Expert: Jessica - 12/9/2009

Question
hello jessica im kinda confused i adopted a female and male cat the female is about two years old and the male is about ten months old i adopted them from an old lady who couldnt keep them anymore she told me that the male is the son to the female and she kept them together and she told me that she had to give them up because she noticed a bump in the female and she wasnt sure if the male had impregnated his mother she also told me that she hasnt been in heat for quite some time but hasnt shown any signs of having birth or getting any bigger she also had worms when i got her so i gave her some worm medicine but i dont know if she is pregnant or not and im just horrified to think that this lady kept a female and male not realizing that they can reproduce and if they did just give them up im really worried and i would like to know if she is pregnant but i dont really know the signs please help me  

Answer
Hi Monique.  It can be difficult to tell if a cat is pregnant just by looking at her or by her behavior.  Enlarged, pinkened nipples can be a sign, as is a growing belly.  Some cats are very sleepy and may lack an appetite earlier in the pregnancy.  Many cats become restless in the last few weeks of pregnancy, as they search for a spot to deliver their litter.

The best way to find out if your cat is pregnant is to have a vet look at her.  Some vets can tell just by palpating the belly.  There is also a blood test that can tell you if she's pregnant once she is 30 days into the pregnancy.  An x-ray is probably the best way to determine a pregnancy after the 5-week mark, because this will also tell you how many kittens to expect.  Then you will know for sure if she is having any complications during delivery that prevent her from delivery all the babies.

You could wait and see if her belly continues to grow and if any litter appears.  Cats are pregnant for 9 weeks total.  If your kitty doesn't show evidence of a much larger stomach, milk production, or ultimately a litter within the next several weeks, it's safe to assume she's not pregnant (however, if she's still with the male, this could change at any time).

You should definitely have the male neutered right away.  If your female isn't pregnant, chances are she soon will be if the male is left whole!  You can have the female spayed, too, but obviously, this would end the pregnancy if there is one.  If you decide to wait, and it turns out she's pregnant and delivers a litter, she should wait until a couple weeks after she's weaned her litter before she is spayed.

If this is the first generation of inbreeding, and a litter results, deformities aren't very likely.  However, if there has been continued inbreeding at the last home, deformities are much more likely when a mother is bred to her son.

Best wishes, and thank you for providing a loving and responsible home for these kitties!

Jessica