Possibly Pregnant-Too Soon To Tell?

Ok, so I am going to try to explain this without being too long and drawn out.

I found a cat the other day and took her home. Lucky seemed healthy and flea free, just a little malnurished. She just walked up to me while I was at a friend's apartment. I have a few questions about her that do not need immediate medical care, if any at all.

First off, with the temperature getting cooler in the evenings and not too hot during the day, wouldn't the fleas be flocking to outside animals for warmth? Basically, did I just up and take someone else's cat?

She was oh so hungry when I brought her home. The next day, after she had gotten lotsa food, her belly was a little swollen. I figured she had just had her fill and maybe hadn't gone to the bathroom. Her belly is currently kinda lumpy. Maybe digestion on it's way, maybe babies or at least milk. My initial thought when we got her was that she may have already had babies. Her nipples were a little big, but not of an expecting mother. So did I just take a momma away from her babies?

I don't think that is the case either, but if so, they had been weened off already by the looks of her nipples, so I don't think any kittens were dependant of her. Oh yeah, she has been sleeping more than usual today. I have only hade her for three days!!! Changes don't happen this quickly. I have had momma cats before, and don't remember it going so fast :confused:

She has a very petite frame. Again, I think she is a little malnurished, or maybe a little to young for babies. Any advice? I already looked it up and it explains about the golf ball size lumps. That's what I can feel but I am no doctor. I don't want to take her to the vet for something minimal. As far as I am concerned, I am going to beef her up regardless because she is too skinny for my liking. If she is pregnant, that isn't going to change anything. I am not going to put her back outside because I can't handle kittens. Granted, I won't be able to keep any of them, but surely wouldn't put them outside either.

On an unrelated note, as far as my other cats go, I got a weiner dog sweatshirt for my boy Rufus. He actually helps me get him into it and he loves it. He is usually a happy hyper kitty, but it calms him down and he is really chill when he wears it. I know that they weren't designed for cats, but it fits him fine. Is this sweatshirt causing any circulatory problems I should be aware of? Is it cute but harmful? Same thing with tiny dog harnesses. They all wear them all the time and move around very comfortably. Are they causing any problems I am not aware of?

So, yeah, this ended up being pretty long, but at least all of the questions are in one post :o Thanks in advance for any help!!!

First of all, thanks for taking this poor girl in!

From the sounds of it, she's either a stray or was abandoned. You need to take her to the vet as you should do with any stray you take in. She could have worms, or she could be pregnant, or both. If she is pregnant, it's very difficult to tell until it's nearly time to give birth, so I would suggest you get her spayed NOW, to avoid problems.

She may be very young, and is malnourished, exhausted and depleted and may not be able to support a litter in her condition - you could lose both mother and babies. Spaying her would be the kindest option for all concerned, especially since the shelters and rescues are packed with kittens who can't find homes.

Great advice,I would get to a vet right away and spay.I would scan her for a microchip in case she has owners.

Thanks for the tips guys. It is kinda hard for me to tell if she is pregnant or just recooperating because she was outside. I think she was abandoned because she is really good with people and I think she came up to me becuase she was love starved and people mean food. She has been napping all day and just gets up to eat and explore a little. I will schedule an appointment next week. I never thought about the microchip possibility. Though where I found her, if there were previous owners, she probably doesn't have one. And since I have other kitties and they share litterboxes I don't want her to pass anything to the others. Should get her tested for Feline Leukemia too.

Any advice on the 2nd part of my post about the accessories?

I would try to see a vet asap. It could be worms, which could also be passed to your other cats. Hopefully nothing serious though. Good luck!

About the sweatshirt - if you cat loves it and wears it and it's not too tight, I see no problem.

Dog harnesses are usually too stiff and hard for cats, who have very delicate skin, plus most cats can easily get out of a dog harness.

I would get a cat harness for him, and have him wear it only when you're watching him.

I would do everything you can to make sure that there isn't someone out there that is looking for this cat. Call the HS/SPCA and all the local vets in the area with a description and contact info to find you if someone comes looking for their cat.

I was very pleased to find out that I didn't take someone else's cat. I was talking to the friend that lives where I found her and I asked her a bunch of questions about Lucky. Regretably but thankfully, she didn't belong to anyone and hadn't been abandoned. She has always been a stray and is familiar with people because some feed her. She and I will be taking a trip to the vet tomorrow (earliest I could get her in unfortunately), but I will say that the lumpiness and solidity of her belly has changed significantly. The longer she is here, the less I believe she is pregnant or had even had babies. Missy has a weird belly too and has never had a litter. I am confident that she isn't pregnant, but we will be finding out soon. Also gonna get her current shots, and check for worms and all that good stuff.

Thanks for the help guys, she is going to be a very fat and happy kitty. :D

she is going to be a very fat and happy kitty

Aww, that's great!! About time this poor girl finds out what a safe and loving home is. :thumbs up

Please let us know what the vet says!

Yay!!! Lucky is baby free. And she hadn't ever had a litter. Just digestion issues I believe. She got her shots and a dewormer. I am going to wait a few weeks to see if she should be fixed. Rufus is the only one that I have that is fixed. My girls have always done fine. Just going to see how she is when in heat and how she gets along with the other girls first. Yay Lucky!!! :thumbs up

It's great she's not pregnant, but why would you wait and see if she needs to be spayed? Of course she should be spayed, as should your other females.

Not only will this eliminate the chance of an unwanted litter, but intact females are subject to mammary tumours, false pregnancies, fatal uterine infections, ovarian cancer, and great stress which can lead to illness. Unlike dogs, cats can be heat nearly constantly until bred or spayed and this takes a toll on their health and happiness.

I'm sure you don't want to continue subjecting your cats to all of the above??

I recommend getting your cat spayed. There are health benefits, plus you don't have to worry about her coming back pregnant if she escapes out the door while you're brining in groceries. My family has always had spayed cats and dogs and, believe me, they're perfectly happy.

~LM~