Why is my spayed cat nursing a new kitten? Is it a false pregnancy?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Fiona! I would take her to the Vet during these episode to have hormonal testing done. Cats are unique creatures and they can have extra ovarian tissue that can be missed during a spay. If the test come back confirming this then the Vet can take her back to surgery to find the ectopic tissue. I wish Fiona the best!

It sounds as though Knox is exhibiting signs of a false pregnancy. Since she was spayed last month, it is not possible for her to actually become pregnant. Rarely, a portion of ovarian tissue (referred to as ovarian remnant syndrome) can remain after a spay, which then produces hormones and can cause signs of heat and possible pregnancy. I do recommend taking Knox to her vet for an exam and to consider blood hormone levels to determine if ovarian remnant syndrome is suspected. For further reading, take a look at this link: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3507. I hope that all goes well!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She is likely confused. I would confine the new mama in a room with her kittens so they are taken care of appropriately. That way she can bond in peace and quiet and not get confused by the other kittens. I wish you the best!

It is possible that she has milk. Let mama tend to them but keep bottle feeding them. If they are not hungry because they got enough milk from mama, they will drink less or not at all. She is obviously a very good mama. Suckling is also an important comfort factor, even if there is no milk. It gives the kittens security and bonds. Leave them with their mama until they are 12 weeks old. She will teach them everything they need to know including how to use the litter box, what to eat and what not, hunting, etc., and you will get well adjusted kittens without behavioral problems. And thank you for taking such good care of them! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

I would think that this might not be Maxine's kitten if she didn't have access to the garage, and for a week old kitten to still be doing okay its mother must have been around often. If Maxine has been nursing a kitten she should have mammary gland development with milk present. I would recommend purchasing a kitten formula like KMR to feed the kitten since milk is not a balanced diet for a kitten. It would also be a good idea to see your veterinarian to make sure this kitten is in good health and to discuss how to raise an orphan kitten if that is your plan. If you want to make sure Maxine has been spayed you could ask your vet about running an anti-Mullerian hormone level blood test: if it is positive there is still some ovarian tissue somewhere. This could explain the false heats.

Hello. It is possible that your girl is having what we call a false pregnancy. I have attached an article below that fully explains it. You will want to stop her nursing in order to stop the milk production. An e-collar might be necessary for this. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1896 Please let me know if that is helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Be sure that Liona is actually producing milk before putting the kittens with her. If she isn't making milk then you need to bottle feed the kittens every 2-3 hours with kitten milk replacer. Once she gives birth you can try to put the kittens on her. Just be sure they aren't pushing her kittens off. Track the weights of her kittens to be sure they are getting enough. I wish you the best!