Expecting Kittens

Cats do not become visibly pregnant until after about five weeks. Shortly before this time, your vet will be able to tell you how large the litter will be.

If you think your cat might be pregnant, the first check her nipples. These become more prominent and pinker by three weeks of gestation. By four to five weeks after conception, your vet will be able to feel golf-ball sized swellings in her abdomen. At this time the developing fetuses are usually quite easy to count. Shortly afterward, her belly becomes a visibly enlarged.

A young and healthy pregnant cat usually needs little special care other than extra attention to her nutrition. She may experience nausea and morning sickness for a few days during mid-pregnancy, due to hormonal changes. She may also show a decrease in appetite and may even go off her food entirely a few days before the birth.

If she stops eating for more than a couple of days, or if you notice a decrease in appetite for more than three to four days, consult your vet. You should never medicate a cat unless your vet instructs to do so. This is especially important during pregnancy, where relatively safe and common drugs can be harmful.

The Pregnancy

Feline pregnancy, or gestation, usually lasts 63-65 days. The length of the pregnancy, from ovulation to birth can vary between different breeds - anything between 58-70 days is considered within normal range. You should be able tell if your cat is pregnant by the second or third week of the pregnancy, as the nipples of the pregnant female become enlarged and change colour to deep pink. Later on, the growing abdomen will become more visible and leave little room for doubt.

Risks during pregnancy

The greatest risk to unborn kittens occurs during the first three weeks of development in the womb. Both drugs and infections might seriously impair healthy development. If, for example, the mother is exposed to feline infectious enteritis (or panleukopenia) at this time, the surviving kittens will be born with severe brain damage. Even exposure to live panleukopenia vaccine is dangerous. Cats should be vaccinated before they are pregnant, to increase the amount of passive protection they pass in the first milk to their kittens. Never vaccinate pregnant cats to increase the level of inherited protection. Never vaccinate other cats in the household of a pregnant cat. Live vaccine virus can be shed by vaccinated cats and affect the pregnant cat's fetuses.

Pregnancy and hormones

During pregnancy, the production of progesterone rapidly increases, peaking at around the 35th day after conception. This induces the more serene disposition of pregnancy. At the same time, the belly starts becoming visibly more rotund.

Pregnancy can be as short as 57 days or as long as 70 days, but a few days before birth the female becomes restless and searches out her chosen shelter. She rearranges her bedding material and spends increasing amounts of time in her chosen nest. This impregnates the region with her own scent, something that will eventually help her kittens orient themselves toward home.

As birth approaches, the mother loses her appetite and restlessly paces in the nest until contractions begin. A few days before birth, a pregnant cat will begin looking for a good nest, which she will scent-mark. This will help her newborns recognize home.