How to know if my cat is pregnant
Although the belly of a cat does not begin to swell until the pregnancy is very advanced, there are other symptoms that indicate that our pet is pregnant. These are both purely physical and behavioral signs, since the hormonal changes that the animal undergoes in the gestation process will influence its mood.
If you have a cat and it is not sterilized, you may have doubts about how to know if my cat is pregnant, for this reason in this article we are going to solve it and offer you more details.
The heat and pregnancy in the cat
The females of cat enter the estrus for the first time between 6 and 9 months of age, from that moment it is possible that they become pregnant if they are together with a male. When they pass this period that happens several times a year, they become very affectionate, they wail at all hours and they look for to leave the house to find some male. Therefore, if you have one and you have not sterilized it, it will probably escape and become pregnant at some point. If you do not want to have litters several times a year or that your pet escapes, we advise you to sterilize it.
How long is the pregnancy of a cat
Among other important things we have to know is that the pregnancy of a cat lasts more than two months, in particular, between 60 and 69 days. In addition, a pregnant cat can have the same zeal at the same time during the first two weeks after fertilization. It is for this reason that if she is pregnant, in the following 15 days she is likely to continue leaving the house and that other males cross with her, giving rise to a litter with more than one father.
How to know if my cat is pregnant in the first days and without going to the vet
Many people wonder if it can be known in the first days of pregnancy if the cat is pregnant or not, as well as if it is possible to know without going to the vet .
During the first two weeks, there will be no obvious symptom of pregnancy. Also, as we have said if she usually escapes from home due to the heat, she will stop doing it after a few days after being pregnant, but again it happens after the first 15 days . In short, before 15 days is impossible to know with certainty if your cat is pregnant and the only way you know if it is or not without going to the vet is to wait long enough for the symptoms to begin to be evident, as the swelling of the belly, but never before the first two weeks.
Physical changes of a pregnant cat
From the moment she is pregnant, the body of the cat begins to change to prepare for the entire process of pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding and also to take care of their puppies as soon as they are born.
Before the month of gestation the physical alterations can hardly be noticed or even have not yet appeared. But after three or four weeks of gestation, we can notice changes visually easy to detect. Thus, the main physical symptoms during pregnancy are the following:
- Breasts and nipples: both become inflamed, so they look swollen and pink. The breasts get bigger and the nipples change their color because they are being modified to be able to produce milk after the birth and that the little ones can easily find their nourishment. A few days before the birth, they are especially swollen and it is possible that they take out some colostrum, the first breast milk.
- Vulva: this part of the genitals becomes more visible because it inflames and enlarges slightly.
- Belly: after four weeks of gestation, the belly begins to become evident and, from that moment on, it will become more prominent, causing the female's back to curve slightly downwards.
As soon as you detect any of these signs in an obvious way, we advise you to go immediately to your trusted veterinarian, there they will confirm it and they will start with the follow-up and the necessary recommendations according to the health of your pet.
Also, in this other article we explain everything about how to care for your pregnant cat.
Changes in the behavior of the pregnant cat
Parallel to the physical symptoms our pregnant cat will start to have some behaviors different from the usual ones, which are due to hormones and other aspects such as instinct. So, to recognize if our pet expects kittens we should also look at various changes in the behavior of this:
Changes in appetite
The most usual thing is that the first days the female eat little and it is possible that, even if she asks you and you offer her her favorite food, she does not have an appetite. After a few days you will start to eat normal again and you will increase the amount of daily food during the first weeks of gestation and you will have to give it very nutritious food like the special one for kittens. With the most advanced pregnancy and the largest gut will begin to eat less, since the stomach will be somewhat pressed. Also, a couple of days or a few hours before delivery, you may stop eating.
Sleep more
Since a short time after the last encounter with a male, if the female is pregnant, begin to look for more rest and tranquility. In fact, she will be more apathetic, she will stop going outside, she will stop looking for other pets or people from the house to play, she will go away and look for nice and hot places to rest and sleep to the fullest. Therefore, it is normal for a pregnant cat to be much less active than before and to sleep many hours a day. This change can be very sudden or very progressive, it will depend on each one.
More affectionate or arisca
Some cats become calmer than before and require more of our love. On the other hand, others go in the opposite direction and prefer to spend more time alone than accompanied, even being uncouth before any caress. This behavior may be milder at first and as the pregnancy progresses it may be more marked, but what you have to think about is that this depends completely on the personality of each one and also on the relationship with the people who live with it.
Symptoms of problems in pregnancy
Not only should you be able to recognize if your cat is waiting for a litter, you should know when it is vital that you go to the vet. In addition to the visit to confirm that your pet is pregnant and normal follow-up with blood and urine tests, ultrasound and all the tests that the specialist believes necessary, you should be able to recognize some symptoms of possible problems in pregnancy :
- Dizziness
- Discomfort
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Excessive inactivity
- Weightloss
- Fainting
- Bleeding
These signs that the pregnancy is not going well, can be given separately or some together. In addition, another clear signal is that the delivery is too far ahead or that there is a natural abortion of the puppies. If you observe any of these things it is vital that you consult with the veterinarian as soon as possible and that you check your pet, in this way you will be sure that both the kittens and her are well or you can act as soon as possible if there is a problem.
How to know if my cat is going to give birth - symptoms
Although the birth will normally take place from day 60, when the last weeks of gestation approach you should pay attention to some signs that indicate that the moment of delivery has arrived . Thus, you can attend to your pet and contact a veterinarian to supervise the delivery if possible and check the state of health of the mother and children. When the delivery is near, even two days before, you will begin to notice these symptoms:
- It will be restless and annoying, it will even vocalize a lot so you will hear moans, moans or cries that, as the time approaches will become more frequent.
- Start licking the genitals very often and insistence.
- You will look for a place to make a nest to give birth, a safe place where you can also breastfeed them quietly. It is good that since you know your state and prepare a nest area with appropriate materials and located in an optimal place, leaving food, water and the sandbox nearby. We advise you to use a warm bed, cardboard boxes, cushions, blankets and clean sheets.
- A few hours before starting the birth of the little ones the female will stop eating due to contractions and discomfort.
- Many cats often warn, meowing or scratching their legs, those who live with them and with whom they have great confidence, but others prefer to be alone and set apart in a safe place, so they do not warn.
- You will see that you have contractions, the belly of your pet will have spasms that you can see perfectly and that will be more and more followed.
- It expels the mucous plug through the vulva, which is a yellowish or whitish color, and this tells us that labor begins.
- Its temperature drops and it can do it until 36.5-37ºC; The normal temperature of an adult cat is between 38-39ºC.
At this point the puppies will start to come out one by one, you may have to help your cat to give birth or not, so it is good to have the help of a specialist. If complications do not occur we must let her do everything alone, that is as natural as possible.
Think that in each litter there are usually between 1 and 6 puppies, but there may be more, so it is imperative that we have a responsible home ready to welcome all the kittens when they are ready.
