Having had cats for decades I sort of understood how their bodies worked and what are the typical problems a cat goes through. But cat pregnancy & kittens was and is still something that baffles me, my earlier cat (Pollux) had a really difficult time with her kittens, they all died days after they were born. In July my lovely lady Diana gave birth to her quadruplets but it was a sad beginning with a really heart breaking ending.

Whether it is a planned or an accidental one, pregnancy is difficult and a delicate stage for a mother cat. Diana mated with her half-brother who sadly has problematic genetics. The kittens were born 60 days later after a fast but troublesome labor. The first kitten died minutes after he was born but the other three were strong enough, sadly the kittens looked premature so I was already worried about their health. I let the mother be with the kids to nurse the kids but I noticed after a few hours that she was unable to feed them, I was worried but not too bothered because it sometimes takes babies time to suckle. Sadly she gave birth to the kittens in the night so I could not call the family vet for a temporary solution. The next day after much trying to get the babies to suckle I decided to immediately go to the vet and get a pack of kitten feed. But the babies refused to feed and we lost 2 of the kids. The last baby raised our hopes by accepting the bottle feeding but by night she rejected the bottle and we knew then that we were gonna lose her too. After many attempts which miserably failed we decided to leave the child with her mother in hopes that some miracle would change the situation. But it never happened and the baby passed away. It was a really sad experience and now I make plans on getting my darlings operated  not because I feel the pain of the loss or find the pregnancy tedious but because the mother is the main person who goes through the pain of carrying, nourishing and protecting the children.

From my experience I am writing a post that gives you the A-Z of how a female cat goes through the cycle of pregnancy and how you can manage any hurdles before, during or after the kittens are born.

A little bit on cats :-

Kittens are born blind, deaf and with no teeth.They are born furry so any kitten born with  bald patches or very little fur  are really immature and weak. They cannot walk but simply crawl from one end to another. A kitten like a human baby cannot control the heat in its body so you need to ALWAYS keep it comfortably warm as they lose heat real quick. Kittens usually feed immediately after they are born and open their eyes at 7 days but their eye sight is immature until the age of 10 weeks. They start walking from the age of 2 weeks, female cats go into heat (the time when they are ready for pregnancy) anytime from the age of 6 months to 14 months. The pregnancy lasts 64-67 days though it can be more or less by a few days.

Mating :-

Female cats go into heat anytime from the age of 6 months to 9 months but sometimes can be as young as 4 months and as old as 14 months! Females usually start “calling” for a mate but sometimes like in my case the cat did not. Sometimes they are full fledged yowls or really loud purring sounds. Once she has accepted the mate she will sit in position with her rear raised waiting for him, towards the end she will start screeching really loudly; don’t worry for it is normal and once he lets go of her she will start rubbing herself on the floor, wriggle about and then will proceed to initiate another mating session. The cycle generally lasts anything from a week to 10 days and if the cat does not get pregnant she will be ready for mating in a matter of 2-3 weeks since her last cycle. When a  queen (female cat) is not allowed to mate she will come out of the cycle quicker , hormonal injections and certain medicines can stop her cycles but this entirely depends on what is being administered to the cat and by whom. Cats unlike dogs do not bleed during heat but can sometimes have a slight discharge.

Pregnancy :-

A Queen releases an egg from her ovary (ovulation) 1-3 days after mating, if the egg gets fertilized successfully 10-15 days later it implants itself in the uterine lining thus starting the actual pregnancy. The pregnancy lasts 64 days but can be a few days less or more, a vet can confirm a pregnancy early on (17-20 days) either by gently massaging her belly or an ultrasound. The common signs are :-

1. She will stop “calling” for a mate thus signaling the end of her estrus.
2. Her appetite will noticeably increase, many females start hunting during pregnancy to feed their young. Some cats also go through the “morning sickness” phase in the initial week of pregnancy.
3. At about 20 days her nipples become pinker and she may or may not milk.
4. At about 35 days you will see her stomach looking bigger and her appetite increasing.
5. Towards the end she will spend a lot of time “nesting” (clawing at spaces, couches or any isolated part of the house)
6. She may get more and more lethargic as the pregnancy progresses but queens tend to get insecure around other queens. They also get really affectionate and clingy during the pregnancy.

Birthing :-

Queens usually give birth a few days before or after the 64 day mark. It is always good to have at least a rough idea of the due date so that you can be accordingly prepared since there are chances that the babies would be immature or the pregnant would need to be induced. Before the actual due date, sometimes a day or 2 before your cat might get REALLY clingy, anxious and clearly restless. If she already has a “nest” she will sit in there more often and might keep scratching it or circling in it but if she does not already have a nest she will sit in boxes, under the bed or such places. My cat Diana started crawling under my blanket while I was asleep a few hours before giving birth, she would crawl in and stick really close to me. On the onset of labor your cat would keep licking her vagina to clean up the discharge, the normal “arrival time” for the first kitten should be anything from 5 minutes minimum to an hour maximum. Females cats instinctively for the safety of her young would want to give birth to the babies alone away from”any” danger. The mother after giving birth will eat the sack that covers the baby and the umbilical cord attached to it, if any of the babies are dead she will eat that too. Sometimes the mothers will pass gas or excrete during labor.

Kittens :-

The kittens start crawling about in search of their mother’s nipples to start feeding immediately, like I mentioned before they are born blind, deaf and without teeth but they can meow, crawl and have claws. They are born with fur covering their bodies but are incapable of staying warm on their own and will continue to lose heat rapidly if they are in a cold room or kept away from their mothers for too long. Babies will huddle together to keep each other warm.