Is my cat covered?

Question
Dear Norman, I have a pedigree Chinchilla which I bought out of a cattery end May 2010, she came in season in the beginning of November. I kept her under lock and key until her calling stopped (about 2 weeks) just to be on the safe side! Last night I couldn't find her anywhere and she slept outside. I stayed awake to hear if I could hear her calling or a male trying to cover her. Couldn't hear anything. I would love to breed with her, what are the chances of her being covered by a stray? Does it happen so fast and I should have heard something, shouldn't I?

Answer
Heidi,

The odds are that she was not bred, and, yes it can happen that fast, and not all cats make the common breeding noises when bred!!!!!  There are silent breeders.

You can check 3 weeks after the alleged breeding and see if her nipples have "pinked up". This phenomenon only lasts a few days and the nipples go back to normal until shortly before birth.

You can check with your vet, but I do believe there is a morning after pill for cats, just in case.  If there is no change at the end of 3 weeks, the odds are she was not bred.

Best regards... Norm.