Aug 11
21
Feline Pregnancy – What You Need to Know
Pregnant cat © by o5com
The Feline pregnancy period somehow lasts for sixty-five days. This is from fertilization to the birth of kittens. Of course the would-be queen will undergo estrus cycles (a regular period of sexual excitement in females cats during which they seek to mate) wherein she will be seeking for a male cat to have sex with her.
There are about three to four yearly estrus cycles for a domestic feline. During these cycles the queen is focused on attracting a male partner by making a loud, annoying noise until the sexual desire has been consummated, not once but several times. The queen would then undergo gestation (period of offspring development during pregnancy), if there is a successful fertilization, during which you as the owner should be extra caring and patient.
Owners of gestating cats need to know several things about feline pregnancy. There are several internet sites that you could go for bundles of facts about animal conception. One very informative website is Cat Pregnancy Report , wherein facts and tips about pregnancy and queening are in abundance.
As your cat’s benefactor, you are now in different stages of pregnancy with her.
- Basically during the first two weeks, your cat may not be showing symptoms of pregnancy yet.
- Noticeable physical changes such as enlarged and pinkish nipple will occur on the third week, but still no enlarged belly at this instant.
- On the fourth week, you may notice her belly beginning to swell, and the nipples continue to expand while your cat tends to eat more than usual.
What you want to do is maintain the good health of you cat during this period. She now has at least two small kittens inside her that need nutrients as well. She needs calories, proteins, calcium, and energy much more than she needed before. You do not have to feed her more than the usual measure, though. As long as she gets more of the above nutrients than what she used to acquire. This increase in your cat’s appetite is a sign that she needs more nutrients for her and for her kittens. It would be wise to consult your veterinarian on what particular foods your cat needs from the fifth week of her pregnancy and onward until she has given birth.
- On the sixth and seventh weeks, your cat will show more behavioral and physical changes that will make her pregnancy more obvious. During this stage the pregnant cat will be more cautious in her movements. She will avoid stretching and twisting, and she will go outside of the house a lot less than she usually does.
- Further on the seventh week, she will be more excited as she feels the fetuses start to shift positions. This will also be the time for her to start looking for a good spot to deliver.
For the cat owner, it is best for you to keep her inside so she won’t look for a spot outdoors. Pre-natal labor may occur between the sixty-first day and the sixty-fifth day of gestation (or maybe more). Your cat will be restive, purr or grumble steadily for a few hours before muscle spasms begin. These contractions will become recurrent until the kittens are born one at a time. Labor spasms intensity and growling are the similar in both kitten births as long as they are not delivered in rapid succession.
The birth interval of the kittens may be as short as a few seconds or as long as twenty-four hours, especially if the kittens are large. Thus, should the owners be knowledgeable on their cats’ pregnancy and giving birth. With the birth of new pets to take care of the cat owner should decide on whether to have the mother cat and the kittens neutered as soon as possible or to give them more chances to procreate. But with the existing problem of feline over-population, it would be best to have these pets spayed at this point.