Did you know that a young cat can become pregnant as early as 4 months old? As soon as the kitten can go into a heat cycle, they are able to conceive and they will go into a heat cycle every 2-3 weeks from spring until fall. Furthermore, cats do not go into menopause like humans do. Older cats can continue to get pregnant until their last few years in life. This is why it is so important to ensure that your cat is spayed or neutered, especially if you do not want an unexpected litter of kittens. 

At Living Free Animal Sanctuary, it is our policy to make sure that every cat or dog we rescue gets spayed or neutered. This policy is put in place to help with the overpopulation and overbreeding crisis of cats and dogs. Whether the animal is young or old, our veterinarian will give them a physical exam, vaccinations, and then they will get spayed or neutered.

Sometimes, our cattery rescues kittens on the cusp of the 4 month age. When this happens, our cattery staff has to watch closely or separate any males and females to prevent these young kittens from procreating before a veterinarian appointment. Recently, despite our best efforts, one of our kittens became pregnant. 

Ahsoka, a young, recently rescued kitten began showing signs of pregnancy. The cattery had noticed that a group of female kittens were all starting to go into heat and quickly separated them from the males. After a few weeks, as the kittens were finishing their quarantine, Ahsoka’s belly began to swell and the cattery discovered that she was pregnant.

A cat pregnancy lasts for 63-65 days. As Ahsoka’s belly began to grow large, the staff affectionately joked that she looked like a tiny bowling ball. With regular vet check-ups and careful observation from our Cattery, Ahsoka was healthy and ready to become a mama. 

On April 9th, Ahsoka gave birth to 5 kittens. Unfortunately, one of the kittens was still born. Soon after, the remaining 4 kittens also passed away. Everyone was devastated, especially poor Ahsoka. Pregnancies in a cat as young as Ahsoka often come with great risk and have a very high mortality rate for the litter. 

A little over a week after Ahsoka’s kittens passed away, our cattery got a call about two very young kittens whose mom was hit by a car. The babies were only 7-10 days old and needed either a bottle feeder or a nursing mother. Our cattery supervisor, Haley, decided to see if Ahsoka would take them in as her own. 

As soon as Haley introduced the two kittens to Ahsoka, she took to them right away. She started cleaning and cuddling them. Ahsoka was still producing milk and she immediately fell into the role of mother to these little orphans. All of them have been flourishing ever since. Although we wish Ahsoka still had her five babies, we all think it was a blessing in disguise for the two rescued kittens named JJ and Reid.

Kittens are adorable, fun, and lovable creatures to bring into your home. We encourage you to spay or neuter your cats and, if you are looking for a new kitten to add to your home, adopt! Our cattery is almost always rescuing stray kittens, especially throughout the spring and summer.