Small Cat Pregnant

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a very small cat, just around a year old, she got pregnant about 2 months ago however thats not certain. She is starting to harden around her stomach and has been going to the litter pan, and trying to get outside alot today, as well as having a bit of trouble trying to breath. I have two questions. Is this a sign she will be in labor soon? And will her small size cause complications, i cant afford for her to have a cessarian, Do you think a Vet or a Cat group would offer birthing the kittens for free or a small donation? I will take care of the kittens, i just don't know what i will do if i lose the cat when she goes into labor. Very Scared, Very worried. Please help! I live in monmouth county nj

ANSWER: Hi Thank you for the question. If your cat is pregnant and ready to have kittens you would normally notice the kittens moving. Have you felt this at all?? It is very hard for non profit cat groups to offer to pay your vet fees if your cat needs a ceasarian. They get their money mostly from donations. Have you ever donated to one of them?
If you can't afford to have a ceasarian for your cat I would say you need to get her spayed and if you can't afford that then make sure she doesn't get outside and get pregnant if you can't afford to take care of her when she is pregnant. If a cat needs a ceasarian when she is in labour and it is not done this is an extremely painful and cruel way to die. Her small size could cause problems but more likely it would be her inexperience that would cause her problems. First of all you need to find out if she is pregnant. If she is not pregnant and she is having breathing problems then she could be very ill with a heart condition or something else. Find out if she is pregnant and then write me back.
Teresa

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QUESTION: Shes is pregnant, i worded that wrong, she has been for about 2 months i assume. We just took her in a month ago, started coming to our house to eat.  Shes now indoor because im trying to protect her, how much is a cessarian and how will i know if she needs one? This is the current fifth cat we have, but ive never delt with a pregnancy because all my cats have been neutured.

ANSWER: Hi, thanks for getting back to me. Well if she is 2 months along then you are going to be having kittens within the next week or week and a half !If she starts to deliver a kitten and it gets stuck and she can't get it out after 20 minutes of pushing then she may need a c-section. If she delivers her kittens and there is still one inside of her or an afterbirth inside of her that does not get delivered within 12 hours after delivery of the last kitten, then she may need a c-section. It would be best if you can find a vet in your area and let them know the situation and see if they have an "on call" service. Some vets are not available after 5 pm and that is ALWAYS when your cat needs emergency surgery ! (Murphy's Law!) So find a vet you are comfortable with, that would be able to help you after hours if you need it,  and then you can ask them the cost of a c-section. Every vet is different. Of course everything is more expensive after hours and on the weekends. I have seen quotes from $700- $3000.
Teresa

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QUESTION: She had five kittens at 6:00 PM on Wed the 10th. They are all very healthy and the mother seems fine, I have felt what i thought was a skull or bone of another kitten near her stomach, and it would come and go, but it might have been an internal organ, or someother type of bone.  She seems very healthy and doesnt seem to be struggling at all. She did seem to be breathing a little fast, but today that seems alot better. Also when she was purring up till today it sounded a little more rapid then usual, not sure if thats normal. Her nose was dry, but today it is moist again.  It was recommended to me that we take her to the vet to have x-rays done to make sure everything is out and she is okay, it just worried me to seperate her from her kittens for that long, and it might hurt her moving her to the vet, and maybe cause her to abandon her kittens/cause mental health seperation problems.  however since she is no longer stuggling, and seems to be breathing better, i thought we'd wait till she was healty and the kittens open'd their eyes before taking her to get spayed/checkup. how long does it take for the kittens eyes to open? Do you think what we felt in her stomach could of been an unborn baby, or just her internal organs moving around? By moving around i mean when we felt it, we would push on it a little bit and it would dissapear. Thanks for the help again. Brian and Jenn

Answer
Hi, The kittens will open their eyes about 10 days old. usually a vet will not want to spay her until she is almost finished nursing. it is too dangerous to be cutting into a cat for surgery when she has milk leaking around the incision. X rays would not show you much at this point> Who suggested that? An x-ray is for showing bones so it would only help you if she had a retained kitten. If you want to be sure of things you would take her for an ultrasound but I certainly would not recommend that at this point. You need to be very aware of what she is eating, what her bowel movements look like, and what her discharge looks like. These can be the best indicators of a problem. If your cat is eating and drinking, taking care of her babies, not running a fever and not discharging then she most likely is just fine.
Teresa