Are female cats in danger of getting pregnant even if they are not in heat?
She could be in heat for hours or even days before you see the signs, so yes, she could get pregnant before you’re ready to lock her up. Don’t let her out unsupervised, ever, but especially at night. Night is by far the most dangerous time. In more rural areas, she may end up being attacked by foxes, raccoons, dogs, or worse. I live inside the city limits and we actually had bear cubs on our deck a few times. We had a family of foxes that we had to chase off also — I hated to do it, but foxes are death on cats. In more urban areas, packs of stray dogs or feral cats could go after her. She might like exploring the back yard, but you’re exposing her to danger by letting her do it unsupervised at night. And a fence won’t help. Lots of animals besides cats can get over fences.
