? Young cat having kittens

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Anthony Morgan

Anthony Morgan

Member Since 2017
Hi,
I haven't been on the board for a couple of years and I have a non diabetes dilema. Hope it is ok to ask?
3 weeks ago I found a very young cat ( 6 to 9 months) near a busy road and took it in with the intention of keeping it safe and returning it to its owner. Despite posters, social media etc. no-one has come forward.
The cat is less than a year old and I now find it to be pregnant. I have had a vet check and the vet has advised the pregnancy be terminated as it may be a difficult birth due to the cats young age and to avoid further unwanted kittens.
The vet thinks the cat is about half way through the term. I am struggling to know what to do as I am uncomfortable about ending these unborn lives but on the other hand I don't want the cat to suffer.
I would be very grateful for any advice or experience anyone has that can help me with this.
Thank you!
 
I work at a shelter and I dont believe this is uncommon and the cat will probably have 2-3 babies. I suggest a second opinion.
 
Hi Anthony
Nice to see you here although sorry to hear of your dilemma. It's true that a cat of less than a year old is still technically a kitten, but this little one is clearly mature and able to become pregnant - as Vicki has said above, this isn't uncommon, and the rest of the pregnancy and birth may be just fine.

I agree, a second opinion would be interesting - some vets are quite pragmatic in these situations, as yours seems to be, but others might take a gentler approach and give the mum and kittens a chance. With good care, including a nourishing diet, it's quite possible that all would be well - the issue then would be finding homes for them all. Are you intending to keep the mum and could you look after her and the kittens for the first few months of their lives?

Do let us know what you decide. I think most of us here, as cat-lovers, would like to think there would be a happy ending but if it is likely to be a difficult birth, we wouldn't want the kitty to suffer in any way.
 
This is the cat.
 

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Diana&Tom said:
Hi Anthony
Nice to see you here although sorry to hear of your dilemma. It's true that a cat of less than a year old is still technically a kitten, but this little one is clearly mature and able to become pregnant - as Vicki has said above, this isn't uncommon, and the rest of the pregnancy and birth may be just fine.

I agree, a second opinion would be interesting - some vets are quite pragmatic in these situations, as yours seems to be, but others might take a gentler approach and give the mum and kittens a chance. With good care, including a nourishing diet, it's quite possible that all would be well - the issue then would be finding homes for them all. Are you intending to keep the mum and could you look after her and the kittens for the first few months of their lives?

Do let us know what you decide. I think most of us here, as cat-lovers, would like to think there would be a happy ending but if it is likely to be a difficult birth, we wouldn't want the kitty to suffer in any way.
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Hello Diana,
Very nice to hear from you, I hope you are well!
I think I will get a second opinion. I wasn't intending to take on any more cats but I am willing to adopt this one as it seems unfair to uproot her again and put her in a shelter. Having said that I have the problem of integrating her with my 3 male cats. She has just aggressively chased one of them out of the room.
Another reason is that the council changed the parking arrangements in my cul de sac and now the cars come down much quicker. Sad to say in 2018 Herbie was run over and killed.
So I have a lot of anxiety over the safety of my existing cats.
I could look after the kittens initially but I would hope to find homes for them.
Thank you for your kind reply!
 
Anthony Morgan said:
Hello Diana,
Very nice to hear from you, I hope you are well!
I think I will get a second opinion. I wasn't intending to take on any more cats but I am willing to adopt this one as it seems unfair to uproot her again and put her in a shelter. Having said that I have the problem of integrating her with my 3 male cats. She has just aggressively chased one of them out of the room.
Another reason is that the council changed the parking arrangements in my cul de sac and now the cars come down much quicker. Sad to say in 2017 Herbie was run over and killed.
So I have a lot of anxiety over the safety of my existing cats.
I could look after the kittens initially but I would hope to find homes for them.
Thank you for your kind reply!
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That sounds the best thing, Anthony, a second opinion might make it easier to make a decision.
I'm very sorry to hear about Herbie. It's devastating I know. Sadly we can't keep our kitties on a lead when they go out.
I'm glad you'll be keeping this new little cutie. If the pregnancy goes full term and you have babies, they are usually easy enough to find homes for via a reputable organisation.
Very best of luck :)
 
Diana&Tom said:
That sounds the best thing, Anthony, a second opinion might make it easier to make a decision.
I'm very sorry to hear about Herbie. It's devastating I know. Sadly we can't keep our kitties on a lead when they go out.
I'm glad you'll be keeping this new little cutie. If the pregnancy goes full term and you have babies, they are usually easy enough to find homes for via a reputable organisation.
Very best of luck :)
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Thank you Diana, nice to 'chat' again! Best wishes!
 
I've worked in cat rescue for more than 40 years and suggest you go ahead and have her spayed as soon as possible. This cat looks quite young and right now the nutrition she needs to grow is going to the kittens. If she is forced to birth them, she will likely remain small and the health of both her and the kittens could be affected. A cat can get pregnant at 5 months of age but it doesn't mean she's physically or psychologically ready to be a mother. Young moms often abandon their litters or refuse to care for them. Please make life easier for her and just have her spayed.
 
Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall said:
I've worked in cat rescue for more than 40 years and suggest you go ahead and have her spayed as soon as possible. This cat looks quite young and right now the nutrition she needs to grow is going to the kittens. If she is forced to birth them, she will likely remain small and the health of both her and the kittens could be affected. A cat can get pregnant at 5 months of age but it doesn't mean she's physically or psychologically ready to be a mother. Young moms often abandon their litters or refuse to care for them. Please make life easier for her and just have her spayed.
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Thank you for your comments, I appreciate them. She is very young, not sure how old or how far along. I will consider them carefully.
 
I would let it proceed and deal with whatever the outcome is in the best way I could. My Willow was also a young pregnant cat when taken in by a rescue. Her kittens did not survive in the end, but she was fine (now 17 1/2). The outcome may be bad for the babies or for her, but it also may turn out okay for her and/or them. I would deal with what happens, let nature take it's course. I would not choose to kill the kittens. Just sharing my opinion!

Provided she makes it through okay, I would definitely have her spayed as soon as it is safe to do so.
 
This is totally anecdotal, but I had a similar situation with a cat a couple years ago. She had just turned one year old when we found out she was pregnant. She only had two kittens, but everything turned out okay for both her and her kittens. The only issues really came after the babies were born, she wanted nothing to do with them and my vet had told me that this wasn't uncommon with young cat moms, similar to young human moms! We ended up having to bottle feed them, and she never really became attached in any way, but they were healthy kittens and she was fine. Not saying what you should do, but in my experience, things worked out (mostly) okay.
 
Most of the time Mother Nature cuts first-time moms a break and they only have 1-3 kittens. I’ve seen it go both ways ... sometimes good results, sometimes not. I personally can’t terminate kittens that are near full term, though I’ve spayed a number of rescue cats that we found were in the early stages of pregnancy. Gestation for a cat is relatively short, though, so I wouldn’t wait too long to get that second opinion.

As for integrating her with your males ... don't judge how things will go based on how she’s acting right now. Pregnancy hormones might be making her more high-strung at the moment. I had a stray show up one time who was all “momma bear” and wouldn’t let the resident tough-guy Tom cat into “his” barn until after the babies were born, weaned, and she was spayed. After that, she calmed down significantly and settled in nicely with the crew.

Best wishes with whatever you choose.
 
If you decide to let her have the kittens, before you put them up for adoption, please have them fixed. I have always done that with the kittens I have rescued and it helped to find them new homes quickly.
 
FurBabiesMama said:
I would let it proceed and deal with whatever the outcome is in the best way I could. My Willow was also a young pregnant cat when taken in by a rescue. Her kittens did not survive in the end, but she was fine (now 17 1/2). The outcome may be bad for the babies or for her, but it also may turn out okay for her and/or them. I would deal with what happens, let nature take it's course. I would not choose to kill the kittens. Just sharing my opinion!

Provided she makes it through okay, I would definitely have her spayed as soon as it is safe to do so.
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Thanks for your comments, good of you to take the time.
 
JL and Chip said:
Most of the time Mother Nature cuts first-time moms a break and they only have 1-3 kittens. I’ve seen it go both ways ... sometimes good results, sometimes not. I personally can’t terminate kittens that are near full term, though I’ve spayed a number of rescue cats that we found were in the early stages of pregnancy. Gestation for a cat is relatively short, though, so I wouldn’t wait too long to get that second opinion.

As for integrating her with your males ... don't judge how things will go based on how she’s acting right now. Pregnancy hormones might be making her more high-strung at the moment. I had a stray show up one time who was all “momma bear” and wouldn’t let the resident tough-guy Tom cat into “his” barn until after the babies were born, weaned, and she was spayed. After that, she calmed down significantly and settled in nicely with the crew.

Best wishes with whatever you choose.
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Thank you for your comments I appreciate them, I was thinking that too. My 3 males have lived together for several years. Two get on well but they both bully Jack still!
 
Chloe007 said:
This is totally anecdotal, but I had a similar situation with a cat a couple years ago. She had just turned one year old when we found out she was pregnant. She only had two kittens, but everything turned out okay for both her and her kittens. The only issues really came after the babies were born, she wanted nothing to do with them and my vet had told me that this wasn't uncommon with young cat moms, similar to young human moms! We ended up having to bottle feed them, and she never really became attached in any way, but they were healthy kittens and she was fine. Not saying what you should do, but in my experience, things worked out (mostly) okay.
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Thank you for that, you obviously did a great job raising the kittens!
 
I confess I haven't read every post. When we adopted Zoe and Jacob as kittens (brother and sister) we were told they were neutered/spayed. They were not.
Zoe was a kitten in November and pregnant in June so that's pretty young and the brother sister thing was not an issue. Out popped Noah, Nigel, Andrew and Simon. It's not possible for everyone but we had the money, lots of room and enough love to spread around. That is how we went from three to five to nine cats in a little over a year.
Then we got a puppy. I would not trade those years for anything.
In the very short time we thought of giving the kittens away (what were we thinking of?) we got only one offer from a woman who had run over her own cat. :blackeye:
011_nigel.JPG 011andrew_noah.JPG
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
I confess I haven't read every post. When we adopted Zoe and Jacob as kittens (brother and sister) we were told they were neutered/spayed. They were not.
Zoe was a kitten in November and pregnant in June so that's pretty young and the brother sister thing was not an issue. Out popped Noah, Nigel, Andrew and Simon. It's not possible for everyone but we had the money, lots of room and enough love to spread around. That is how we went from three to five to nine cats in a little over a year.
Then we got a puppy. I would not trade those years for anything.
In the very short time we thought of giving the kittens away (what were we thinking of?) we got only one offer from a woman who had run over her own cat. :blackeye:
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Thank you, that's a heart warming story! I have arranged for the cat to have an ultra sound scan to try and find out what stage the kittens are at. I have spoken to a lady who runs a local shelter though and she told me she has had some very bad experiences with young cats having kittens.
 
Anthony Morgan said:
Thank you, that's a heart warming story! I have arranged for the cat to have an ultra sound scan to try and find out what stage the kittens are at. I have spoken to a lady who runs a local shelter though and she told me she has had some very bad experiences with young cats having kittens.
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There may not be a definitive right or wrong answer to this, Anthony. There are going to be different experiences, good and bad. I don't envy you having to decide what to do but see what the ultrasound shows and go from there.
 
Diana&Tom said:
There may not be a definitive right or wrong answer to this, Anthony. There are going to be different experiences, good and bad. I don't envy you having to decide what to do but see what the ultrasound shows and go from there.
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Thank you, will do, it can't hurt to have more information.
 
Anthony, when I said "I would not trade those years for anything" I meant it. It was also a lesson in genetics both good and bad. The mother was a ginger/red colour and the father was black with white markings but one kitten was orange and the other three were yellow with white markings. That's where my fondness for long hair yellow cats comes from. The downside was that one or both of the parents passed on cardiomyopathy to all four kittens. Noah was the only one that made it past the age of ten.
Maybe one day genetic testing for cats will be commonplace but until then we just take our chances. Kittens are so easily adopted which is why we usually take in older cats but just once everyone deserves a bundle of kittens. At first we did not want to get too attached to them so we gave them temporary names like Spud or Stripe. Then one Saturday morning they climbed up on our bed one by one and we knew they had a forever home.
Even if we had known how short their lives would be I cannot say for sure we would have declined knowing the happiness they brought us. Nothing about life with cats is guaranteed. Whatever you decide we all support you.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Anthony, when I said "I would not trade those years for anything" I meant it. It was also a lesson in genetics both good and bad. The mother was a ginger/red colour and the father was black with white markings but one kitten was orange and the other three were yellow with white markings. That's where my fondness for long hair yellow cats comes from. The downside was that one or both of the parents passed on cardiomyopathy to all four kittens. Noah was the only one that made it past the age of ten.
Maybe one day genetic testing for cats will be commonplace but until then we just take our chances. Kittens are so easily adopted which is why we usually take in older cats but just once everyone deserves a bundle of kittens. At first we did not want to get too attached to them so we gave them temporary names like Spud or Stripe. Then one Saturday morning they climbed up on our bed one by one and we knew they had a forever home.
Even if we had known how short their lives would be I cannot say for sure we would have declined knowing the happiness they brought us. Nothing about life with cats is guaranteed. Whatever you decide we all support you.
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Thank you, I appreciate hearing that. I have cared for cats over many years, once I was down to one, then another arrived meowing on top of my neighbours WW2 air raid shelter which was still there in 2001! Just over two years ago I had 5 and then sadly lost Shelley, my diabetic cat in the picture and Herbie by road accident. Now this kitten has arrived.
I was quite shocked when the Vet suggested spaying a pregnant cat, I had assumed nature would just take its course. My only concern is the welfare of the cat, if she were older I wouldn't consider it.
I will just have to see how things go with the scan tomorrow and will hopefully be better informed.
I appreciate the support!
 
I wasn't exactly sure of Zoe's age when she became pregnant. We have the same vet 15+ years later, her dad was a vet as well, so we trusted her judgment as to letting Zoe go to full term. The cardiomyopathy they had wasn't something you would go looking for, I cannot remember which variant they had but it's quite uncommon. I completely agree that the life of the mother comes first otherwise you might have kittens who are unable to feed at home if at all.
And the air raid siren! In the early seventies when we were still pretty sure the Russians would nuke us one day we had one down the block. :blackeye:
 
The little cat had the scan yesterday evening and it showed that there are at least two kittens and that they are nearly fully developed and the Vet said they could be born within a week. So too late for anything but to let nature take its course. At first I felt relieved but then the feelings of apprehension set in about the risks and that I'm not yet prepared for this.
Last night she was wanting to explore the whole house, difficult with my other cats, and at one point was on top of my wardrobe. I thought oh no, you can't have them up there!
 
Is this your first litter? I was a complete wreck with Zoe and wanted her to be admitted but my vet said take her home and you'll both figure it out. Eventually I put a heating pad on the lowest setting under some old thick bath towels in a hall closet she was circling. That's where the (sloppy) magic happened and just as predicted nature took it's course. She moved the four kittens almost every day and even managed to clamber over the kiddy gate we bought to keep the dog out.
I can't tell you what to look for, what is unusual or what constitutes a 911. It just happened, she cleaned up and POOF! Four bouncing baby boys. :D
You'll keep us informed yes?
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Is this your first litter? I was a complete wreck with Zoe and wanted her to be admitted but my vet said take her home and you'll both figure it out. Eventually I put a heating pad on the lowest setting under some old thick bath towels in a hall closet she was circling. That's where the (sloppy) magic happened and just as predicted nature took it's course. She moved the four kittens almost every day and even managed to clamber over the kiddy gate we bought to keep the dog out.
I can't tell you what to look for, what is unusual or what constitutes a 911. It just happened, she cleaned up and POOF! Four bouncing baby boys. :D
You'll keep us informed yes?
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Many years ago a stray cat turned up and I started feeding her. It wasn't there all the time until one day she turned up with four walking meowing kittens.
But I have never been involved at this stage where I have an ' involvement' in the process.
Certainty will post with news. Thank you!
 
Prepare a box for her to have her kittens in and show her where it is at. Since most cats like to have their kittens in a quiet place, put it in a room that is not very busy.

When Duquessa was ready to give birth, she woke me up at 2:30 in the morning. I carried her to her box and the first one was born a few minutes later. After I saw that she knew what to do with her newborn, when I tried to leave the room, she tried to follow me. She obviously wanted me in there while she was giving birth. So I got to witness her giving birth to 5 kittens, born 30 minutes apart.

I don't know if your cat will be the same way. Hopefully she will be. I feel very blessed that Duquessa trust me so much that she wanted me to be there for her giving birth.
 
Looking forward to hearing about the kittens' arrival and hope all goes well for Mama. I must admit I'm a bit envious; I haven't had the chance to raise kittens for a good 15+ years. All my kitties are fixed now of course, and there's always the pressure of finding good homes, but I absolutely loved helping raise those little cuties. <3
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
Prepare a box for her to have her kittens in and show her where it is at. Since most cats like to have their kittens in a quiet place, put it in a room that is not very busy.

When Duquessa was ready to give birth, she woke me up at 2:30 in the morning. I carried her to her box and the first one was born a few minutes later. After I saw that she knew what to do with her newborn, when I tried to leave the room, she tried to follow me. She obviously wanted me in there while she was giving birth. So I got to witness her giving birth to 5 kittens, born 30 minutes apart.

I don't know if your cat will be the same way. Hopefully she will be. I feel very blessed that Duquessa trust me so much that she wanted me to be there for her giving birth.
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Thank you for sharing that, it's a wonderful story! I have prepared a few places but she has got used to my kitchen and living room which isn't ideal as I have 3 male cats and she is the new addition. Will just persevere trying to get her somewhere quieter!
 
Panic said:
Looking forward to hearing about the kittens' arrival and hope all goes well for Mama. I must admit I'm a bit envious; I haven't had the chance to raise kittens for a good 15+ years. All my kitties are fixed now of course, and there's always the pressure of finding good homes, but I absolutely loved helping raise those little cuties. <3
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Thank you, I don't feel very confident about dealing with this but just hoping there are no complications.
 
Anthony Morgan said:
Thank you, I don't feel very confident about dealing with this but just hoping there are no complications.
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I think you'll be fine, Anthony, you have a lot of experience with cats and Mother Nature will do all the work! Is there anyone nearby you could call in for some reassurance, once things start happening? And/or could you ask the vet to accept a phone call if you need urgent advice? There are nearly always people on here too, of course, and you've had some great suggestions already... definitely worth maintaining the dialogue as you probably will have questions after the kittens are born and people here will be only too happy to help!
 
Diana&Tom said:
I think you'll be fine, Anthony, you have a lot of experience with cats and Mother Nature will do all the work! Is there anyone nearby you could call in for some reassurance, once things start happening? And/or could you ask the vet to accept a phone call if you need urgent advice? There are nearly always people on here too, of course, and you've had some great suggestions already... definitely worth maintaining the dialogue as you probably will have questions after the kittens are born and people here will be only too happy to help!
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I have been in touch with a lady who runs a local cat charity and she has said to ring her if I need any advice so that's very helpful. Same with the Vet but they don't do a after hours service. I will certainly stay on the board, as always a very kind, caring and helpful community!
Thank you!
 
Wish i'd seen this earlier. My cat Tripper who is now 16 yrs. Followed us home 1 night 16 yrs ago. She was a baby and no one claimed her. Tiny and skinny and walked with us 1/4 mile and then right in our door. Estimated age was 4-5 months. Had started all the vaccines, and spay to be done in 2 weeks. The saturday before spay, i suspected she was pregnant. Xray confirmed 1 very large baby do any day. We had her 3 weeks by then and she delivered that night. She was young, had no problems but didnt know what to do with baby. I cut cord, dried the baby. Tripper kept sitting on it. the 1st 24 hrs, she wouldnt let it nurse. I kept trying to get her to every 2 hrs and when she didnt i fed it. Evenutally she caught on and she was a good mom. Your kitty might be young and not kniw what to do, be preoared to intervene if needed, she just might need to be taught what to do.
 
Olive & Paula said:
Wish i'd seen this earlier. My cat Tripper who is now 16 yrs. Followed us home 1 night 16 yrs ago. She was a baby and no one claimed her. Tiny and skinny and walked with us 1/4 mile and then right in our door. Estimated age was 4-5 months. Had started all the vaccines, and spay to be done in 2 weeks. The saturday before spay, i suspected she was pregnant. Xray confirmed 1 very large baby do any day. We had her 3 weeks by then and she delivered that night. She was young, had no problems but didnt know what to do with baby. I cut cord, dried the baby. Tripper kept sitting on it. the 1st 24 hrs, she wouldnt let it nurse. I kept trying to get her to every 2 hrs and when she didnt i fed it. Evenutally she caught on and she was a good mom. Your kitty might be young and not kniw what to do, be preoared to intervene if needed, she just might need to be taught what to do.
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Hi, thanks for your message.Sorry for not replying earlier but I haven't been on the board for a few days. The little cat had had 4 kittens this morning. She seems to be doing alright. The kittens appear active and trying to feed but as I can't see any milk, I'm not sure if they are getting any. I am watching them closely and will get help if necessary.
 
Anthony Morgan said:
Hi, thanks for your message.Sorry for not replying earlier but I haven't been on the board for a few days. The little cat had had 4 kittens this morning. She seems to be doing alright. The kittens appear active and trying to feed but as I can't see any milk, I'm not sure if they are getting any. I am watching them closely and will get help if necessary.
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glad everyone made it through. It's good to weigh the kittens everyday. This way you know they are eating. They should gain, if not you will need to supplement.
 
Olive & Paula said:
Wish i'd seen this earlier. My cat Tripper who is now 16 yrs. Followed us home 1 night 16 yrs ago. She was a baby and no one claimed her. Tiny and skinny and walked with us 1/4 mile and then right in our door. Estimated age was 4-5 months. Had started all the vaccines, and spay to be done in 2 weeks. The saturday before spay, i suspected she was pregnant. Xray confirmed 1 very large baby do any day. We had her 3 weeks by then and she delivered that night. She was young, had no problems but didnt know what to do with baby. I cut cord, dried the baby. Tripper kept sitting on it. the 1st 24 hrs, she wouldnt let it nurse. I kept trying to get her to every 2 hrs and when she didnt i fed it. Evenutally she caught on and she was a good mom. Your kitty might be young and not kniw what to do, be preoared to intervene if needed, she just might need to be taught what to do.
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Tha
Olive & Paula said:
There is a Facebook page called Orphan kitten bottle feeders and fosters. They can help if you need it.
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Olive & Paula said:
There is a Facebook page called Orphan kitten bottle feeders and fosters. They can help if you need it.
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Thank you, I will have a look.
 
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