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Feline Pregnancy

The Signs

pregnant cat Up to date the only safe method to detect feline pregnancy is when your cat is already 3 to 4 weeks pregnant. That’s almost half way through her pregnancy already. Gestation period for cats ranges from 59-65 days.

Well… you can’t ask your cat to pee on the stick.

About three weeks into pregnancy her nipple will become pinker and more prominent. You will start to notice the baby bump at around 4 weeks.

What To Expect During Feline Pregnancy

Around one to two weeks of pregnancy, your girls’ appetite may increase gradually until before queening. Her caloric intake will be at least 25% higher.

But she may lose her appetite at around 3 weeks of gestation. Don’t be alarmed as her weight gain will return by another week. Do not adjust her diet or change her food at this time. This is a normal dip in appetite in all pregnant cats.

It will also recur during the last days of pregnancy.You can also expect your outgoing queen to be a bit reclusive when her due date approaches. She will seek secluded area and spend less time with your family. She may be more loving to you (her favorite people) but hostile to strangers. So give your girl some peace of mind. You should already prepare a birth area for her. see birthing supplies and equipment

Diet and Activities

Ironically, your queens’ caloric demands are highest during early pregnancy. Her body will remain strong and agile and she will remain active (as she normally would) but she will eat like a horse. This can also be a clue that she is pregnant.

Her nutritional demand will decrease as she’ll grow heavy and clumsy. She will spend her days resting rather than chasing your feather teaser.

What You Should Watch Out For

• Excessive hair loss or dry lackluster coat
• Stops eating and lose weight (after the third week)
• Elevated temperature
• Licks genitalia excessively (signs of depression)
• Any significant vaginal discharge

These are all signs that your cat and her kitten might be in danger. Bring her to the vet if any one of these signs shows up.

Hormonal Imbalance during Pregnancy

Progesterone is the hormone that maintains feline pregnancy. Once it drops at the last weeks of pregnancy, it will trigger labor. However, if the progesterone level drops before 6 weeks pregnancy, the kittens will be reabsorbed by the mother.

You will hardly notice this loss, other than your queen will fail to develop as expected. It takes 7-10 days of progesterone failure to lose kittens during pregnancy, and you may not be able to detect it until it’s too late. If you have this problem with your queen, you can only amend it in the next pregnancy.

It will be easier and less risky to just spay your queen, but if you still want to breed from her, you may need to support the next pregnancy with weekly progesterone injections. You can ask your vet for this.

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