My 16-month-old cat is pregnant. Do I need a vet or home help?

7 months although not ideal is not uncommon for kittens to be pregnant and complications are quite rare, I would recommend you arrange a full check up with your vet to confirm she is pregnant and the bloating is not caused by any other issue and to check she is in generally good health before the delivery. I recommend restricting her to indoors and ideally to a quiet room with no through traffic so she can settle in and become comfortable before she has the kittens as the weather is much too cold in the UK now for kittens to be born outside. It is worthwhile feeding kitten food in the last 2 weeks (once milk is developing) to increase calorie intake and energy levels

Most cats are close enough in size that it shouldn't be an issue and you should not have to do anything to assist in a normal pregnancy. I would NOT recommend trying to cut open your cat as you will likely injure her and endanger both her and the kittens and this is considered animal cruelty. If she is showing signs of dystocia (difficult birth) and goes into labor for several hours without producing a kitten, seeking emergency care from your vet is needed.

Bella may have difficulty feeding the litter as she is still growing herself. Confirm that she is indeed pregnant first. Your veterinarian may be able to do this via palpation or abdominal x-ray. If it is early enough, consider having her spayed for her health and safety and to prevent unwanted or accidental litters in the future. If you decide to leave her intact, she will need to be monitored closely throughout the pregnancy, delivery and raising of the litter until weaning.

Your vet can do an X-ray now to see how large the kittens are and how many you can expect. Otherwise all you can do wait for labor to start. If you notice a black or brown discharge or heavy contractions for 30-60 ministers no progression, then there is a problem and she needs to be seen by a vet

While it is possible for a cat to become pregnant at such a young age, it is definitely not typical. Usually around five or six months of age is the earliest I am accustomed to seeing pregnant cats, but four months is technically possible. In terms of care and diet, I usually recommend that pregnant cats are fed a diet of kitten food rather than adult food until they have weaned their kittens entirely. I do want to caution you however that it is not uncommon for very young cats that become mothers sometimes do not treat their young appropriately. They often abandon their young or even injure them intentionally in some cases. In addition to any other special care they might need, pregnant cats must not receive most medications, including flea / tick medications. They can be toxic to the fetuses. If you want to be sure of the pregnancy status, a veterinarian will need to perform an ultrasound after a certain period of time, or an x-ray after even more time. Hope this makes sense.

Yes it is possible for a cat to get pregnant at the age of 6 months, sometimes even at 4 months. Her nipples are indeed very big and this could point to a pregnancy. If she is gaining circumference and has been for a while, and if she had access to outside when she was in heat, then it is very likely she met a tomcat. You can have her checked by your vet (xrays or ultrasound) to check for pregnancy and also for the number of kittens, which will help determine when she is done giving birth.

I would recommend to keep her indoors only since she is due to have the kittens any day now. Allow her to have plenty of space away from the other cats so that she can be undisturbed by them for a period of time if she chooses to be. Nesting boxes are great, but ultimately she will choose to whelp wherever she is most comfortable. Clean, quiet areas where she can be away from the other cats is best. I would also recommend to use this time to have the male neutered, so that this does not happen again. Best of luck to your momma-to-be!