Possible oops pregnancy?

Well my hubby didn’t close the door last night when he took the dogs for a walk… my 1 year old cat who is not fixed decided to take a look outside, I do not know how long she was outside for, but as soon as I came near the door she very quickly came back inside. I didn’t hear any caterwauls but now I’m concerned as we have a lot of strays in the area that are male…. And before anyone says it, yes she should be fixed, it’s on the list of to dos but feeding us and keeping the house is first priority, she’s never been outside for more that a quick second on the deck. Do we need to be worried about a surprise litter now? She’s close to her heat if I have the timing correct.

Hello - yes, of course it is possible that your cat may be pregnant.  This depends on there having being a boy cat around at just the right moment, on her being in or approaching oestrus and there being time and / or circumstance for mating to arise.  If you speak to your vets, they can talk you through various options which may include booking your cat in for a spey operation as early as possible, perhaps even before a pregnancy is detectable, or considering chemical contraception measures if they are a viable option where you are, or leaving things well alone to see whether or not a pregnancy develops (perhaps with a scan after an appropriate interval).  Different vets and different owners have different ideas and beliefs, so that is something to discuss between the two of you.  Wishing you all the very best outcome, whatever that happens to be.