Cat Pregnancy Symptoms

 

If you have been trying to breed your cat, or if you are just worried that she may have become pregnant accidentally, you will no doubt want to be sure. If your cat is pregnant you will need to pay much closer attention to her needs in order to have a problem-free delivery of her kittens. In this article we will take a look at the more common cat pregnancy symptoms so you can figure it out.

 

If you do suspect pregnancy, it is important to go and see your vet who can give you advice on how to care for your cat and how to give her kittens the best chance at life. It is also not unheard of for a cat to experience a “phantom pregnancy” in the same way a human can, displaying all the cat pregnancy symptoms without actually being pregnant. The only real way to be 100% sure if your cat is pregnant is to have her checked by a vet.

Pregnancy in cats lasts only around nine weeks and it can take around three weeks for your cat to start displaying cat pregnancy symptoms. After the three week period her nipples will become noticeably more pink than usual and this is one of the first visible signs. Your cat will also become more attentive and loving around this time and will sleep more. Heat cycles will stop and your cat will also be far less interested in male cats. In general, even if your cat is ordinarily prone to spending lots of time outside, during her pregnancy she will start to stay in the house a lot more, lazing around and pining for your attention.

After about five weeks, your cat will have gained a considerable amount of weight and if there is no other apparent reason for this then this can be taken as another sign of pregnancy. At the six week point, your cat’s nipples will start to become larger as she will be producing milk for feeding her young. Your cat’s appetite will also probably increase quite dramatically during pregnancy and you can give her more food – after all she is eating for her kittens too – but be careful not to overfeed her. If she eats too much it can do more harm than good.

By this point you will only have around three weeks left before the kittens are born so you should really be making preparations if you haven’t started already. About two weeks before the kittens are due you should set up a place for your cat to give birth to the kittens. This “nesting box” can be a simple basket lined with clean towels that she can become accustomed to before the big day arrives. If you don’t set up a place for her to give birth she is likely to simply deliver her kittens wherever she can get to when labor begins. Your vet can give you further advice on caring for your cat during pregnancy.