SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Cat Care
Cat Care Tips
My
Cat is Pregnant: What Should I Expect?
Female cats can become pregnant as soon as six months. It
is important to spay your female cat in order to prevent
unwanted litters. If you wait too late to spay or you
come across a pregnant cat, there are several steps you
should take to ensure that your cat has a healthy pregnancy.
The
gestation time for cats is about nine weeks. If your cat
is pregnant longer than ten weeks you will need to consult
your vet right away. During that time, a female cat will need
to eat a special diet for extra calories and protein. Some
veterinarians might recommend a vitamin supplement to give
her an extra boost. It is often recommended that pregnant cats
eat kitten food because of the added nutritional benefits.
You probably will not notice much difference in her eating
habits the first two or three weeks. As her pregnancy progresses,
your cat will want to eat more, but not all at one time. It
will be important to monitor her appetite as she grows. The
weight of carrying her kittens might press on her stomach making
it hard for her to eat a lot of food at one sitting. She will
probably need several smaller meals throughout the day.
During
the final days of her pregnancy, a female cat will
become restless and begin to search for a place to have her
kittens. She will look for a small, out of the way area where
she will not feel threatened while giving birth. You can provide
her with a lined box or basket, but the chances of her picking
that spot are slim. If your indoor cat chooses a bathroom as
a birthing place, it might be wise to close the drains to the
bathtubs and line it with an old rug or towels.
Birthing is a natural process and most cats have no trouble
delivering her kittens. Inexperienced mothers may be taken
by surprise, though, and should be closely monitored during
the final days of pregnancy. It is not unusual for a new mother
to be scared and try to harm a kitten right after it is born.
Another way you can help your cat give birth is to be prepared
for the unexpected. Have the number to your vet and a number
to a 24-hour animal hospital on hand just in case something
goes wrong. Also, have a few clean towels ready to use if you
have the need to wrap a kitten or the mother up and rush her
to the vet. It is also wise to have a suction bulb and blunt
scissors ready. Both of these can be used if the mother fails
to accept her babies and you need to intervene.
When
it is time for your female cat to give birth, she will
become very restless and begin pacing the room. This is a sign
that she is in labor and is preparing to give birth. Some female
cats will stop eating when labor is about to begin. When the
first kitten begins to come, she will get in her spot and will
have rapid breathing. The first kitten will usually deliver
about an hour after labor starts. Other kittens can come up
to two hours a part. Most of the time, all kittens should be
delivered within 24 hours.
It
is important to watch your cat give birth. Most cats have
no difficulty in delivering and taking care of her babies.
There are rare circumstances where the mother rejects her kittens
and will not remove them from the membrane sac. If this happens
it will be necessary to hold the kitten in a soft, clean towel
and remove the membrane. If this is not done quickly the kitten
can suffocate and die. The mother cat will also chew off the
umbilical cord. If she fails to do this, tie a piece of dental
floss on the cord and clip it off.
After the first kitten is born, the
mother cat should nurse her kitten right away. The nursing will stimulate the birthing
process and will help deliver the other kittens. It is not
unusual to see a little yellow or red discharge while nursing
for the first time. If the kittens are having a hard time nursing
or are not getting enough milk, you may need to consult your
vet for advice.
Most mothers are champs at taking care of their babies and
need very little assistance in doing so. A mother cat can be
spayed between eight and ten weeks after giving birth. This
is a very important step to ensure that she does not give birth
to an unwanted litter. It is never a good idea to let your
female cat give birth to a litter just for the experience.
A female cat can live normally without ever having a litter
of kittens.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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