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Question
Hi. My cat gave birth to only one kitten a week ago. Sadly it was very premature and passed away after three days with many tears from me -it didn't take long for me to get attached. She has never produced any milk -I bottle fed the baby. Now a week later she still has no milk. Her stomach still looks swollen and her nipples are still pink and swollen. The vet said she can most certainly have had only one, spontaneously aborted because something was wrong, yet she can still be pregnant and will have the rest closer to her due date. My question is that as of last night, she is acting like she's in heat again. The male we have that got her pregnant is now fixed so no worries there. If in fact she IS still pregnant, can she be acting like she's in heat again? Do their hormones go crazy like ours? Since there has never been milk and she still has none, it's kind of odd. Could she be getting closer to delivering the rest of her kittens and confusing the hormones of pregnancy and heat?
Thank you for your help!!

Answer
Hi Yvonne,

It sounds most probable that your kitty delivered her one and only baby, and she's now in heat again. If your cat is still pregnant and ready to deliver, she may become exceedingly affectionate and needy for attention, which some may confuse with heat. Hormones associated with pregnancy certainly can cause some mood changes, but if she's exhibiting other signs of heat, such as posturing with her rear-end raised, or she's calling, rolling on the ground, etc., then this is just about a sure sign she is in heat and not pregnant. The only 100% sure way to know would be to have an x-ray taken to see if any little fetuses are picked up on the radiograph.

Good luck!

Jessica

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Jessica

Expertise

The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

Experience

I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience

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