Expert: Jessica - 6/1/2010

Question
Our cat gave birth about 2 weeks ago.  When she is outside, the male cat follows her around as though she is in heat.  After watching both of them for a while, I noticed the female sticking her rear in the air teasing the male like she did when she was in heat the first the first time.  Then the male when he has the chance will mount her.  Can she get pregnant again so soon?  I was under the assumption/impression that as long as she was still nursing her kittens that she wouldn't go into heat this soon.  Both the male and female are just about 1 year old and are siblings from the same litter.
Thank you,

Answer
Hi Paul.  Yes, your cat can get pregnant again at any time.  In most cases, cats don't go into heat until their kittens are around 6-8 weeks old, and they are nursing much less.  However, some cats go into heat immediately after their litters are born and have become pregnant as soon as 48 hours after delivery.  Becoming pregnant while nursing is harmful to mother, the nursing litter and the unborn litter, because all involved will be deprived of necessary nutrients.  Be sure to keep mom indoors and away from all tom cats until her litter is fully weaned.  Once her litter is weaned, she can be spayed.  (Your male can be neutered right now!)

If it will be truly impossible to keep the mother indoors, nursing mothers CAN be spayed.  It's undesirable, however, because the kittens must be bottle fed while mom is in the hospital for the procedure and while she is recovering for a day or two.  The belly area will also be very tender, and some moms won't want to take their kittens back to nurse.  Also, spaying nursing mothers can be more expensive than spaying cats who aren't lactating, because the surgical site is swollen with mammary tissue and is difficult to work around.

One other possible option is a medication called megestrol acetate (Ovaban, FeralStat), a medication that can be used to temporarily stop heat cycles.  It does not appear to harm nursing kittens.  However, it can have serious side effects such as mammary cancer and diabetes when used for prolonged periods, so you will not want to use the medication for an extended time.  Because of the risk of serious side effects, most vets are reluctant to prescribe this medication, but you should talk to your vet about whether this might be a good option for you.

Good luck!

Jessica