Heat Symptoms in Early Pregnancy?

Question
Hi,

I have a female Ragdoll that I believe went into heat about two weeks ago or so. She was successfully mated three times and somewhat unsuccessfully a fourth time (I don't think the male finished before she smacked him and took off). She also spent some time with the male while no one was watching, so she may well have been bred more than that. It's still too soon for her to be pinking up, but today she's acting like she might be in heat again. She's calling, albeit not in that sort of obnoxious way females in heat do, and if I pat her toward her tail, she offers up her rump and treads a bit. However, these heat symptoms are mild. Is it possible for a cat to be pregnant and still exhibit some heat symptoms?

Thanks,
Sue

Answer
Hi Sue.  It is possible for a pregnant cat to go into heat, especially if there is not yet a strong hormonal signal to the body that a successful pregnancy has taken place.  And, in fact, it's possible for her to become pregnant with more kittens if bred while pregnant and the cervix has not closed.  It's not especially common, but it does happen.  In these cases, any kittens conceived on the second heat would be delivered at the same time as the full-term kittens, a couple weeks prematurely.  Of course, these kittens would be underdeveloped and would not be viable.  For this reason, I would recommend not to breed her again on this heat.  If she goes into heat again in another couple weeks, you can pretty safely assume that the breeding was unsuccessful.  But some vets even carry a pregnancy test that will tell you if she's pregnant at about 30 days along.  It takes a blood sample and yields results in about 15 minutes.