Is your cat expecting? A female cat can face her pregnancy by herself just fine, but giving her some extra attention during this period won’t hurt us and will make this moment more pleasant for her. These are our suggestions on how to better take care of an expecting cat.
The pregnancy of a cat usually lasts somewhere between 64 and 68 days. In general, cats are known for their high reproductive capacity, and can go in heat several times in a single year, especially in spring and summer.
Pregnant cat: symptoms
The first symptoms that confirm a pregnancy only appear around the third week: physical and behaviour changes begin to appear. Your cat’s abdomen will swell, her nipples will double in size and become reddened, her appetite will increase, and she will adopt a very sweet, maternal behaviour. If you’re not sure, take her to her veterinarian to confirm the pregnancy through an ultrasound.
Pregnant cat: particular concerns
1. DIET
During the first month and a half, your cat can go on eating her usual diet, but later on she’ll be hungrier and will need more daily rations. It’s a good idea to give her kitten food, as they contain more calories and nutritious elements that are great for her health and for the kittens she’s carrying.
2. BED
Expecting cats always look for safe, warm and isolated places. In particular, when they’re about to give birth the very last thing they want is to be near noises and distractions. If your cat lives indoors with you, odds are she’ll go hide inside a wardrobe, among your clothes. Instead, give her a nice little bed, roomy and comfortable, where she can give birth.
3. HUMAN-CAT INTERACTION
It’s very important not to treat your cat as if she were sick. A pregnant cat can and should continue to play the way she always does, and it’s perfectly fine to caress her, trying, of course, not to press her belly in any way and avoiding jerky movements.
Curiosities on cat pregnancies
Cats can be pregnant and go in heat up to two weeks after fecundation, but that’s not the only curious and anomalous thing about cats: females can be impregnated by more than one male at once, so that kittens from the same litters can all have different fathers. This is why sometimes a litter is made up of kittens of very different colours!