Cats are the quintessential pets of many people, just like dogs, when you have a cat you know that she can have kittens at any time and for this you have to be prepared. It is necessary to know how to detect pregnancy, how long a cat's pregnancy lasts, the symptoms it will have, how many kittens it can have and other important information that will be explained in this article to provide you with the necessary information.
How to know that a cat is pregnant?
In the first place, to know when a cat may be pregnant, it is necessary to observe her behavior and appearance. This assumes that her visits to the vet are not very frequent, since a consultation with this doctor is the most direct way to determine if she is pregnant or not, through an ultrasound. So, at home a pregnancy can be confirmed or denied when the following symptoms exist or not:
- Increased belly size (it is generally known how much your stomach can grow when you eat, so an unusual size will confirm that you are pregnant).
- swelling in the breasts
- Increase in the number of hours you sleep each day
- A slightly calmer behavior is noted, less playful and can even be a little aggressive at some point.
- When it is observed that it prepares a nest, it may already have an advanced pregnancy
How do you know how long you have?
All cats and other animals show changes in their behavior when they go into heat, it is noticeable to their owners and paying attention to their behavior when they are in heat is paramount since when cats are in heat and suddenly stop being in heat they may find themselves pregnant . It is recommended that when the heat of the cats ends, they are taken to a veterinary consultation to confirm or rule out pregnancy and to know how long a cat's pregnancy lasts.
The first weeks of your pregnancy you will not be able to observe symptoms such as the increase in the belly or the change in its behavior, in fact at 20 days the ultrasound will clearly show the pregnancy and even the number of kittens that you may have. At that time, the gestation process can be interrupted (if you don't want her to have her cats or it is not possible to care for them correctly). This interruption is called Ovariohysterectomies and they are recommended in the first weeks of gestation.
The latter because an interruption of her pregnancy can have negative consequences for the cat if it is done when it is advanced. Likewise, the risks of death are greater even if it is done by a specialist. By no other means should a pregnancy of a cat or any other living being be interrupted, only specialists in the area have the necessary knowledge to do so.
Returning to the detection of the gestation time, it will be possible to know that you are in the middle of pregnancy when your belly already has an unusual size. In case there is a suspicion of pregnancy but the doctor cannot be attended, their diet can be controlled to see if there is an increase in the stomach or not due to their diet. If it does increase, it may be between 3 or 5 weeks pregnant.
To determine that your pregnancy is almost advanced to the point of termination, you can feel your stomach with both hands to try to feel any movement inside it. Likewise, when observing a large size in her abdomen and in her breasts, it will be possible to determine that she is about to give birth, then they will begin the breastfeeding process so that they do not need to buy Milk formula for cats.
Regarding its behavior, as we indicated previously, the preparation of the nest indicates that it is going to have its kittens, so it will look for a place to do so (a warm and quiet place). On top of that they usually eat a little less, though. To know when she is about to give birth, you should observe if there is vaginal secretion.
In the same way, the duration of a cat does not exceed three months, so once its status is confirmed, all that remains is to count the weeks that pass to know how long a cat's pregnancy lasts.
How long does a cat's pregnancy last?
Once the pregnancy has been confirmed, it will last two months, eight or nine and a half weeks or approximately 58 to 67 days. This is the time that a pregnant cat usually lasts, whether it is her first time as a mother or if she has already had other pregnancies. The veterinarian will be able to determine how long it will last but the above is the average time that has been calculated over time. It is important to know what the gestation period of a cat to determine the date of delivery.
labor symptoms
Now, some symptoms that will be observed during pregnancy were explained previously, but when they are about to have their offspring they present other symptoms that are much more notable and already indicate that they are in labor. When observing some of them, all that is recommended is to help prepare the place so that all the work (which is usually done by the cat without human help) occurs without interruption. It is not recommended to touch her in her delivery process unless there is some complication and even then it is a veterinarian who intervenes.
The symptoms that will be observed are restlessness during the day, they will not run or make sudden movements but if you can see rapid breathing or walking when their contractions begin, these can certainly be seen since their abdomen moves noticeably and they breathe heavily. You will also see the vaginal discharge mentioned above (which is brown or red from her blood), but most noticeable will be when she licks her vulva and observes her pushing for the pups to come out.
Number of babies you can have
Now, the number of kittens you can have after gestation period of a cat it can be one or five kittens, clearly it will not be the same amount always, with all the cats or with all the pregnancies of one. Ultrasounds usually show the exact number but there are exceptions to that rule when one of them hides another. The most common number of kittens cats have is four, but they may even have just one.
another question is How many times can they be pregnant? to control their reproduction, generally a year they can be pregnant three times or even four if nothing is done. This is why if you do not want to have a large family of cats, the best option is to sterilize them.
What is your maximum age to give birth?
In any case, they can reproduce for a long time during their existence and stop doing so without sterilization until they are ten or seventeen years old. The limit varies depending on each of them. It is also recommended to sterilize them so that their life time is not shortened too much, since their health can be aggravated if they give birth very often.
jealousy of cats
After explaining how long a cat's pregnancy lasts, we will now talk about heat in cats and cats, the first ones are sexually mature when they are already six or nine months old and during this time they can have their first heat regardless of the season or any other thing. The heat in these animals is conditioned by sunlight, that is, it is for seasons that they are in this state, although they can be in heat for a long time in a year. At any time they can be mounted and ovulation induced.
Cats are sexually mature when they are eight or twelve months old, unlike female cats they can be in heat at any season of the year because what activates their heat is the smell emanated by female cats that are in this state. So, they can mount any cat that is in heat without needing to be too. That is why their reproductive capacity is so numerous, taking into account that cats can get pregnant several times a year due to their short gestation time.
Even so, their reproduction is not so uncontrolled, a cat can be too young to be ready to mate just like a female cat. Also after giving birth, cats do not go into heat immediately after having their kittens, in some cases it can take up to six months for cats to go into heat again regardless of the season of the year. However, other cases have shown that weeks after giving birth they can go into heat and even get pregnant again weeks after having a recent delivery.
This is why the sterilization or neutering of this species is recommended, the time it takes for a female cat to mature sexually and be ready to reproduce has been explained, likewise it has been mentioned how long her pregnancy lasts and how many times she can have litters It does not take many calculations to determine that a control of their reproduction is necessary to curb the birth rate and take care of their health.
There is a difference between spaying and neutering, in both methods your fertility is interrupted but the surgical process is different and so are its implications. Sterilization will prevent the animal from reproducing again, although its hormones will remain the same, that is, they will continue to be in heat and they will not have changes in their behavior in general. While in castration the testicles of the males, the ovaries and the uterus of the females are removed, that is, their hormones are eliminated.
After the pregnancy you will be able to see how the cats are born and all that will remain from now on is to give them all the necessary care. When observing how many kittens the mother had, the owners do not usually name them at the moment, they usually name them when they are a little older, which gives them time to think Names for cats.
As for the care they need after birth, it is necessary to know that kittens need to be bathed and fed in a specific way, their mother of course knows how to do it, but tasks that favor this care can be carried out.
First of all, what they need is space, it is not about neglecting them and leaving them in a room without observation for a long time or never approaching, in reality it is about being present and intervening when there is a problem such as a cat not wanting to eat or get sick
It is not recommended to hold kittens before they are at least six weeks old, because they are very delicate and can be contaminated by bacteria. They need to be checked to determine that they are okay, that their place is safe and provides them with the necessary shelter to be protected and warm. Likewise, hygiene is important, the blankets and blankets that are used for the litter must be changed frequently, as well as the litter box that is used.
Regarding the feeding of the litter, it is recommended that you buy puppy food because it contains the necessary nutrients for its growth. The mother's diet should continue the same so as not to see any complications. Fresh water is important to everyone and having plenty of it will be convenient even if the kittens are nursed.
Once lactation ends, the kittens will begin to eat more cat food and the mother will eat normally. Finally, it is recommended to check them with a veterinarian to take care of their health.