Caring for Pregnant Cats
Feline needs from pregnancy to the birth of kittens
Your cat will be fairly self-sufficient during her pregnancy, but there are things you can do to help her have a healthy pregnancy and an easy delivery.
Is My Cat Pregnant?
If your cat has come into heat and had any contact with an unaltered male cat, chances are that she is pregnant. Cats are so adept at ensuring the survival of their species, that they actually don’t ovulate until they have mated. The end of the male cat’s penis is covered in little “barbs” that stimulate the female to release her eggs. This practically guarantees a successful pregnancy.
Length of Feline Pregnancy
Cats carry their kittens for approximately 63 days. During the first three weeks of this time, you’ll hardly notice any changes at all. The best you can do for her is to give her a nice, comfortable place to sleep. Don’t change her diet until later in her pregnancy. At about three weeks, you might notice that her nipples are a bright, hot pink. This is the first sign that she is pregnant. If you have a longhaired cat, you might want to go ahead and clip her belly fur back a bit, but leave it about ½” long to give her tummy some protection from sharp kitten claws.
Feeding Pregnant Cats
During week 5 and 6, you can begin adding a little bit of kitten food in with her regular food. Don’t give her a lot of extra canned food or change her diet drastically, or you will have a cat with diarrhea and possible dehydration. You might notice that her appetite increases a little or drastically during this time, so you can free feed her if you’d like. Make sure she has plenty of extra water!
Preparing a Safe Place for Your Cat to Deliver
During the last two weeks of her pregnancy, your queen will want a place to start nesting. She will want a cozy, private place to have her kittens, and if she doesn’t have one, she will probably have them under (or on) your bed. You’ll want her nest out of the way of drafts as well. In the summer when the air conditioner is running, you’ll want to put her nest in a place where the AC isn’t on. For your queen, you can use a box or basket with about an inch of newspaper in the bottom and then layers of 3 or 4 towels or blankets. As she is delivering, you can easily remove the top towel as it gets wet and messy, leaving a clean towel under mom and new babies.
Cat Care Late in Pregnancy
During the last two weeks, you can begin feeding your cat all kitten food, as much as she’s interested in eating. During this time, she will sleep most of her day. She might lose her appetite some, but she will drink lots of water.
Preparing for Delivery
During the last week, you will begin to see the kittens moving around in her belly, and she will start digging around in the blankets in her box. This is called nesting. One thing many breeders do during this time, especially if you normally use clumping cat litter, is to replace the litter with shredded newspaper just in case mommy has a kitten in the litter box. You can’t imagine the mess it creates when a kitten is born in clumping litter!
Signs Your Cat is Close to Delivery Time
As time gets near, you will notice that your mommy cat goes between sleeping and restlessness. She might talk to you more and be quite a bit more affectionate and clingy. You should look for signs of discharge or mucus in her vaginal area. If you notice any bleeding, you should call your vet immediately. Once you notice discharge, your queen will probably deliver within 24 hours.
You might also enjoy Helping Your Cat Deliver Kittens, Caring for Newborn Kittens, Raising Kittens
If you are expecting and need help, please feel free to join us in the discussion, “Is My Cat in Labor?”
