My 12 yr old cat is pregnant-is it safe? (kittens, breeders, bite)
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One day my cat escaped for a few weeks. During this time, I saw her running around with about 3 stray cats. When I got her back inside finally, I took her to the vet who said it was too soon to tell. We did a FIV test on her too that came back negative. However, the vet said it was all too soon to tell. Now she definitely looks very pregnant. However she is an old cat and very skinny usually. Is it safe for cats that age to get pregnant? Also what are the chances that my cat has FIV and spread it to my other cat?
One day my cat escaped for a few weeks. During this time, I saw her running around with about 3 stray cats. When I got her back inside finally, I took her to the vet who said it was too soon to tell. We did a FIV test on her too that came back negative. However, the vet said it was all too soon to tell. Now she definitely looks very pregnant. However she is an old cat and very skinny usually. Is it safe for cats that age to get pregnant? Also what are the chances that my cat has FIV and spread it to my other cat?
No, it is probably not safe. Ask your vet but in my opinion the best thing to do is abort the kittens and have your cat spayed (if it's safe at this late date) It should have been done years ago.
but, truthfully, I'm surprised your vet did not go ahead and give the cat a mismate shot to be certain there'd be no kittens.
All of the 'mismate' therapies have possible side effects, including some that could be more dangerous than pregnancy. I would agree with spaying her now if she's in otherwise good health.
There's little risk she has transmitted FIV to your other cats- FIV is mainly transmitted through deep bite wounds, which are uncommon in cats living together in a household. A greater risk would be FeLV, which is more easily transmitted. I would have separated her until you knew for sure, but if they've already been exposed there isn't much point.
as others have said, no its is NOT safe for a 12 yr old cat to have kittens, while it is possible she'll deliver with no problems, the risks are significantly increased with her age. especially if shes never had kittens before, the pelvis starts to fuse around 2 yrs old and if shes never had kittens the pelvis could be narrowed causing issues getting the kittens through the birth canal and into this world.
youve got 3 options here.
option 1: my suggestion would be off to the vet for an "emergency spay" (they will abort the pregnancy) thats if the vet thinks its safe which will depend on how far along she is.
in this senario there will be no kittens and your female is at risk from the anesthesia, BUT the stress of labor and raising the babies wil be removed giving her te best chance at living out her remainding years
option 2: book an emergency c-section, the vet will want to do x-rays to confirm aproximate birthing date/age of the fetus and once they have a guestimate on the date they would be due they can book a pre-emptive c-section, they would probably be able to save all the kittens, and as long as shes healthy and does well under anesthesia her too...
but its VERY VERY likely youll have to 1005 or at least partially assist raising these kittens with bottle feeding. given her age she is unlikelyto produce enough milk, and c-section increases the risk that shell abandon them all together.
option 3: let her go through with the pregnany/delivery at home and hope for the best.
this option has a few possible outcomes.
the worst case senario is youll loose ALL of them...yes delivering these kittens COULD kill her, theres also a higher risk of infection after birthing in an older animal.
she could deliver normally...but its unlikely...
at the MINIMUM id have her to the vet for an ultrasound and x-rays, you want to know how many are in there, when shes due to have them and what the vet thinks of her pelvic set, (is it wide enough for her to safely deliver these kittens...
please note, even if her pelvis IS wide enough and the kittens look small enough on the xray, problems can still arise, they can breech or still get stuck...theres no guarenttes but at least youll have a better idea of what to expect...
youll also know if you let her do this naturally if the vet counted 7 skulls and you only have 6 kittens theres AT LEAST 1 more baby in there that NEEDS to come out.
if you do decide to let her go ahead with this naturally youll need to locate your nearest EMERGENCY vetinary clinic...cats dont typically give bitrh during the day and if she does run into issues time is of the essence, she could still need a c-section whether you want her to have one or not..
also plan to bottle feed, youll need clean bottles, and plenty of KMR powder and an alarm clock, older females RARELY make enough milk, EXPECT to have to at minimum suplimental feed every 2 hours for the first couple of weeks...
i am a little confused as to why shes not yet been spayed, i couldnt imagine 12 years of once a month kitty heats! and i grew up around cat breeders.
cat breeders retire their females around 6 years old and have them spayed...
good luck with her...
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