How young can kitten get pregnant? what are the signs?

HI

i saw an ad on gumtree last week for kittens and my family had planned to get 2 kittens for a while and had all the stuff required...

i went to the house and there was a lot of kittens there of differing ages...i ended up taking 3 and they are all lovely..and have settled in to our home really well and are happy.....however....

of the 3 kittens one is quite large...one is medium....one is very small....when i asked the owner the ages i was told the largest one was 8 weeks and smaller ones 6 weeks...

i have my doubts the largest one is only 8 weeks (well 9 weeks) by now as she is so much bigger and just seems older...(and i saw some other kittens who were 13 weeks and they were smaller than her) also the other 2 i have here still sway about when walking and this larger one is very steady on her feet and just knew how to use a litter but the smaller 2 have had to be shown....and when it comes to food, well from the first day i noticed for every time the smaller 2 feed shes feeds 3 times!!

also her poo is very large compared to the little ones the smaller 2 do...

i am worried she is pregnant...i noticed tonight her sides look quite large IMO...i really just dont know though...i cannot see any teats bt am not sure at all...shes very playful and lively, would this be the case if she was pregnant? i have googled what age can kittens become pregnant and found answers ranging from 2 months to 6 months!!...

i havnt taken them in to be spayed yet as i only got them just under a week ago and was planning to get them all done together next month as they are not going out yet..and i cant let them out until they are chipped next week...the smallest 2 look too tiny for collars even but i thin the larger one would fit hers...

pls advise thanx

i mean they are getting chipped next week so cannot go out until after that is done i wouldnt want to risk it but also they will not be venturing out as early as next week as its too soon...they are not big enough and i have not had them long enough yet..i believe i need to keep them in 3 months before they can go out??

that is another thing however..the 2 smallest kittens have no intrest in going out but the larger one is always looking out of my patio doors and when i put out the bin trying to come outside....shes very intrested in outside life....i'm wondering if that is because she has had expirience of outside life before where she came from?....i wouldnt let them out until all are nueted and chipped anyway....bt anyway am very concerned this one is already caught....its odd cos the day i brought her home we made a joke about it cos when i brought the pet carrier in and the kittens started to come out of it my sons friend said she was massive...and i told him the owner had said she was 8 weeks and he said no way and he is only 11...and in the house my family joked (even though looking back its not funny) what if she was older and already pregnant?.....i cant believe im sitting here worried about this....

Register them with a vet and book them in for free kitten check ( most do this ) and you will then get a better idea of age. She may be full of worms, that also gives a bloated belly look.

Oh dear!!! You have got yourself into a situation!! It is very hard to say without actually seeing the little ones...........can you upload any pics with something at the side of them, for a size comparison, like a tv remote etc?

I would say you have been 'done' and obviously the people you got them from, haven't a clue, i would hope they have all gone to caring homes, just like yours, but i fear the worst!!

If you are taking them to the vets next week, anyway, the vet will be able to give you an estimated age for them all, and advise on neutering, when this can be done etc.

i personlly do not let any of my cats out until they are neutered around 6 months of age, if the bigger one is already that age, i would recommend keeping him/her in for 6 weeks after that, again, what i do if i adopt an older cat, and fingers crossed i have never had a problem with any wandering off etc.

it is usually the oriental type breeds that can come into season quite young, not usually the moggies, but a few days won't make any difference, as i say the vet will advise you.

good luck, and let us know how you get on. xxx:)

oh yes thank you i will let you know...i hope its just me being paranoid however and she doesnt have to go through that...

i dont think it could be worms, well i hope not as the first thing i did when i got them home was to put the wormer on the back of each ones neck...the brand i used is called 'bob martin' i bought it in middletons pet store on the moor...the flea stuff i bought is similar (apply sachet contents behind neck) and same brand....

i wormed them straight away as i have a children who are stroking the kittens a lot...

The place where they came from sounds dreadful - a lot of kittens of all different ages? Sounds like they are breeding them for money, scumbags

I wouldn't be at all surprised to find they had worms etc, I'd take them all to the vet asap.

Bob Martins spot on wormer will be no good, you'll need a proper worming tablet from your vet such as Milbemax.

Also something like Frontline spot on will be better for fleas and ticks too (this is also essential for worm control).

If they turn out to have worms I'd report the person who sold you the kittens to the RSPCA and explain what happened - hopefully a visit from an inspector will convince them to have their cats neutered and stop breeding irresponsibly :rant:

these kittens should not be going out until they have been spayed or neutered females can get pregnant at 4months.You are best advised to get proper worming and flea products from the vets.True they are more expensive but they do work better also they need vaccinating before they go out

oh yes thank you i will let you know...i hope its just me being paranoid however and she doesnt have to go through that...

 

i dont think it could be worms, well i hope not as the first thing i did when i got them home was to put the wormer on the back of each ones neck...the brand i used is called 'bob martin' i bought it in middletons pet store on the moor...the flea stuff i bought is similar (apply sachet contents behind neck) and same brand....

 

i wormed them straight away as i have a children who are stroking the kittens a lot...

How long have you had the kittens?

I would also have thought worms but it depends on how old the kitten is, also I would say that you need a better wormer such as Drontal cat, which you can buy online or from a vet and the same with the flea stuff try frontline spot on or for a good combination product visit your vet for Stronghold spot on which effectively killes fleas and worms.

Cats can get pregnant rarely from around 4 months but more usually around 6, does the big kitten have baby or adult teeth?

I didn't know you could worm cats with a spot on the back of their neck :s

Bob Martin products are useless - I would advise leaving it a week or two to ensure you don't overdose and then treating them with frontline or stronghold for fleas and drontal for worms. Be aware also that not only does Bob Martin often not work, it also has caused reactions in a few cats - some of which have been fatal.

You can buy frontline and drontal online for cheaper than you would at a vet, but stronghold is prescription only so you need to see a vet to get it.

As for the rest, I won't add to what others have already said but please do make sure they don't go out until they're neutered - they can end up not only pregnant but with sexually transmitted diseases or other illnesses (such as Feline HIV) from fighting (which, if any of them are male, they'll be more likely to do while they're entire).

If she's had a lot of them together at different ages then the older one could be pregnant - but don't rule out worms, as I say Bob Martin isn't reliable anyway especially if she already had worms.

Sorry I posted while all these other replies came up saying the same thing!!

Ditto, to all of the above, but if using frontline spot on, for cats, they do have to be a certain weight, or this too can be fatal, the spray is POMV, a prescription only medication, but is safe for even tiny kittens. Hope all this info makes sense!!

Oh yes! Thanks purplepeke I forgot that the spray was POMV!