Can a pregnant cat be in heat?

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Amy V - 19 Jul 2005 03:34 GMT

Thanks again for all your help. I posted a question about a rescued mother
cat last week and the feedback was wonderful!

This cat is obviously in heat. Can she also be pregnant, or does a heat cycle
stop once she has conceived? She weighs 5lbs, we weigh her every 2 days, and
she hasn't made any significant gains in the past 2 weeks. Her nipples have
returned to flat (in my last posting they were puffy).

Our low-cost clinic will do a spay and abort without even checking for signs
of pregnancy before starting the procedure, and we do not want to abort
kittens before they are given a chance. We have friends who will adopt
kittens if necessary. So, we would like to be as sure as possible before
taking her in to be spayed (and with rescues, $$ is always tight, or else
we'd take her in for an ultrasound!)

Thank you for your help!

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CatNipped - 19 Jul 2005 03:43 GMT

> Thanks again for all your help. I posted a question about a rescued mother
> cat last week and the feedback was wonderful!
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Thank you for your help!

No, if she's in heat she's not pregnant. Also, even if she *were*
pregnant - if she were that early along I would still consider spaying her.
Think of it this way, those friends who were willing to adopt would then ba
able to save one of the millions of homeless cats *already* born and waiting
for either a home or to be put to sleep (or worse die a horrible death on
the streets).

Hugs,

CatNipped

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Snittens - 19 Jul 2005 19:17 GMT

> Thanks again for all your help. I posted a question about a rescued mother
> cat last week and the feedback was wonderful!
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
> Thank you for your help!

The heat cycle will stop once she is pregnant. Really the only way a vet
can know for sure if a cat is pregnant when it is early is to do an x-ray or
an ultrasound. You say the rescue is low on money and can't afford that.
Well, who's going to cover the cost of vaccinating, spaying and neutering,
and taking care of 4-6 kittens? I'm not trying to be bitchy, but spaying a
cat early in pregnancy should not be an emotional decision. Yes it's sad
that potential kittens will not be born, but there is such a huge cat
overpopulation. Also, it is strenuous on the mother cat to endure a
pregnancy, especially since she just went through one and weighs only 5 lbs.
Another pregnancy may be detrimental to her health. She will not mourn the
loss. She will go right back to normal and will feel better after the spay.
Having said all that, I would be willing to bet she is not pregnant if she
is showing signs of heat.

-Kelly

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