Expert: Tomay - 7/11/2004

Question
Hi. I have a female cat that gave birth to a litter about 15 weeks ago.  I
was taking her to SPCA to get fixed when she became pregnant again.  I
have taken her temperature for the last 3 days and it varies from
99.2-99.9  I was just wondering if you could tell me if she was getting
close to having these kittens.  Thank you for your help.  Any other
comments that you might have, please feel free to share them with me.

Answer
Hello Michelle,
Thank you for your question.  The normal body temperature for a cat is 100 to 102.  Temperature will not determine what stage of pregnancy your cat is in.  The gestation period is 9 weeks or between 62 and 65 days from conception. Hopefully the kittens she had a few months ago have been placed in good homes. The trip to the SPCA could have been uninterrupted, as cats CAN be spayed when pregnant.  Obviously the fetuses will be aborted, but the spay could have been completed, thus avoiding more kittens facing possible euthanasia in a shelter with no home available.  ALL pets (dogs and cats) should be neutered or spayed by six months, and kept inside or away from possible random breeding until surgery can be done.  There are thousands of animals euthanized in shelters every day for lack of adoptive parents and irresponsible breeding.  Hopefully this kitty has an appointment VERY SOON after she delivers this litter.
Thank you for your time and interest.
tomay