Cat pregnancy: the first signs, duration and features of care

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pregnancy in a cat is a period that requires increased attention of the owner. At such times, the animal needs special care. The development and he alth of kittens largely depends on the lifestyle of the pet. It is necessary to determine and notice in a timely manner that the cat will soon become a mother. You also need to adjust her physical activity and nutrition. Every owner of an animal should know how a cat's pregnancy goes, and what changes occur in her body and behavior. During this period, the animal must be under the supervision of a veterinarian. The specialist will give useful recommendations about the diet and lifestyle of the animal, as well as track possible pathology in time.

How to recognize pregnancy in a cat?

The most accurate results can only be obtained by an ultrasound examination in a veterinary clinic. It should be carried out 2 weeks after mating. At this time, embryos that are just beginning to form will already be visible. At week 3, an ultrasound will determine the heartbeat of the embryos. This speaks ofthat future kittens are viable and develop properly.

External signs of pregnancy in a cat during the first 2 weeks is impossible to notice. The behavior of the animal at an early stage remains the same. Some changes will only be visible after 3 weeks:

1. The cat becomes sleepy. She lies in bed most of the day. Normally, the animal sleeps for 14 hours a day, during the period of bearing kittens, sleep increases by about 4 hours.
2. Decreased appetite. At the same time, the pet drinks with pleasure, but does not want to eat solid food, especially dry food. This is an early sign of pregnancy in a cat, at a later date she begins to eat heavily.
3. The animal feels nausea, sometimes vomiting occurs. These symptoms are worse in the morning and can occur up to 4 times a day.
4. Nipples in a cat during pregnancy become bright red, swollen and hot. This is especially noticeable in the lower mammary glands. This sign is more pronounced in animals that bear cubs for the first time.
5. If there are cats in the house, then the cat behaves irritably and aggressively with them.
6. Starting from 3 weeks, with careful probing of the abdomen, you can notice the movement of future kittens.

If the owner found such signs in the animal a few weeks after mating, then the pet should be shown to the veterinarian. During this period, the cat should be under periodic medical supervision.

What happens at different times

The duration of pregnancy in a cat is from 59 to 73 days. This period can be divided into 6 stages:

1. From the moment of conception to 18-20 days. The behavior of the animal practically does not change. You can notice only a slight increase in appetite. Approximately 24 hours after mating, ovulation occurs, the egg is fertilized and moves to the uterus, where the embryo attaches to the wall.
2. 20-30 days. Noticeable swelling and redness of the mammary glands, tension and a slight increase in the abdomen. Sometimes there are signs of toxicosis - the pet has periodic vomiting.
3. 5th week. The abdomen is noticeably enlarged. The pet sleeps and eats a lot. At this time, the veterinarian can determine pregnancy by probing the abdominal cavity and even recognize the number of embryos. You should not touch the cat's stomach on your own, as this can harm future cubs. In addition, careless palpation can lead to miscarriage.
4. 6th week. Not only does the cat's belly grow, but its sides also swell.
5. 42-50 days. Restless behavior appears, the animal may refuse to eat. Future kittens grow up to 5-8 cm, they have wool. The cat sleeps a lot and often visits the tray, as the uterus with embryos presses on the bladder.
6. From day 50 to delivery. Kittens actively move, their movements can be seen if you look closely at the belly of the pet. By the end of pregnancy, the cat's stomach drops, mucous secretions leave the genital tract. She begins to look for a suitable place for the birth of cubs. Birth of kittensoccurs on day 50-72.

How to determine the gestational age of a cat? Only a veterinarian can determine this with accuracy. The owner of the animal can only count the number of weeks after mating and, using the above signs, determine the approximate period.

False pregnancy

There are times when a cat shows some signs of pregnancy. However, bearing cubs is excluded, since there was no mating. This is a rather rare occurrence. Its exact causes have not been established, but most often this condition occurs due to hormonal failure.

Symptoms of false pregnancy in cats are as follows:

1. The animal's nipples swell and redden.
2. Pet eats and sleeps a lot.
3. The cat starts to move more cautiously than usual.

Such manifestations are usually not dangerous for the he alth of the animal and go away on their own. You need to sound the alarm in cases where this condition is repeated too often, almost every estrus. The help of a veterinarian will be required if the symptoms are too bright: the pet has an enlarged belly and milk secretion, she is looking for a place for the appearance of kittens, pretends to give birth, and then babysits the toys, mistaking them for cubs.

In these cases, treatment is indicated to normalize the hormonal background. Sometimes sterilization is recommended.

Distinguishing a false pregnancy from a true one can sometimes be difficult. Some spayed cats retain the ability to mate. They continue to produce sex hormones from the pituitary gland andadrenal glands. False pregnancy often occurs after mating with a castrated or sterile male. In such cases, only a veterinarian can correctly diagnose the cat's condition.

Pathologies of pregnancy

The pregnancy period of a cat does not always go well. An attentive owner should be alert to the following symptoms in a pet:

• refusing food;
• raising or lowering the temperature;
• shortness of breath;
• appearance of bloody or colored discharge from the genital tract.

These signs may be manifestations of the pathology of pregnancy. If during this period the cat suffered an infectious disease or she had a hormonal failure, then the embryos do not develop and die. This phenomenon is called missed pregnancy.

If there was an intrauterine death of all cubs, then veterinarians either wait for a natural miscarriage, or give the animal drugs to stimulate labor so that all dead embryos come out. This is necessary so that they do not decompose inside the mother's body.

If only a part of the embryos died, then the pregnancy is preserved. When viable kittens are born, dead fetuses come out with them. In this case, the cat should have an ultrasound immediately after birth. You need to make sure that nothing is left in the uterus.

Food

Pregnancy and childbirth in cats require high energy costs from animals. Therefore, it is important that the pet is fully fed. The amount of the daily ration needs to be increased.

In the first 2 weeks the catyou can continue to feed as usual, about 2 times a day. Starting from 3 weeks, the animal is given food three times a day. At the same time, it is necessary to monitor body weight, the pet should gain weight, but not due to an increase in body fat.

Strong nutrition is required later than 4-5 weeks. During this time, the embryos grow rapidly. The pet needs to be fed at least 4-5 times a day.

If the animal eats ready-made food, then you need to choose a product marked "super-premium" or "holistic". If a cat eats natural food, the following foods will be beneficial for her:

1. Meat. You need to choose lean types of beef or veal. The product must first be boiled. You can also give jelly. Meat products should take up about half of the daily diet.
2. Fish. It is also pre-boiled. It is necessary to choose marine species, they contain a lot of protein. It is better not to give river fish to an animal in order to avoid infection with helminths.
3. Dairy and sour-milk products. They should contain no more than 15% fat. You should also choose yogurts without additives.
4. Boiled eggs. They are given no more than 2 times a week.
5. Porridge. Useful dishes of buckwheat, rice and oatmeal.

During pregnancy, cats need more vitamins and minerals. Therefore, special complexes containing useful substances should be added to food. The veterinarian will tell you exactly what nutritional supplements the animal needs.

It is useful to give a cat 1 teaspoon of a decoction ofraspberry leaves. This will help avoid birth complications. Also, in the late stages of pregnancy, finely chopped and scalded with boiling water nettle leaves can be included in the animal's diet. They help produce milk.

If a pregnant cat often has stool retention, then you can give her boiled beets with vegetable oil.

Lifestyle

During pregnancy, a cat usually has a sharp decrease in motor activity. This is not bad, as it reduces the likelihood of accidental injury when jumping. But on the other hand, excessive hypodynamia is also harmful. Low mobility contributes to obesity, and being overweight can make childbirth difficult. In the early and middle stages of pregnancy with a cat, you need to start calm games and make her move a little. In this case, you need to protect the animal from jumping from a great height. A pregnant cat's body becomes heavier, she becomes somewhat clumsy and can be seriously injured during active games. It must be remembered that any trauma to the expectant mother during this period can have an extremely negative effect on the kittens.

In late pregnancy, you need to stop any games with the animal. The pet should lie down and rest as much as possible. Most of the time it is good for a cat to spend in a state of rest. During this period, you need to take care of her sleep. It is necessary to try not to create noise and loud sounds in the room where the animal sleeps. The body at this time is preparing for future childbirth and it needs as much rest as possible. It is necessary to equip a comfortable place to sleep in a couch orhouse.

If the cat is used to taking daily walks, then it is better not to let her out of the house in the later stages. Otherwise, there is a danger that the birth of kittens will occur in the street, which often leads to infection of babies.

Can I get vaccinated

During the pregnancy of a cat, any vaccinations are prohibited. Of course, it is highly undesirable for an animal to get infections while carrying kittens. However, vaccination must be carried out 60 days before mating. In this case, the cat will be able to transfer immunity to the cubs.

If the owners did not vaccinate the pet before pregnancy, then the vaccination course can be carried out after childbirth. In this case, the cat is vaccinated with kittens when they are 1 month old.

Deworming

During pregnancy, a cat should not be anthelmintic. All anthelmintic drugs are toxic and can harm the fetus. It is necessary to take care of getting rid of internal parasites 7 days before mating.

If this procedure was not carried out in advance, then deworming is done 1 month after birth. Anthelmintic treatment together with the mother are also cubs. The cat is given an anthelmintic drug that can be used during lactation, and kittens are given a special suspension.

Fight against skin parasites

Ticks, fleas and other parasites that live in wool and on the skin, it is better to eliminate before mating. These insects are carriers of infections that can cause miscarriage during pregnancy. Spendpreventive measures during the bearing of kittens are quite difficult. Most parasite preparations are toxic, and their active ingredients can cross the placenta. As a result, babies may die in utero or be born with malformations.

It is believed that during pregnancy it is possible to treat wool only with the preparation "Stronghold". This is the most gentle remedy. However, it is still better to consult a veterinarian about this.

Is estrus possible during the period of bearing kittens?

Does a cat ask for a cat during pregnancy? Shortly after conception, animals begin to produce progesterone. This hormone stops heat. Therefore, in most cases, a pregnant cat does not ask for males.

However, progesterone may not start to be produced immediately, but only on day 3 after mating. Until then, heat will continue.

Cats also have hormonal imbalances. Failure in the body occurs in pregnant animals between 3 and 6 weeks. Females with low progesterone levels are susceptible to this. With a hormonal failure during this period, estrus occurs, despite the pregnancy, and the cat again asks for a male.

If mating occurs at this time, the pet may become pregnant again. Veterinarians call this superfetation. This is a rather rare occurrence, but it does occur. The animal will simultaneously bear cubs from both the first mating and the second. In this case, the total duration of pregnancy in a cat increases. Kittens from the first mating will be born intheir term, and after 3-6 weeks new babies will be born from the second mating. In this case, the cubs can have different fathers.

Superfetation is undesirable for the animal. This puts a lot of stress on the body. Often the younger brood is born weak or dies in utero. If all the kittens are born viable, then the mother may not have enough milk for all the cubs. Therefore, re-mating should not be allowed if there are obvious symptoms of pregnancy.

If the birth of kittens is undesirable

If the conception and birth of kittens is undesirable, then it is better to sterilize the cat before the first mating. All methods of abortion are harmful to the body of the pet.

A pregnant cat tolerates spaying much harder. Her hormonal background is sharply disturbed, and the animal has to recover for a long time after the intervention. In a non-pregnant cat, the operation is much easier, and her condition quickly returns to normal.

There are other ways to terminate a pregnancy. In the early stages, the veterinarian may administer prostaglandins to the animal. These drugs cause miscarriage. However, after that, the cat has to cut out the ovaries. This carries the risk of a uterine infection. Therefore, later it may be necessary to remove the uterus. In fact, this method is completed by sterilization.

In the later stages, the veterinarian injects glucocorticoid hormones. As a result, the cat gives birth prematurely to unviable kittens. This is quite dangerous and can end urgently.caesarean section.

Estrogens are sometimes used as a contraceptive for cats. Hormones are administered immediately after mating, this protects against pregnancy. But this method is far from safe. You have to use a fairly large dosage of the drug. This often leads to serious endocrine disorders, persistent infertility, genital infections and hematopoietic disorders.

If a cat is not sterilized, then depriving her of access to males is also wrong. At the same time, the animal becomes nervous and irritable, as each time it experiences stress during estrus. Therefore, if the owner does not want the cat to breed, then the only correct way out will be sterilization before the first mating. This procedure is absolutely safe and harmless, it can be done to an animal from the age of 8-12 months.