Cat Question...

[Paradise3]

Our cat little Sox is/was in season and she got out 2 nights ago and was out all night. Now, I know there are at least 3 un-neutered toms, one of which has been spraying next to our house, that go out at night. We got her back yesterday and she was quiet for about 3 hours but now she has started meowing loudly again. Is there a chance we got her back without her being impregnated? Or is she just making sure there are no more males around to make her pregnant? My mum thinks it might be the second one I think she might not be pregnant.

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[Baccus]

Queens will mate with quite a few toms, if your very lucky she wont be pregnant but I wouldn't bet on it. If you don't want the kittens you would be best off taking Sox to the vet and get an abortion. Spaying solves the hassel once and for all. A friend of mine didn't believe me to spay her cat once it was 6months old and of course the cat got pregnant. Then I told this same friend once the kittens are weaned get the cat spayed....my friend of course didn't, she wanted to believe that a cat only comes in season once a year and sure enough the cat got pregnant again within weeks of the last kitten being weaned. My friend put off taking any action even though she knew that she had had a lot of trouble finding homes for the previous kittens. The up shot was when she finally took the cat to the vet the kittens were almost full term and it cost her a hell of a lot more to have the kittens removed (killed) at this later stage along with a subsquent spaying operation. I know this sounds horrible but in reality it is kinder than having kittens that nobody wants or having to take them to already overstocked animal shelters. I would get the cat checked by a vet any way as feline AIDS is real and rather than being passed via sex like humans in cats they can get it from bites and cat mating is not a gentel affair. There is also the risk of feline leukimea another transmittable illness that your cat can be vaccinated against.
Please take your cat to a vet and talk to them about all the possibilites.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

My guess is that she is most probably pregnant..... The 3 hours of quiet was just her resting out after a night of galavanting..... and also possible that the 3 males you know of were not the only ones around as they'll come from many miles around if there is any female in season.... (she might even have been miles away to look for her - suitable - knight)..... One litter of kittens can have various sires.

 

[Lyra0727]

She is probably pregnant but there is a slight chance that she's not. My cat got out during her first season two different nights. She didnt end up pregnant but then the next month it started again and she got out for maybe 3 hours at the most.. 9 weeks later I had 6 kittens. So it's a little hard to say in my opinion. Only way it to wait about a month. If she doesnt start the meowing again and she is gaining weight most likly she is.

 

[Paradise3]

So is my mum most likely right about her just either letting the males know she's been mated or making sure there are no more viable males around? She had had her booster shots for all her vaccines 2 days before she got out... We have a neighbor who should be able to let us know a little bit later on. We don't mind her having the kittens because my mum would most likely fall in love with them and keep about 3 or 4 of them, and I have friends who want kittens but can't find them anywhere for free or for a cheap price. The only problem is, she has the potential to have a very large litter as when we got her she was 2 years old and she had just finished weaning a litter. She was also an outdoor cat, hence the boosters(we've had her about a year and this was the earliest we could have them done), and it took her 6-8 weeks to get back to normal after we picked her up from her original owners. Basically, my mum reckons she's had about 3-4 litters in her short life because the original owners couldn't be bothered to keep her inside or get her spayed.
At least we try to keep her inside the house or let her on the balcony. I know there's a big argument on whether keeping a cat indoors is unfair or evil but we really have next to no choice because we live next to a main road and there have been cat accidents on that road since we moved here, there's even been the odd dog accident. We just don't want to risk them going out for days on end as we don't think little Sox would come back because obviously she used to be an outdoor cat but when we tried getting her back yesterday she ran off. Eventually my mum found her hidey hole and I had to coax her out with treats to get her back inside because if she is pregnant, we couldn't let her have kittens outside because we don't want anymore feral cat's than we already have round here plus it wouldn't be any good for the kittens.
One thing I can laugh at is that my mum now calls her "Dirty Stop-out"

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[Lyra0727]

Most likly she's right. As others have said she mates with more than one male at a time. Plus it takes a day or two for the process of thoes extra hormones to kick in for her body to officaly say shes pregnant. (at least it seems like that with my cat) I say give her 2-3 more days and she'll probably stop. Maybe a little longer than that. But if she is pregnant.. congrats! It's a fun expirence seeing the kittens being born and helping the mother raise them

But the time goes by fast! So take lots of pictures for memories.. plus I wanna see lol.

Also remember there is always a chance she isnt pregnant though.. a very slim chance but its possible so wait a few weeks befor eoffically deciding she is pregnant.

 

[Paradise3]

Most likly she's right. As others have said she mates with more than one male at a time. Plus it takes a day or two for the process of thoes extra hormones to kick in for her body to officaly say shes pregnant. (at least it seems like that with my cat) I say give her 2-3 more days and she'll probably stop. Maybe a little longer than that. But if she is pregnant.. congrats! It's a fun expirence seeing the kittens being born and helping the mother raise them

But the time goes by fast! So take lots of pictures for memories.. plus I wanna see lol.

Also remember there is always a chance she isnt pregnant though.. a very slim chance but its possible so wait a few weeks befor eoffically deciding she is pregnant.

She's shut up! Yay no more headaches! Anyway, as I just said she has shut up and isn't entertaining our neutered male anymore(she was letting him do the dirt before even though nothing would happen between them). Right now, she's chasing my 2 male guppies about...
The thing is, I'll possibly be downstairs delivering her babies and my mum will be upstairs giving birth to Viktoria-Mae! Ahhh! I've worked this out because if she's pregnant she'll be due in about 9 weeks, my mums due in exactly 9 weeks today.

Edit:
The girl in question just as she went to sleep earlier.

Our neutered male Sox(yes they're both called Sox)

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[Lyra0727]

There adorable! Make sure to have a safe place for the kittens. Mine decided to give birth right next to my head well.. thats where she started to anyway. Thankfully I had the bow and towels on my bed with me just for the exact reason!

It'll be really cool around a week or two before she is due you will be able to feel the kittens move in her. What did the males look like? I'm kinda curious as to what the kittens will look like.

 

[Paradise3]

All three of the ones I definitely know of were black but like ludwig said, there will have been more than that and once they sensed her they will have come from miles around. I'm guessing a black and white litter with maybe the odd full black, thoughI think there's a ginger tom around here somewhere and there's a huge male white cat whose un-neutered(just remember him!). So I actually know of 4 definite ones, 3 blacks and 1 white, and another possible ginger one, plus whatever joined us the night she went out...

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[Lyra0727]

Will be an interesting litter! Would be kinda cool to keep a journal up here with her progress how big she gets and everything. Also, dont know if you know this or not but around 2 weeks before she gives birth, its healthy to start feeding her kitten chow (if your not already.. not everyone does) that way she'll have enough for all kittens I actually didnt know myself until my vet told me.

 

[Paradise3]

By kitten chow you mean kitten food? Or something else that I haven't heard of?
I may keep a journal but I'll not start it yet just in case she isn't pregnant.

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[Baccus]

If your cat is pregnant than you will have to be extra vigulent with her not getting outside as she gets closer to her due date, becuase she will be looking for a nice dark quiet corner to have her kittens. I have heard of cats having their kittens in the bottom of wardrobes, chests of draws, linen cupboards and even a pile of dirty washing left in a downstairs laundry. If you have the space and especailly since you have another cat in the house I would try to set up a room more or less just for her with a couple of cardbaord boxes with some bedding material (that doesn't matter if it gets mucky and needs to be thrown out) and let her pick her den. Also I would encourage her in this room/ area so she feels safe and if possible once she is close to giving birth keep the other cat away from the general area, this will reduce the stress on her.
Also its good to have some extra dens/ nests ready for Sox because female cats will often move kittens after a couple of days to a new den, especailly if she feels that the kittens are under threat, or to much interference is ocurring.
Good luck with Sox and any possible bubs.

 

[Lyra0727]

Theres cat food specifically called kitten chow. It's basically cat food for kittens Any pet store should have it. Baccus is right about the boxes. You need lots of them!

From expirence what happened with me - I went through around 10 boxes with my cat. She kept clawing holes through them making little "nests" then after a while moved onto the next one. When it was actually time she didnt care much for the boxes she was going to give birth on my bed next to me. Personally it seemed she didnt care as long as I was there but back then she was really attached to me and pretty much afraid of everyone else. So I moved her into a box on my bed and she stayed there as long as I stayed. If I walked away she followed. I say it pretty much depends on the cat so do what you think is best depending on your relationship with her.

This is her with not only her kittens but the one she took in as well right after giving birth! Notice a very very big box...

 

[Paradise3]

Thank you about the kitten chow info. I'm going to convert my bedroom into a nursery because it's sort of dark in there and it's warm but not too warm. I could have to stay with her then because she's really attached to me, she's my baby and she alwas has been since we go her. The only time she goes to my mum is if I'm not there. Your cat is gorgeous! I love how the kitten at the back looks like it's sayin "Hey, Look at me!!".

 

[Lyra0727]

if shes attached to you, she may not give you a choice on rather or not you want to be there. Like mine, she tried to have them on my bed..and I was asleep! But on the bright side, if your awake youll know before she actually starts to give birth.. On the last couple days they get very tired and sleep almost all day and night (mine did) Plus there water breaks just like a human, so if you see a puddle of water check on her Or if you hear her randomly meow.. contractions! Also you'll be able to feel the kittens move inside her a LOT more, its really cool to expirence.

They are my two little babies.. Mimi and tiger. We actually had to take tiger out of the room when she was giving birth.. poor thing was trying to play with her! But he was very happy once he was allowed to come back in. It's funny thinking about when I got them.. Mimi I got in january from a friend because she was trying to go into my friends house. Tiger came from the same friend! She spotted him outside barley able to walk and covered in fleas. Now he's my baby boy jumping 10 feet in the air.. haha. BTW ignore the date on the photo.. not the right date. That photo was taken last summer.