Conference misery::feline_v1

    It's 58-62 days.  You might call your vet for an emergency spay...it's
    safe if you do it now.
    
    It is that season, isn't it??
    
    Mary

    I agree with Mary.  I would have her spayed right away.  Now is
    the safest time.
    
    Kittens sure are cute but there are too many in need of loving homes
    and too few homes to place them in.
                 
    
    Roberta
    

    Well, I agree with Roberta and Mary....Spay her, it will be better
    for her health wise, and more than likely financially better for
    you.  It isn't always inexpensive to raise a litter of kittens,
    right, Mary???  And there are already so many unwanted kittens.
    
    But, in case you don't, I've always figured my cats (I'm a breeder)
    due dates as 62 to 65 days from the day of breeding.  I would consider
    58 days early.
    
    Was she in heat???  Or did she just get out???  If she was not in
    heat, then it is unlikely she got pregnant.
    
    think about the decision carefully...will you be willing to keep
    all the kittens she should have if you can't find homes for them???
    
    good luck
    cin
    
    
    

    Well, I was lucky!  Meg's pregnancy and delivery were all normal and
    she had 4 healthy kittens (and adopted a fifth!).  I once figured that
    from the time a very pregnant Meg showed up on my doorstep until the
    time I had the kittens in wonderful homes and had Meg spayed, the tab
    came to about $800 for their care and feeding.  True, I had to deal
    with 5-week-old Julie hurting her foot and a couple kittens with the
    sniffles, but that was only part of the bill.  At this point, a spay
    sounds like a bargain....
    
    Mary

    I've been told that a pregnant female can be spayed up to 4 weeks of
    pregnancy.  After that, it's no longer safe.  (I got this info from
    Friends of Animals.)
    
    Good luck.
    Mary

    Yes, she was definitely in heat.  I was planning on spaying her,
    but she beat me to it.
    
    The funny thing is, she is an apartment cat.  I let her and her
    brother out on the roof occasionally to enjoy the fresh air, which is 
    *way* too high for them to jump off of. (sure).  I couldn't believe it 
    when I turned around and she was gone.!  (25 ft.)!!  Absolutely
    scared me to death.
    
    I've learned my lesson about the roof. :'( 
    
    I am finding myself *extremely* short of $$ this week.  What is
    the best place to take her that will do the operation for cheap?
    I live in Marlboro, so would I contact the local Friends of Animals?
    
    I do love kittens, but am aware of the difficulty in placing them.
    And my apartment and more kitties just won't mix..
    
    Thanks for all the replies.
    
    Deb
    

    I agree with everyone else, get her into the vet pronto and spay
    her.  Even if she turns out to not be pregnant this time.  Did you
    witness the breeding?  Or are you just covering your bases?  
    
    But, to answer your question about gestation, 63 days has been the
    norm for my girls, with one exception.  Most of the books say that
    between 58 - 70 is the range, but close to either end of that would
    be considered danger zones to me.  If you saw the breeding, make
    a note on you calendar of the day.  Your vet will be unable to detect
    the pregnancy until she is 21 days along.
    
    Jo

	There's info on the low-cost spaying a few notes back (in the topic 
	about the many kittens which the woman who took in strays had).  If
	that doesn't work out, or if it's still too much money for you right
	now, you could ask your vet if you can pay in instalments. 

	Given that this will benefit both her health and your purse (not to 
	mention the pet population problem), in the long run, I hope you can
	work out a way to manage it.

	Beverly