5 months old cat pregnancy

Question
I got two kittens at home (kept indoors), one female and one male. i have scheduled an appointment for spaying and neuture as accordingly to the vet suggest. however it seems that the female is in heat before that, and she might be pregnant though (i am not sure because the male has not sprayed or shows any mature state), what makes me sure is that she has stopped her in heat season in less than a week (only 4 days meowing like crazy).

i do not want to terminate cats pregnancy. is it safe for my 5 months old cat to give birth? will the kittens and she be okay?
what do i need to prepare and help her to ease her delivery later on?

Answer
Hi Je.  It's not usually safe for a 5-month-old to carry a pregnancy and then later deliver the kittens at 7 months old.  Her body is still so small and is developing so quickly that the demands of carrying, deliverying and nursing a litter that is growing itself is a dangerous situation to the mother and the kittens.  All are at risk for malnutrition and stunted growth.  The kittens are at risk of miscarriage or stillbirth, and mother is at risk for loss of life.  Termination is usually recommended.  However, your veterinarian would be the best one to consult about this.  This really requires an individual decision based on each kitten's physical condition and stage of development.  Some kittens are more able to handle a pregnancy and delivery than others.

The best you can do to help your kitten to lessen her risk of malnutrition is to continue to feed her a high quality kitten food as well as a calorie and vitamin supplement.  I'm not sure what's available where you are, but if you can get Nutri-Cal, this is a good one.  Also, offering her some kitten milk replacer can help provide her with the extra fat and protein she needs to support a litter.  

Be sure to keep in close contact with your vet.  I recommend having an x-ray done when she gets close to her delivery date to determine if she can deliver the kittens naturally.  If the kittens appear too large, they will need to be delivered by cesarean to save mama's life.

Good luck with all!

Jessica