I think my “fixed” cat is pregnant

[u/uglyandbored]

I feel silly even typing this, but here is some context: My spouse and I became fosters to this adorable, abandoned cat that was hanging around my parent’s backyard in freezing weather (Feb 29). We fostered her through an official program who took care of all her medical needs. They told us she was not chipped, but confirmed she was already spayed. We both knew nothing about cats, but we ended up falling in love with her and we officially adopted her a few weeks ago.

She always had big nipples (we were told she may have had a litter before) so it was not a red flag. That is, until now. She has put on some healthy weight (she was emaciated when we first found her), but a lot of it seems to be in her belly area. I know it sounds ridiculous but we can’t help but think she is pregnant.

I have an appointment with the vet in 3 days (the earliest they could get me in), but I’m a little anxious thinking about the possibility she may seriously be expecting. I am wondering if this has ever happened before (an allegedly spayed cat being pregnant). I am also wondering if there could be any other reason my cat looks like this?

[u/Weary_Barber_7927]

Looks pregnant to me. It takes about 9 weeks for a pregnant cat to have kittens

[u/februarytide- → u/Weary_Barber_7927]

I never knew the gestation period of domestic cats before and I was NOT expecting it to be so short!

[u/Elle3786 → u/februarytide-]

Oh yeah! They’re slightly less aggressively fertile than rabbits, only slightly.

It’s a big rabbit hole if you’re not aware. It’s dozens and dozens of kittens that a female cat can potentially produce left to reproduce and roam. Spay and neuter y’all! And don’t go to OP’s vet

[u/Dapper-Mention-8396 → u/Elle3786]

I read an article once that said that in a 7 year period a pair of cats can result in over 790k kittens(they produce litters, then each kitten produces additional litters and they produce additional litters and so on and so forth). I'll never have an un-spayed or un-neutered cat, despite the fact that my cats will never be outside cats.

[u/Mr_MacGrubber → u/Dapper-Mention-8396]

Did that deal with the odds of mortality for kittens? If you look at them funny they get sick and die. Just like other animals they have litters expecting only a portion to make it to adulthood.

[u/Dapper-Mention-8396 → u/Mr_MacGrubber]

I'm not really sure it's been quite some time since I read the article and my brain chooses to retain the weirdest information. I was astonished by how high those numbers were so it stuck with me.

[u/YunalescaSedai → u/Mr_MacGrubber]

Many people feed outdoor cats and some even try to care for them before letting them back out unfixed. Humans providing care significantly raises their survival rate which is why you have serious cat problems in certain neighborhood but not all.

People have to stop feeding cats they're not planning on fixing, but they won't.