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How early can a vet detect cat pregnancy and what tests are needed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female

I have a cat that was dumped on us. I will be taking her in to see our vet ASAP, to get her checked out and spayed, but I suspect she may be freshly pregnant (there was a second stray cat and one morning there was either a fight going on or mating, dont know gender of other cat though. How early along can pregnancy be detected? Will that require extensive testing from a vet? I'm on a limited budget so I cant afford tons of tests but also dont want to kill babies by accident. Thanks in advance

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 3rd, 2020

How lovely of you to take in Annabelle! It could be possible she is pregnant. You can wait a couple of weeks after you take her into the vet and take her back in for blood work looking for the hormone relaxin. If that's present, then she is pregnant. The vet can discuss with you how much that costs. The important thing now is to get her seen by a vet to make sure she's healthy. Best of luck.

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