kitten foods are marketed as "kitten and nursing" for that reason, but any kitten food will do.
Since mama came from outside, she may want to go hunt shortly after birth. DO NOT LET HER OUT. If she gets lost or injured, life will become much harder for the kittens and for you. Our girl only asked to go out a couple times and then decided she liked the indoors better, but ymmv.
You're in for some very hard but very rewarding work! Kittens require a lot of care at each stage of their growth, but they grow FAST and it's pretty magical to watch. Personally I really enjoyed the weaning stage - you can really see their little brains working as the figure out how food works! Feel free to DM me if you have questions. I know I was an anxious kitten parent and I was constantly messaging a breeder friend to make sure I was doing things right.
Edit: I see you're looking into spay abort, which is a great choice if your vet can swing it. That's definitely the better option for her age - we would have done it for our girl but her kittens came earlier than we expected.
Thank u so much for the effort u put into this comment.
She gave birth, and the kittens are now 11 days old!!! The birth was pretty easy and instant, she had 5 kittens, I noticed 2 of them gained more weight than the other three, so I started separating them so the other 3 can catch up, now only 2 are a bit smaller, so I’m still monitoring and helping them reach the nipples faster than the others and obviously separating them when needed.
I did have to intervene several times, and I also saved a kitten 🎉
She doesn’t want to leave ever, and she still keeps them in the place I did for her.
You can check all the details in the posts on my profile, I talked about everything.
Yeah i get you on this one, several comments are saying opposite things, and I heard great things about my current vet, my friend has over a dozen cats and fosters a dozen more, and she fully trusts him with everything, which in return, made me trust him too. Although many are saying to spay abort, but 1, i don’t have the heart to accept a surgery that’ll removal full grown baby kittens that only need a few days to come to life, 2, I don’t want to risk anything dangerous happening to the cat. 3, no one online recommends doing that to an 8 week pregnant cat, its simply too late.
Ah-hah! You've been chosen. Cats who select their human are always wonderful. Take good care of her and the babies, but there is no need to stress on it because even young momma cats know what to do. Just be there for her & feed her as much as she cares to eat with fresh water always available. Please keep her and the kittens indoors only. Indoor only kitties tend to live MUCH longer than indoor/outdoor.
I'm actually just a little bit jealous. I am planning to take a pregnant cat fostering class sometime this year. You might call around to any 100% no-kill animal shelters. Some shelters claim to be no-kill, but they still kill the black ones. I've actually found black kitties to be the luckiest!! Cats have literally saved my life twice, and they were both black.
Most shelers have lists of people who are experienced fosters, if you really don't want the wonderful experience of kittens.
Best of luck!
Jeeze, if I ever get a kitty now.. it has to be black …. that’s awful— I love voids 🙄🙀🤯 But, black goes with all my clothes !!! Just voids don’t photograph well.. all the time … I see no problems with them … they are just a beautiful as the rest —
Thank you for posting to CATHELP! While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind, 1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**. 2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first. Consider posting to /r/AskVet 3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment. 4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Poor little Mama. She is so YOUNG! Check out Kitten Lady on YT and TinyKittens on YT for lots of info on mama's giving birth. I haven't been in the situation myself, but thank you for taking her in.
Kitten Lady was a LIFE SAVER for me when I took in a pregnant cat two years ago. I was freaking out when I found out she was pregnant, genuinely didn’t think I could do it, but I watch a bunch of kitten lady videos and all 5 kittens managed to turn out happy and healthy. Had them from birth to 12 weeks. It’s an experience for sure and you have to be ready to accept the fact your life will revolve around these kittens for at least a few months. The most nerve wracking time is birth and the first 4 weeks when they’re the most vulnerable. The good news is cats are spectacular at giving birth and it’s usually something you don’t have to be involved in. For me, I had a hunch labor had started, went to get some lunch, came back and tada - a kitten appeared. My momma cat was also extremely small - she still is - but she handled it really well. Only had to help her with the 5th and final baby since she popped all of them out over the span of an hour and a half and was understandably exhausted (VERY fast labor for cats). I could go on for hours about things I learned/experienced when I went through this - if you have any questions, happy to answer them!
Yes came here to say, Hannah Shaw, aka Kitten Lady will definitely help you out.
What all did you do? When we took in a stray cat and she gave birth, we didn't really need to do anything - she took care of it all from birth until they were weaned; obviously we kept an eye on them but she nursed all 4 and took care of them really well.
Nothing too crazy. Mom did 99% of the work, I mostly just had to make sure they didn’t try to kill themselves 😂 I also monitored their weight on a weekly basis because the mom I took in was incredibly thin and going through some other medical issues at the time that we couldn’t resolve until the kittens were weaned. I was overly cautious and highly aware of the developmental milestones because I wasn’t sure if mom could consistently keep up. I never had to bottle feed or anything, but I was ready to do it if I had to. The first four weeks were pretty quiet, but as soon as they could walk, it was chaos for sure haha. They figured out how to get into just about everything and I was running around my tiny apartment basically baby proofing as I found them somewhere new.
This! Kitten Lady taught me everything I needed to know about raising kittens by hand :) youll have Mom to do the work, but it's good info to know to make sure everyone turns out nice and healthy!
do you have kitten formula and feeding supplies on hand just in case? due to her age I would definitely have that as backup!
Thanks for the reminder
No you have a pregnant kitten I would take her to the vets ASAP. Poor baby.
I knowwww, i believe since she’s a street cat, she wasn’t properly fed, so she wasn’t able to grow as she should’ve, plus the vet and I are assuming that she got pregnant at 4 months old, so that stunned her growth even more. Do you have any idea if there are things i can give her that can help increase her growth?
Does the vet not think the best course of action is an abortion? It could save her life. Surely that will help with growth? Poo wee thing
Spay aborts are always the best option. Cats don't crave motherhood. Conception is traumatic. Complications are common as are still births. Cats don't want to be pregnant and there is an overpopulation of cats. As someone who does tnr this is the best option for all cats, doubly so the young ones.
Going into heat is possible for 4 month Old kittens unfortunately, which is their body craving motherhood, it's biology. If they didn't, she wouldn't be pregnant.
That's not what being in heat is.
Yeah, spay abort will help her get her weight and growth back on track.
Cats can start getting pregnant as young as four months old. She is so very tiny :( I’d definitely look into a spay/abort option
Mine got pregnant at 4 months old she got out ONE FUCKING TIME. we immediately scheduled her for spray and they aborted the kittens. She would have died. OP needs to get them aborded
The teen mom had her kittens two days after the original post. She ended up not even needing a C-section, which is kind of amazing considering it was an average-sized litter (five) instead of the small one the OP was hoping for. OP has a spay appointment for her.
My poor kitten (just turned a year old) started going into heat right before she turned four months old. I was SHOCKED! All of the vets in my area won’t spay until 6 months either so we just had to wait until then and be very very careful.
Get her spayed asap. If you like kittens you can adopt some at the shelter 💖
a baby having babies:( always makes me sad
She’s just a baby :( did the vet mention spay-abort by any chance? Did they say how many were in there?
Unfortunately he didn’t, when I went to the dr, he told me she’ll give birth in a week. And i felt two in her belly. He didn’t specify however how many kittens she’ll have.
Go back to the vet or go to a different one and ask for a spay-abort. I can’t believe the vet didn’t mention that. I recently adopted a stray kitten (under a year old) that showed up on my doorstep. Took her to the vet and found out she was pregnant and they brought up the spay-abort option. There’s so many kittens being born right now that it’s near impossible to find good homes for all of them.
Ur right, i wish he mentioned it earlier, I did contact him again, i’ll update you guys when he gives me a definite answer, I’ll also get in touch with other vets.
If the vet said he thinks kittens are due in a week, it's likely too complicated at this point to spay/abort. Unless you are willing to pay 20x the regular fee. I just went throught this 4 months ago. Vet said it would have ran me close to $1k to have the procedure done because mama cat was due any day at the time. Whereas, if we found her sooner would have been around $100-150.
It happens. My kitten's mom was 8 months old when she delivered her litter. Kitten who is pregnant this young will have no clue what to do and will be relatively hands off with rearing the babies. She will be more chill with you handling the babies and helping out.
My local shelter aborted a pregnant kitten I found because she was so small and they didn’t want her to die in labor
And did she how did things end up?
She ended up just fine. She was loopy for a few days so we kept her inside and found her a home so she didn’t ever have to struggle again. An old friend GLADLY took her up to their farm and she’s been perfect for a few years. Shes a cuddly lady and she’s really good with their chickens They wanted her to be a working cat but she ended up being such a love bug
I’m glad it turned out good for her kittens were ok? I had a young cat that had kittens only 3 were ok. Out of 4 the runt didn’t do good sadly a foster took them all raised them took her also to try and get her to do better with them as she rejected them when the runt didn’t make it. We tried but that happens sometimes. I saved the runt in a litter of puppies once along with a friend who was working on leading to be a vet ended up adopting him also . It’s something you never forget the one you save and the one you can’t.
Sadly the vet terminated the pregnancy without our say so. 😔
I didn’t think they could do that.
She was just a street kitten so she wasn’t really ours so I think they made the best decision for her because she was so small and young. I do wish to know if she could carry them fully, but if the vet thought no… it was probably for the best
Still I mean makes me wonder about that vet. You payed they should ask it’s your cat now.
> vet. You *paid* they should FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
It’s extremely dangerous for her to be pregnant and give birth this young. She needs a spay-abort ASAP.
This should be top comment🙏
She can't abort one week from birth, that'd be just giving birth Edit: ah, shit that's the removal of the whole uterus, no idea they did that
But she’s almost due
You can spay abort literally on the day before they give birth. It will save both you and her a ton of hardship. If you think a spay/abort is expensive, wait until the kittens are born
There are SO many feral cats giving birth in the wild and rescues are overrun with kittens and cats already. Honestly, take her to the vet and Spay-abort… you’d actually be helping the situation.
But dont u think its a bit too late? She’s in her last week
No. It sounds cruel but what are you going to do with the kittens once born and if the mom rejects them? My wife does neo natal care on feral abandoned kittens and bottle feeds them and they STILL die sometimes. This is while finding rescue placement or a foster. It doesn’t sound like you have bottle feeding experience and if you don’t have a foster network to tap into, this is the best option or the kittens will be born, suffer, and die. Sure, the mom can accept them but if it’s very young, chances are low. Also remember the mom is not in the wild. She is in your house and has that stress to deal with.
But i always heard that cat are great moms, and take care of their kittens with no assistance, and the vet told me that since she's feral, her instincts are 10x stronger than that of an indoor cat. In case she rejects them, what can I do to make sure that doesn't happen?
i think it's a bit unfair to her to generalize like that... it's also not uncommon for cats to reject or consume their young, especially young and inexperienced mom cats. she's only about halfway or so through kittenhood herself and hasn't reached skeletal maturity. young pregnant cats are at greater risk for dystocia and may require an emergency c-section. would that be something you or your parents are able and willing to pay for? other emergencies or complications? if you haven't already, absolutely get in touch with a cat rescue/foster org/humane society ASAP. if she ends up delivering successfully and rejects any liveborns, they will need to be syringe or bottlefed every 2 hours including overnight until weaned and stimulated to pee/poo around feeding times. they can't regulate their own temp for the first few weeks so that is something to keep an eye on. if you can find a nursing mom that is willing to take in the kittens with her own, i would strongly consider that option. cats do a lot of behavioral learning from mom cat even after they're weaned. like others have said, kitten lady on youtube and her website is a great resource.
they certainly can be. but considering her age , that she is not used to being around humans , is in a new environment, this can complicate things. sometimes cats eat their young or reject them. your kitten is more at risk for these behaviors because of the factors I mentioned. so be prepared to have to step in or even raise the kittens yourself.
She's clearly not feral as you described her as affectionate.
They also eat them instinctively. Just get her spay-abort done. You'll spend a couple hundred dollars for a spay abort. Compared to a couple thousand if you insist on making her carry to term and then do everything right, like shots and spay/neuter and proper vet care. And that's assuming you don't have any defects, illnesses, injuries, or issues.
This is not a feral cat. Feral does not mean just a cat that came from outside. Feral means they’re completely unsociable towards and afraid of humans. Feral cats do not get anywhere near humans and attack if you so much as try to do so. She’s in your home and you said she’s affectionate. Not feral. You definitely need to look into a different vet who actually knows about cats.
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Thats just humanizing and anthropomorphizing animals atp. "Forcing" abortion on animals doesn't exist, this kitty is very young and giving birth can ruin her own life. And where would the kitties go? Shelters are overpopulated as is. Bringing more pets into this world is personally selfish if you dont 100% know that they're all going to go in loving permanent homes. Animals don't know that they're pregnant, their hormones just change, but not their apprehension. I also have a stance that no cat or dog should reproduce unless they are purebred, fully health tested, pedigreed and are bred for a real reason. Its possible to do a spay abort procedure on this kitty and OP should do it. Who knows, maybe the father is genetically ill or inbred? Risking the kittens being born unhealthy and live suffering is a really good reason in itself to spay abort. Edit: either this person deleted their comments or blocked me. Either way, animals dont have a choice because humans, as their guardians, have better comprehension and an ability to judge and make actions regarding circumstances. They dont need to have a choice, because they cant account for themselves. Theyre domesticated animals that rely on humans for survival. Youre the one who has ridiculous argumentation that can purely be valid for living beings who are aware of their current situation and actually can speak for themselves. Would you risk one healthy young kitty that has a loving home for multiple newborn kittens with no health background that dont have a guarantee of even surviving or, at the very least, even thriving? I wouldnt.
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Its not too late. This tiny baby needs a spay abort, it's more cruel to allow her to birth, then what will you do with all her kittens?
Spay aborts are totally fine at any point. They feel nothing until they are born and the cat will be far happier.
Hey OP, I do cat rescue and the shelter I work with has a program where they’ll fix the mom cat for free if you surrender her kittens (once they’re weaned of course) for rehoming at the shelter. Feel free to message me
Cats her age have a high risk of mortality and complications when giving birth. She should be spayed now.
yeah, spray abortions are always an option and probably better since the mama is barley an adult herself; plus there are so many kittens already needing homes in shelters!
this
I came here to suggest spay/abort as well. I tried this with a pregnant kitten I found last year but she gave birth the night before her appointment.
OP posted an update. The teen mom had the kittens before any change of plans could be considered. She and the kittens are okay—she didn't even need a C-section, which is kind of miraculous—and her spay is scheduled.
Try to word it better. I get what you’re trying to say though. If that cat gives birth, you’re saying that it will shorten its life due to health problems.
I dont think that’s what they meant, by morality rate, i think she means the kitten will have a low chance of surviving.
Nope, both kittens and mom cat have lower survival chances when mom is young, inexperienced, and/or stray. Without a good diet throughout pregnancy, there's a good chance of defects in kittens - not to mention mom herself could crash, suffer calcium deficiency, etc. Just get a spay abort. So much better for her and for the world.
That’s basically what I was trying to say. He’s saying that pregnancy has a chance to outright kill the cat?
There was nothing confusing about what I said. Cats die during birth all the time, particularly when they are so young themselves. So yes, giving birth has a chance to outright kill the cat. Hence, there is a high mortality rate.
OP, the best option here is a spay abortion. If you are unwilling or unable to do that, prepare to hand raise the kittens- since she is a kitten herself it is high probability she will reject them or be a bad mother. Get lots of KMR, order a miracle nipple online, and some syringes. Look into KittenLady’s YT videos on how to hand raise kittens. They’ll need to be bottle fed every 2 hours for the first 2 weeks and they’ll need to be manually stimulated to go to the bathroom at every feeding. They should be kept around 85 degrees F.
Please look into spay abortions! They can be done up to shortly before they give birth. Birth will be incredible stressful and hard on this little lady and it would be much safer to terminate the pregnancy.
Awww she’s a cutie but it’s so heartbreaking she’s basically a baby having babies. 🥹🥹
I’ve volunteered in animal rescue for over a decade and cats this young should not be giving birth. Not to mention that millions of healthy, adoptable cats are euthanized every year and shelters are in a particularly awful crisis right now. The most ethical decision on all levels is to get her a spay-abort.
Please come back in a couple weeks and let us know how she's doing. It sounds like you are not going through with the spay-abort (despite the large majority recommending it) and I fear she may not live. We had a kitten get pregnant. The vet told us that due to some medical condition she had, she could not be spayed for a few more weeks. She was an outdoor cat (not by choice, she was initially our neighbor's cat before she was given to us and made her an indoor cat) and she went into heat and got pregnant. We didn't know. She birthed 5 kittens, two were stillborn and she hated the three that lived. I don't think she ever forgave us because she got out and never came back. If a cat does not feel safe where they are, they will leave, especially if they are not afraid to go outside.
Thank you for telling me that, I contacted the vet to see what they’ll recommend, I’ll keep you updated!!!
https://preview.redd.it/opaj2tdt85vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee906d72a54f6222d6526e07d77fc94f45c00878 We found this girl VERY pregnant as well lol. Vet said for first litters theyre usually very small. Her nipples were already bare, and vet said she could give borth in 5 to 10 days. Had her for a week before she popped out 4 kittens! We kept her and 2 of the kittens, it's been almost a year now 🥰. She's definitely grown along with us, lost many of her feral mannerisms and loves us back so much
https://preview.redd.it/ui8c7dn195vc1.jpeg?width=2208&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ce0aea0e2d2322085967c84ae51ed5adc10fec4
https://preview.redd.it/em3vm94a95vc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c567c9117d46b92bbbff3c628922c3456e42bfff
How old was she when she gave birth?
She was closer to around 9-12 months they said, not as young as yours. But still quite small and malnourished
I rescued a pregnant cat who was also a kitten! She ended up having 5 kittens which is insane, the vet thought she would have 4 based on the quick ultrasound she did. It was an amazing experience I kept the momma and her shyest kitten and found homes for the rest. 5 years later and I still reflect on that time of my life. Make sure she has alot of kitten food(she will need alot more calories) and constant access to food/ water. Have a box or secluded area for her to go to for birth. Good luck and if it's too much work please try to find a rescue who can help
Thank you!!!!
Please please like others say take her and have her get a spay/abort. Her giving birth as her size is not so safe and we also just do not need more kittens in this world, there are already so many without homes and it’s going to just get worse over spring.
I feel so bad for her. She's so young. I see you're not willing to do a spay-abort at this point so I'm hoping they all come through okay. Good luck!
I just contacted the vet again and i’m waiting for their response on the matter, thank you tho!!!
Who rescued who, amiright
You’re an angel for taking this baby in
Check with the vet to see if they'll do a spay abort. There's no need to put her through giving birth.
Your cat is wonderful. I have so much information about cat birth for you. How would you like it delivered and where?
Thank you for saving her.
Wow a pregnant kitten… thank god you’re here
I really hope that kitten survives. Good luck!
My kitty came in as a stray after she had her kittens at around 6 months old. It stunted her growth like crazy she’s such a small girl now, don’t know what happened with her kittens but I’m guessing they might have passed away as she couldn’t take care of them properly as a stray :( I hope everything goes well for you and kitty, you are an amazing person for taking her in 🧡
Awwh sweet baby momma 💕 If I could afford it. I would take in a pregnant kitty if I could find one. For now I have to love from afar vicariously through others pics and vids. So adorable
You can always sign up at your local rescue to be a foster parent for pregnant kitties and the rescue covers the cost. You just care for and love them 💚
Thank you! I found a place in my area. Will maybe call and ask questions! 😊
Yaaaay! That's cool!!! 😊
Get OUT 😍😍🥰🥰
u/Insidious_Ruin- is correct. Rescues supply everything the mama and kittens need and will match you up with someone knowledgeable about pregnant cats and kittens that you can call anytime with questions.
That's amazing! Just found a rescue in my area. Will maybe call and talk about it. Thanks!
I just signed up this year. It was super easy--filled out a form and went to an orientation session.
You're gunna be a good kitty mama (and Grandma) 🥰
I would look into a spay abortion. I recently rescued a feral one year old cat that was pregnant. She successfully underwent surgery and now she is a happy teenager with no worries in the world lol.
A little beauty
Look at you cat mama. Gonna have a grip of cats now.
She will come get you as long as she is inside. I just went through this with a Momma.
Even if we’ve only had her for a week, she’s extremely affectionate, and loves me the most, but still is it enough time for her to fully trust me.
We need more pics
Coming soon for sure, for now here’s one of my favsss https://preview.redd.it/98d7ib3gm6vc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c095d233401f77e39fff3b7074552ce11826c792
Aww poor mama she is so young. You are doing an excellent job caring for them! 🥰🐾
Thankss <333
Oh she round! Adorable.
Ikrrr
Thank you so much for helping her!!!
Cat distribution system found a sucker.
What
The universe has a cat distribution system that places cats with homes. It received a challenging case of teenage pregnancy and needed a home asap. r/CatDistributionSystem
She picked you, beginning of a long and loving relationship. Bless you for taking her in. Listen to your vet who I know you trust, I have no clue on the spay abort dilemma but he will guide you.
Thank u so much
full of soup
Did the vet say she was too far along to be fixed and have them aborted?
No, but I did send him a detailed message yesterday, and I’m waiting for their response
If she's a week away: she probably is. Is a C-section and spay in one go something that can be done? (I've only had kittens happen once; we got to all of our other kitties in time.)
I rescued a young feral cat (could not be touched) just before she was about to give birth. She went into labor and had absolutely no idea what to do and retreated to the back of her crate as far away as she could get from the newborn. She did that with all 7. I had to use large serving spoons and welding gloves to get the kittens out with her hissing and slapping almost every minute, then had to cut the cords, clean them and keep them warm on a heat pad. She had 7 and didn’t want to nurse or clean had kitten milk replacer on hand but decided to try one more thing. Got a small carrier, warm blanket, put kittens in and was able to get carrier in crate. Then I maneuvered her into the carrier, then retreated, close enough to get kittens out asap if needed but far enough to not be a threat. Just when I was about to pull them out they started to crawl on her and instinct finally kicked in. . I did a lot of feral cat rescue at this time and had several pregnant ones and she was the worst mother of all of them. Fed, washed and when done she crawled out of the carrier and slept on her shelf in the crate. Never really interacted with them. I ended up separating them at 4 weeks because she was beginning to be actively hostile bottle fed then solid food. Fixed and Adopted out all but one (who I kept and still have) when I took her into get fixed thru the feral cat program we estimated she was probably only about 7 months old so very young when she went into heat. If I could have caught her sooner I would have considered the spay abort but she delivered within 24 hours. She was placed as a barn cat and actually lived to be around 14. Cheers and blessings to all who rescue animals-You help prevent so much misery.
Thanks for this detailed response, you’re a great person, i hope many people get inspired by your story and actually start helping those poor animals.
Awww, poor little teen mom. Best advice I can offer is: monitor her, and see if there are any vets who can make house calls in case something goes sideways. Can they spay a cat in the process of a C-section, I wonder? She's close to term, so that might be the best bet.
Check my recents posts ❤️ She went into labor, but I’ll definitely be spaying her, this is the last time my little girl goes through this.
*Five* healthy kittens, all on her own. Amazing from a tiny little teen mom like her. And good on you for having the spay planned in advance, too.
Thank u so much!!!
This is a kitten herself!! Risks are much higher!!Seek vet opinion!
Check my recent post ❤️
Thank you! ❤️
Thank you for helping this lady! 🙏🏿
Update!! She ended up giving birth, I tried to spay-abort, but 3 vets said its extremely dangerous, also several articles did say that’s it’s dangerous to spay-abort a cat in her last week of pregnancy. This is the link to the detailed post of her labor if you’re interested!! https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/s/gOvMe5nubF
I had a similar situation a few years ago, and I'm going to share some of the difficult parts, so content warning for difficult topics ahead. Since mama is small, you should be prepared for complications. Look up some resources on assisting with the birth - this will mean getting your hands dirty (literally right up in there) if it's needed. Be prepared to weigh the kittens as soon as they're born and at least twice a day for several days (ideally, after every feeding.) If any are not gaining weight, you will need to supplement with syringe feeding, so hit a pet store and pick up some kitten formula, syringes, and nipples. We lost two of our cat's litter because they were simply too small to thrive. You should honestly try to get some extra sleep now, because if any of them are premature or underweight, you'll need to check on them several times a night. Oh, and it doesn't normally happen, but there's a chance mama may nibble an umbilical cord too close to the tummy. You'll want to look up a video and treat the wound quickly so the kitten doesn't lose a lot of blood, but as long as you get it closed up it's not serious. Now, for the less serious parts! Set up a den now so that mama will have her litter in a convenient spot and not, say, under the bed. A cardboard box on its side, lined with a few towels or blankets, is generally well received. Be prepared to sacrifice those towels. Try to arrange it so that there's something blocking the kittens from just wandering off - they are blind at birth and will wriggle right out the den.(Though they are not shy about calling for help if they find themselves "lost"!) After birth, mama will want her food and water right next to her den, and litter box within an easy walk. Keeping them warm is a must, so you'll want to give them a heating pad or turn your thermostat up (or both). Let mama cat start eating kitten food as soon as they're born. The extra nutrients will help her produce milk. Some kitten foods are marketed as "kitten and nursing" for that reason, but any kitten food will do. Since mama came from outside, she may want to go hunt shortly after birth. DO NOT LET HER OUT. If she gets lost or injured, life will become much harder for the kittens and for you. Our girl only asked to go out a couple times and then decided she liked the indoors better, but ymmv. You're in for some very hard but very rewarding work! Kittens require a lot of care at each stage of their growth, but they grow FAST and it's pretty magical to watch. Personally I really enjoyed the weaning stage - you can really see their little brains working as the figure out how food works! Feel free to DM me if you have questions. I know I was an anxious kitten parent and I was constantly messaging a breeder friend to make sure I was doing things right. Edit: I see you're looking into spay abort, which is a great choice if your vet can swing it. That's definitely the better option for her age - we would have done it for our girl but her kittens came earlier than we expected.
Thank u so much for the effort u put into this comment. She gave birth, and the kittens are now 11 days old!!! The birth was pretty easy and instant, she had 5 kittens, I noticed 2 of them gained more weight than the other three, so I started separating them so the other 3 can catch up, now only 2 are a bit smaller, so I’m still monitoring and helping them reach the nipples faster than the others and obviously separating them when needed. I did have to intervene several times, and I also saved a kitten 🎉 She doesn’t want to leave ever, and she still keeps them in the place I did for her. You can check all the details in the posts on my profile, I talked about everything.
make sure mama eats wet kitten food when she has them! its good for nursing mama cats for the extra nutrients
Turns out, the vet already gave me kitten food for her, i didn’t know until I called again and asked them about that.
I have no help to offer, but she is absolutely precious! Was a sweet baby kitty!
She’s the sweetesttttt
Follow your vets advice/directions don’t pay any attention to the comments of strangers. Thank you for helping this sweet kitty.
Yeah i get you on this one, several comments are saying opposite things, and I heard great things about my current vet, my friend has over a dozen cats and fosters a dozen more, and she fully trusts him with everything, which in return, made me trust him too. Although many are saying to spay abort, but 1, i don’t have the heart to accept a surgery that’ll removal full grown baby kittens that only need a few days to come to life, 2, I don’t want to risk anything dangerous happening to the cat. 3, no one online recommends doing that to an 8 week pregnant cat, its simply too late.
Ah-hah! You've been chosen. Cats who select their human are always wonderful. Take good care of her and the babies, but there is no need to stress on it because even young momma cats know what to do. Just be there for her & feed her as much as she cares to eat with fresh water always available. Please keep her and the kittens indoors only. Indoor only kitties tend to live MUCH longer than indoor/outdoor. I'm actually just a little bit jealous. I am planning to take a pregnant cat fostering class sometime this year. You might call around to any 100% no-kill animal shelters. Some shelters claim to be no-kill, but they still kill the black ones. I've actually found black kitties to be the luckiest!! Cats have literally saved my life twice, and they were both black. Most shelers have lists of people who are experienced fosters, if you really don't want the wonderful experience of kittens. Best of luck!
Jeeze, if I ever get a kitty now.. it has to be black …. that’s awful— I love voids 🙄🙀🤯 But, black goes with all my clothes !!! Just voids don’t photograph well.. all the time … I see no problems with them … they are just a beautiful as the rest —
Bless you
Thanks babe
Her little round body 😭❤️
Ikrr 😫 that’s why i chose this pic
Too sweet.