Your pregnant cat may act more maternal, meaning that she purrs more and seeks extra fuss and attention from you. Some vet practices can diagnose cat pregnancy using ultrasound, sometimes as early as 15 days into her term.
Week 5: The kittens now take up a lot of space and the mother's belly starts to look swollen. Week 6: This is a period of rapid growth when the kittens are fully formed and continue to grow and mature. Week 7: Entering the final third of pregnancy, the growing kittens drain a lot of energy from the mother.
In the days before giving birth, your cat's mammary glands will increase in size. Her nipples may leak colostrum, or what's known as first milk. Her nipples will darken and the fur around them will thin.
You might notice your cat licking her genitalia frequently – There is a discharge from the cat's vulva a few hours before birth starts. Your cat's water will break as well. Now is the time for pacing, restlessness, and howling, meowing, or chirping from your cat.
Between weeks 4 and 6 of a cat's pregnancy, the foetuses of the future kittens will start to grow rapidly. This brings about significant physical changes for the mother to be: her back hollows out, her pelvis becomes wider and her abdomen swells.
There are a few clues that you may notice, too. The cat's belly will get big around 30 days after they mate. Another symptom that appears as the pregnancy continues, 2 to 3 weeks after they conceive, is their nipples enlarge and redden (also called "pinking up").
However, kittens can seldom be felt until at least 26 to 35 days after breeding and fetuses can be difficult to feel in some cats. Abdominal ultrasound can be used to diagnosis pregnancy after 21 to 24 days post breeding.
It usually takes 4-16 hours for all kittens to be born, but it can take longer. WARNING: contact your vet if your cat has been straining for 20-30 minutes without producing a kitten, is crying out in pain, or you are concerned at any point.
Pregnant cats may not allow you to touch their belly because they're being protective of the fetuses. However, if your cat is not pregnant, not allowing you to touch their belly may indicate pain.
How Long Are Cats Pregnant For? The cat gestation period (cat pregnancy length) is about 63-65 days on average, or about two months.
Affectionate Behavior: Many pet owners say that they notice an increase in affectionate behavior. You may notice your pet seeking out your attention more frequently. This is due to hormonal and neurological changes. Nesting Behavior: Cats prepare for birth by finding secluded, quiet places to have their litter.
After approximately 15-18 days of a cat pregnancy, you may notice that your pet's nipples become enlarged and red – this is known as 'pinking-up'. Similar to morning sickness in humans, your pregnant queen may go through a stage of vomiting.
When looking from above, you'll see that a pregnant cat's tummy is distended slightly more than halfway from the neck to the tail. From the side, pregnant cats will look a little swayback with a slightly round and bulging tummy. If a cat is just fat, then she'll be fat all over including her neck and her legs.
Your cat's labour should go smoothly, but it's useful to have help on hand to keep her calm and in case she runs into any complications. Get hold of your vet's out-of-hours phone number prior to your cat giving birth, as delivery often happens during the night, or they might need an emergency helping hand.
Cats have an average of four to eight kittens per litter, although it's normal to encounter larger and smaller litters. For example, first-time cat moms often have just two or three kittens.
You might see the abdomen "drop" a few days before labor, and the cat's nipples might get larger, darker, or pinker.
Most cats would prefer to be left alone, and they definitely don't want to be pet or touched while they are giving birth.
After mating the female will seem very agitated and will roll and thrash around. This is normal behaviour. The whole mating process can take between 30 seconds to 4 minutes. A female can mate up to 30 times during one estrous cycle.
Nesting behavior in cats refers to their natural instinct of creating a cozy and comfortable spot to rest, sleep, or prepare for giving birth. Cats gather soft materials like blankets, towels, or clothing and knead them with their paws to construct a comfortable bed.
The first stage of labor entails the start of uterine contractions, relaxation of the cervix, and rupture of the chorioallantoic sac (water breaking). The female cat (queen) will purr and socialize during the first stage of labor. The purring is thought to be a self-relaxation technique.
Vets recommend not touching kittens unless you have to while their eyes are still closed. You can check on them to make sure they're healthy and gaining weight, but try to limit direct physical contact. The kitten's mother will also let you know how comfortable she is with you handling her babies.
During birth, your queen will "cry" and sound distressed, which is completely normal.